BookCon 2014

Grumpy Cat kind of nailed it. She was there, yes. And I got a tiny glimpse (although I didn't stand in the 2+ hr long line to get a picture -- although the one I would have taken would be me standing next to her with my purse wide open with the appearance that I'm coaxing her inside, while she's got a "get this b**** away from me" expression).

I got 2 tote bags, filled one of them with free books (including Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes) and "swag". Excited to read some of it (a few books, once I read their descriptions, discreetly abandoned them at the convention so as not to weigh my bag down more than it was).

Stood in line for one (1) autograph: Adi Alsaid. 2 reasons: I want to read his book (Let's Get Lost), and I could see the end of the line. Unfortunately, by the time I got to him, all he had left were sample books. No big deal. He also had a car decked out like the book cover, and I thought about how cool that would be if a car was decorated like one of my books ... maybe I should try and work with Harlequin.

Even he displayed a certain "I'm exhausted" quality.

Did I enjoy BookCon? Mostly. But it was small, cramped, crowded, and there were lines everywhere. I accidentally stood in several lines just because I wanted to get down an aisle and got stuck. People around me were complaining about every little thing -- almost nobody seemed excited (some downright angry), which brought down the whole spirit of being there. Also, NYC knows when you're trapped and need to have lunch. I spent 8 g****d***n dollars on a small fries and cup of water. Also the line to the one, single ladies room was like an attraction in itself.

So, because I didn't stand in any huge lines to see authors I really wanted to see (which would have taken all my time), I was able to comb the exhibits several times (because they put out new free stuff every hour or so). Maybe next year the space will be better organized (dare I hope: a little more spread out??), or I'll figure out how to go to Book Expo America instead.