BEA Day #1: Blogger Conference and Making New Friends! @BookExpoAmerica #bea14 #beahappy2read

I am so excited to share with you my Book Expo America experiences from 2014. I was once again lucky enough to attend under my blogger badge! Although I was also there in a publicist capacity for Spencer Hill Press (which you'll see in future posts).

For today, I give you my first day in pictures!

 

My first day started off great when hubby said he'd drop me at the train (otherwise I would have had to walk half a mile with my luggage!). Pictures are my train ticket from New Jersey into the city, a picture of the station while waiting for the train, and my BEA luggage (there's a small rolling suitcase inside the big one!). The ride went smoothly. I left at 7:10 and was at Penn Station before 8am!

That's my train reading (an ARC of Drowned by Nicola Reilly!). I walked from Penn Station to my hotel (on 36th street and 9th Avenue). And there's the view from my hotel (just a block and half from Javits!). It took me about 20 minutes to walk to the hotel so I was able to check in and leave my luggage before heading to Javits for the blogger conference.

I am always super excited about my BEA badge! The conference was all day, you can see the schedule with speakers. There's my footwear (because you always have to be comfortable at BEA). And I FINALLY got to meet Zach from Zach's YA Reviews (he's totally awesome and I'm so glad we connected as we missed out on doing so last year).

Opening remarks! And then our keynote speaker was Maureen Johnson. I will say that I've never actually heard of her or her books. She was an excellent speaker, funny, entertaining, and really pro-blogger. It was great!

Blogger panels! They were really great! I learned a lot. The hallway picture was when we broke for lunch (I was starving) and we had a interview speaker while we ate!

My first BEA swag, a canvas bag from DK. It's REALLY nice. Even has a cell phone pocket inside. And it's sturdy! One I will be using a lot. My hotel room (which I shared with Jennifer Murgia, Lisa Amowitz and D'vora Gelfond for the first night). And my book haul from the Blogger party!

And finally, our first night at dinner. Me, authors Rajdeep Paulus, Jennifer Murgia and Lisa Amowitz, and blogger April Hamrick! Good food, good wine, GREAT company. We had tons of laughs and I even got a great picture down 42nd street while walking back to the hotel.

So that's a wrap of my first day at BEA. What a whirlwind. I had so many other photos I should have gotten, but just didn't have time! Stay tuned for more tomorrow!