Jeri Smith-Ready

A 100% Jeri-centric NY Comic Con report

If you enjoy single-POV, tunnel-vision accounts of major media conventions, read on!

WHAT I DID (SPECIFICALLY)

Had brunch with my agent (the indomitable Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd.) and my brand-new editor (the ultra-sweet Annette Pollert of Pulse, which is Simon & Schuster's young adult imprint) at Trestle on Tenth, a cute little cafe where they made perfect over-medium eggs (something I can only accomplish about 40% of the time at home). Admired the gorgeous view of the Lukoil, the car wash, and the bank of pay phones (still only 25 cents in NYC--a bargain!).

Picked up my badge at Comic Con. Under my name it said, "Professional Creator," which I'm pretty sure is the title on the door of God's office.

Hung out with Annette at Comic Con and had a great time. We wandered about, looking at all the stuff, none of which I remember, for a reason that will become apparent below.

Finally found the S&S booth, met a few more Pulse people, including publisher Bethany Buck and editor Liesa Abrams. Marveled at how incredibly cool their covers are. Got goose bumps all over again at the thought of being published by them.

Shuffled over to Pocket's table, where I saw the cover for Bad to the Bone on a big piece of posterboard at the top of the display. Badass! I was told people had been asking about it all weekend.

Gave a brief interview to the lovely Clare Toohey at Book Spot Central.

Signed giveaway Advance Review Copies of Bad to the Bone. There was a line! Of people who had actually heard of me! I tell you, there is no finer feeling in the world than having one's book raved about while one's editor is standing right there. (In this case it was my brilliant Pocket editor Jennifer Heddle.)

WHAT I DID (GENERALLY)

Sweated. A lot. Because it's New York.

Got Javits Feet, a condition common to those attending NYC conventions, especially people like me who wear high-heeled boots so they'll feel tall and confident in the face of an intimidating situation. I recommend finding a safer source of confidence, such as liquor.

WHAT I DID NOT DO:

Go to panels.

See other authors or artists. I definitely did not see Joss Whedon (though I did see a corner of Amber Benson's head from a distance--not that her head is square).

Sleep the night before. I don't know why. Maybe it was just knowing that I had to get up at 4:30 am to leave at 5:45 to make a 6:45 train. Maybe it was the fact that Flogging Molly's "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" was playing at top volume in my head. Maybe I forgot to take my melatonin (I need one of those pill organizers, since I'm losing my mind). Regardless, I got a half-hour's sleep (3:30-4), after which I woke up feeling hot and sick.

So all day it seemed like I had a hangover, a sensation only slightly mitigated by the excellent coffee and food from Trestle on Tenth, but wholly mitigated by the wonderful people I was lucky enough to spend time with. It was definitely worth the trip!

If for some crazy reason you want an outside-the-Jeri bubble account of New York Comic Con, try today's Biting Edge, where guest blogger Krystn talks about all the free stuff she got. Books, comics, swag, etc.

Me, I got a God badge and a Twilight pen. And the priceless intangible of hanging-out-with-editors.

But seriously, New York Comic Con is great, definitely not just for comic fans. I highly recommend it, and next time, I might even go for more than a few hours! If you go, too, I hope to see more than a corner of your head.

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Now playing: Flogging Molly - Rebels of the Sacred Heart
via FoxyTunes

Labels: appearances, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:06 AM
• 3 comments