It's September which means empty your wallets book nerds and be prepared to sell off your first-born child. In celebration of
Metaltown officially hitting stores on September 20, Kristen Simmons made at
Anderson's Bookshop with Paula Stokes, and I learn so much from both of them!
Friday night, I made my way straight from work to the burbs to visit the one Anderson's Bookshop location I hadn't visited yet - Downer's Grove. This location is coincidently managed by my mother in law's friend who is both a thrill to be around and a great moderator!
Kristen and Paula gave the elevator pitch (or lists) for their 2016 releases then moved on to their writing process. I always enjoy hearing how an author delves into a new project and as someone who isn't in the "know" about the publishing world - I love discovering the arduous task of selling a book. Both Paula and Kristen came into this industry quite differently,
Paula spent years writing under the pen name of "Fiona Paul" writing with
Paper Lantern Lit and Kristen wrote numerous books before an agent finally accepted
Article 5. That was a decade of writing before finally getting a "yes" folks.
- It took over 2 years for Vicarious to be published
- Ferocious (Vicarious #2) will take place in Seoul where Paula taught English for some time.
- Article 5 was inspired by a book store protest regarding Harry Potter
- Kristen is lowkey obsessed with Christian Bale
- Paula writes characters, not genres
- Kristen's next book comes out in 2017!
Overall it was a great event and both authors were inspirations and gracious. I can't wait to delve into Metaltown and #pressback.
Labels: Anderson's Bookshop, article 5, authors, book event, book signing, ferocious, kristen simmons, metaltown, paula stokes, tor, tor teen, vicarious