GRL 2014!!!

Well, it has been a little over two weeks since GRL ended and I think it is about time that I talk about some of my experiences. But before I start, I want to tell everyone what an amazing experience GRL was. If you are into MM Romance (like I suspect all of you are if you are reading this) then GRL is a must. There were so many people there from authors to publishers to readers and to be able to interact with them all was amazing! I don't know if I can begin to tell you all of the things that make up GRL, but I highly recommend it for everyone. Next year is in San Diego. I still don't know if I can attend because of things going on in my personal life, but I hope I can. And I would love to see everyone there.

So now that my general statements are out of the way, let's move on to the post. Rather than try to laundry list everything that I did I want to share with you my Top Five Favorite Things About GRL. So here we go:

5) Chicago
   I had been to Chicago so many times but I had never left the airport before. So being able to see the city was nice. And the conference center was beautiful. It could be confusing at times, but it was wonderful. Don't believe me? Check out this pic of my banner on the ground floor on the conference center.

4) Meeting MY Favorite Authors
    Even authors read. And I have favorite authors too. So getting to meet and fan-girl over my favorite authors was quite awesome. From the featured signing to the day-time session I got to hear from the people I look up to the industry which was quite invaluable.

3) Casino Party (And the Other Night-Time Activities)
    Okay so I was torn on this one coming in. I work in a casino in my EDJ so I wasn't sure I really wanted to go to a casino party on my free time. But I had a blast. The wonderful dealers running the party even let me deal craps, which is my all-time favorite game. All of the nighttime activities were fun, but this was my favorite!

2) My First Book Signing
    By far, one of my favorite things at GRL was my very first book signing. As a new author, you always have a fear that people won't know who you are and won't want you to sign anything. But I signed everything from books to T-shirts to bags and everything in between. It was awesome! I can't thank all of you fabulous readers enough for making me feel like a superstar.

1) The People!
    I know this is cliche, but the people really do make up GRL.I met so many wonderful people that made this a wonderful experience. I met people I had talked to online but not in person, yes, but beyond that I made new friends. People I never met before that I ran into in the halls or at various events. These are the wonderful people that make this community so special and I will forever be grateful that I can be a part of that.

(Courtesy of Magic Moments Photo Booth)

And that is it! I hope I all gave you some insight into how awesome GRL is. And, hopefully, I will see you all in San Diego!

~Sophie