YALLFEST 2015 & MINI HAUL.

**My Experience at Y'All Fest**

I didn't get to say hi to Veronica Roth, but I was thrilled to see her sitting with Margot and Elizabeth from Epic Reads at the Chicago terminal. I had tweeted earlier that I thought she was on her plane, but apparently, she decided to spend the day in New York instead. I couldn't believe my luck - being within breathing distance of one of my favorite authors again was truly a highlight of the convention.

**Y'All Fest Merchandise**

I picked up some ridiculous Y'all Fest pants that read "Bookworm I Heart My A So Many Books, So Little Time" on them. They're so comfy and I love them - even though I'm not sure what half of the other items say on them. One of the book marks says "Y'All Fest Charleston Young Adult Book Festival" with a pencil from the author's symbol. I also got three siren bookmarks, which are part of Caraval series by Stephanie Garber.

**Books and Collectibles**

When I was waiting in line for the K cast signing, I scored some great merchandise. There were people giving out gold foil tattoos featuring characters from The Mortal Instruments series. I couldn't resist getting one - they're so shiny and cute! I also picked up a few bookmarks, including one for The Fifth Wave movie and another from the book series. I was excited to see the last star cover of The Last Star, but it wasn't available yet.

**Chapter Samplers**

As part of Y'all Fest, I got my hands on some chapter samplers featuring books by popular authors. One sampler is from a new Star Wars book series written by Alexander Freed, Adam Gidwitz, and Tom Angleberger. Another one is from Ember of the Ashes, which I already have in full book form but was thrilled to receive as a collectible item. I also picked up a chapter sampler for The Glittering Court by Rhyll Richard.

**Tote Bag and Arc**

To top off my experience, Michelle Mead gave me a tote bag with her chapter sampler, along with other goodies. The tote is a beautiful shade of gray and has the words "We Are What You Read" printed on it in bold letters. It's from Penguin Books and also features a quote from The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I was thrilled to receive this as a surprise prize and can't wait to use it for future book conventions.

**Conclusion**

Overall, my experience at Y'all Fest was an absolute blast. I got to meet some amazing authors, pick up fantastic merchandise, and even score some exclusive collectibles. I'm already counting down the days until next year's convention - who knows what new books and goodies I'll discover then?