Author Event: Katharine McGee

Hello, everyone! I'm super excited to talk about the amazing event I went to last night with all of you. I'd previously met Katharine at a Teen Book Con, and I've reviewed her first novel, The Thousandth Floor on the site, but I couldn't wait to see her again at Blue Willow Bookshop especially because she previously worked in publishing before selling her books, and I would very much like to do something similar one day. In The Thousandth Floor I loved how strong her world building was, and enjoyed getting to read a bit of a sci-fi twist on a book very accessible to contemporary fans. Two hours of absolutely crazy flood traffic was absolutely worth it for this amazing and memorable experience.

Aren't these the coolest cookies?

As you can see in the picture above, we got to have the most adorable cookies I've ever seen right before the event really started. These are sugar cookies printed with the book cover that were so pretty it was almost sad to eat. Then the event moved into Katharine discussing her latest book and sharing a bit about her past in publishing and how that influenced her writing. She set out, and delivered, a great futuristic young adult that wasn't a dystopia, but nowhere close to a utopia. While you'll find hover-boards, zero gravity yoga, and a thousand story building sprung up from Manhattan, there are no aliens, intense violence, caste systems or anything else futuristic novels tend the veer towards. This is the reason I love her books so much. 

She answered a variety of questions where she discussed the three act structure that is embedded in nearly every media experience, finding work in the publishing fields, selling books to publishers, and how she thinks the odd enjoyment and surprising hallmark of character deaths opening her books might make her the "George R.R. Martin for teens." It might also be good to warn everyone that no character is safe, and the death in The Dazzling Heights will be a character you already know if you've read The Thousandth Floor. 

The biggest impression that stuck with me from this event is just how genuine and kind Katharine is. When I had my turn to get my book signed, I shared about my desire to work in publishing, my love of writing, and the work I've started here as well. She was so wonderful to listen to me talk about these things that are so important to me and be so encouraging. It really cemented it as a very important night to me.

That sums up my dazzling night at the Dazzling Heights launch party, but I wanted to also share some of the book purchases I made while at the event. Because who can resist a few extra purchases when your standing in a room with walls and walls of books? Beyond my obvious purchase of The Dazzling Heights, which I cannot wait to read and will try to get my review out as fast as possible, though no promises because my schedule is really crazy right now, I bought four books. I cannot wait to read these, many of these new releases. So here they are: Nothing by Annie Barrows, Who's That Girl by Blair Thornburgh, Confessions of a High School Disaster by Emma Chastain, and A Semi-Definitve List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland. I'm planning on rearranging some of my posts to get my thoughts on these books out sooner because I can't wait to devour them!

And, finally, if you live in the Houston area, Blue Willow Bookshop is a great place to look for books. I've been going since I was a little kid, and I promise you, you're sure to find something to read in there. 

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