August 20, 2008 one of my dreams came true. I had the honor to meet one of my all time favorite authors. This is the woman who I thank for giving me the kick to come out and send my work out for publishing. Yes, I got to meet the one and only Sherrilyn Kenyon.

She was doing a signing at the Worlds Biggest Bookstore. The afternoon started with me meeting a friend and fellow author (Amy) who traveled here all the way from the U.S. I arrived a bit earlier so I went and asked if the event was still at 7pm. That’s when I found out you needed a card for the event. This guarantees you will get your autograph.

After that I took the chance to walk around a bit. I hadn’t gone into the city in ages. I also knew that this bookstore had pretty much everything considering it was 2 levels and 4x or more the size of a regular bookstore.

I headed straight for the graphic novel section. I’m currently hunting for volumes of the comic book Witchblade. I was lucky to find 2 that I hadn’t been able to get.

I think the art in these is truly amazing. I know next year there is a movie coming out which I can’t wait to see. I still had some time to burn before 4:30 so I went up the street to the music stores and did some browsing there. The big places always have a bigger selection, especially the stores downtown.

I returned to the store around 4pm and waited for my friend to arrive, she got there early which was great. She went and got her card for the signing and we headed out for a bite to eat. It was so nice to meet her and her family who came down for the event as well.

It was about 6pm when we got back from dinner, not too long after we saw Sherrilyn walk into the store and she had a special guest with her. The event got started at 7pm and we were welcomed by Sherrilyn and her guest Dianna Love. Dianna co-wrote Phantom I The Night with Sherrilyn.

Sherrilyn did a small introduction. She talked about growing up with her big family and told us about her brother. We were also showed the amazing Acheron leather coat which you can see in the above photo. On the back of the coat is the Acheron symbol. The symbol that is on the card I got to guarantee me a autograph. It was worn in the trailer for her book Acheron and will be auctioned off for charity. I would love to win that coat. It’s one amazing coat.

She did a bit more question and answers. People asked about different characters from the Dark Hunter series and if they would get their own book. Sherrilyn said she wasn’t going to say yes or no because she doesn’t know. She said yes once and the character ended up getting killed off. She felt so bad about it…I can honestly tell you that while I stood there listening to her talking about her writing career and everything I felt so inspired. I had the urge to just go home and write my buns off. She gave me a new outlook and a bigger kick in the butt. She re-inspired me and it feels amazing. Thank you Sherrilyn.

Once the autograph session got started we were all called to line up with our cards and by number. There was about 100 people who turned out so groups of 20 plus would go up at a time.

As I stood in line waiting for my turn I felt like a little kid in the candy store. I was so excited to be meeting her after missing my chance 3 times. I was set on getting to this event and I made it. When my turn came I gave Dianna my camera so she could snap a photo of me and Sherrilyn. I introduced myself and I told her thank you for doing what she does. I told her she inspired me to get the courage to put myself out there and write and get published. I told her about Bid For Love and how it made it to number 1. She was so thrilled for me and gave me a big hug. She even called Dianna over and told her. They both congratulated me. We talked for about 10-15 minutes and it felt wonderful. I was able to see her live and meet her.

Sherrilyn is such a wonderful woman and so genuinely kind and all I can say is wow.

Each of us got a few items in out books. A tour card that you get stamped every time you meet her to exchange for promo items.

We got a book flat with the cover for Dead After Dark. An anthology with Sherrilyn, Dianna and other NY Bestselling authors.

We got this Acheron/ One Silent Night bookmark and a huge Acheron Bumper sticker.

During the whole event there were draws going on for different promo items such as shirts, lip gloss, laminated passes, notepads, hats, buttons and other stuff. I was the lucky winner of a Acheron hat and flashing light heart with Acheron on it.

At around 8pm my friend Amy had to leave since she had a long drive back home. After saying out goodbyes I went and stuck around a bit more chatting with some of the other attendees. It was so nice being there. The atmosphere itself was just one that made you feel happy and truly inspired. When I left the event Sherrilyn was still signing autographs. There was still a line going down the stairs waiting. She was still all smiles and ready to sign.

I will never forget this day. Meeting Sherrilyn was a dream come true. I can’t wait to see her when she comes back. You can count that I will be going to see her again.

Thank you Sherrilyn for everything. You are truly an amazing author.

If you haven’t had the chance to read any of her books make sure to check her out. You will fall in love with the Dark Hunter world she has created and all her other books.

Savannah