Hey guys! Laurence Tan Aka: The Lucius Flux here with my mates Godwin, (of Machinations of My Muddled Mind) Pamela, and Jerzon in Glorietta 1's National Bookstore. (initial time of Arrival)
Unfortunately, I arrived late due to the heavy traffic and my being lost upon getting there. and I got 4th place. Jrrzon was first and Pamela was 2nd. If only I arrived 20 minutes earlier I could've made it. So near yet so far. So much for that ARC copy, eh guys? *Deranged laugh out of anger and disappointment and sadness* But atleast I wasn't 177th like the Mafi-Riggs-Rossi book signing last summer *Frustrated Sigh*. Thanks Obama, 'ppreciate it.
Me and Godwin planned our whole escapade weeks before the event, I knew him before from the Tahereh-Ransom-Veronica booksigning and from our mutual friend Luigi.
Most people camp in line to get their books signed earlier so that they can leave early OR because of awesome ARCs (Advanced Reader's Copy) being given away, which in this case is Isla and the Happily Ever After, which is coming out this August.
Apart from that, We were just talking about our blogs and books, events and stuff and we looked around for books and generally had a whale of a time. I used my phone a lot of times during this part of the camping.
This continued all through-out the night, us talking and going for bathroom breaks. UNTIL, the unbelievable happened. At around 12:30 Am, STEPHANIE AND JARROD PERKINS THEMSELVES SHOWED UP TO OUR SIDE OF GLORIETTA!!!! One minute we were dozing off and reading books, the next the author of the booksigning and her husband shows up out of nowhere and the girls in our group were simply JUMPING AN SQUEALING like a bunch of schoolgirls about this turn of events!!
We quickly crowded around them and started taking pictures of them, with them, and with all of us. Most of the girls in our early birds group hugged them both, but it would be kinda awkward for us 3 guys, lol.
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| We literally "stayed up all night to get lucky" |
But prior to this booksigning camp-out, I ordered 2 custom shirts with "Anna and the French Kiss" on it for a mate of mine and for my personal use. Fast forward to the present, I asked them both to sign my shirt and they totally did it! Someone else from out group asked them to sign her phone case and Godwin asked them to sign his Autograph book.
Maybe it was out constant posting of our pictures to #StepaniePerkinsinPh? Whatever the case may be, we're still grateful for Stephanie and Jarrod for dropping by and taking selfies with us! :D
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After a few more pictures and hugs, they departed back to their hotel and left us not bored and sleepy but pumped-up with book adrenaline and Novel energy, we stayed up all night talking about how this was better than the signing, a personal visit from the author and her husband!! Can't get any better than that!
We definitely didn't sleep at all until the signing.
Registration started at around 10-ish. It was a really long night if you just sat there, staring at the skies with no clear thought to ponder. At this time, my phone's battery was about 30%, I thought that it would last for the entire duration of the book singing, how wrong I was.
At around 2:10 Pm on Sunday, Stephanie Perkins finally arrived to National bookstore after her long-awaited visit to Manila! She was briefly interviewed by the staff of National Bookstore and the people from Bloggers Forums where she stated that she may or may not continue the Anna and the French Kiss series, cross your fingers that she'll write another one!
When she was asked if she had any advice for aspiring writers, she said "Learn to read like an author" Learn to know how and what to make readers feel, how and why did the author write this sentence and so forth.
Then the fans asked her and Jarrod to kiss, they did!! Crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and screams of hundreds of fangirls (And boys!) at the display of their romantic kiss!!
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| NOTE: I am NOT photobombing them! XD |
And then the interviewer announced that the following names walk up to the stage. She counted them off; "Jerzon, Pamela, Godwin . . ." and then "Laurence . . ." ?! It's like that feeling when your about to get your honors or something. I was like "Wait-wait, WHAT?! WHAT! Who, me?"
I nervously got to the stage then Jerzon gave me the mic. In my panic, nervousness and unpreparedness, I said the only things that popped into my mind: "HEY GUYZZZ!" followed by two seconds of awkward silence from my lack of vocalizations and then i passed it back to Godwin. *Internally screaming mathimatically* Talk about awkward. XD
And then they gave us each a ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) EACH for the 7 Early Birds. AND a cool tote bag with a Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door/Isla and the Happily Ever After design (Which I gave to Luigi) AND a special picture with the Author herself!
During the actual signing, I approached Stephanie Perkins in my Dark faded polo shirt, my signed Anna and the French Kiss shirt, a bunch of rubber bands on my arms and a star on my left hand. She asked me "Did you guys sleep?" To which I replied with "No, we were too hyped for your booksigning!" ("Thank You!") and "It was our pleasure!".
Next came the idea of asking her husband, Jarrod Perkins, to sign our books. So after what seemed like a hundred guys, I reached him and told him "Hi. Thanks for coaxing Stephanie to write her awesome books!" And he replied with something that I didn't quite catch. and he asked me if I slept during the camping, which i replied with "I only napped for twenty minutes." And here's what he wrote on my books:
And here's what Stephanie Perkins wrote:
AND I HUGGED STEPHANIE PERKINS!!!
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| Kudos to National for posting this for me to find! I still can't believe it! Ohmygosh! |
It was a tiring but definitely satisfying and fun experience, I met a lot of people and made some friends. And don't forget the ARC! As I wrote and finalized this a day later, I'm still feeling a bit groggy from the Fanboy Fever and Booksigning hangover. And Stephanie Perkins is actually more beautiful in real life than in her pictures!! :D
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| Top: First Eleven with Stephanie and Jarrod Perkins Bottom: From left to right: Pamela, Jerzon, Vanessa, Kiana, Cerise, Kimberly, Charm, Feather, Me, Godwin. |
This was a really fun event and I want to go to more. Thank you guys for making a memoreable Day/Night/Day! Thanks to Bookstorebug.wordpress.com (Aka: Feather) for some of the pictures!
For the book reviews of Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, please visit Godwin's posts on these: Here and Here.
(My previous post on the event here)
And Thank you Stephanie Perkins for visiting the Philippines and for making generations of teenagers/young adults swoon with your novels and Thank you Jarrod Perkins for coaxing Stephanie to write said books! Stay awesome!
ATTENTION: MY ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER BOOK REVIEW IS NOW OUT: CLICK HERE
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