Jaclyn Moriarty Came to LA & I Almost Forgot to Breathe: My Recap of the LA Times Festival of Books

Remember when I found out Jaclyn Moriarty was coming to LA for the Festival of Books and I almost passed out? That about sums up what happened when I actually did meet her.

I ended up only going on Saturday (April 20) because the Spurs were starting their series against the Lakers on Sunday. (The Spurs won so it was worth it.) Saturday was the day I cared about anyway since Jaclyn Moriarty and Elizabeth Wein were both on panels that day. I had a bit of a Sophie's Choice moment because Jaclyn's appearance at the Once Upon a Time Bookstore booth was at the same time as Elizabeth's panel, Young Adult Fiction: Danger & Determination. My friend, Vickie, and I decided to stake out the booth early and then hightail it over to the panel afterward.

Let me tell you how excited I was that day: I got up at 6am. And I am NOT a morning person. I'm also perpetually late to everything. This time, though, Vickie and I met up for coffee at 9 and then carpooled over to USC. We got to the booth 30 minutes early and looked around. I wasn't sure which books they would have in stock, so I brought a stack with me. I know from Nomes (Inkcrush) that Jaclyn doesn't do many events even in Australia so while I had this opportunity, I wanted to get some books signed for other fans as well. I knew they would have Corner of White in stock, but I was pleasantly surprised that they had The Year of Secret Assignments. There was only one copy in all the LA area B&Ns -- and I bought that one to gift the day before.

YA in LA: YA Guide to the LA Times Festival of Books

Jaclyn Moriarty. Elizabeth Wein. Gayle Forman. Sarah Dessen. Veronica Roth. Jaclyn Moriarty. And that's just to name a few. Someone call Zack Morris because like Noelle, I am having a Jessie Spano-level meltdown.

The LA Times released their Festival of Books schedule today and I thought I'd highlight the most important events -- the YA ones, of course! The Festival runs from Saturday, April 20 to Sunday, April 21 at USC. It's free but all indoor events require a ticket, which are limited and have a $1 service charge per ticket. You also have the option of buying a $30 Festival Pass which gives you 8 tickets for indoor events before they're open to the public, as well as tickets to the LA Times Book Prize ceremony.

Relevant Dates:

• Thursday, March 28 at 10 am: $30 Festival Pass goes on sale. Individual tickets for Book Prize ceremony also on sale. (I don't see the price of this ticket listed.)
• Sunday, April 14 at 9 am: Tickets for indoor events available to the general public. Cost: $1 service fee per ticket.
• Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm: Los Angeles Times Book Prize ceremony in the Bovard Auditorium (YA finalists listed below).
• Saturday, April 20 at 10 am: Festival of Books begins!

Book Prize Honorees for Young Adult Literature:

• The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi 
• Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
• My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt
• Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Schedule for Saturday, April 20:

Schedule for Sunday, April 21:

I'm going to try to hit as many events as possible. I can't wait to find out if Veronica Roth is really so tall that her height is one of her Frequently Asked Questions, or if Gayle Forman dresses like a hipster adult, or if Tahereh Mafi wears her homemade Shatter Me shoes. I'm so excited (I'm SO excited!) about Elizabeth Wein and Jaclyn Moriarty. Code Name Verity and A Corner of White were two of my favorite books of 2012. Is anyone else planning on going? Which author would you Jessie Spano over?

For more information, check out the official website. All screenshots were taken from the Schedule page.