Why I don’t swag sweep at BEA (aka: My TBR Shelf) and OS Teaser #46

I spent a fabulous three days at Book Expo America week before last. As a matter of fact, exactly two weeks ago right now, I was signing copies of Personal Demons on the BEA floor. On Tuesday, I was lucky enough to be able to sign finished copies of Original Sin with Kiki Hamilton, who was signing ARCs of her The Faerie Ring.

Kiki was smart enough to bring her camera (whereas, I wasn’t). Here is a picture of our signing line! That’s my adorable Team Luc Fangirl Captain, Harmony, right in front!

And here’s more line:

And more line:

The line was so long it wrapped around the ropes and behind the other lines! When our hour was up and we still had a line, they moved us to an overflow area so we could keep signing. :p

Thanks so much to everyone who came out! It was humbling and thrilling! (I know you were all there for Kiki, but just let me bask in it, ‘kay?) I have to honestly say that the whole BEA experience was a blur. A good blur…for me, at least. But…

I’ve heard the stories.

Before I even left, I was hearing stories of people cutting in signing lines and being bullied in lines for book giveaways. Last week, at the start of our After Dark Tour, I was able to hang out with other authors who had been at BEA and heard stories of people getting bit. On Friday, I was at a local signing for Melissa Marr and heard the same story from a group of bloggers.

I don’t know if the stories are true or not, and I’m not equipped to comment either way. What I do know is there were a lot of people angling for free books. I wasn’t one of them. The thing about books is, there are sooo many great ones and so little time. I don’t generally request ARCs because I know the likelihood that I’ll actually get the opportunity to read it prior to release is almost none. If I was to take an ARC, which is intended for pre-publication promotion, and not read it before publication, I’d feel horribly guilty. And honestly, if it’s a book I really want, I’m going to buy it at release anyway to support the author.

Just to give you an idea, here is my YA To Be Read shelf.

This is just the shelf I keep near my writing area. In my library, are more shelves with adult titles I haven’t gotten to yet. And, on my Nook are more, including my amazing agent sister, Hannah Moskowitz’s Invincible Summer, Malinda Lo’s Ash and Huntress, Kirstin Hubbard’s Like Mandarin, and more. Plus, on my hard drive are more books. Mostly sequels that writer friends have sent. Some of these amazing books have sat right there, on the shelf, Nook or hard drive, for the better part of a year. I want to read them. I really do. But I also have three jobs, including writing my own books, and reality is, there’s just not time to get to them all.

So…I don’t run around the BEA floor collecting new books to add to the stack. I’d just feel too guilty.

***Addendum, 7:15 pm: I started to post this as a comment, then decided it should be part of the post. I'm so very glad I was able to attend BEA. I hope to do it again on a regular basis. Meeting all the people I feel like I know so well from Twitter, FB and this blog in and of itself made the trip worth it in my eyes. I'm also not criticizing those who brought books home to read or for giveaways. It's just not something I felt compelled to do.

And, on that note, y’all want today’s Original Sin Teaser? I thought so! Here’s a glance inside Matt’s head:

#OriginalSin p135 Matt: Taylor was living dangerously for a while, but she seems to have come around. I was right on the edge of putting duck sauce down the front of her shirt until Angelique showed up.

But I have to say, staying out of the changing rooms while Lili was trying things on—especially at Victoria’s Secret—took all the angelic restraint I could muster.

Hmm…

And…if you want a glance into Luc’s don’t forget Teen Book Scene’s Original Sin Blog tour. Yesterday’s post, over at Lost for Words! was an interview with Luc. Today’s is an Original Sin review by the lovely Jamie over at  YA Addict!