First Book Signing Event

Zodiac Wikia

For the first time ever, I attended a book signing event!!

How cool is that?

Vromans, the bookstore where the event took place, is located just a few blocks from where I live and it often hosts so many book signing events. That I just discovered lately. As an aspiring writer and avid reader, I'm psyched, of course! Lately, I've been circling some potential Young Adult books for me to read to kill time after The Girl on the Train before finding Zodiac by Romina Russell.

Why I was drawn to Zodiac? Well, I was simply sold just by the cover. Yes, we designers judge everything from the cover. It's got vibrant colors that really scream of nebulas and outer space (and it features Neutra typeface too) that reminds me of my Virgin Galactic project moodboard, seriously. Another thing is, I'm intrigued by any Zodiac-related fictional work. Years ago, I read a manga named Zodiac P.I which follows a fortune teller girl who lives a double life as a detective and pulls a Sherlock Holmes. She solves cases through the horoscopes of the victims. So I'm psyched to find out how astrological signs can take form as a whole entire universe in a Young Adult fiction.

Anyway, Zodiac takes place in a world where astrological signs are constellations surrounding a sun (Helios) in a Solar System way. A girl from House Cancer named Rhoma Grace is trying to warn the other Zodiac houses about an unforeseen danger that threatens them, and only she can see it.

To be honest I haven't finished reading it so I can't say much. But so far, Zodiac has been a gripping adventure to me. The world invented by Romina is very imaginative and really out of this box. I get the impression of Star Wars colliding with The Hunger Games or some sort.

rominagarber.com

So lately, Romina had a book signing/launching event in Vromans for the sequel of Zodiac: Wandering Star. I went there, bought a copy (because apparently Vromans requires attendees to buy the sequel copy from the very bookstore), although I just bought Zodiac a couple days before.

Since it was my first book signing event, i didn't know what to expect. Romina had a Q&A panel which was very inspiring. She's got great energy too I have to say. As an aspiring writer, I learn a lot from her: from the aspect of writing process goes to creating the universe (which is, again I emphasize, highly imaginative up to the point she invented specific words and terms for objects, actions, and beings in the Zodiac universe) and the challenges she faced in writing the sequel.

Overall, it was an eye-opening experience. Romina is really, really nice!! Well, she's a new celebrity in the literary world but she's very humble and chatted with everyone whose books she was signing. The whole experiencing of listening to an amazing author like Romina actually gave me an epiphany as a writer and fueled back my writing ambition. I've finished up my 12098329th draft for my Young Adult paranormal romance and it's been sitting there with nowhere to go. But meeting Romina and hearing her talk actually inspired me to go back on my novel.
I started doing line editing, fixing some plot holes, and all that before sending the manuscript to beta readers. My ultimate dream is, really, to answer questions in an exclusive Q&A and sign my book. Hopefully. Hopefully.
Okay, I need to go back to finish reading Zodiac before jumping to Wandering Star. I have a long list of books that I wanted to read, and each and everyday I go to the bookstore, the list just gets longer.