BEA 2013 Recap: The Events

It’s a little overwhelming trying to describe what it’s like to walk into Javits Center for BEA. The convention center is just massive, and you’re constantly surrounded by people. Gigantic banners hang all over the place, and there are many confusing levels, stair cases, and escalators.

First, you must caffeinate:

Photo Credit: Amy Rose Capetta

So you can prepare for this:

Photo Credit: Amy Rose Capetta

First up on Thursday was the YA Editors Buzz Panel. The panel consisted of five editors who talked for about ten minutes each about the books they were excited about. There was an interesting mix of books—three sci-fi and two contemporary YA books:

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (I just finished this one and it was an excellent homage to nerdom everywhere, and an amazing story on top of that.) 
• Tandem by Anna Jarzab (A parallel universe story by the author of All Unquiet Things and The Opposite of Hallelujah.) 
• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terril (Pitched as a time-bending “book for everyone” with romantic and thriller elements.) 
• Entangled by Amy Rose Capetta (I had read this one before BEA, and so everything that the editor said about the book made me dance in my seat. If you have wondered what a YA book by Joss Whedon would look like—this is it, and so much more!) 
• If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan (I read this on the plane home, and it is such a close, heart-rending page-turner. The relationship between the narrator and her best friend is vivid, and the setting is realistic and frightening.) 

The next day was Meet the Authors of the YA Editors Buzz Panel. We got to hear each author say a few words about their books, and then read aloud a passage. Rainbow read a hilarious scene and Amy Rose read a really tense one in which her protagonist realizes she can’t return home. Anna Jarzab read a pivotal scene in which her protagonist is taken from her own world, and Cristin and Sara read the beginnings of their books. It was really great to hear from each of these authors, and each scene made me want to read each book.

On Thursday evening, I attended a party to celebrate the release of The City of Bones movie! The venue was so perfect for this party—it looked like it might be a room in the Institute. There were tarot card readings and we all were able to get runes. I got “Heightened speed.” We also got a chance to watch an exclusive sneak peek of the movie, and I got chills while watching it. It seems like the movie really captures the danger, adventure, and action of the book, and it still had the little moments of surprising, sarcastic humor. I’m definitely excited to see the whole thing now, and I definitely think I’ll be attending a midnight release (or definitely go on opening weekend!). A HUGE thank you to Simon and Schuster for that excellent party, and a huge thank you to Sony for allowing the special screening! That was such a great party. Because there were some strict rules about pictures and recording, I’ll direct you to the official S&S Facebook album for more pictures from that event!

Friday was the Penguin Luncheon with Richelle Mead and Melissa de la Cruz. Anna Jarzab moderated a conversation with them about their books, writing, and the upcoming Hollywood adaptations of their books. Some highlights of the discussion were:

• Richelle Mead said that The Fiery Heart (the upcoming Bloodlines book) will be “like the Shadow Kiss of the Bloodlines series.” Um. WHAT. NO. If you’ve read Shadow Kiss, you know that there is some serious heartbreak in that book, and it dramatically changes the course of the series, and of the characters’ lives. So…we have that to look forward to. 
• Melissa de la Cruz and her husband (co-author of her new book Frozen) sound like the cutest nerdy couple EVER. She said that her husband was the only guy she has met that has read all six Dune books and is cute. Lucky lady! 
• Character building is Richelle Mead’s favorite part of writing, and world building comes easiest to Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnstone. 
• Richelle Mead has been thinking about writing Gameboard of the Gods for ten years! I’m excited to check it out. 
• Regarding the adaptation of Witches of the East End, Melissa said, “I love working with Lifetinme! Really powerful women executives telling cute guys to take off their shirts!” 
• Richelle said that she read the script to Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters and she thinks it’s really true to the characters, and she’s pleased with the casting. 
• The release day for Blood Sisters is Valentine’s Day 2014! Shooting should wrap by the end of summer, and stills to follow in the fall! 
• Regarding characters and plotting, Richelle said, “There’s only one boss in this show. If my characters have to die, they die.” 

All of the BEA events were so much fun, and they all made me want to jump out of my skin in excitement for all of the great books coming out this year. Stay tuned for more about the books that I’m excited about!