Nicholas Sparks Event

I got back from the event a little while ago, and it was quite interesting.  It was at the Free Library in Philadelphia, and it was an hour of Q and A followed by a meet and greet.

I had planned on going to this Nicholas Sparks event with my friend, but then I got stuck with two tickets when plans changed.  My poor parents took me to the event.  They really are the greatest.  I keep calling this thing that I attended an event and not a signing since no books were signed, The Longest Ride came already signed, and no posed photos were allowed: (

Nicholas walked onto the stage and spread his arms out like Jesus on the cross, bowing, for the claque.  Then, he blew kisses to the audience.  Mother and I just looked at each other and gave the "This is weird" look.  Yeah, you know the one.

I was impressed by Nicholas' talent.  He knows a great deal about writing and made great allusions, even mentioning Strunk & White which I really appreciated, but at the same time the man looves himself!  I had heard that he was a jerk, but he wasn't quite.  While he was arrogant, he did seem kind.  For example, a 6th grade teacher asked him how she could get her students to learn about voice, and he took the time to think about it and said to have them pretend that the students are at school and their parent walks into their room and to think of what the parent would say.  They could say,"This room is a mess," and so on.  Then, other times he would joke about being placed between Shakespeare and Steinbeck at Barnes and Noble.

I'm not a Nicholas Sparks fanatic, but I have read about 5 of his books.  They are a nice escape for me, even if he uses the same formula over and over.  He has an enormous amount of success with the books, movies, his own school, his own charity, the upcoming Broadway production of The Notebook, and the upcoming TV show.  When Father was waiting outside while Mother and I were watching the Q and A, he talked with an employee.  The employee noted that these authors that gain a lot of attention, but aren't particularly writers that will withstand time tend to be the ones with attitudes.  I find this kind of true with my experiences i.e. Stephenie Meyer and sorta Cassandra Clare.
 
I hope to be as successful as he is in the future, but I'd like to do it with a humbler approach.  I promise that I'll sign anything you want and take pictures if I get quasi famous or famous for that matter.

And I didn't stay for the quick "hi and bye" meet and greet.  If I couldn't get a selfie with the guy, what's the point?

I'll be selling my extra signed copy on ebay, so watch out! Yeah, I'm down $35 so I'm not doing a giveaway.  I'm sorry!