So the past couple of days went by so quickly and were filled with some really amazing times! Sarah was able to get me and my mom reserved seats to the screening last night, which was exciting in and of itself. So I took the train up to DC and my mom followed shortly afterwards. Because of some issues with the metro, we ended up a 16 minute walk from the theatre with 20 minutes to get there. We did some serious fast-walking to get there in time! Thankfully, we made it. I told the guy running things who I was, he found me on his list, and then took us in to our seats in the press area. As he was doing so, he told me to be ready right when the credits rolled because he was going to come get me and take me to meet the actors and Stephenie and have my picture taken with them. I couldn’t believe my luck! I couldn’t reach Sarah right away because there was no phone service (but I called her directly after leaving the theatre to give her all the amazing details!).
We were seated next to Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) who facilitated the Q&A and his girlfriend, Lauren Veneziani (@DCFilmGirl). They were both incredibly friendly and I loved having an opportunity to speak with both of them before the film started, and a little bit afterwards. Kevin works for the local Fox News affiliate and Lauren is a film and TV critic (www.DCFilmGirl.com). After the film, Kevin and I were quickly escorted into the lobby area where I was introduced to Max and Jake first, and then Stephenie (who had somehow snuck up behind me so that I didn’t see her until another girl introduced me to her. We had our picture taken as the four of us,
and then I scooted out so that Kevin could have a photo with them and they could get one of just the three stars. I was then brought back in so that the five of us could be in a shot together:
As soon as this picture was taken, Max got my attention and told me that he knew about our site because he had been to it a couple of times. He commented about how ‘awesome’ we are (his words) and how we are always on top of things. I geeked out with him for a second on that one and then we started talking about the certain secret actress who I will not spoil for anyone who has yet to see the film. We were cut off so that I could get back to my seat and they could get ready for the q&a.
As soon as I got back to my seat, the theatre went dark so the actors could come in. The theatre went NUTS! At least a dozen fan girls crowded around the entrance screaming so shrilly, I thought my ears were going to bleed (and to think, I had just been conversing with one of the very actors these girls were so overjoyed to see!). There was a moment where someone (I think Jake) joked about doing the q&a in the dark, but then the lights came up, the actors were seated at the front, and the ecstatic fans were instructed to return to their seats (in fact, in one of the videos I took of the q&a, you can hear a woman and her three children being asked to go sit down or they would have to leave). The post with our video of the Q&A will soon follow.
After the Q&A, the actors were quickly taken out before any of the fans could catch up with them again, and my mother and I made our way back to our hotel, riding on the euphoria of the night.
Early the next morning (around 7:30), my mom and I joined the surprisingly short line outside Politics & Prose to wait for the chance to pick up our signing tickets. We quickly made friends with Dominique and her mother, Julia. I found out that Dominique was a freshman in college, going for her criminology degree so that she could investigate homicides. She and her mother traded off with my mom and I a couple of times so that we could each have a chance to warm up before suffering the cold some more. It was freezing, btw!
I also had the chance to meet a sweet older gentlemen who was picking up a signing ticket for his 12 year old daughter (13 next month!). He said she was very excited about ‘The Host’, in addition to many other books, and how they would taking some of her friends to the opening of ‘The Host’ for her birthday. His daughter, I later found out, is on twitter, and was eager to express her excitement over her father having met me (she follows our site) and at having received one of the stickers we had made to advertise the book/movie and our site. Here are some other photos I took of the lines for the signing tickets and for the actual signing:
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After we waited an hour and a half for the ticket to be in the signing line, we waited another three and a half to be allowed in the store to have our books signed by the author of the hour! It was long, but the time went quickly. I met a few more interesting people while waiting in this line. One was another older gentleman who was getting books signed for his two daughters, the younger of which knew his intentions, but the older of which did not. I also met Samantha, who was a high school freshman, and an avid reader, like myself. Her and her mother talked with me at length about the books she liked and various other topics while we waited in the line for most of the morning. She writes a blog herself (http://wandererstryding.tumblr.com/) and I encouraged her that everyone starts somewhere. And there was another girl who told me the story of when she met Ian Somerholder, about her theatre degree, and how she was an aspiring author, herself. I did not catch her name, unfortunately.
So, after the long, cold wait, we were finally allowed inside to see Stephenie and the guys!
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When it was my turn, I mentioned our meeting the evening before, as well as the site’s name and my own name. She said she remembered me, but when I gave her one of the stickers with our site’s name on it, she paused, and then made a surprised sound. She had not made the connection between what I had been saying the night before and today to our actual site, and informed me that she has our site bookmarked and visits it on a daily basis. I was very excited to hear this and we had a quick conversation about the site, ending with her thanking us for keeping up such a wonderful website. I was definitely flying high by that point! I picked up a new copy of the hard cover (since I had lent out my original one and never had it returned) and a copy of the soft cover for a friend, and then my mom got the soft copy I had won in a previous contest signed for me, as well as my original, hard cover ‘Twilight’.
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After Stephenie, I was able to meet Jake and Max again, who seemed to remember me as soon as I mentioned meeting them the night before. Max and I talked a bit (I honestly can’t remember what about, but you can see him listening attentively in one of the photos) while Jake signed first. When Max had signed, we talked about their DC visit so far and where they were still planning to visit. I wished that the rest of their trip would go well and then was moved out of the way by some of the store staff.
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Overall, it was an amazing event! I have already given shout outs to the wonderful people I met in the lines today, but I also wanted to thank Stephenie and Max directly for engaging so well with the fans these past two days! I know you guys must be tired after such a hectic schedule, but it really does make a difference and makes the experience so much better! Thank you both so, so much! I also wanted to thank the people responsible for reserving me and my mom seats at the screening last night and arranging for the surprise meeting and photos before the Q&A! It was amazing and a one-of-a-kind experience I will always remember. Thank you!
All the stress and discomfort were well worth the rewards of meeting the people I did and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
