BEA Blitz: Lindsi @ Books, Sweets, & Other Treats

You all know Lindsi, the genius behind Books, Sweets & Other Treats. You might not know that you know her, but you do. Lindsi is somewhat infamous in the blogging world, especially when it comes to BEA. See, she's the girl that actually got bit over a book at BEA. She's here to recount her story one more time as well as answer a few other questions!

1. How many years have you attended BEA? 

I have attended BEA the last two years.

2. Tell us about your now infamous biting incident: 

Hah! Well, that made my first BEA experience very interesting. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I was a little shocked when people started stampeding after they opened the doors. I tried to get out of the way, but it’s really hard not to get bumped and hit. You just have to go with the flow.

People, not nice people, will push and shove to get what they want. It doesn’t matter that publishers are nice enough to give away free copies of upcoming books. Greedy people will always be greedy. I looked up a lot at the convention center, so I could follow the signs and not get lost. That didn’t help me avoid running into people, lol. You’d have to be a demigod to dash in and out unseen, and still come out with what you wanted.

When I saw Carrie Jones’ book After Obsession I got excited. (I love her books!) I waited in something that resembled a line, and seemed to be moving in a somewhat forward direction. When I got to the front, I reached out to grab a copy and felt pressure on my arm. At first I thought someone had grabbed me to hold him or herself up, but the pressure turned into pain. There were little sharp pricks on my skin. When I turned to look, I saw that someone’s mouth was attached to my arm. Obviously, I freaked out and tried to jerk my arm away. Even more shocking was who it was. She looked like an innocent old lady. I, however, know the truth. She’s not a nice old lady that bakes cookies.

After biting me, the old woman proceeded to grab a handful of copies from the stack and then went on her merry way. I think I was in shock for a few minutes, because I couldn’t believe someone would actually do that.

All throughout the week I heard crazy stories of the girl who had been bitten. A lot of people saw it happen, but I didn’t think anything of it. There were rumors that I’d had to go to the hospital, and that she’d given me rabies. Zombie theories were also tossed around. I would be standing in line and hear someone start talking about it. Sometimes I corrected people, and sometimes I didn’t. It definitely made the trip more interesting and memorable.

My friend, Kate (Verb Vixen) made shirts that said “Bitten at BEA” that we wore the following year. She’s the best.

3. Do you make a schedule for BEA? If so, how tightly do you stick to it?  

Yes! I’m a little OCD, so I make super organized and detailed schedules. I start by writing down all of the events, panels, signings, etc., that I want to go to, and then I fill them in according to the day/time on the spreadsheet. I don’t use anything fancy, just Excel, and it works wonderfully! I also use various colors to code the different events. There may be something that occurs on more than one day, so if I can’t make it the first time, there’s still hope! I also mark the ones that I HAVE to go to no matter what.

4. What's your favorite BEA memory? 

Oh dear... This is such a difficult question! I have so many fond memories from my two BEA experiences. Last year Erica (The Book Cellar) and I stayed with Kate (Verb Vixen), and had a blast! I can’t even begin to count the memories we made just at her apartment. “YOLO!”  Those are two friendships I will treasure for the rest of my life. I also have amazing memories with a few of my favorite authors, but most of those contain secrets that I’ve promised not to share. ;)

Getting to meet different authors, publishers, and fellow book lovers is one of the best things about BEA. I get to be around the people who get me. They understand the consuming need to constantly read books and talk about them.

One of my favorite memories if from my first year at BEA, when I made stick figures out of a few of my friends that couldn’t go. Capillya (That Cover Girl), Jen (Makeshift Bookmark), and Ginger (G-Reads). I took pictures of the stick figures around New York and BEA so it was like they were there when they couldn’t be. That’s how Jen met Jeri Smith-Ready for the first time! I

I also enjoyed spending a day to myself. I toured New York (on my second visit, so I had an idea what I was doing, lol) and visited different museums across the city. It was amazing.

I tried octopus, bought a wig and went dancing, took a nap in central park, saw Shakespeare in the Park (AMAZING), hugged and flirted with half-naked angels, met Chris Colfer from GLEE, had coffee and lunch with authors, went to different publishing houses, saw the Harry Potter exhibit, laughed, made friends...the list is endless. I have done so many things at BEA in such a short amount of time. I would suggest packing comfortable clothes and shoes, because you’ll be going nonstop!

5. What advice would you give to people going to BEA for the first time?  

I know I just said I make a crazy organized schedule, but try not to live by the schedule. You should be adventurous, try new things, and definitely meet people you never thought possible. I always find it a little exhilarating to meet the authors that write the books that I love. There’s no better person to talk about that book with. Sometimes they even share a little extra information. Try not to have any regrets. Have fun, do what you want to do most, and everything else will fall into place.