BEA Maze: Part I

Part I: Hardcore Preparation

BAM BAM BAM! *sets the hardcore music on* So on this date, I will:

• leave for BEA in 4 days 
• be throwing hundreds of ARCs into my hands in a week from today
• be entering Harlequin Teen's annual BEA breakfast in a week from today
• have hopefully met some favourite authors in a week from today
• have hopefully met some awesome bloggers in a week from today
• hopefully have my spreadsheet and schedule organized VERY soon

YES. So BEA starts in 5 days, and I'm literally going mad because:

And:

NOPE. JUST KIDDING. I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER. I've been obsessing over BEA 2015 since July 2014 and I've waited almost a year for this amazing event to swing by me. AND NOW THERE'S ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT. Sorry if you feel like I'm bragging, I get you. People who attended last year made me want to cry and bawl and lie in my bed for days. But thankfully, I didn't. I AM A GROWN WOMAN. *not really*

So at the moment, as I frantically continue to check Twitter and scroll through the endless amount of #BEA15 tweets trying to scurry and gather up more information, I'm busy planning. I have my NYC National Geographic guide ready with me (as soon as I find it), my spreadsheet needs some looking over and double-checks, and I'll have to begin packing this weekend. The sooner, the better, right? (Frowns since that's not true.) But hey, uhh... at least I know what I'm doing, hah.

What I'm Packing:

I haven't gone through my clothes yet, but I've heard tips from people that I should go through a mix between professional and casual. I have some ideas in my head, and that'll go pretty well. But I'll sort through that all on Friday. *nods head* That's better.

Now, you're probably wondering what books I will bring with me on this spectacular journey. So my family and I are driving to the city from Toronto, which will take about 8 hours. That's honestly not a bad drive since the one to Florida takes 22 hours in total. Not that I mind, anyways, since I adore road trips. Here's what I'm bringing with me to read:

YES. I can imagine what some of you are bringing, but since I do know that I'll be coming home with SO MANY BOOKS, why waste luggage space now? Besides, Lux is a huge book, and since I'm meeting JLA at the Harlequin Author Breakfast on Thursday, I'll bring it for her to sign! And my Kindle has hundreds of reads, so I obviously won't run out with any from there. I'll be able to go through some eARCs, too!

My Spreadsheet/Organization:

So I've heard that different people use different methods to get their schedule together. Some use the BEA Agenda on the app (which I do have, but not everything's on there), while some just write everything down in a notebook (too messy if something gets changed around), while others like myself prefer to use the spreadsheet method. I know some people who've done it in the past and said that it's the most helpful, so I organized my own spreadsheet using Numbers on the Mac. Here's a snippet of it:

It's simple, but I love it! I'll probably be printing out maps of the floor as well so I can highlight where everything is without running around the Javits like a total maniac. *imagines self*

So What Else Is There To It?

I'm obviously a total amateur and noob of what it's like, but I guess staying organized, having fun and meeting others is SUPER important! I really don't want to tire myself out too much since I'm also going to see the city, right? NYC has always been my #1 must-see place in the world since I've never gone before. I'M SO EXCITED!

Stay tuned for next week where I'll be posting live coverage of what it's actually like to be there and photos of authors, my hauls and other bloggers and the center, of course!

Until next time,