What I'm doing at BEA

A week from today, I'll be landing in NYC and getting ready for an exciting week of books and book-related conversations at BEA. Before that, though, I have to make it through a crazy week of meetings and deadlines. This is going to be my busiest week all year. I'm looking forward to Friday in a major way.

This is a tentative schedule of things I plan on attending at BEA. I'm looking forward to meeting many other bloggers in person, on Friday at the blogger con in particular, but even though it's huge, it's surprisingly easy to randomly run into people in the exhibit hall. I know I won't get to all of these events, but I'll do my best.

Tues, May 25th
I'll be at Library Journal's Day of Dialog at the Javits all day, then dinner with a friend (Indian food in the East Village = yum) and a trip to the Strand that evening, assuming we're still awake.
Also, 4:30-5:30pm is the BEA Editor Buzz panel, and I'm going to try to get to it; Anne Fortier's Juliet will be one of the books talked about (her publicist's told me a signing will take place on site as well).

Wed, May 26th
10-11am, Mitchell James Kaplan signs By Fire, By Water, set in 15th c Spain, at the Other Press booth (4340).
10:30-11:30, a trio of signings at tables 22, 23, and 24 - Soho Press publishes excellent mysteries with an international flair. James Benn's Rag and Bone, part of his Billy Boyle WWII mystery series, is the only historical of the three.
11am-noon. Rock star librarian Nancy Pearl signs Book Lust To Go at booth 4330-B.
At 11:30 I'll be having lunch with my fellow HNR editors from the US... all six of us in the same place for the first time ever.
2:00-3:30pm, AAP Annual Librarians' Book Buzz. Learn what books the publishers are promoting to librarians for the fall (it's open to everyone, of course).
3:00-4:00pm, Bernice McFadden signs the Harlem Renaissance novel Glorious at booth 4504.
4:00-4:30pm, Anna Godbersen signs two YA historicals at table 19.
4:00-5:00pm, Mary Osborne signs Renaissance YA novel Nonna's Book of Mysteries at table 25.
4:15-5:15pm, Jonathan Evison signs West of Here (sounds like a multigenerational epic about Washington State) at the Algonquin booth, 4259.
5:00pm Lug bag of books to mailing center, fill up box, mail box, return to hotel and collapse. If not yet full, drag bag of books on shuttle bus back to hotel.

Thurs, May 27th
9:30-10:30, Kathleen Kent signs The Wolves of Andover, a prequel to The Heretic's Daughter set in 17th-c England and Massachusetts, at table 26.
10am-10:45am, Deanna Raybourn signs The Dead Travel Fast , a 19th-century mystery/adventure set in Transylvania, at the Harlequin booth, 3922.
10:30-11:30, William Martin signs his latest history-based thriller City of Dreams at table 23.
11am-noon, Stacy Schiff signs her nonfiction bio Cleopatra at table 8. This overlaps with the next panel. Tough decisions will have to be made.
11am-noon, NBCC panel on the next decade in book culture, how reviews will be transformed, etc., etc. There's a similar panel at each BEA, and I try to attend to see if anything new and interesting will be discussed. Sometimes there is!
11:30-12:30. Lauren Belfer signs A Fierce Radiance, a WWII-era novel about the birth of penicillin, at table 1.
4-6pm, Book Blogger Convention author & blogger reception. Not sure where this is yet.

Fri, May 28th, I'll be at the Book Blogger Convention.