I mentioned last Monday that SOKY Bookfest on March 25th and 26th would be one of my first author events in over two years – and it was a blast! Friday was Children’s Day and over 900 attended – that’s not a typo. Over 900! It was wonderful to speak to so many kids about books. Of course some of them were just happy not to be in a classroom, but others were die-hard booklovers. My heart did a happy dance at seeing so many kids with books in their hands.
If you’re a regular here, you know of my love of Legos. The jaw-dropping display of DC superheroes nearly had me shouting with glee! The figures stood about a foot tall and were incredibly detailed. Maybe a challenge for me to think about in the future.
I also enjoyed meeting some other authors (Helene Dunbar and Heather Henson below), something I look forward to with book events. You’ll also notice my pic with the headliner author – actor/director/author/travel writer Andrew McCarthy! Some of you will remember him from the movies St. Elmo’s Fire, Weekend at Bernie’s, and Pretty In Pink. He gave a humorous speech, answered every question, and spent time speaking to everyone in his signing line. Such a nice guy.
After two solid days of nonstop smiling, near constant conversation, and standing most of that time (combined with a total of six hours sleep over two nights) I crashed Saturday evening. My only regret is that I have to wait another year to go back.
Books and Such 
Sounds like it was an awesome and very successful event.
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So much fun, Tori. Everyone was just so happy to be able to get out and talk about books again!
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Those Lego superheroes are amazing! Wow. Looks like you have a great time, Teri. Enjoy your week. 😉
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Aren’t they? I ran into their display on a trip to the snack room and had to stop and take pictures. I wanted to talk more about them, but had to rush back to my table.
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Oh, it sounds amazing, Teri. What a fantastic time you must have had, and what a turnout! And I remember Andrew McCarthy well. I always enjoyed his movies. How great you got to chat with him and others. Now, you just need to rest up. You must have been operating on adrenaline.
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Adrenaline and Diet Coke, Mae, lol. I also enjoyed McCarthy’s movies, so it was a real treat for me to meet him. Bought his newest book, Brat (about the Brat Pack, of course). The number of authors were about half the usual due to Covid, but that didn’t keep the readers away.
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What fun! I love those sorts of events and you look so happy. And you got to meet Andrew McCarthy!!
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Everyone was thrilled to be back, Darlene. The 2021 Book Fest was cancelled at the last minute because of Covid, so this was the first since 2019. And it was wonderful to meet McCarthy – he took time to talk to everyone and seemed happy to be there.
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It sounds like it was a successful event and you had a blast. Thanks for sharing the photos, too!
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I had tons of fun meeting young and young at heart readers and fellow authors. A perfect weekend, Priscilla!
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Looks like you had a fabulous time and it’s great the event was filled with so many little book lovers.
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Practically wall to wall little book lovers, Yesha, lol!
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I absolutely ADORE Andrew McCarthy. I loved him when I was a kid and the Brat Pack was all the rage, but his recent directorial work is truly wonderful. I’m really a fan of Condor (on Epix, I think?), for which he was a producer and directed some episodes.
So glad you had a great time, Teri. Thanks for sharing your experience and pics!
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I loved his movies and I’ve seen Blacklist episodes he’s directed, but I’ll had to check out Condor. Such a fun weekend, Staci!
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A super event, Teri. Thanks for sharing.
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It really was, John – have a great week!
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You as well, Teri.
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It seems indeed like you had the best time Teri!
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I was exhausted after it was over, but in the very best way, Sophie. Just a perfect weekend.
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I’m so glad you had a good time! Great photos!
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Thanks, Joan! It was such a joy to participate in a book event again.
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This looks like great fun. And Andrew McCarthy! What a blast from the past.
My daughters do Lego sets to relax. They especially love Disney themed ones.
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I was so excited when McCarthy was named the headliner, Tessa – such a fan of his movies. I do the same with Legos! It’s a total stress reliever for me – gets my entire focus on that instead of a thousand other things. I even got my niece interested in Legos when she turned five, and she’s also partial to Disney.
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My oldest daughter just took part of her tax refund and bought a $200 Lego set of a tv with a movable Disney cartoon on it and me,being the mom I am, had the immediate response of “That much! I just spent only a bit more than that and got a real tv that you don’t have to crank to make the pictures move.” 🤣. It always amazes me how expensive those sets are.
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You aren’t kidding. From son #2, we’ve got a small fortune invested in Lego kits.
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What an awesome crowd, Teri. Wowza 900 kids! I think authors and readers are hungry for these events. We’ve all been cooped up for so long. And my grandson would love the legos. Thanks for sharing your weekend!
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So many kids – and what a delight to see them all! You’re right about being cooped up, Diana. Everyone was ready to be out and among the books again.
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You look so happy. Glad you got to enjoy yourself.
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I was definitely in one of my happy places, Craig.
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It’s great to be with book people!
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It sure is, and I’ve missed it so much, Deby.
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Sounds like a wonderful event. I”m so happy to see people out and about again!
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So am I, Wendy. Even though the number of authors was about half the normal size due to Covid concerns, it didn’t keep the crowds away.
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HI Teri, I would love to attend such a fantastic event. I am so glad you had the opportunity although six hours sleep over 2 nights sounds a bit hectic for me. I’m not good with so little sleep.
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And it’s only ten minutes from my house, Robbie – perfect! These days it’s about a 50/50 chance I’ll sleep at night, and I used to be such a sound sleeper. Just another one of the joys of getting older I guess, lol.
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Really, that is awful. My husband is like you and battles to sleep. Thankfully, I sleep easily and anywhere, any place and any time. He always laughs at how I go to sleep the minute I get in a car [as a passenger], on a train or in an aircraft.
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Strangely, I can easily sleep in a car or plane – no problem at all.
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Ha! So you just need to get your hubby to drive you around at night [smile]
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Whoo-hoo!! What fun! It is so great to get out in public and talk to PEOPLE!! Yay! I know you had a blast and hopefully sold some books!
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I had a blast, Jan! I missed talking to readers and sold more than I’d expected – always a good thing.
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900 in attendance, that’s a great turnout! It’s nice to see things getting back to normal after these last few years.
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And that was just on Friday with the kids, Mark – a fantastic turnout!
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What fun! I’m excited just seeing you and the crowd in smiles. How wonderful, Teri! 😍
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My mouth was sore by the end of the day, Gwen, but it sure was worth it!
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I love everything about this. It looks like a blast. Thanks for sharing all the pictures!! 🙂
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So much fun to get back to in-person events, Sue, and it was a great turnout. Meeting McCarthy was icing on the cake!
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Brush with greatness! That’s so cool – meeting “famous folks”. Thank goodness in-person events are back – for so many reasons.
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I’m a fan of his movies, Sue, so I was thrilled when McCarthy was named headliner. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy. And I have another event in two weeks – so excited they’re back!
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