I am extremely lucky in that my preferred writing genre has such an extended fandom attached to it. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to sell my books at a Guelph, Ontario’s Genre Con (a conference all about relishing in Toy fandoms). I didn’t make a lot of sales, but enough to cover the cost of the table I shared with my Writing Community Cronies.
But …
I made some great contacts and got to network with like-minded individuals about genre, craft, publicity, etc. And I had a blast! The pics in the slideshow above only give you a glimpse at the fun we had with the 501st (Serious Star Wars Cosplayers) and the average enthusiast.
I’d also like to take a moment and get a little giddy over a couple of Christmas presents I got from my mom this year. Pictured below you’ll see a steampunk hourglass and a dragon business card holder. I have been looking for fun ways to dress up my table author table at events and have spent the better part of 2 years looking for a version of both these items. Needless to say, I did squeal a little when I opened these gifts 😉
At the genre conferences I’ve been attending over the past year, I have also managed to weasel my way onto panels and into workshops as a “professional in the field“. At Guelph’s Genre Con I had an opportunity to speak on a panel about NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) as well as talk “prop creation” — something I actually went to university for … theatre production 😉 The sword I’m holding below I carved mostly from wood, and the masks are made from a plastic bag, 3m masking tape, newspaper, and cardboard.
As an author, just getting out and submerging myself in the culture of readers and lovers of storytelling simply makes my heart sing (and my gut laugh – see slideshow top).
Perhaps next time I’ll see you there too 😉
MJ
