I was extremely lucky to get to attend Avon KissCon in Austin last month at Book People which hosted a slew of wonderful authors. I freely admit the entire reason I went was to see Ilona and Gordon Andrew who write under the name Ilona Andrews. At this event I managed to get not one but TWO copies of the White Hot ARC that were being given out in the VIP bags. I will be doing a GIVE AWAY for a signed set of Burn For Me and White Hot . More details will be posted here this week.
First off, I freely declare that I love all of the various series books that Ilona Andrews writes. I have read them all, most more than once. I was super excited to get my hands on the paperback arc, so much that I even yielded my “no more paper books” rule. I have fully integrated with my kindle, to the point that I tap the pages on the book and wonder why the page has not turned yet. It also meant that I had to have a light on to read, so I did manage to get some sleep that night, work the next day was much harder to get done (as in nothing really go done because I kept picking the book back up).
There were a host of authors there that I had not heard of before, not because they are unknown, but because even though I think I am well read there are a LOT of books out there to choose from. The event featured : Ilona and Andrew Gordon (Ilona Andrews), Cheryl Etchison, Laura Lee Guhrke, Lorraine Heath, Sophie Jordon, Cathy Maxwell, Jill Shavis and Lori Wilde. There was a meet and greet VIP area where yummy tiny cupcakes and other treats were splayed out around the room and you could rub elbows with your favorite authors. I admit that it took me a little while to work up the nerve to talk to Ilona and Andrew, who are very kind and engaging, but I am shy around my heroes. I was happy to get a picture with the two of them before I ducked back down stairs to get a proper stalker front row seat.
The panel started with the KissCon hostess asking various questions of the table. While I had hoped initially for a more formal Author talk, this proved to be very entertaining. The answers from the authors had us constantly laughing and I am pretty certain I have a new fangirl crush on Cathy Maxwell. Her subject matter was not my normal read area, but if her personality carries over to her writing, even by half, I am certain that the books will be astounding.
We did get to ask some direct questions of the authors. I (of course) had to ask when the Inn Keeper series would start back up. Ilona kindly did not jump from her chair and throttle me for it, saying that when things settled a bit we would see more from our favorite Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas. I politely pointed out that Fridays did not feel the same without them, and I want to totally take credit for the latest snippets posting to the blog from the upcoming Kate Daniels spin off book for Hugh, but I bet that was something they planned to do anyways. 😉 Still, one should never underestimate the positive effects of proper fangirling.
I did make some notes about a question I found rather fun: What are you currently reading? These were some of the books that were suggested by the Authors (in no particular order):
Conor’s Way, By Laura Lee Guhrke
The Tracer Series, By Laura Griffen
From the Start, By Cheryl Etchison
A Date at the Alter, by Cathy Maxwell
The Grey Bastards, By Jonathan French (recommended by Andrew)
*which I just finished and really loved*
Terms of Enlistment, by Marcos Kloos (recommended by Ilona)
Now you will notice that some of these were books written by the panel authors, but they were recommended by the other ladies, one they listed isn’t even out for release yet. The event had the feeling of a close friendship, that you got to sit in on a happy hour that lacked waiters but was full of fun and laughter. It was a great event and I am so happy to live in a town that it visited. I hope they come back next year too.
If you like to talk about books of all kinds and need a support group join me over at my book club on facebook, PaperSisters. While we do monthly author chats about a specific book there are no reading requirements and we cover most all genres and styles. See you there!