LoveNVegas 2016 Recap

LoveNVegas 2016

Author Signing

Have you ever been to Las Vegas in August? It is HOT! Is there actually a word that means that it is hotter than hot? I can think of blistering, sweltering, boiling, blazing...well you get the idea. Yes. It was really that hot. Let's throw in some attractive cover models (you know because it's not already hot enough) and now it's hotter than the devil's cave itself.

However, this year something interesting happened. A cool front rolled through half way through our trip. The temperature dipped down some and we actually had a few days where it was slightly overcast and breezy. It was downright beautiful! 

Thursday night was reserved for a KC Addicts get together. The KC Addicts are the fans of Jillian Dodd's books and named after the Keatyn Chronicles series. We had so much fun together. We went to dinner, enjoyed the view from the suite at the Cosmopolitan  hotel and then enjoyed the Aussie Heat show in the Miracle Mile (Planet Hollywood hotel). If you have a chance to see the show it is highly recommended. This group of ladies are some of my favorite people in the world. I am so glad to have made new friends this weekend thanks to this event.

Ellie and the LoveNBooks team did a great job organizing the signing and events surrounding it. Friday night kicked everything off with a Meet and Greet. There was a live band that performed called the Gasoline Lollipops. You can find out more about them here: Facebook. The music was funky and a good addition. I would say that the event overall was fun but I would love to see a few small changes for next year. 

As a newcomer to this event I didn't know all of the authors (nor do I at any signing). It would have been fantastic if they would have had name tags on though. I would look at someone and think "they look so familiar" but I was too shy to approach them because I just wasn't sure. I have made that mistake in the past and felt downright dumb...lol.

Also, I hate interrupting conversations of people I know let alone those I don't know. Many of the authors are already such great friends. When they saw each other that night they instantly picked up right where they last left off. The conversations were animated and fun. It was actually fun to watch their faces light up. You could tell how much they truly loved one another. I would never want to interrupt them to ask for a photo or say hi (especially if I am not 100% sure it was actually them). I believe I actually asked about 5 people for pictures that night and I only didn't know one of them previously. I was totally FANGIRLING over meeting Harper Sloan.

                

On Saturday the signing was AMAZING and the traffic flowed well. There were roped areas where they needed to be and volunteers floating around asking authors if they needed anything. As a reader/blogger I heard this several times during the time I walked around. Kudos to the team for staying on top of things. I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary. I know the authors and models were exhausted with signing, smiling and snapping so many photos yet they continued to smile, laugh and engage with all of their readers. Thank you all for being on top of your game. For continuing to be happy and gracious. Ellie, you could have made MAD money if you would have sold some snacks next to the booze. I was starving but refused to leave. I was having way to much fun.

                            

The after party was at Diablos. It was a little bit of a walk or a quick (and cheap) Uber ride from the host hotel. We arrived shortly after the party kicked off and found that there was already a decent size crowd beginning to form. The models were all there and in good spirits. They took pictures, videos, and danced with everyone all night long. Several other authors also came or made appearances throughout the night. R.K. Lilley tore up the dance floor and had fans surrounding her all night. She never ever lost her smile! The view from the upstairs area where we were located was awesome. We could see the strip completely lit up and it was gorgeous for our last night in Vegas.

                    

Again a huge thank you to Ellie, the volunteers, the authors, models, and everyone else who played a role in making this event come to life. I am sure that I can speak on behalf of everybody when I say that we appreciate all of you. We appreciate the time, energy and sacrifices you made. We love you.