Literacy Bookfair

OK, one hour til my volunteer shift begins for the Annual General Meeting. There will probably be only three people there besides the Board because everyone seems to have plans to go out touristing this afternoon to CocaCola, the Aquarium, CNN, the Segways.

The big kickoff for the conference is the Literacy Bookfair where publishers donate books for authors to sign, and the sales go to funding literacy efforts. Marissa and I went down around 4:45 pm to check out the Goody Room before it closed at 5 pm – the bookfair line already snaked halfway around the lower lobby. Periodically we heard wild cheers as if the doors had opened, but the line never moved. Maybe they were doing the wave?

We decided to wait until 6 pm before attempting to enter the room. The line was gone, but walking into the room was like walking into a wall of humid heat. Wall-to-wall women (and a few men).



I am using a new camera which has all kinds of features including filters for three different kinds of indoor lighting, but of course I don't yet know how to use them well, so forgive me everyone for not being able to do you justice.

That being said, here are a few of my favorite people:

Alesia Holliday looking gorgioso as usual


Brenda Hiatt of the famous "How Much Do They Pay?"


Eloisa James (she is so beautiful and I took such a horrid photo)


The very wonderful and funny Hannah Howell


One of my favorite bloggers, HelenKay Dimon


Jayne Ann Krentz (love her AQ books, HUGE line at bookfair)


Jennifer Stevenson (horrible photo, but her book Trash Sex Magic is so swooningly wonderful that I had to get a mention in)


Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer (notice who is signing and who is gabbing)


Katy Cooper, whose fantasy cannot be finished soon enough for me


Kim Harrison (I did the total blathering fangirl spiel with poor Kim. LOVE her Dead Witch Walking series. As I was writing this, my sister emailed to ask, "Did you meet Kim Harrison?!?", so I had to pause for more squee.)


The tres wonderful Madeline Hunter (one of the best workshop speakers ever, years later we are still quoting her talk from the NJRWA conference)


Maggie Shayne (I wanted to call her the Venerable Maggie Shayne, but that seemed too dowdy, but you know what I mean. Maggie. Shayne.)



The Smartest Woman at the Literacy Bookfair


Sherrilyn Kenyon and daughter


Seressia Glass (her shirt had beautiful shinies on it, but of course my photography skills are cr*p)



Susan Elizabeth Phillips (she always looks great)




Sandra Schwab (she is blogging from National too!)


Patti O'Shea and Robin D. Owens (each thought I was trying to take a pic of the other)