Category: Events

Romance Rendezvous Book Blast (RRBB) 2022

I am late to post, and I do apologize, but my last event of the year was RRBB 2022! This is my local event and I look forward to it so much — as I get to see all my amazing author friends like Sophie Stern and Ava Cuvay! I also get to spend time with my bestie, who is the best table assistant in the world!

I was actually right next to Sophie, and only a little ways away from Ava, so you know chaos ensued. But in my defense…Ava started it! She brought a nerf gun to the event, and so…I took it as a challenge. My husband got a very serious text as he was heading in that he needed to make a stop. “I need a nerf gun,” I said. He didn’t even ask questions, he just asked how big it needed to be. That’s true love right there!

We had so much fun! But I should apologize to all the other authors…I’m so sorry if you got caught in the crossfire! Hopefully no one got hit too hard! We were dogging around and sneaking up on each other, it was a blast. Though as promised, the nerf guns will stay home next year.

I was also able to meet some amazing readers as well! I met some individuals who read and loved “A Second Chance” (I cried a little, won’t lie) and met so many other amazing people. As always, the event goes by too fast and I was sad to see it come to an end.

I tried out some new things at my table, as well as new swag and items to sell. My husband has gotten really into resin craft, so I had things he had made available for purchase as well.

The event, as always, is wonderful. If you are ever in Cedar Falls during the date, you should definitely check it out. I promise you will find many new authors to read and have a good time!

Here are some more pictures from the event! Enjoy!

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GIVEAWAY

As mentioned on my other social media platforms, to celebrate the end of my writing season, I am giving away a GIANT BOX OF SWAG! This is swag that is either mine or swag from the many events that I attended. I made sure to run around and get information and fun swag from each other to contribute to the giveaway.

This box will be filled with so many amazing items. From fun keychains, chapstick, buttons/pins, samples of stories, free ebook codes, pens, totes, and more. Below is a quick slideshow of some of the things you can expect!

All in all, I managed to get it to squeeze into a big box (seen below). I decided to give this box away to one of you–my amazing followers of my blog! I decided the winner has until Friday, September 23, 2022 to claim the box, or I will offer it to another follower. So, I pulled out my trusty d100 and rolled…

And the winner is… Cheri Garduno! If you want to shoot me an email to let me know where to send your package, I will get it sent off right away!

I hope to do more in the future, depending on how many events I attend, so be sure to keep an eye out for future giveaways! Until then, happy reading!

I don’t know about all of you, but I had an AMAZING weekend! I spent the weekend with my bestie at Writers on the River. This is an annual event that takes place in Peoria, Illinois and it such fun for authors and readers of romance. This is the second year I have attended, and it is always a blast.

But the fun doesn’t start with the event—oh no. My bestie and I make a whole weekend of it! We start out by shopping at a few different local book stores. We hit a few different ones: Tails of a Bookworm (Pekin, Il.), the Book Rack (Peoria, Il.), and the Book Nook (Peoria, Il.). Tails of the Bookworm is by far my favorite. Not only does it have an amazing selection of books and bookish items…not only does it have amazingly friendly staff…but it also serves as a cat adoption! They have cats looking to be adopted either in their little homes or running about the store. It is such chaos and fun. This year there were three kittens (two waiting for adoption, one waiting to be picked up later that day). If you live in the area and are taken with one of the kittens, give them a call!

We also make sure to hit a very special place for lunch on Friday…LA GONDOLA! Seriously, if you’re ever in Peoria, try the Torpedo (get a half size, trust me). It’s delicious and their bread is so sweet. My bestie and I always stop for lunch, as not only is it delicious, but it’s close by all of the stores we visit.

Between the shopping, the good food (sans dinner where we ordered salad and got no dressing), the first day was fantastic! Here are some pictures of the fun items I purchased at the stores!

Then Saturday was the event. I don’t have too many pictures, as there really isn’t time to take too many (there are so many authors I want to chat with!). Even still, the event was fun. I bought so many new books – y’all my TBR pile has gotten OUT OF CONTROL! There were games and raffle baskets GALORE. I donated 5, and it was just the tip of what they had available to do raffles on. By the end of the event, my bestie and I each won a prize and we had time to relax before the afterparty.

And by relax…of course I mean organize my swag and take a nap.

The afterparty is a wonderful addition to the event. They provide a glorious buffet of tacos and mashed potato bar. It’s an odd combination to hear, but I promise it is delicious. Then they have dancing, photo booths, and we brought games and tarot cards this year.

The weekend was amazing, though now it’s the work week and I’m exhausted. But even still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Genuinely, if you are ever interested in attending an event, I can’t recommend Writers on the River enough. I’ve attended quite a few events and it is by far one of the best I’ve attended – right up there with North Iowa Book Bash and Romance Rendezvous Book Blast.

With Writers on the River over, there is only one event left on my roster for 2022 – Romance Rendezvous Book Blast! It will be August 20, 2022 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This is important for two reasons…

One, it will be my last author event for the year! So, if you haven’t yet stopped by to say hi and purchase books, be sure to do so! I promise, RRBB is so fun and has amazing authors in attendance.

Two, that means my swag collection will be finished. Each event you attend, you always leave with so many swag items: stickers, bookmarks, keychains, magnets, cups, pens, and so much more. Usually, I have a bunch of swag by the end of the year accumulated in a big bag with nothing to do with. This year, I decided to do a special giveaway for the followers of my blog! If you are following my blog (meaning you get email notifications when I post), you will be entered to win a box of swag at the end of August!

You can see from the pictures below, it has A LOT of fun items in it. Just be sure to follow my blog (storiesbyshannap.com) and you will be entered to win!

Until then, I wish you all happy reading and hope to see you at RRBB in August!

~Shanna Pikora