Guest Post and Giveaway: Jason from The Savvy Reader

Please give a big welcome to Jason from HarperCollins Canada: The Savvy Reader!

He has a really great post for us today about what it was like to meet some amazing authors recently at Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Super-Conference.

A Meeting With Tish Cohen, Lesley Livingston and Vicki Grant

The Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Super-Conference comes around once a year. Not only is it a great place to check out what is up and coming for the new season, but it is also an amazing place to actually meet and talk to some wonderful authors. This year I was lucky enough to have the chance to talk to 3 Canadian authors: Tish Cohen, author of Town House and Switch, Lesley Livingston, author of Wondrous Strange and Tempestuous and Vicki Grant author of Not Suitable for Family Viewing and, soon to be available in August, Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret.

Truthfully, I hadn’t read any of Lesley, Tish or Vicki’s books before meeting them (a fact I kept to myself!), but people in the office raved about how approachable and funny they were so I couldn’t wait to talk with them. In between signings with long lines of adoring fans, I was able to wrangle a few minutes with each author. Tish Cohen regaled me with stories of growing up in a Hollywood atmosphere, like how Gene Kelly mixed her first drink (a screwdriver) and the band Toto washed her dishes in exchange for popcorn. Tish was very warm and open and willing to discuss anything. I even managed to get some details about film adaptation of her book Town House, which will star Zach Galifianakis and Amy Adams, and will be produced by Ridley Scott. We talked for about 20 minutes and I had a blast.

Lesley Livingston is an interesting person. Anyone who has ever met her can tell you that she loves talking to people and answering any questions they have. With me it was no different; I first met her while she was signing Wondrous Strange for a crowd of about 150 and I helped hand out books to those waiting in line. She took time for each of her fans that waited patiently just to get a minute with her. After she finished signing I sat with her for a little while and we joked about ideas for a new book. She gave me a new nickname (embarrassing enough not to mention here!), and told me about her love of capes and how to work them. The swish of a cape is important and not to be taken lightly. She carried the conversation with seemingly endless energy and wit, and made me feel extremely comfortable. A conversation with Lesley Livingston is an experience in itself.

Vicki Grant is a peach. I can’t think of any other way to describe her. You can spot her smile from a mile away and hear her laugh from 10. Vicki is a person who can just click with anyone she comes into contact with. Within minutes of sitting down with Vicki I was being told stories of the East Coast and tidbits about her family and life there. That’s what I loved about meeting Vicki; she was an open book right away, willing to discuss anything and everything. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Her sense of humour is remarkable. One example of this was that while she was in Toronto, Vicki was going to visit her son. He had mentioned something about needing money, as kids do, so Vicki was going to bring him a gold tooth and tell him to melt it down and sell it! I couldn’t make that up. If I ever needed a laugh, Vicki Grant is someone who could deliver 100% of the time.

All in all, it was a great experience to meet and talk with our 3 wonderful authors. Their intelligence and kindness speak volumes about how they have kept who they are. The fans went away happy and were each able to share moments they wouldn’t soon forget. Tish Cohen, Lesley Livingston, and Vicki Grant are great representations of what Canadian authors are like: warm, open and down to Earth. I came away from that day with a whole new list of books to read and an excitement to explore what these authors had to offer. It was an OLA super-conference that I will never forget.

--Jason

Follow me on Twitter @albatross15

And to coincide with our Canada Day Blog Hop - Jason is offering up one copy of Not Suitable For Family Viewing by Vicki Grant to one lucky Canadian! Contest will run until July 10th.Book will be mailed directly from publisher.  Winner will be drawn randomly.

Just fill out the FORM to enter.

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