I met Becky Albertalli

a Blessed image tbh

MY DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE!! I CAN DIE IN PEACE NOW!!

As you all know, I adore Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It's one of my favorite books, it changed my life, and the book has helped me in so many situations. I've been wanting to meet Becky since 2015 and I'm so happy to say yes! I met Becky Albertalli! And yup, I took a bunch of pictures to share with you all. Let's recap. 😍

my mom was reading simon while we were waiting lmao i love her

We got to the bookstore about 10 minutes early and, holy moly, it was already packed. My mom and I had to sit in the way back because there was almost no more seats. The bookstore was really warm and busy so haha, I was already stressed out. Thankfully, the Q&A started right on time! And no, Becky Albertalli wasn't the only author there. The panel was Becky, Julie Murphy (Dumplin'), and Katie Cotugno (Top Ten). They talked about movie deals, writing sequels, and their favorite book covers. The panel was super fun! The three ladies gave some great advice and told really funny stories. Then, the moderator said  "thank you so much etc etc this is now a great time to buy their books and start forming a signing line!" AND MADNESS ENSUED.

help !! i'm drowning in a pit of sweaty people !!

So, when I go to a book signing, I usually get a numbered ticket for my place in line. bUT this bookstore didn't have numbered tickets so everyone jogged over to the signing table and "formed a line". Since I had three books, a jacket, and my BIG Canon camera (w/ its bag), we didn't get to the line fast enough for a good spot. And y'all, this line was huge! The line almost went outside the bookstore. Anyway, my mom and I waited for Becky for over an hour... and, trust me, this line would've gone much faster if a) people didn't have 20 minute conversations with Becky and b) booksellers helped move the line by taking pictures or something but they were just standing there?? I was just hot, confused and tired.

Here are a few conversations my mom and I had while waiting in line:

MOM: Do they sell water here?

ME: *laughs* No. Bookstores don't sell food or water.

MOM: Well, they should!

↓  (i don't understand my mom) ↓ 

MOM: I'm so warm!

ME: Maybe you should take off your jacket?

MOM: *sighs* No...

ME: I could hold it for you.

MOM: No thanks.

ME: *looks at the camera like i'm on the office*

↓ (my mom loves cookbooks very much) ↓ 

ME: I'm going to look around the bookstore okay?

MOM: Okay.

ME: *comes back a few minutes later* Well, I found the cookbooks.

MOM: I'll be right back !!!!!!!

↓ (a little bonus because i think my mom really likes Tom Holland) ↓ 

ME: Oh yeah, they're going to be making a Chaos Walking movie. I think Patrick Ness is writing the screenplay. Remember him?

MOM: Oh yes he was very funny!

ME: Yeah and the guy starring is uhhhh tom something you know, spider-man?

MOM: Tom Holland???

ME: Yeah! And Daisy from St-

MOM: *interrupts me* I guess he's only known for Spider-Man now!! 

---

ANYHOO, the bookstore was now closed and we were still waiting for Becky. This is when I realized there was three separate lines for each author. Julie Murphy and Katie Cotugno had one or two people in their lines, while Becky's line had over 50. I felt really sad because I wanted to support Julie and Katie but I am a Ⓑroke teen so. :( At this point, I could see Becky and I started getting REALLY nervous because I had no idea what I was going to say !!!!!! My mom was like "just tell her you really like her book!" and I was like "MOM I CANT SAY JUST THAT SGFHDSHF" But before I knew it, it was my turn.

what am i doing with my hands uhhh

And, of course, everything went FINE. The first thing she said to me was "Oh you did Leah's hairstyle!" I then proceeded to tell her how I ran into Walmart and bought bobby pins just for Leah. She said she was honored and my heart swelled !!! I told her how much I love Simon and I was really big fan, we talked the movie release on DVD, and she told me the Bram Greenfeld oreo milkshake recipe. I swear I didn't cry or anything but Becky is honestly the purest author ever!! She doodled in my books and really appreciated my support for her books and yeah... after meeting her, I was on cloud nine. Our five minute conversation was the best.

I don't have pictures of my signed books (because the weather sucks rn!!) but I'll post the pics my Instagram very soon. And yeah, that was it! The signing line and booksellers kinda confused me but, in the end, it was worth it. 😌 Thanks again Becky!

Have you met Becky Albertalli? What's your favorite Albertalli book? Oh and who's one author (dead or alive!) you wanna meet? Let's chat about it!

Share: