SDCC 2016: Book Haul and Author Events

I was swimming in books this Comic Con, but there were some cool author events and giveaways I went to inside the convention.

* Seanan McGuire AKA Mira Grant

Seanan McGuire is one of my very favorite authors. If her name appears on a book, I buy it without question because I love each and every one of her novels. She was signing at the Penguin booth and they were giving away a cool purple tote bag and the first in the InCryptid series Discount Armageddon. I gushed to her that I loved her new novella Every Heart a Doorway and that I wished it was a 10 books series. A second book in that series has already been written about Jack and Jill before they arrived at the school and I can't wait for it!! I see her practically every year I go to Comic Con and she is always super nice.

* Pierce Brown

I'm a huge fan of the Red Rising series (even though I still have to read the last one!). Random House gave out copies of Red Rising, which I already own, so I got it inscribed for a friend of mine. The line was super long and we didn't talk for long. He recognized me from his signing at a convention (I think Comikaze or Wondercon) and was thankful that I was getting other readers to his work. I hope he comes out with something new soon and he is also always delightful.

* Todd Lockwood

My fiance and I see Todd Lockwood every year at Comic Con because he's an incredibly talented artist that we know from Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. His art style changed the way people draw dragons because he drew the skeletal system and musculature that makes scientific sense, based on large cats. Needless to say he's amazing and now he can add author to his list of achievements with the release of The Summer Dragon. We also always buy an art print which was a closeup of the book's cover art.

* Purchases and giveaways without signings

In years past, the book publisher booths usually just had books on display or books on sale for full price. There were some amazing deals this year, so I loaded up. At the Tor booth, I bought V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows for half price and then received Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings and a super awesome Twin Peaks tote for free.

At the Penguin booth, I bought Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure by Ryan North and Alice by Christina Henry at a crazy low price.

Not only did I meet some awesome authors, but I discovered some new books that I never would have otherwise heard of. I hope to return next year for more days so I can go to even more signings and panels.