It’s a blog!
Sort of.
Fear not. Much like my newsletter, I promise to update chaotically and without warning.
One day, I’ll go to a con and take lots of pictures, notes, and records of the panels and classes I go to. I’ll remember to tag and thank all the wonderful people I meet and hang out with… cue hysterical laughter.
LibertyCon, like all cons, was a whirlwind and a half. Minimal sleep + hours of incredible panels + a weekend with some of my best friends (and incredible authors) means ping-ponging around the Chattanooga Convention Center like a squirrel on crack.
The briefest of AAR’s or, as I like to call them, post-mortems.
Road trip from Virginia to Tennessee with the illustrious and feral Kacey Ezell and Maris Wolf? Check.
Thursday rang in extra early, but I was rewarded for my 5AM efforts when I reached Kacey’s house and she made me bacon and pancakes. Winning.
We swung through NC and picked up Marisa Wolf, then the Chattanooga airport to pick up David Shadoin, and closed out the trip by sharing songs that inspired scenes, emotions, or characters that we’ve written or want to write. #authorgoals
Thursday barcon at the Marriott may have actually been the highlight of my con. I’d barely walked in the door when I got caught up in conversations with Jon Osborne (author of the incredible Milesian Accords) and Rob Howell (New Mythology at CKP).
Surprise! They’ve approved a trilogy that I pitched a few weeks ago and, by the way, we’d like you to pitch it at CKP Year Ahead tomorrow night. Do you have titles?
No, good sirs. No I do not. But you better believe we came up with some (updates exclusively all about my new projects and the Milesian Accords coming soon!).
I wasn’t an official panelist this year, but I still got shanghaied into joining in on three panels. Friday night—CKP Year Ahead, where I stood on a chair to announce my upcoming trilogy for Jon and his Milesian Accords; Saturday evening I joined William Alan Webb to discuss my story in the latest anthology installment in his Last Brigade Universe, Standing Free. Sunday morning I stood on a chair yet again (I’m real short, guys. Jokes) to share about my 4HU short story in The Phoenix Initiative: First Missions—depiks, honey badgers, and besquith, oh my!
I also sold books at a table for the first time ever. And guess what! I sold out of every copy of Stonewhisper and Fang and Fortune I brought with me.
There are so many people I want to call out and thank—incredible conversations had, contacts made, friends reconnected with and networking webbed in the most wonderful ways. I love this industry, the business, and the amazing role models and mentors I’ve lucked into meeting along the way.
The short of it: if you’re a fan of fantasy and science fiction and want to meet the greatest authors around, go to LibertyCon. If you’re an author or artist looking to meet with likeminded creatives and have a weekend of shop talk and shenanigans, go to LibertyCon. Or, if you really love 3am eggs benedict and chocolate cake—go to LibertyCon.