Behind the Mask 2018 - Nashville, TN

I went to my first big signing event this weekend (as a visitor, not an author). And I have to say...

I had the BEST time.

My good friend, Misty, road-tripped it with me to Nashville, Tennessee to attend. It's only about a two hour drive, so all in all, not too bad (and she was such a trooper on the drive home. Bad rain followed us, but she was awesome). A road trip with a good friend, then you throw in Starbucks and books! Win!

Anyway, back to the event.

After Misty and I got pointed in the right direction (in our defense, the hotel/convention center is huge and it didn't put out signs for the event, so we got a little lost), we finally entered a book lover's dream. Books and swag everywhere. *sigh*

I got to meet authors I've been friends with on social media face-to-face. Betty Shreffler, Erika Blount, Verlene Landon and Elizabeth Knox, for instance. But Amy Cecil's reaction was the best...she was standing nearby, waiting to speak to someone and I could feel her looking at me. When I looked over and said hello, she immediately said, "Oh, my gosh! I know who you are!" So, I kind of got a taste of what it was like to be a recognized public figure. Ha! It was weird, but in a good way. ;)

But I also met some wonderful new people from all over the world, many of which I immediately came home and sent friend requests to. lol. JP Epperson, Emilia Finn , Liv Moore, Kimberly Reese, and Harloe Rae immediately come to mind. While everyone was really friendly, you could these ladies were really enjoying themselves and were having a great time interacting with visitors.

Going to this event makes me feel like I'm ready to do one of the big ones, myself. Sure, I've done signing events before, mostly smaller local ones. But the vibe from this one was so positive and fun, I think it's time to experience it again myself. Only this time, from the other side of the table. :)