Gretchen McNeil's Ten Launch Party Recap

Hi guys. So I'm pretty sure I've mentioned somewhere that I won't be going to many signings in the LA area now that I'm up the coast more and there are very few bookstores with young adult events in the area. Luckily, the wonderful Ava was willing to get my book signed AND write up a recap of the launch party for Gretchen McNeil's new thriller, Ten. So these words and the pictures are all hers.

But first, a little about the book:

PUBLICATION DATE: September 18th

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

And now, to the event recap!

Gretchen McNeil is the spunkiest horror writer I've ever known... That much became ultraviolet-clear on September 23rd, when I attended Gretchen's launch party for her latest release, TEN - a story about 10 teens trapped on an island with a killer on the loose.

Gretchen's incredibly bubbly and personable, and along with her special guest Nancy Holder, the afternoon couldn't have been any better! Gretchen read a small, spoiler-free scene from TEN - creepy! - and afterward we all watched the book trailer - CREEPIER! - which is honestly one of the best book trailers I've ever seen. And Gretchen's actually the one singing in the book trailer!

[ME: Here's that book trailer:]

Gretchen also talked about her love for Agatha Christi and Christopher Pike, her upcoming books, 3:59 (2013) - which sounds like a science fiction version of The Parent Trap to me - and her newly announced Don't Get Mad series; books one and two tentatively titled Get Even (2014) and Get Dirty (2015), which was pitched as "Revenge meets The Breakfast Club," and answered audience questions.

The signing followed directly after. Gretchen signed my various TEN ARCs and hardbacks with beautiful red-headed grace (I gush, I gush) and Nancy - who is ridiculously sweet - signed my copies of Dear Bully. After the signing, I ended up staying 'til Gretchen was leaving, chatting amongst bookish pals, and browsing the YA section.

All in all, it couldn't have been a smoother, more enjoyable launch party for TEN. I want to thank Gretchen and Nancy, for being so sweet and generous, and I want to give a huge shout out and thank-you to Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach for hosting this event - they did such an amazing job! If you ever get the chance, definitely check out their store!

And thank you, Nicole, for having me!

Ava is just the sweetest for taking the time to write up this great recap. I'll hopefully be doing this more in the future if she's willing. So be awesome and welcome Ava by leaving her a comment!