Last night I was able to attend the book signing for Carrie Ryan and let me tell you she is one sharp cookie! A great motivational speaker and storyteller, her third book Dark and Hollow Places was just released March 22nd by Delacorte Press. The first two in the series The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves speak of women’s resilience against a zombie apocalypse as well as standing up for what you believe in. The motivation for the story came from a story of her grandmother’s about wearing plum tights, some cans of tuna, her husband whom she married on April’s fools day and the desire to pass down stories from one generation to the next. Carrie shared her favorite all time reads with us which are The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.

Ryan advised new writers to be persistent in your attempts to get published. She had a ten year plan for success herself. Colleague Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe, an instant NY Times bestseller went through 10 manuscripts before her book was picked up. Carrie was super supportive of all the local Utah authors in the audience which included: Ally Condie, Bree Despain, Elana Johnson, Jessica Day George, James Dashner, Brodi Ashton and Dan Wells. What a crowd!! We picked up some signed goodies which are being auctioned away for Japan below. Photos by Heather Zahn Gardner.