I Met Marie Lu and WOW!

You know, there’s just something different about going to a book festival or convention versus going to an author’s book signing/book tour. I feel like the book tour atmosphere is a lot of different–less rushing and hurrying, no time to converse. So while I met Marie Lu a year and a half ago, I felt like it was so rushed. So when she went on tour for the release of Warcross and came to a city near me, I knew I had to go. How could I not? Not only was Warcross one of my most anticipated releases for 2017, I also have all of Marie’s other books signed and Warcross completes my collection. 🙂 (That is, until she releases another book but you know… 😉 )

This particular book signing took place at Half-Price Books at their original location in Dallas, TX. I am a big fan of HPB and truthfully, I’ve bought at least 75% of books in my personal library from there. (They’re great to buy from but horrible to sell to. 😛 ) Dallas is a little over a 3.5 hour drive from where I live, and is probably one of my favorite cities. It always feels like a mini-vacation when my husband and I go. 🙂

Okay, so that’s not what you came for so I’ll stop. 😛

The book signing itself was at 3, and you had to have a ticket to have your book(s) signed. They started handing out tickets when the store opened at 9. I snagged one. #38!

I arrived 15 minutes early for the actual signing, but the room was already packed! I thought I would have to stand the whole time, but someone offered the empty seat next to them. 🙂 But still, there were still people standing! I bet there was around 80-100 people.

It was an open Q&A, where the audience could ask questions and she’d answer them. I managed to squeeze in a question. “If you could co-write a book with anyone, who would it be?” Laughingly, she said that she’s afraid no one would write a book with her because her writing process is a bit messy and chaotic. She called herself a “pantser”–someone who writes by the seat of their pants, meaning she doesn’t plan. I guess that means no outlining, lol.

There were a fair amount of questions, some about her writing process, style, characters, and her previous series. She spoke a little about Batman, too. She also talked about a novel she’s been working on as well about Wolfgang Mozart and his sister. It sounds like a shift into the adult fiction, not YA. It’ll be interesting to read, and I’m nonetheless very excited! I loved every moment. 🙂

As for Warcross, she did say that it takes place about 80 years before the events of Legend, and that we actually see some lingering effects of Warcross in the series like in the Antartica colony. 😉

The great thing about this signing was that we were allowed pictures with Marie! When I saw Sarah J. Maas last year, there had to be at least 250 people, so we weren’t allowed pictures with her. I loved how there was a Half-Price Book employee just there to take pictures. She did a great job!

Cue embarrassment when she said she remembered me from Twitter! A few weeks before this signing, I noticed that the graphic she RTed from PenguinTeen was missing this particular signing city! For a brief moment, I thought she was no longer coming to Dallas! I asked her about it. She confirmed she indeed would be there and she also sent it off to Penguin to get it fixed. It was. 🙂

Cue her concern. (Sorry for the face, Marie!)

Marie is seriously the sweetest! I mean, all of the authors I’ve met in the past two years have been so nice. Is that like a requirement or something? LOL 😛

Anyway, now I officially have all of Marie’s books signed! She’s an amazing writer, and has become an auto-buy author for me. I look forward to what she produces next.

Are there any authors that you’re dying to meet or would love to meet again?