BEA 2012 Wrap Up + Winners

(Before I start rambling about my BEA experience, I just want to say that I stole all the pictures in this post are from Melissa at I Swim for Oceans because I'm lame and didn't bring a camera.)

This year was my second year attending BookExpo America, and I have to say the the event just seems to keep getting better. Authors, publishers and publicists, and fellow bloggers were there in force and I had an absolute blast meeting as many people as I possibly could. Of course, because I'm me and can be more than a little challenged in large groups of people, the trip was not without its entertaining moments. Let's start from the beginning shall we?

For those of you who read my previous BEA post, you know Melissa flew to Ohio a couple days early before she, my mom, my mother-in-law (also known as the Moms) and I flew to NYC absurdly early on Monday morning. I'm not a morning person. Not even a little.

See this photo?

That's me on the right pretending to be excited by life at 5:30 in the morning at the Columbus airport. That expression fell from my face the minute after Melissa clicked the button and I returned to my sullen, half-asleep, "are books really exciting enough to wake up at 3:30am for?" state of mind.

For those of you who have never traveled with me, I have a secret for you. I'm bad news for anyone that wants to be on time. Without fail, every plane I get on is late. Or catches fire (seriously). Or has mechanical failure. Or the entire flight gets canceled. Our flight to NYC was no different, and we were of course delayed because our crew was "resting". Super. Once everyone was properly rested, we managed to get to New York late but without further incident.

Once there, the days all sort of blurred together in a whirlwind of awesomeness. There were books. There were fantastic people. And there was exhaustion. When I get exhausted, I get slaphappy, and then things like this happen:

I have no excuse for this picture. This was taken at the Teen Author Carnival event Tuesday night, and all I can say is I was tired, it was late at night, and I was hungry. If you look in the hand not holding the Penguin water bottle, you'll notice I have a vise-like grip on a yellow wrapper. That would be a bag of peanut M&Ms (win!), which, along with the water, was absolutely keeping me from certain death at that point in the evening. I hadn't eaten much that day which might explain why I'm licking the water bottle. Or not. Whichever. Melissa, of course, was kind enough to document my slow dissent into death. Bless her.

One of the primary activities at BEA is standing in lines. Lots of lines. And then more lines. This might not sound like fun, but for me it's a blast as I'm surrounded by fellow book-lovers and often stumble upon bloggers whose blogs I follow or whom I've spoken to on Twitter, and that makes it all worthwhile. While waiting in one of many lines this year I was introduced to a hilariously horrifying cartoon called Salad Fingers, and sat with Melissa watching in rapt fascination and terror as she played episode after episode on her phone. If you haven't seen this cartoon, watch it immediately. I've been scarred for life and I want everyone else to be scarred along with me ;-) Seriously, his soft, lilting voice will haunt my dreams for years to come, as will his need to caress rusty kettles. Melissa and I may or may not have adopted British accents and whispered the creepiest of his lines to one another in the middle of the night just to freak the other out. Whuh.

Also, there was a pirate at the event this year. One who refused to leave Melissa and I alone to wallow in our pain (my feet still hate me) on the floor of the Javits Center while waiting for the Moms to get their books signed. He called her Melissa of the Helmers and me Jenny of the Zemanek and asked many a passerby what brew they were drinking. He went on to tell Melissa her hair was the color of the sun. I got no such compliment. Where was my "you have hair the color of tree bark", that's what I'd like to know. Apparently the pirate was fonder of Melissa than me. *cries* We took a picture with him but it hasn't been emailed to us yet, as soon as it's in my hands I'll update this post ;-)

In all honesty though, BEA is an unforgettable experience, and one I look forward to repeating again and again despite my body's protests at the moment. To all the wonderful people I met, thank you for making BEA 2012 the best one yet!

Oh, and don't even ask about my flight home. Yes, it was delayed. And it's possible I cried like a little girl when we sat on the runway for 2 hours. Travel + Jenny = MADE OF WIN.

Top: Me, Melissa, Author Dan Cohen, and Danny from Bewitched Bookworms. Lower left: New York City from the the top of the Standard Hotel. Lower right: The Empire State Building at night from our hotel room.

Lastly, I hosted a few giveaways prior to leaving for BEA and have finally drawn winners! Thank you to everyone who entered and to Jennifer Estep and the people at Penguin for providing such generous giveaways! Winners have been emailed.

DARK FROST + KISS OF FROST

Winner: Melissa

PENGUIN GOODIE BAG:

Winner: Cheryl

Cover Reveal: Masters of the Veil

Today I've got a cover reveal for Masters of The Veil by Daniel Cohen. I recently read and reviewed his debut novel The Ancillary's Mark (you can read my review HERE) and am looking forward to his upcoming release. We have a while to wait given that it won't be available from Spencer Hill Press until March 1st 2012 (which is a lucky day I think because it just happens to be my birthday, but I digress), but it's never too early to start counting down for a book release I say!

What do you guys think?

MASTERS OF THE VEIL:

Life can’t get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player… every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer.

Sam’s dreams are crushed as he is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who is the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot.

As it becomes clear that Sam is meant for power magic—the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery—people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown… but all of humankind.

Review: The Ancillary's Mark

THE ANCILLARY'S MARK
Daniel Cohen
Paranormal Young Adult/Fantasy
244 pages
Black Rose Writing
Available Now
Received from author for review

THE STORY
Jacob has always been a voracious reader. He spends most of his free time in the library reading fantastical stories at the suggestion of the old librarian and a man he considers his friend, lost in worlds that promise fun and adventure. Little does he know he's about to embark on an adventure of his own.

When the old librarian regales Jacob with a tale of the Ancillary, a mythical flower thought to grant unbelievable gifts to those who come in contact with it, and informs him of his role in the ancient legend, he couldn't be more excited.

Soon he, the old librarian's grandaughter, and a hulking bodyguard set off for Tibet, the flower's probable location. What Jacob finds is an exhilarating voyage, an unusual town full of individuals with unique gifts, and a villain seeking the Ancillary for all the wrong reasons.

MY THOUGHTS
A quick read full of fantasy and mystery, The Ancillary's Mark is a story that asks us to suspend belief, bury our questions regarding plausibility, and just enjoy the journey. It doesn't require us to reach deep inside ourselves to find an emotional connection, instead content to skirt around such complexities and just focus on presenting a tale of ancient prophecy and myth, entertaining us as a fairly lighthearted hunt for famed mythical treasure unfolds. This story is certainly not without its darkness, but overall it introduces us to characters who are odd yet joyous, misfits who are outsiders yet are extremely accepting of others, and individuals who are humorous yet seriously dedicated to the well being of those around them.

Though the story is nicely paced and enjoyable, we can't help but want to feel a bit more attached to the events and revelations divulged from one page to the next. This book begins darkly and cryptically–a man scribing his dying thoughts into the ground as the strength leaches from his body–and while we eventually come to understand the fate of this soul when the details of the legend are gloriously revealed, our curiosity about this individual and others like him sparks to life with such intensity in the beginning only to wane as the myth of the Ancillary remains shrouded in vague text passages and rhymes. For the instant reaction the first page elicits, we read on with the wish for more history regarding the flower and those who bear its mark, as their stories, much in the way the opening passage does, could exponentially increase our overall involvement in this quest by giving us a touch more information to ground ourselves with as we settle in to wander out of the darkness and into enlightenment with Jacob and company.

As with the story, the characters leave us with the feeling of wanting just a little something more. Mr. Cohen has created a beautiful foundation, a solid mystery, and quirky characters, but our attachment to them is only superficial–not the bone deep connection that binds us to them permanently as their strengths and flaws embed themselves in our memories from the moment we meet them onward. Jacob is all youthful zeal, social awkwardness, and infectious enthusiasm, and while we laugh at his antics, we aren't entirely invested in his story. His romantic interest in Sophia is sweet, but again not the spine-tingling, skin-flushing, and nerve-wracking relationship that holds us transfixed as we suck in air during every interaction and hold that breath at the slightest hint of innuendo. In all fairness to this story, the romance is clearly not meant to be a prominent storyline, but it is alluded to often enough to have us wishing for that extra spark to make our hearts skip a beat as we read.

Overall, The Ancillary's Mark is an interesting tale that will inevitably appeal to younger fans of mystery and adventure who read mostly to be entertained and aren't necessarily looking for the same level of characterization and emotional attachment as I am. Mr. Cohen has written and created an impressive legend in that of the Ancillary flower, and I expect more of his intriguing fantasy tales will no doubt find their way onto blank pages and become published works.

Rating: 3/5