Sarah Dessen Book Signing

This past Tuesday, I was lucky enough to go to a book signing in Chapel Hill for NY Times Bestselling author Sarah Dessen. She is the author of eleven books, including This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, and Along for the Ride among many others and she's gearing up for the June 4th release of her new book The Moon and More. She got up in front of the store-filling crowd and talked about her books, answered questions, spoke about The Moon and More, then gave away pens and stickers that were Colby themed (where many of her books take place) as prizes for trivia questions. She is currently on a book tour for the paperback release of her book What Happened to Goodbye.

And this is what I love about young adult (YA) authors and their book signings. Of all the signings I've been to (not a lot, but a fair few), I've found that it's the young adult fiction writers who are the most relaxed and welcoming.  For example, when I went to a Lauren Oliver signing for her Delirium series last year, she would talk to each person, ask them questions, then personalize the note she put next to her signature. I love it! Not to mention Dessen is among one of my favorite tweeters (is that what they're called?) on twitter.

 When I finally reached the table and even though I brought four books, which was only half of my Dessen book collection, she took her time and talked with my sister and I about sharing books and Entertainment Weekly before moving on to the next person. She's my sister's favorite author, and when I told her this she gave us some Colby stickers, was very gracious, and thanked us until the guy behind us scooted in to have his books signed. This made my younger sister's week, of course, and I was very happy with the way things turned out.  I don't know what I was expecting, but I felt like Dessen carried herself very well and didn't let the nerves of talking in front of a store filled with fans get to her.

 Dessen's novels are of the YA variety, usually involving a high school girl living through life, dealing with her parents, and handling boy trouble among a plethora of other twists and turns. Mostly, they'll either take place in the fictional towns of Lakeview or Colby, which are loosely based on Chapel Hill and Emerald Isle, North Carolina, respectively.  I think that many would agree that her books feel very realistic and timeless. I mean, I've been out of high school for four years now and I can still relate to her protagonists. I usually will try to save reading her books for the summer, because they are perfect beach reads, and it is so easy to get lost in her stories.

What Happened to Goodbye is no different. This novel is about McLean, a girl who has moved from town to town with her dad to "makeover" restaurants while remaking herself in each town, and how she comes to terms with her parents choices in general and finds her own identity. (You can find a more detailed summary here). I really enjoyed this book, along with most of her other novels, and I can always find a little bit of myself in her books.  Her characters and their development throughout their stories are amazing, and her storytelling skills are phenomenal, so it's not wonder her fan base is so dedicated and growing every day.

Needless to say, I will be attending her book signing in June for her highly anticipated book The Moon and More. I look forward to seeing her again and I'm very excited to read her new novel, and maybe I'll even getting the other half of my Dessen book collection signed. If you want to find out more about her book signings, HERE is the link to her website for more info on her book tours.You can also go to her website sarahdessen.com to learn more about her books and read some of her blog posts there.