FRIDAY RAVES is a feature on my blog, in which I “RAVE” about authors, book events, books, novelties, and/or other bookish announcements.
WELCOME, WELCOME TO MY TRIP TO CARAVAL…I MEAN TO NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS…
Over the weekend, I went on a trip to Naperville, Illinois to meet Stephanie Garber, the author of Caraval. On Friday morning, my brother, sister, and I packed our bags, loaded up the car, and headed out on a 5-6 hour drive. I was so excited to get my books signed and meet Stephanie Garber!
After making a few stops, we had to grab lunch and pick up Starbucks, we finally arrived at Naperville around 4:00 pm. We purchased our copies/tickets for the Saturday event at Anderson’s Bookstore, and then explored the town before we decided to head to the hotel to rest. I may have bought a few Funko Pops at the local Barnes and Noble (sorry not sorry!).
Day of the Event
Of course, when I’m on a trip, I fail to sleep in. So around 8:30 a.m., we headed out to breakfast to celebrate my sister’s birthday, and then explored Naperville a little more. We ended up going to their Super Target and my sister bought me this cute little mug as a Valentine’s gift.
We also stopped by the shop called 2nd & Charles, where I once again bought some Funko Pops and books.
For lunch, we were going to meet up with some blogger friends, but we were running late and then couldn’t find a parking spot. Around 1:00 we finally found parking, and headed to the bookstore.
My ticket number was 36, and when I went up to meet Stephanie, she flipped open one of my books and excitedly asked, “Are you CassieopiaB from Twitter? Were you not going to tell me who you were?” Of course I was shocked that she recognized me, and we talked for what seemed like 10 minutes, but I really hope it wasn’t that long, because there were still a lot of people lined up behind me. Because of my long travel, Stephanie gifted me an extra set of the US pre-order incentives, and asked if I wanted a picture. I don’t take a lot of pictures, but I couldn’t pass this awesome opportunity up. I also finally got to meet my friend Heidi at YA Bibliophile, who I have been friends with on Twitter for quite awhile! It was so great to finally meet her in person!!!
After a 5-6 hour drive back home, we finally made it back to Cincinnati, Ohio, and I was able to unload all my books from the signing. I still can’t believe I met Stephanie. She is so humble, sincere, and passionate about her work. If she ever comes to a city near you, I highly recommend that you go to her signing and meet her. Thank you to Stephanie Garber, Flatiron Books, and Anderson’s Bookstore for the event and for making my Caraval dreams come true.
GIVEAWAY
While I was at the signing, I got an extra copy of Caraval signed just for my followers. Click on the picture below, which will lead you to my Twitter giveaway. Be sure to Follow me on Twitter and Retweet my Twitter post to enter. GOOD LUCK!
rants and raves of a bibliophile 