The schedule was almost overwhelming, there were so many sessions running at various times and at various locations around Copley Square. So, I browsed the sessions and found my "must do" session, which was "Masters of Fantasy" featuring Gregory Maguire (author of Wicked), Soman Chainani (author of The School for Good and Evil), Holly Black (author of Coldest Girl in Coldtown and co-author of The Iron Trial) and Cassandra Clare (author of City of Bones and co-author of The Iron Trial).
My mom and I got to Copley Square around 10am and browsed the various tents. Honestly it was really cool to see the various vendors and associations that were present. My mom didn't really know what to expect when i invited her, but she ended up purchasing some mystery/thriller books from three local authors and a historical book on New England. My favorite tent was the Boston Public Library tent, they were trying to raise awareness about the importance of libraries and were giving away free books and pins! I walked away with a copy of The Fire Wish by Amber Lough.
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| Copley Square |
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| Boston Public Library had a map for people to post a sticker over the city/town of the library they use |
I knew that the Masters of Fantasy session would be packed, so after browsing the tents, by mom and I headed over to the Emmanuel Sanctuary. We got there so early, that we were actually able to enjoy a session that was taking place prior to Masters of Fantasy. We got to attend the "Boston Stories: Tears, Triumphs, Mysteries, and Sports" session which had local authors with their local stories. It was a really cool session that I probably wouldn't have attended on my own, but I'm really glad I did.
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| The Masters of Fantasy |
Here is a clip of Cassandra and Holly introducing themselves and their new book, they also showed the Book Trailer for the Iron Trial. (How cute is it that Cassandra and Holly are wearing the same dress?!)
Soman also showed the Book Trailer for his new book A World Without Princes.
When it was Gregory's turn, he said he didn't have a fancy video, so instead he would perform a song for us.
When we got the the question/answer portion, we learned quite a few fun things. One of my favorite parts of the session was hearing the authors talk about books that introduced them to fantasy and made them want to be fantasy writers. Some of the books mentioned were: The Lord of the Rings (tip that someone gave Cassandra - if the beginning is too bogged down for you, start at chapter 9), fairy tales, The Chronicles of Prydain, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, The Children of Green Knowe, and The Diamond in the Window.
It was also really cool to hear the "confessions" of the writers, for example Cassandra said that she waits to write the first few chapters until after she has written most of the rest of the book because she likes to know her characters really well. Holly and Soman both said that they write consecutively, but continue to edit (and sometimes rewrite) all previously written chapters as they write new chapters.
After the moderator finished his questions, they opened the floor for audience questions. Mostly middle grade and high school students lined up to ask their questions. Then, we lined up to purchase books and get them signed. All of the authors were super friendly and kind as they met and signed a seemingly endless number of people and books.
All in all, it was an awesome day! Hopefully next year I'll be able to dedicate more time to the event and attend more sessions!
All in all, it was an awesome day! Hopefully next year I'll be able to dedicate more time to the event and attend more sessions!
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| Me and Cassandra Clare after she signed my books for me! |
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| Me and Holly Black after she signed my books for me! |
What I purchased: two copies of The Iron Trial (1 for me and 1 for a giveaway!), one copy of The School for Good and Evil, and one copy of A World Without Princes.
To thank you for reading and following, I have having a few giveaways!
The Rules:
US only
Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to reply before an alternate winner is picked
All entries must be made via Rafflecopter and are subject to verification
Follow the Yellow Book Road is not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged in the mail
HEY EMILY! You went to Boston Book Festival! I've always wanted to go, but I'm never at home when it's October, so I can never go, which is saddening! I really do want to go one year, but that depends. Also, isn't the event HUGE?? Their website is so hard to navigate because I have no idea where to start hahahah!
ReplyDeleteAnd YAY THE IRON TRIAL. To be honest, I've never read a Cassandra Clare book, so I would love to read/win that one! But that's so awesome that you got to meet her!
And for my fantasy book, I would have to say Harry Potter got me into fantasy, and then Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot (kind of paranormal-ish), and then it exploded from there :D :D
I almost send you a message to see if you would be attending, but then I remembered that you have school.
ReplyDeleteYes, the event is HUGE! Now that I have done it, I will say that you should map out your sessions before you get there. Prioritize the sessions with big speakers and plan to line up for them early.Visit the vendors at Copley square when you have a chance, but try to go at the beginning of the day to get the freebies before they are gone.
I've never read Cassandra's books either, but I know she has taken off because of the Mortal Instruments Series, so I wanted to meet her and make a purchase.
Ooh it looks like you had lots of fun :D
ReplyDeleteOoh yikes, each of those books look really awesome!! Umm... I DON'T KNOW. I'd be happy with ANY of those lovelies. Thanks for the giveaway, and I'm glad you enjoyed the event!