GRL Recap Day 2

Another day of excitement and fun was had by all. I specifically didn’t set my alarm so that I could sleep in a bit since I didn’t have anywhere to be until the Supporting Author signing. Of course I also forgot to close the curtains so the sun woke me up. Oh well! At least I got to go to the swag room not long after it opened.

The first thing this morning that I wanted to do was hit the swag room. I wanted to get there early so I could get some of the good swag that clears out early. It’s also fun seeing what everyone decided to make for swag. There was a fair amount of candy throughout the room, but there were also a ton more hand made things this year. Bracelets, key chains, bookmarks, pendants. Those were also the things that went quickly. Pens were popular and as a pen fanatic, I approve of that trend. I loved seeing some fun shaped squishy toys (like the stress balls but other shapes such as horses, ducks, or nuts). Those went straight into the child-approved bag. Now I don’t have to buy my child some knick knack at the airport!

There was some time after I got done stocking up on free stuff before the Supporting Author signing so I hung out. During that time Joyfully Jay gave her first year talk. Last year was my first year and it was great listening to Jay talk about expectations, how to maximize my fun, and maybe (hopefully!) avoid con crud.

I was very excited to go into the Supporting Author signing this morning. I got to get excited all over some of my favorite authors. I brought a huge stack of books that I wanted signed. I loved getting to meet some brand new authors that I never met before. Of course I had to bring my own books because I’m just that big of a fan. I also snagged my copy of the free GRL Supporting Author book. I got last year’s book and it was a wonderful way to discover new authors.

During lunch they had an author’s lounge this year. It was a brand new event where you could have one on one and small group chats with some of your favorite authors or meet new ones. For me it was an opportunity to mingle with some friends. They had the time split between two groups of authors so that it wasn’t so overwhelming to have everyone in one place at the same time.

After lunch the panels began. It’s always so hard for me because I want to go to ALL OF THEM! The first session had Arshad Ahsanuddin, TC Blue, and Cat Grant for Q&A; Edmond Manning, Kc Wells, and Heidi Cullinan for Author Readings; and Mary Calmes, Poppy Dennison, and Lynn Lorenz for Storytelling: Shifters. The theme of the first storytelling was shifters so y’all know where I went. I loved hearing how some of my favorite stories came about. Plus Mary gave a little shout out to Cardeno C!

The second panel had Ally Blue, Daniel A Kaine, and Jamie Samms for Q&A; Ethan Day, Hank Edwards, and Jackie Nacht for Author Readings; and Heidi Belleau, Jessica Freely, and Anne Tenino for Storytellers: YA/NA. I’m a huge Jamie Samms and Ally Blue fan so I went to the Q&A session. It was great also hearing about Daniel’s books because they sound really good and I can’t wait to read some now. Hooray for new authors to like! All of the authors were asked where some of their story ideas came from. I love knowing what in an author’s life sparks an idea for a book that I absolutely love.
I did hear from some that went to the Storytellers that Jackie Nacht had problems saying the word “cock” out loud. That had to be a fun panel to be at!

The last panel of the day was Taylor V Donovan, Belinda McBride, and Rowan Speedwell for Q&A; Lex Chase, Jacob Flores, and Clare London for Author Readings; and Amy Lane, Jet Mykles, and Deanna Wadsworth for Storytellers: Fantasy. This was the hardest for me to choose between. There was at least one person I wanted to see at all of the panels. I chose to go listen about fantasy. Also when Amy talks about her books there are always great laughs involved. They started the panel off with a fun naughty Mad Libs with some excerpts of their books. That created some hysterical scenes! After the Mad Libs they opened the floor for questions. When Amy explained the reasoning behind how she builds her worlds, I was laughing so hard I was crying. For those that weren’t there, it involved a story about her son’s doctor trying to get Amy to look at her (13 year old) son’s testicles to see if they’re swollen.

During the free time after the panel before the MLR Opening Night Reception I made the mistake of laying in bed. I wound up falling asleep and waking up right after it was over. Of course I had to text one of my friends to find out where next year’s GRL will be. I’m so excited that it will be in San Diego California! San Diego is a fabulous city with so much to do. I’m hoping it will work out for me to make it.