I started to write this as one long post, but then I looked at the pictures I wanted to share and what I had to say about the whole event and realized this was way too much for one post. So there shall be two, one for each day of major goings on at the Miami Book Fair International (MBFI).

Saturday turned out to be beautiful weather-wise which was a blessing considering that it rained buckets on Friday most of the day. The wind was pretty strong, but that was nice when you’re spending half the day walking from stall to stall in the South Florida sun.

I arrived around eleven and wandered the booths that lined the streets for the next hour. It was an interesting mix of new and used bookstores, independent presses, self-published authors, and writers services and organizations. Some I’d never heard of, others I recognized, but either way it was a fascinating look at the local writing landscape and I picked up some great books I never would have discovered otherwise as part of my research for Sing, Sweet Nightingale. It’s going to take me a while to read them all, but I think they’ll have some great information!

Colleen Houck, Debbie Viguie, Nancy Holder, and Sarah Dessen

At noon I headed toward building 1 where they held a fabulous panel of YA authors (picture from the discussion at right). The panel included paranormal/fantasy authors Colleen Houck, Debbie Viguie, and Nancy Holder as well as contemporary author Sarah Dessen. They were all fabulously kind and I wish I owned physical copies of Nancy and Debbie’s books (they co-write a bunch of different series) so they could have signed them! Alas, the only book I had was an ARC (advance release copy) of Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen. Now it’s a signed ARC! 😀

Clockwise from top: Colleen Houck, Me, Sarah Dessen, Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguie

These incredibly talented and incredibly kind authors not only gave a great presentation, they answered a lot of questions including my request for advice on building a platform relevant to the YA industry. Nancy and Debbie were especially helpful and I chatted with them for at least thirty minutes before I felt guilty for taking up so much of their time. If you ever get the chance to meet any of these authors, GO! They’re awesome.

Tasha Alexander, Ellen Hopkins, and Sunny Chen

After leaving building 1, I crossed campus to building 3 where another panel was being held. This one consisted of romance authors Tasha Alexander, Ellen Hopkins (also the bestselling author of YA books in verse like Crank), and Sunny Chen (who, if I remember correctly, is usually just listed as Sunny on her books). They spoke about their writing process–which is very different for each of these authors as each one writes in a very distinct style from the others on the panel–and about the perseverance is takes to make it in the publishing industry.

Errol Lewis, Pete Hamill, Mike Barnicle, and John Avlon

In one particular room, The Chapman Room for those of you who care, they held large, ticketed events. The tickets were free, but these were events they expected to draw a large crowd. For example, this is where they held the Christopher Paolini event last week. When I booked my tickets, I saw an event called Deadline Artists. I didn’t recognize any of the names, but the title intrigued me, so I registered for a ticket and attended the event. Turns out Deadline Artists is a collection of newspaper columns dating back to the early 1900s, the best of the best in literary journalism. Errol Lewis and John Avalon put the collection together while Pete Hamill and Mike Barnicle were contributors. Honestly, I almost didn’t stay once I realize what the presentation was about (I don’t read the newspaper and don’t follow politics, so I thought ugh. An hour listening to them talk about politics?). I am so glad I stayed. The conversation itself was fascinating, but it was worth the whole trip just to hear Pete Hamill read one of the columns included in the collection. Hamill was IN THE ROOM when Robert F. Kennedy was shot. He wrote a column about the event as he witnessed it and the beauty, horror, and power in his words is indescribable. Reading them would have been impactful, but for the first time I really understood the value of a reading because when he read his own words, you were there. Absolutely astounding. I recommend the collection to anyone with an interest in journalism or narrative non-fiction.

In addition to all the book-related events over the weekend, the Fair this year also highlighted the culture and art of China. Throughout the day various performers and musicians showed off their skills, but one of the most randomly amazing things I’ve ever seen is this juggling ballerina pictured at left. I mean, I’ve done pointe and I’ve tried juggling. On their own, their already hard-to-master skills. Put them together successfully and I have to bow down before your obvious physical prowess and eye-hand coordination. So cool!!

So ended my first day of the fair, but Sunday was just as exciting! Check back tomorrow for a recap and photos of Sunday!