MEETING THE AUTHOR: PIERCE BROWN IN MANILA 2017.

I met Pierce Brown last August (24th) and IT WAS SOOOOOO SURREAL!! (Here's my POST about it) I wasn't able to get my Red Rising signed that time because I didn't have the hardbound copy yet so I attended his public signing last August 27th for more of Pierce!

My blogger friends and other bookish friends lined up early (they were there around 6 or 7, I arrived around 8am) so I was able to register early. I also asked JM to buy me the hardbound copy of RR the day before (it was discounted and fresh out of the box) so yaaaay for completed trilogy! We then went out for breakfast and do some catch ups!

During the registration, we were given chapter samplers of Iron Gold and I may have howled loudly when I saw it. HAHA OMG I couldn't contain the excitement! SAMPLE CHAPTERS OF IRON GOLD OMG!!!!!!

(I would also like to commend National Bookstore for the pretty MIBF tickets for this year's event!)

Kate was here.

The picture above is the amazing crowd for Pierce's signing! I was shaking and fucking nervous the entire time! I know I met him up close but damn the build up of anxiety = noodle legs. The electricity in the air was absolutely hair-raising and my cheeks hurt so much from laughing/smiling! My throat also was a little bit sore from all the screaming! HAHA I LOVE BEING A FAN OMG

My lovely bookish/blogger friends

Pierce, just like my first impression, is such a cool guys. Very opinionated and he always always knows what he's saying. He's hilarious, so gwapo and generous. He answered all the questions in ways that not only fulfilling but with passion. What I really really appreciated is that he chose to stand up so that he could easily take pictures with his readers. It was the best thing I have seen. He's is soooo freaking down to earth!

I made these 3 posters for 4 hours the night before and I was so happy Pierce got them signed. He said that it's always wonderful to see his readers make art out of his books. He also asked me which one is my fave and I told him the quote from Golden Son.

LOVE YOU, LOVE!

I just love this author to bits and I hope that no matter how big he gets, he won't forget his fans who were there from the beginning! This signing is everything I have ever hoped for and I am sooooooooooo grateful that National Bookstore brought him here. I wish I could post the vid of me shrieking, flailing and crying when I was told he'd visit (I couldn't because it was embarrassing!). This series opened up so many doors for me and helped me love Sci-Fi even more! Thanks, Pierce!

Completed Series, all signed.

National Bookstore, Chad, JB and the rest of the gang: You know how much I am forever grateful to you and your generosity. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART THAT YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN AND I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET IT. SUPER THANK YOU!

Were you there at the signing? What was your favorite part?

MEET AND GREET: INTERVIEW WITH PIERCE BROWN.

After years of wishing, screaming, flailing, praying and dreaming, it finally came true. THE dream of meeting Pierce Brown finally happened. And as of this writing, my heart is so so full of joy and I am still on cloud 9 so I might be incoherent again. My knees are still shaking and there's this weird thing in my stomach that I couldn't get rid of. It was just the best day ever I was sooooo hungover by it that it took me 3 weeks to get this recap up!

Wouldn't it be awesome to have #PierceBrowninPH signing!? Oh, God. Someone make this happen! @Pierce_Brown <3

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 31, 2014

I was invited by National Bookstore for a 30-minute Meet and Greet with Pierce last August 27 in Raffles. Together with Kai of Amaterasu Reads and JM of The Book Freak Revelations, we went there with so much anticipation. Of course there would be so much anticipation, imagine waiting for this thing to happen since 2014. Pierce was actually at the lobby (I AM FUCKING SHAKING BY JUST REMEMBERING THE ENCOUNTER) and he came and greeted us AND WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, HE'S TALL, VERY GOOD LOOKING AND ABSOLUTELY DREAMY! He's wearing a simple white shirt, denim jeans, white sneakers and a leather jacket like he just came out of an action movie shoot. We then proceeded to one of the corners in the lobby and started the interview.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I introduced myself as the head of his Twitter Street Team, @PBRownPH (which I couldn't remember the password for, damn), and I said we're his PH Gang and I believe he remembered. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him because IS THIS EVEN REAL LIFE?? His eyes are the lightest shade of blue I have ever seen and it's actually bordering to light gray? I was just there, shocked, mezmerized, and wishing hard that that moment won't end.

It wasn't really a formal interview but more like we were there to talk to a friend. He made us feel so comfortable and he made us laugh so much, OMG HE IS HILARIOUS I TELL YA. We did ask questions and he did too so here are some of the bits and pieces from our 23-minute convo:

- He loves Adobo.
- He thought LA traiffic is the worst but I said, welcome to Manila!
- There will be no spoilers for Morning Star during our convo because Kai and I haven't finished reading it yet (thank you, Pierce) and that we have to finish it because Iron Gold is coming out soon.
- Pierce is a huge fan of Game of Thrones. He didn't have more to read after A Feast For Crows so he wrote books while waiting for A Dance with Dragons.
- He hopes he could top RR series with Iron Gold.
- There are 4 more characters he explored in Iron Gold and since we couldn't really get into it without spoiling MS, he only exclaimed: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
- His favorite character is definitely Sevro (yaaaay) but their only similarity is the swear words because he has way better hygiene haha
- Character deaths he kinda regret: Lorn, Nero, Fitchner, Tactus
- The characters he would bring to life are: Viktra so he could date her wahaha, Tactus because he loved his character and Lorn because it's fun to see how he would respond to Darrow
*talks about GoT S7 EP 06* (yep, we did)
- Golden Son's ending wasn't planned at all. He initially ended it with a happy wedding but then his editor said it doesn't feel right. So Pierce went the complete opposite direction and his editor said *in Pierce's deep voice*: WHAT. THE. FUCK.
- We told him how heartbreaking the ending was and he said: "I am delighted to be able to invoke any emotion in you whatsoever." that's verbatim I mind you.
- We asked him what was going on in his head because Morning Star's initial chapters were so brutal already and he said he was in a deprivation tank for 3 hours so he could get in to Darrow's head for those scenes. Aaaahhh creepy.
- The gravboots weren't inspired by Starwars but his vision of Nero landing in front of EO in Book 1
- If given a chance to change the endings, he wouldn't change anything but perhaps add a little bit more, like more of the Jackal and Darrow in Luna and he would explore the underworld of the said planet.
- He is also open to writing novellas - Lorn's and then Servo's POV on his Pluto Journey
- When asked how does it feel to be a published author at 24 (he was 24 when RR was published), he said he doesn't stop thinking about it, he's aggressive about it, that it's wonderful finishing MS, it's a big validation for sure and the best feeling is sharing the experience with readers who get to imagine the world he built.
- The movie is developing, he will share more in the coming months. It was bought by Universal and he wrote the scripts.
- Casting for Darrow - someone unknown, it's really about finding someone who can show the emotion and has to have the presence, should also be terrifying for the part
- He is also writing a fantasy series called LampLight (wooohoooo!)
- We taught him SALAMAT
- We showed him our Golden Son ARCs and he loved it!
- I told him it was a dream come true to meet him and he said we were very pretty persistent on Twitter (which confirms he noticed HAHAHA)

HE IS SO AMAZING, ISN'T HE??

After the short interview ( I SWEAR I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END), we asked if he could sign our books and take photos with him. You see, I wasn't really myself in the course of this interview because ughhhh I forgot to:
- ask for a short video for his message to fans and
- take a #KaiSelfie (Kaiiiiiii!!!)
I mean, I dunno man but I was just simply on cloud nine floating and unbelievably grateful for this wonderful chance~~~~~

I will never ever ever ever forget this day to be honest. I waited a long time for this to actually happen - wait no... I actually gave up! I wasn't expecting this anymore. So THANK YOU SO EVER MUCH PIERCE FOR COMING TO MANILA!!!! It truly means so so much to me, to all your fans here!!

Thank you @Pierce_Brown for today ❤️ I will never forget it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! ❤️ #PierceBrowninPH pic.twitter.com/PEewc8dsSJ

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 27, 2017

BEST! DAY!!!! EVEEEERRRRR!!

QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU ASK PIERCE BROWN IN PERSON?

THANK YOU NATIONAL BOOKSTOREEEEEEEEEE!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOUUUUUU!

LET'S TALK BOOKISH: THE PHILIPPINE READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL 2017 PANEL TALK.

Hello there again, guys! I am so excited (well, this year I am ninety-seven percent nervous; last year it was just ninety!) to share with you all that my blogger friends

JM of The Bookfreak Revalations,

Hazel of Stay Bookish,

Lyra of Defiantly Deviant,

Eunice of Nerdy Talks Book Blog,

Kai of Amaterasu Reads

and I will be in a panel on August 27. Our panel will kick off at 5PM and will end around 6:30ish. This will be at the Namayan Room, Raffles! Our panel is right after Pierce Brown's event so please do drop by!

This year, we will be discussing: Diversity, Cultural Representation, Bookish Disputes not limited to Authors Behaving Badly, Bloggers Behaving Badly, Book Shaming, Bullying and a lot more hot, sensitive and IMPORTANT topics! So I really am hoping to see you all there! This is our second year at the event so if you missed us last year, this is another chance to come say hi? PLEASE?

I am so thankful to have been invited again and I hope we'll all leave the panel more educated and happy! I will also bring some ARCs for lucky attendees! SEE YOU!!!

Thank you National Bookstore and their sponsors for hosting this amazing event and for inviting us!

 

FAREWELL, MY OLD FRIEND.

Isn't it the hardest? To say goodbye to things you love? To let go of all the good things? To not see the only thing that makes you feel alive?

I didn't see this coming and even if I did, I would've never been prepared enough to say goodbye. But I gotta let go. And today I am saying this: goodbye Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4 Branch. Goodbye, my old friend. Farewell, my love.

Next to Bestsellers, Galleria Branch, this is (was?) the next store under the National Bookstore's umbrella that I truly loved. It was huge, fully stocked (as opposed to other branches) and my go-to place whenever. Well, it's one of my happy places. (Was?) in and out of this store for as long as I can remember and what made it hold a special spot in my heart is because it's the place where I've realized most of my bookish dreams (meeting SJM, LBARDUGO, COHO, ELOCKHART) and gained so SO much friends.

This is (was?) where I attended my first book signing (ANÖEL) and first Blogger's Forum (TMAFI) - an event which like affirmed me as a legit Book Blogger (thank you! The feeling just never gets old!). Here, I met and became friends with the bloggers I look up to. Where we shared so much memories. The place where I talked and listened to a lot of fantastic authors. Where I learned so many things and acquired so many books. A place I called home for the past four years. My heart broke when I learned they were closing and lamented over MY loss.

This branch opened up a lot of doors for me not only as a reader but as a book blogger. I may have not given justice to the store in these photos (most of these are from the second floor) but I will definitely miss this huge place (with cafe inside and smoking area) and will long for the moments I've had in it.

Thank you for all the love, Powerbooks Store, Greenbelt 4 Branch! I will treasure our memories forever! Thank you, National Bookstore for sharing this branch with us! #clingy

What's THE book store you won't be able to part with? Like your most absolute favorite?

MEETING THE AUTHOR: LAUREN KATE IN MANILA 2016.

So 16 hours after the event, my legs are still noodles and my shoulders still hurt but my heart is happy. I missed my blogger friends so much I wish I had seen them all yesterday but most of them are busy they couldn't attend. Thankfully, Louisse, Hazel and Lyra attended the event and it was all I could hope for. It has been a while since I went to a public signing and true, it was legit tiring but you know, nothing could top off the screaming and enthusiasm of fans! Just worth all the blood and pain haha

Just like what I told Hazel, Fallen series is one of the first novels that introduced me to Young Adult that's why my love for it just never dwindles. Imagine meeting the love of your life but when you kiss her, she dies? Then you meet each other again after seventeen years? Then this time, when she dies, that's it? LIKE WTAF? My faves are Fallen and Rapture because I think the essense of the entire series are in there. I have been trying to find hardbounds of these but the only ones I saw are in a boxed sets. I want them all in hardbound, you guys.

I arrived in Greenbelt 5 around 12 noon and I was 228 in line. So we went around first, ate lunch then waited. I wasn't there when Lauren and Harrison arrived but the Q and A was happening. Harrison Gilbertson looked short from afar but when I stood next to him, I think he's around 5'9"! Oh and he's soooo good looking you guys! HAHA! I never heard of him actually but when he was waving hello, I couldn't help but giggle! He's sooooo nice! (AND SOFT)

I was only able to get three of my books signed: Fallen in Love, Torment and Unforgiven because I don't have Fallen, Passion and Rapture in hardbound (also because only three books are allowed). So yeah, I have no issues waiting for like, three or four hours to get to meet Lauren but I was legit disheartened when it was my moment, right there, in front of her. She was absolutely tired AF and didn't have the energy to talk. She sounded condescending in a way, like, she didn't wanna talk at all? I DUNNO MAN AM SORRY BUT SHE SOUNDED SARCASTIC LOL. I didn't ask her what I've been wanting to anymore because I felt like she just wanted to get the signing over with. (Now I am actually wondering how Victoria Aveyard did it for 1k fans). I waited for this moment, to meet Lauren, since that time I fell in love with Fallen which was around 2012. I am thankful forever to National Bookstore for bringing her here. But it wasn't what I hoped it would be. It felt like Colleen Hoover Encounter again but worst.

I'm still grateful though that I was able to have the opportunity to meet her and I will forever treasure the experience. I cannot wait to re-read Fallen series! Fallen and Rapture are my top faves! (I said that, right?)

"What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?" - Fallen

"I want you to know that I would do it all again. I will choose you every time." - Rapture

Thank you National Bookstore, Lauren, Harrison, Pioneer Films, Greenbelt and Penguin!

MEETING THE AUTHORS: AMY ZHANG AND ANDREA PORTES.

Where I relive the experience and share all the feels before, during and after meeting these fantastic authors WHO ARE BASICALLY LIFE.

I still have double major book signing hangover from Sarah's Event last March and Jennifer Niven's last June so I honest don't know how to properly fangirl. I've read Falling into Place by Amy Zhang early last year and quite enjoyed it! Falling into Place is one of the two books (All the Bright Places is the other one in case you are wondering) that practically had been there for me during my low points in this life. So I am quite possessive of this copy of mine and I just can't sell or give it away. Every time I look at those two books, I am reminded of how my life has changed and that I will give my might just not to go back to that awful place.

Okay, so I haven't read any Portes books and I don't really understand why I couldn't find a hardcover of Anatomy of a Misfit from the date I learned about the signing until the signing day itself. Like, the hell with marketing strategies I needed my freaking book now I couldn't even come up with story-related questions for the author. But I am so glad Amy and Andrea were THAT cool to entertain questions out of this world.

You would understand if there's really  no bookish connection between me and Andrea, right? I've been meaning to get a copy of Anatomy of a Misfit even before all this but for some reason, I kept stalling. I said it a lot of times that I knew I should have gotten THAT HC copy but meh I didn't and there's no do overs in this life so I need to move on. I just feel a little upset with myself because there's the chance of talking to an NYT Bestselling Author, that chance that just went out the window.

Amy on the other hand is so OPEN, like she's all smiles and chitchats and she really does communicate as if we're her close friends. I've ask a lot of questions (for the proper Q&A, I ask on behalf of Precious), silly ones and personal ones. Without even blinking, she goes in this story-teller mode and I love it. Dianne even suggested Jolibee to her and she's game! She also told us how's college life going and that she doesn't really write write, but just does it during breaks. And I can't get over how "sunny" her smile is. (if there's such a thing!) She's so approachable!

"You get one chance. You get to do this and that and you don't even know when it goes from swirling forward and around and around in circles to just a plain cold stop and nothing more." - Anatomy of a Misfit

"Please," he whispers, "Remember the sky." - Falling into Place

Thank you once again to National Bookstore, Epic Reads, HarperCollins, Bloggers, Andrea and Amy! I had a blast!