The LA Times Festival of Books, Part 2: In Which I Meet Awesome Book Bloggers
If you had told me a year ago that I would be willing to shell out a couple hundred bucks and book a flight to go down to the LA Times Festival of Books with the intention of meeting people that I only “knew” online, I would have told you that you were crazy! Not only meet them, but hang out with them all day, go out to dinner, and be picked up from the airport and put up for the night (thanks Trish!)!
While my parents thought it was totally awesome (this is coming from my mom who once put a pillow and pajamas in the car when she went to an overnight conference, made eye contact with another woman in a session and wha-la, she had somewhere to sleep!), my in-laws thought I was a bit strange to meet people that I have never met before. They just wanted me to come back alive. But let me tell you. I truly felt like I knew these bloggers already and what was so fun is that their personalities are exactly what you thought they would be and there was never an awkward moment of silence. Do you ever try to talk about books and blogging to your family and friends and they just get this confused look on their face? These awesome ladies “get it.” So nice to talk to people who understand.
Since I began blogging a year and a half ago, I had no idea that this “hobby” would take me to where it is now. As a stay at home mom, I enjoy the connection that I am able to make with other readers. I never imagined that I would call people that I only knew online, friends. Because aren’t the people who do that, well . . . crazy? But it’s true. They are friends. And it was a privilege to meet some of them. It makes me wish I could meet everybody! Back in January, I hosted the Utah Book Bloggers meet-up, so I already knew how wonderful book bloggers are and so I was looking forward to doing the same with the book bloggers in southern California.
My new “IRL” friends are Trish from Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?, Amy from My Friend Amy, Lisa from Books on the Brain, Jill from Fizzy Thoughts, Ti from Book Chatter and Other Stuff . . . , Wendy from Musings of a Bookish Kitty, Tracy from Shelf Life and Florinda from The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting and Randomness.
We had a great time chatting, attending panels, and going out to dinner (courtesy of TLC Book Tours – thanks gals!).
Taken a few minutes after we (Florinda and Wendy to catch up later) all met. See how quickly we all cozy up?
Ti, Jill and Lisa hanging out:
Amy, Wendy, Wendy’s husband and Florinda looking cool:
Trish tweeting:
Jill and Florinda waiting for the panel to start:
Wendy and her husband:
Trish and Ti:
Amy and Florinda:
The whole gang (minus Tracy) enjoying dinner and blogging talk:
Me and Jill (blurry):
Jill and Trish:
Wendy and me taking photos:
After dinner:
TLC Book Tour Coordinators, Trish and Lisa:
Me and Lisa:
Florinda and me:
Ti and me:
Me and Jill:
Amy and Trish:
Amy and me (Amy looks adorable. Me – I’ve got my eyes closed!):
Me and Trish:
Amy, me and Trish:
This is me, happy to be on the computer (and yes we couldn’t help tweeting each other even though we were in the same room):
Many of the photos are mine but many thanks to Ti, Lisa and Amy for letting me “lift” a few of theirs as well!
I plan on having two more posts about the LA Times Festival of Books in addition to my earlier vlog. One on all the amazing authors I met and another to recap the panels that attended. In the meantime, check out Jill’s posts (to FoB or not to FoB, Social Media Panel, Window on the World Panel, Intimate Strangers Panel, Borderlines Panel, S.E. Hinton Panel), Ti’s recap, Lisa’s recap, Trish posts the vlog we did together as well as her own vlog, Wendy’s recap, Amy’s vlog, top ten list and recap, Tracy’s recap, Florinda’s recap.
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Category: Author Events, The Community
Tags: LA Times Festival of Books
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Natasha, when I say you are too cute.. I so mean it! You are just adorable! Thanks for sharing these pics. Some I am seeing for the first time and they made me feel all warm and fuzzy again
on May 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 pmI’ve IM’ed my husband or text messaged him from across the room
I love this pictures. It looks like you had a fabulous time!
on May 3rd, 2009 at 10:05 pmIt is so fun to relive this day over and over again on everyone’s blogs! Thanks for sharing the pics.. even the one of me and my 14 chins!! Yikes, time for a diet! LOL
on May 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 pmSuch fun pictures. I’ll look at my pics to see if I have one with your eyes open.
It was fun and I can’t wait to do it again!
on May 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 pmWhat fun pictures! Thanks for sharing. I t looks like you all had a fab time.
on May 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 pmI LOVED this post
I can’t wait to meet some book bloggers one of these days 
on May 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 pmHow cool!! It really looks like you guys had a great time!!
on May 4th, 2009 at 12:00 amAww! Sweet
on May 4th, 2009 at 12:46 amTi – Ah shucks! Thanks! It was so much fun to meet everybody!
Jenn – I must admit that I don’t know how to do the text message thing. We don’t have a plan. The whole trip was fun!
Lisa – *whatever* You look great!
Amy – The girl even took two of us with my camera and my eyes were closed in both of them. I usually don’t do that!
Nicole – You’re welcome! I wish I could meet everybody!
Chris – You will one day, I’m sure of it. I don’t know how I’m so lucky to meet so many. I can’t wait to go to BEA and then to host our next Utah Book Bloggers Bash again this summer.
Stephanie & Lenore – A bunch of book bloggers in the same room? Of course, we are going to have fun!
on May 4th, 2009 at 2:10 amIt is so exciting to see you all in real life! And I’m madly jealous. Maybe someday I can join you all! Yes my husband would think I’d lost my mind, but he already thinks that anyway.
on May 4th, 2009 at 4:11 amNatasha- I am the Queen of text messaging. I haven’t gotten the whole twitter thing yet…so we are even.
By the way, I have your book packaged, just haven’t been able to hobble myself to the post office. It’s been raining and I’ve been avoiding going outside and getting my cast wet. I will send it out soon. I threw something extra in there too
on May 4th, 2009 at 9:39 amI loved seeing the pictures – quite a few were new to me (you’re sneaky with that camera, Natasha
!). But I know exactly what Lisa’s talking about, although I’m more concerned about my chins than hers.
SUCH a fun time – sorry I wasn’t there for the whole weekend, but looking forward to next year (and regretting that I won’t be going to BEA). Thanks for the chance to relive it one more time!
on May 4th, 2009 at 11:04 amWhat a great post Natasha! I love the pictures-I love putting faces to all the people who’s blogs I visit.
on May 4th, 2009 at 11:32 amI love the pictures! Great post, Natasha. Looks like a fantastic time. =)
on May 4th, 2009 at 11:57 amAwwww it looks like everyone had an amazing time! It would be so fun to meet some of the book bloggers in person…. sometimes I feel like they are just a character in a book rather than a real person
on May 4th, 2009 at 12:38 pmThis is all so exciting. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
on May 5th, 2009 at 1:44 pmGlad to hear you had such a fun time! I would love to go to some kind of thing like this someday. I bet it is hard to explain to people how some of your good friends live in the internet
on May 5th, 2009 at 9:02 pmLooks like a great time was had by all! I think it’s so cool that you got to hang out with those awesome bloggers.
on May 6th, 2009 at 7:00 amTHANK YOU for posting all those pictures! I really enjoyed reading all the other recaps of the day from the bloggers who attended, but most of them used the same few group pictures and it was hard to see individual people. I had such fun looking through all the ones you posted. And I’m totally jealous of you all since I couldn’t be there.
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:29 amI am so thrilled that you guys had a great time, but I’m also deeply jealous.
And what does your husband think about you meeting other bloggers? My husband things this whole blogging thing is weird (and I’m guessing mostly because it hogs too much time in the evenings, which I’m trying to be better about).
I felt really bad about this weekend, Natasha. There has been a lot of stuff going on lately and it just wasn’t the right time (way beyond blogging stuff).
I’m hoping to be back to Utah sometime later this year since my grandparents aren’t really able to travel anymore, so hopefully then we can meet up.
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:20 pmSandy – I would have been madly jealous too reading this post. So I’m glad I was there!
Jenn – I guess Twitter is my form of text messaging. And even that I don’t even have it on my phone. When I leave the house I am completely disconnected. And right now that’s the way I like it to be. I don’t need to be connected ALL the time or else I’d be truly in trouble.
Florinda – It was great to meet you too! Now I can put more of a personality with your posts and picture you behind the computer!
Darlene – I love putting faces behind the names. Makes it so much more personal.
Meghan – Fun was had by all that’s for sure!
Jessica Marie – Between the ones in California and the ones I’ve met in Utah I don’t know how I’ve been so lucky to meet so many.
TexasRed – It is very exciting. I still have a couple of more posts to write about it too.
KIm L. – Exactly! I was trying to explain that to a neighbor and they just looked like I was crazy. But it is crazy!
Anna – They were all awesome! There personalities were just what you think they would be like.
Heather J. – Oh yes, I’m a little camera happy at times! So glad you enjoyed the photos.
Trish – Don’t worry about this weekend. I know it was a fast and busy trip. I wish I had reasons to go to Dallas. One of these days we’ll find a good time to meet. And there shall be a lot of squealing! My husband knows that in the past three years I have literally had no vacation and haven’t been more than 70 miles away from the house (pathetic) and have never spent a night away from my kids. So I’m so happy that we was supportive. He was at our Utah book blogger party and thought everybody was really nice. So at least he knew that they were great people only if you only knew them online.
on May 7th, 2009 at 8:11 am