Hi folks!
Last June 21 was Jenny Han's book signing event at National Book Store Glorietta 1.
I woke up really early for this event- 3:15 AM. Lo and behold, I was 7th. Haha! While waiting, I read To All the Boys I've Loved Before and made new friends. :) Also, Jenny Han gave the first 30 participants a cup of hot chocolate. Yay! I was hungry at the time so I was really thankful for the hot choco. Haha!
Yeah, I only bought two books. I have eBooks of The Summer trilogy so I only bought the first book. I don't feel like reading the Burn for Burn series so I didn't buy them. :)
The new found friends: Abbie and Jerzon! Hi guys! :)
The interview proper. There seemed to be no organization because the interview was kind of jumping from one subject to another. Haha!
Jenny Han talked about her latest book To All the Boys I've Loved Before. She said that the characters were fictional but Kitty, the youngest Song girl, was based on Jenny's sister, Susan, to whom the book is dedicated to.The letter-writing idea was also based on her own life because she also used to write private letters. She was asked if she already knew who Lara Jean is gonna end up with, and she answered that she is still in the process of writing the second book, titled P.S. I Still Love You, so there's no final guy yet. (Hoping it would be Peter Kavinsky! Haha!)
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About The Summer trilogy, she was also asked if she already knew how it was going to end, like who among the Fisher brothers Belly is going to end up with. Haha! Jenny said that it was hard for her to choose which brother because in Book 2, Jeremiah came in strong and she also fell in love with him. So it was really a difficult to decision for her, and she was going back and forth at the time of her writing.
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Going a bit personal, Jenny was asked if she had a Conrad and Jeremiah in her life. Well, she was not lucky enough to have Jeremiah. But she said she had a Conrad, but thankful that they didn't end up together because her Conrad was a bit of a jerk. Haha!
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Jenny Han went to a graduate school in New York City, where she took up Master of Fine Arts. And folks! Her teacher was David Levithan! How awesome is that!!! Haha! She also met her best friend Siobhan Vivian, the co-author of the Burn for Burn trilogy, in New York. Jenny said that writing with a best friend was fun. They wrote together so they can spend more time with each other. She also elaborated their writing process in the Burn for Burn trilogy, but I wasn't able to pick them up. Teehee! Sorry folks! Then came the discussion of the Burn for Burn series, which is darker compared to the other books of Jenny Han, as it is about revenge. Lucky people were also able to get ARCs of Ashes to Ashes. Haha! :)
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Jenny Han also mentioned that she writes her books first by hand; and that she has so many notebooks where she writes down her ideas. Her favorite books include The Time Traveler's Wife, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. :)
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She also said that she didn't imagine being a writer. It was only until college that she considered it. She used to work in a children's bookstore and in a school library.
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The Summer trilogy was also optioned to be a movie/ TV show. However, Jenny said that just because it was optioned doesn't mean it's really going to be a movie/ TV show because of the long process and strict criteria.
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There were other things discussed and there was a short open forum. But I wasn't able to get them all. :(
The early birds. I don't think I can ever beat them. They were in line outside NBS on Friday (June 20), 11 PM. Wow! Just wow!
Me with Ms. Jenny Han :)
I also got a free pen! Yay!
Signed copy of The Summer I Turned Pretty
Signed copy of To All the Boys I've Loved Before!
There folks! It was tiring yet fun. I really adore Jenny Han. She is super awesome. And I can't wait for her next book P.S. I Still Love You. Aaaaaah! Haha! The next signing event will be Stephanie Perkins' on July 6th. Expect me to be there! :)
That's all folks!