Southern Festival of Book - Part II of a Trilogy

My son, in fourth grade, asked for Diary of a Wimpy Kid at a school book sale. That name sounded familiar. I re-look on the SFoB schedule, and that's where I've seen it. Jeff Kinney is speaking. 

A funny little book with all these stick figures.

Kinney is young, cute and funny, but the miraculous part is outside after he's done where there are boys everywhere sitting around crossed-legged reading and chuckling.

As he is signing our copy, I ask him if he'd visit our town, library and schools? He said he couldn't because he still has a day-job. I told him, "I don't want to burst your bubble, but I think you've got a new day job."

A movie and numerous books later, the Kid now has a Giant Bubble at the Southern Festival of Books. A giant bubble is the true sign that you've made it!



Authors sign their books behind the Lopez.

Making friends.

Judy Sierra wrote Wild About Books (why didn't I write that? regret) and now its sort of sequel Zoozical. She's written about 36 more. Marvelous and kind. Makes me want to rush home and send off my work to a publisher immediately.

If I touch her, will some of this fabulous fall off on me?

 The Festival has all the sessions back to back. So, if you want your book signed by Judy Sierra, you'll be late for Matt Phelan and Bob Shea. All festival goers have the same problem, so you feel only a little sheepish when clanging the door behind you in the crowded room.

Matt and Bob have different styles. Bob sends his work electronically, Matt sends originals and then worries.

The fellows explain how it feels to be behind the desk of the greatly published. It feels perfect.

I have to chat with Bob Shea and tell him about his  Big Plans book. A friend of mine just flew off to Africa to tend an orphanage. She asked for children's books. Naieva Bookist, doesn't miss a great opportunity to share some kids books.

 Looking through the stack, we searched for uplifting ones. Coming across Big Plans seemed perfect. So that book (didn't get signed and stuck in the Triangle Bookcase) has much Bigger Plans.

All the while I've stood in line, got books signed, took pictures, I'm missing the Obert Skye's session.  Maybe?  If he's here.

A few months ago, on his website, it said he was speaking at a bookstore in Tennessee. Well, turns out it was a typo and he was actually in Texas.

He is listed, but then so is Pseudonymous Bosch, and he's not here.

And, is Pseudonymous Bosch his real name? 

For that matter, is Obert Skye really Robert Keys?

So many questions.

 

Will I get this load of books signed after lugging them around all day?

Hopefully, all these burning questions will be answered as successfully as,

 "Can I have a T-shirt" to Chris Bohjalian?

Bye for now.

Southern Festival of Book - Part I of aTrilogy

We started out by going to McKays Bookstore and buying out all the Chris Bohjalian books in decent shape, and then headed for the Southern Festival of Books in downtown Nashville.

Chris Bohjalian, author of Midwives and fourteen other fabulous novels, taught us the three survival techniques if faced with a plane crash. I also learned how to pronounce his name - the H is silent. So, it's: Bo Jell e an.

A perfect moment. Chris has three t-shirts to give out.  The first one goes to the first question. About twenty questions later, I raise my hand. What is my burning desire that must be found out? Heart racing, I ask my poignant question, "Can I have a T-shirt?"

I'm blaming James Owen, author of Here There Be Dragons, for this sort of bad behavior. He taught me, If you don't ask you don't get. James gifted one of his drawings to the first kid that asks. This is running through my mind, plus how great I'll look in that shirt, on the couch, with the cat, and some coffee, while I'm reading all the books we bought from McKays.

Chris Bohjalian asks my name and states it loud into the microphone for the whole audience. He hands me a shirt, we get into a conversation. He told me about all the people he loves to meet. In the back row of the auditorium is my Book Club buddy, mad as heck, because there I am getting the t-shirt. Chris gifts the last t-shirt to the person who came the farthest. California.

Books, books and more books.

Because the economy is bad, their aren't as many vendors and there have been over the 14 years that I've been coming here, but it is still the best book festival in America.

This is not Fernando Verdasco as in previous posts, this I believe is Felicano Lopez
(another famous tennis player). Please feel free to research this and examine that what I say is true.
The Lopez is in the middle of the square where the authors sign books.

Okay, now what do we want to see next.

His Castle Book.

What about this cute guy? Matthew Reinhart

Look at all these amazing pop-ups he creates!
I can't fathom how he does it. It's like thinking about the
universe and planets too long and I get a headache.

Former Friends of the Linebaugh Pen Pal author revisits Tennessee.
She still remembers dinner at my house with my banjo playing husband and this was ten years ago.

Jackson Pearce Sweetly gives out treats.

The latest book is Sweetly.

Jackson is excited about it. I am too.

The Nashville Plaza. We had great Fall weather.

We run into the other Chris Bohjalian  t-shirt recipient from California. We became BFFs waiting in the author's long line. I gave her my email address, and hope she writes so she can see this cute picture with this random guy. Well, actually it's none other than Charles Frazier. You know, Mr. Cold Mountain.

Charles Frazier was at Bohjalian's' session and is also jealous of my t-shirt. I've been wearing it all day.

Mary Alice Monroe in her classroom (actually festival room). We were mesmerized by her speech.
I want to go out and buy every single thing that she's ever written.

She can't stop teaching. When she signed books, she told us what we could
possibly learn in each one - butterflies, fly fishing, basket weaving, you name it.

We'll leave with a smile!

Merry Christmas to Naieva Bookist!

The epic search at Yard Sales is for fabulous books that cost fifty cents. Many acquisitions make it into the Triangular Bookcase, but others go to used bookstores for credits. With these credits, I get Must-Have Expensive books, and don't worry about the price.

So, today, I wasn't expecting to redesign my living room in a Bookish Fashion. But, there in front of me is two perfect Book-Fabric Reading Chairs. Two Book-Rugs, and a Stacked-Book Coffee table. RUKiddingMe?

But, I don't want to redecorate. It takes a lot of sweat and work to load all this junk into my smallish vehicle. So, I sit in this Book Chair that I KNOW I MUST HAVE and call my husband. He is a reasonable person and will delicately talk me out of it.

He doesn't.

Then, if I needed any further sign. Santa pulls up in a red Van. Merry Christmas to Naieva Bookist!

Consider it Sold!

Autumn Art - a reminder that it isn't December 25th.

After a bunch of lifting, loading, scrunching, pinching my fingers and hitting my head a couple times, my living room is Relax Worthy.

Moving the old stuff out, I uncovered this grey dust ball. Easy with the claws little buddy. By the way, all good Bookists have cats unless they're dog people and write something like Marley and Me.







I also found the hardback copy of Pseudonymous Bosch's latest book for fifty cents.

Amazing, considering he's listed to speak at the Southern Festival of Books this Friday. But, you'll be hearing more about that in a future blog. Gonna stop typing now, I must recline.





My World.

My Street.

There's actually been a couple visitors to my blog. This makes me realize that the public needs to know a few things about Naieva Bookist. Since a picture is worth a thousand posts, I thought I'd show you My World in photographs.

My Face

My Cat.

My Super Powers.

My Land.

My Vehicle.

My neighbor.

My Family.

<>



My Son

My Husband.

My city.

My barn.

My Sister

My Hallway.

My Collection.

My other collections.

Well, so there it is, a few things about me. Please feel free to tell me a little about yourself.