After a great night sleep--which I didn't think would happen on a hotel bed--I headed early to Javits Center on a cool but sunny morning to get a ticket to see Adriana Trigiani, who will be touring her book The Supreme Macaroni Company with my new company Italy Book Tours in August. (Yippee! But more on that later next week.)

Me with Adriana Trigiani

Adriana is an author who knows how to connect with her readers. She is funny, unpretentious and has a vibrancy that is palpable. By the time she was scheduled to sign her books, the line was very long. Adriana came out and greeted every single person in the line with a handshake. Then she stationed herself at her table and signed books for all of them. She's just awesome! No other author did that.

I met up with Laura Morelli, author of The Gondola Maker, and we sat down for a chat. She's currently on tour with iRead Book Tours and will be doing another tour with Italy Book Tours in the fall. She was at BEA to accept her Silver IPPY Award for Best Adult Fiction in Ebook. She's such a lovely person and a real pleasure to work with.

Me with Laura Morelli

I was so pleased to see great middle-grade titles that are perfect for my son, and I can't wait to share the books with him. I was happy to meet Artie Bennett, who in the past, has sent my son and me his funny children's books to review and we loved every single one. With titles like Poopendous! and The Butt Book, Artie quickly became one of my son's favorite authors. I got the chance to meet Artie and even chat with him after the signing. He quickly remembered me and my son when he saw my badge. He thanked us several times for our reviews. My son will be thrilled when I give him another signed book from Artie! This one is titled Belches, Burps, and Farts, Oh My! And it came with a whoopee cushion! Heh...heh...do you think my son will love this one too?

Artie Bennett

I spent a good part of the day networking and talking to publishers, authors and other bloggers. I was pretty beat when I made my way back to the hotel, but what a fulfilling day it was!