B & L Books Anniversary Signing

Yesterday one of my local bookstores, B & L Books held a very cool signing to celebrate their 25th Anniversary. (They're only months older than me!) They opened their doors on a Sunday to let readers in to meet eleven authors (most local, but not all). Here's a list of the authors in attendance:

Karen Rose (suspense)
Roxanne St. Claire (contemporary)
Nancy J. Cohen (mystery)
Karen Hawkins (historical romance)
Robin Kaye (contemporary)
Lee Roland (paranormal romance)
Erica Ridley (historical romance)
Kristen Painter (urban fantasy)
Sherley Modesir-Prescott (childrens)
James C. Gillen (horror)
Shauna Hart (adult)

A couple authors have books releasing tomorrow, and the bookstore got special permission from the publishers to sell them two days early. One of these was Vengeance Moon by Lee Roland, the second book in her Earth Witches series, which I picked up since I recently finished book one. I picked up the last copy of Dark Kiss of the Reaper by Kristen Painter. I had been contemplating grabbing this title on Kindle, but I'm glad I waited because now I have a signed copy. Plus, I liked buying it from the bookstore since I already had copies of the three books in her House of Comarre series. She signed books two and three for me. I had gotten book one signed during a different signing last fall and it was great seeing her again, even if it was brief. When the employee that was directing the line asked if I was getting anything from Roxanne St. Claire signed (who was right next to Kristen Painter) and I said no thanks, she said it was because she "Doesn't write enough vampires!" Unrelated to the signing, I also grabbed a keeper copy of Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen, which I had been having trouble finding.

Christen found an old pirate romance by Jennifer Ashley while we were waiting in line. She grabbed a copy of If Your Shoes Could Speak by Sherley Modesir-Prescott and got it signed for her nephew. (He loves getting mail, so I'm sure he'll love a book signed to him!) She was also going to grab Karen Hawkin's latest release, but the crowd mixed with the heat cause her to develop a migraine, so we had to leave a little early. She hasn't read anything by Hawkins yet, but she thought the blurb for her new release sounded good (She did get a couple titles from the library). Plus, Karen Hawkins lives around here and if the last signing we went to at B & L Books is any indication, she isn't a stranger to the bookstore. I'm sure we'll be able to catch her again.

B & L Books went all out in celebration of their 25th anniversary, along with a couple publishers. When we walked in the door, we were given numbers for the line along with a reusable bag (decorated with cats) filled with goodies. Each bag had a Harlequin pen and pad, a Penguin poster, and a free book. Between me, Christen, and my mom, we got three large mass markets (those tall ones) from Harper. All three titles are mystery/suspense, so my mom will definitely enjoy them. After all of the craziness of getting books signed, the fun didn't stop when we checked out. There was a raffle for a $25 giftcard. And everyone that made a purchase got to draw a "coupon" from a box and get another prize. I got a Harlequin purse holder, Christen got a Harlequin money clip, and my mom got an old historical romance ARC (from August 2011) that Christen will enjoy. Also, there was punch and cake. The cake was even decorated with the flyer for the signing. It was pretty cool.

All in all, I think B & L books is my new favorite used bookstore in the area. It's a little further away than the other two I frequent, but I'll definitely be making the journey out there more often.