Hi All!
Once again, I'd like to welcome everyone to my new author blog site. I hope you enjoy my stories "from the road" while I do book readings, events, and promotions. At times I'll also include stories from "behind the scenes" while I'm putting my books together. I write mostly literary nonfiction these days, so I travel all over the country and the globe to gather background information for my stories. I'll try to post some of those adventures as well.
Now to my first official post at this new site.....
The only way to describe last weekend is this: It was a hoot! I participated in Lit-Con, which is an offshoot of Comic-Con, the wonderful celebration of comics and popular arts. At Lit-Con, the events were pretty much divided between a celebration of the world of literature and the world of science fiction/fantasy characters - of all types. All of us authors were grouped together and given a very nice space where tables were set up so that we could display and sell our latest books. At my table, in addition to displaying some of my books, I also brought "artifacts" that related to some of them: the dreaded "finger jar" from Shell Games (which grossed out nearly everyone who picked it up!), free "wanted posters" of John Fairfield from Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil, and lots of "swag" people could take with them related to Olivia's Story (bookmarks, book club reading guides, copies of photos of characters in the story, and so forth). I was also mightily impressed by the way other authors arranged their tables. Some had HUGE signs they could stand up behind where they were seated; these signs had beautiful color images of their book covers. One author had a massive bowl full of candy (that thing must have been three feet in diameter), free for the taking by those strolling by. Another had a dish of "pennies from Heaven" -- and all were encouraged to take a penny while browsing at that table. Still another brought a laptop for the sole purpose of playing computer games with his readers. I had a wonderful time at Lit-Con. I always enjoy visiting with people about my books. And, it is a true treat to be able to discuss the stories with those who have already read them and hear about what they most enjoyed in them.
Finally, I'll never forget having lunch at Lit-Con. Why? Well, consider this: I ate my food while surrounded by Alice from Alice in Wonderland, several Storm Troopers from Star Wars, and Harry Potter and what seemed to be about half of those enrolled at Hogwarts Academy! At that table, *I* was the odd looking character! I also can't say enough about the dedication people have toward making their costumes appear realistic and accurate. One "high official" from the Empire spent most of the day walking around the room and inspecting the costumes -- and if a "violation" was found, the character was notified immediately. These good folks take this THAT seriously! If you ever get a chance to attend a Lit-Con, I highly recommend it. After all, it isn't all that often we can get together to celebrate our literature and such wonderful characters.
Until next time, I wish all of you happy reading!
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