BEA: Belated Dispatches

EVIL GENES author Barb Oakley and me on May 31.

It's early June, which means I'm laid up in bed. Only this year I have a heat pack on my chest instead of an ice pack on my arm. Seems I brought home a nasty upper respiratory virus from BookExpo along with all the books, catalogs and business cards. Using my nose for breathing has become a fond memory; its only function now is to keep my glasses off my cheeks.

So now I have plenty of time to write up the copious notes I took at the programs I attended at BookExpo. Much of the attention during and after the show went to programs with big-name authors and/or big-mouth panelists, such as the Book & Author breakfasts and discussions on book reviewing. But there were some excellent programs that got no coverage, which is a shame because they were packed with vital information--and often laughs. I'll write them up in subsequent posts.