A Day to Remember: Meeting Nicholas Sparks

Yesterday was one of the most exhilarating book signing experiences I ever had as it was  with bestselling author Nicholas Sparks.  Since I am the only reader in my family and among my friends, I was so happy to see so many Pinoys who actually read all in one place (and this is just because of one author), and to find friends who shared my passion :-D  I estimated around 1500 fans endured hours of waiting in line for the rare opportunity to come face to face with Nicholas Sparks, but in the end it was all worth it!  

The coupon that came with the purchase of The Best of Me only allowed for a chance at getting a signing pass, but National Book Store announced that the first 50 early birds at the venue would automatically be given one.  I tried my best to go to bed early the night before but I was so anxious that it must be 2 am already before I fell asleep!  Luckily i was still able to get to The Podium early enough. When I got there at 7:40am I was the 27th line! :D. The mall was still closed so we had to wait outside the entrance. By 8 am I think there were already 50 people, and by 9 am maybe a hundred.

By 9:30 we were allowed to enter the mall and sit at the Atrium area where a stage was already set up, then by 11 we were given our signing passes!  With all that time in the waiting line, I got to chat with my queue-mates and we became Nicholas Sparks signing buddies!

Me with my early bird signing buddies Natassha, Anna May and Peachy!

Our Signing Passes :-D

After we got our signing passes we had the chance for a quick breakfast and to take photos. The signing was scheduled to start at 5pm.  You can see how the crowd had thickened between 2PM and 4PM, an hour before the signing.

The Podium Atrium at 2PM (left) and at 4PM (right)

Waiting fans take turns taking photos on the stage

The queue

A hopeful fan drawing for a signing pass (left) and a girl who drew a "yes" (right)
By 7pm I saw signing passes numbering 1,100+ being given out.

Finally at around 5:30 pm, Nicholas Sparks himself emerged amidst the excited screams of fans.   The crowd was so thick he had to come down to the stage from upstairs.  He took one look at the crowd and I thought I saw him say "Oh my God."

Xandra Ramos-Padilla, Purchasing director for National Book Store, introduced Nicholas Sparks and did a short Q&A portion (see interview below).

Nicholas Sparks waves to excited screaming fans
Photo courtesy of National Bookstore FB Page
www.facebook.com/national-book-store

Then Nicholas also talked a little about his new book The Best of Me.

Nicholas Sparks himself

Samantha Sanchez was the first early bird at scene - she had been waiting since 2 am!  I saw her take out a pile of what looked like a dozen Nicholas Sparks novels. She fell in love with Nicholas sparks in 2001 when she was 9 and has been hooked ever since.  After she was asked to come up on stage to meet Nicholas she was so overwhelmed with emotion she broke down.

First early bird Samantha Sanchez who was waiting since 2am broke down upon meeting Nicholas

Finally came the book signing!  The organizers from National Book Store were very systematic and quickly had a "book signing production line" of sorts going.   While in line you passed your book to the first marshal who opened it to the title page while you handed your camera to the next marshal.  While Nicholas signs your book, you take a quick pose for the camera.  Then the 2nd marshal hands you back your camera while a third marshal took your signing pass!  It was done in less than a minute!

Here we are, the proud owners of our newly signed Nicholas Sparks books :-D

Here is a close up of my signed books.  I got two signing passes so I had my The Notebook and A Walk to Remember signed.

All in all it was a one-of-a-kind experience - I met the man behind these well-loved novels, got to shake his hand, got my favorite books signed, and the best of all I found friends who shared my passion - all in one day!

Me, Anna May, Peachy, and Natassha

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Q&A with Nicholas Sparks:

Q. What is the inspiration behind your books?

A. I write about what I would like to read. I try to draw from a wide range of human emotions, those stories that make us laugh or cry. Most of all I want to write something that people will remember.

Q. Who are your characters based on? Are they based on real people?

A. The Notebook was based on my grandparents story, while Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember was based on my younger sister who died of cancer. Message in a Bottle was based on my father after my mother died. I always try to draw from real life experiences.

Q. Why do you always kill-off your characters?  

A. I lost my sister to cancer. I also lost my mother in a horse-back riding accident, and later my father in a car accident.  Because I lost most of my family in a short period of time, I always thought that love and tragedy go and in hand.

Q. Among all your 17 novels, which one is your favorite?
A. I would say A Walk to Remember. It was the easiest to write, unlike The Notebook where I was writing as an 80 year old man when I wasn't.

Q. Can you describe to us how your typical day is like?

A. I would wake up pretty early, take my coffee, read the newspapers, spend some time with my kids. I exercise. Then i would be in my office by around 9:45, check my emails. And write from 10:15 up to about 3pm.  After that I would spend the rest of the day thinking about what i would write the next day.

Q. Where are you from?
A. I'm from a place called New Bern in North Carolina. All my novels are set there. There is actually a Nicholas Sparks tour - showing the places featured in the book.  The boat ride passes by my house, and if you take the afternoon schedule, around 4pm, you will find me sitting on my porch and I will wave!

Q.  Any new film adaptations for your books coming up?The film adaptation for The Lucky One will be released in 2012, and The Best of Me will start filming in August.

90 Minutes in Heaven - by Don Piper

Sometimes you come across a book that really makes an impression on you and changes the way you look at life. This is one of those books.  90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper is a gripping true story about a man who met a terrible accident - an 18-wheeler ran over his car, crushing it with him inside.  He was pronounced dead, went to heaven, and came back to life after 90 minutes. In those minutes he had a glimpse of heaven and all its glory which he says no words on earth can aptly describe. 

Trinity Bridge where the accident occurred in January, 1989.
Photo courtesy of donpiperministries.com

Don's crushed car after an 18-wheeler rolled over it.
Photo courtesy of donpiperministries.com



After the accident Don's ordeal was only about to begin.  He had to endure 105 days in the hospital and 34 surgeries.  Part of the bone in Don's left leg was missing. In order not to amputate his leg, Don was advised to wear an experimental bone lengthening device called the Ilizarov frame.  It would be attached to his leg for 11 months and became the principal source pain during his long and gruelling recovery period.     

Don Piper shown wearing the Ilizarov Frame
Photo from abcnews

Photo courtesy of donpiperministries.com

Often Don would ask himself why God let him have a taste of heaven only to bring him back to earth to endure constant pain. It took a long time for Don to 'get his act together' but he believes that his return has a purpose - for him to share his story of death and life to everyone.  During his recovery period he received prayers, support and love not just from his immediate family but also from countless friends and community members.  It's a testimony to the incredible power of prayer.

Don Piper with his daughter and twin sons
Photo courtesy of donpiperministries.com

The writing style is really not that remarkable. Yes, it was honest. But I found it repetitive and the thoughts and dialogues didn't feel spontaneous. Nevertheless it's an inspiring true story about survival. Don's ordeal made him learn more about himself which in turn also made me ask myself about my own motivations in life.   I've always loved books about the strength of the human spirit to survive in the face of difficulty (Life of Pi, The Old Man and Sea) but those are fiction and Don's experience was the real deal. He has been interviewed and appeared on TV many times to tell his story but I admit I'm still a bit skeptical. But whether or not his account of heaven is the true one, we can learn from Don to change our motivations from a fear of hell to a longing for heaven instead. 90 Minutes in Heaven is now definitely in my 'best books ever read' list.

Don Piper
Photo courtesy of donpiperministries.com

Trese 4 Book Launch

Trese 4: Last Seen After Midnight, book cover art
Book Launch - Robinsons Galleria, Bestsellers Book Store

I'm not really a follower of graphic novels or Pinoy Lit but when I attended the book launch of Trese 4: Last Seen After Midnight at Bestsellers, Robinsons Galleria yesterday I was really surprised at the overwhelming response!  It was by far the most attended of the last 3-4 book launches I've attended! :-)  Congratulations to author Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo, the masterminds behind Trese!

This post is meant to share the photos with those who wanted to attend but were not able to, or with anyone interested.

Btw, for those who don't know yet, Trese 4 is a series of graphic novels starring Alexandra Trese, a young girl detective whose cases always take a turn for the bizarre and the supernatural.  

The anticipating audience

Jiggy Cruz, fellow blogger and friend of the author, is the host for the event.

The author Budjette Tan (right), and artist Kajo Baldisimo (middle)

Trese  author, Budjette Tan

Raffle Grand prize is an iPad with a Trese Cover Art
Every book purchase entitles the buyer to a raffle coupon

The queue for Budgette and Kajo's signatures

   

Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo signing fans' copies of Trese 4

Trese Artwork Gallery

The Filipino Book Bloggers :-)

VIBE: Pinoy Ebookstore

Amazon may be the world's largest bookstore but did you know that their system does not have Tagalog Language support?  No wonder it's difficult for Pinoys around the world to search for Pinoy books or music in their site.

Yesterday I attended the presentation of VIBE, the country's first ebookstore showcasing Pinoy books, textbooks, magazines and newspapers in ebook format. It is the brainchild of Mr. Gus Vibal, the executive director of Vibal Foundation, whose singular vision is to get Pinoys to read, digitally. He demonstrated the new application at Ayala Technohub's Tech Portal in a Kape + Teknolohiya Forum.

Vibe is a reader application that will run on any device, including iOS, Windows, and Mac OS. Vibal has already converted a host of titles into eBook format, which can be flat, enhanced or interactive. Sights and sounds can become experiential through embedded music and videos.

For those who like to read Pinoy Lit in ebook format, they can now have access to these books more easily than in Amazon or iBooks. Other than major credit cards, the Vibe ebooks may also be purchased using Globe GCash, SMART Money, or Paypal.  Pinoy authors can now reach local as well as international audiences more easily as their books go beyond the limitations of their phyiscal forms. Even new writers who long to be published but don't have the connection nor the means can have their works converted for free and made available in Vibe ebookstore.

Another area where ebooks can have a significant impact is education. Remember learning about folk songs like "Atin Cu Pung Singsing' in grade school from a text book?  With VIBE our children can learn it from an eTextbook, one which plays the song out for you as the notes appear on a musical staff, and even brings up a lyrics box in both Kapampangan and English to sing along with. Talk about learning by experience (vs learning by reading)!  According to Mr. Vibal they are currently interacting with several educational institutions in the country on how to make this technology bring textbooks to a new level.

Vibe will be available for download from vibebookstore.com this October. Early birds who access the site can send an email to get a special discount code.