I've been a bit absent lately due to an exhausting travel schedule for work and fun... but one of the things I was looking forward to the most this year (that didn't even require travel) was Nola Storycon!
I mean, just look at this author lineup!
Host Authors
Special Guest
Guest Authors
Lara Adrian, Jeanette Battista, Jenna Black, Kresley Cole, Zoraida Cordova, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Kimberly Derting, Sonali Dev, Kami Garcia, Molly Harper, Kevin Hearne, Wendy Higgins, Beverly Jenkins, Sophie Jordan, Katie McGarry, Chloe Neill, Jana Oliver, Pamela Palmer, Aprilynne Pike, Kristen Proby, Gena Showalter, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Wendell, and Samantha Young.
This was such an awesome event, and I am super impressed and appreciative of the authors who hosted. Most of the volunteers were family members of the authors, and they were all extremely nice, helpful and upbeat. For the first year, I think it was a success. The rooms were a bit small and there were some microphone issues (which added some humor), but I think these are to be expected when things are starting out. They were only expecting 500 or so readers to attend, but I heard someone say that over 1400 showed up!
The panels were fabulous. Moderators had questions prepared that allowed us to learn more about our favorite authors... and those we were meeting for the first time. Sonali Dev was my "unknown" who I totally have a girl crush on now - she is super nice and funny. Charlaine Harris was also hilarious - which surprised me for some reason. For such a big success, she was also really nice and down to earth. And she confirmed that the Midnight, Texas series will hit our TV screens in January!
Jeaniene Frost was really down to earth, and I was doing my best not to fangirl all over her. Favorite quote from her during a panel: "I don't kill like my characters and I don't bang like my characters." Ilona and Gordon Andrews were also a humorous duo... and they had a special Release/Promo Party for Magic Binds on Friday. The Andrews confirmed that we only have one more Kate and Curran book left... but that they will not stop writing in the world. Kate and Curran deserve their HEA and its time for other characters to step up. (Please please please give Christopher and Saiman their own stories!)
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| Charlaine Harris, Kimberly Derting, Jenna Black, Sonali Dev, Jeaniene Frost, Molly Harper |
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| Sophie Jordan, Kristen Proby, Rachel Vincent, Aprilynne Pike, Kelley Armstrong |
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| Ilona Andrews, Beverly Jenkins, Jana Oliver, Cora Cormack, Katie McGarry, Jeanette Batista, Kevin Hearne, Gordon Andrews |
You may remember me saying that Deanna was supposed to attend with me, but she could not due to a family emergency. Luckily we were able to transfer a ticket last minute to my own dear guest blogger, Julie! We ran into several people that we met earlier this year at the RT Convention, and I also got to meet Jess from aGREATread! As expected, there were some great bloggers there... particularly Sarah Wendel from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and Rachel from Parajunkee. I am so jealous of their HTML and web skills - I wish I had time to learn. Maybe one day!
The highlight of the convention may have been the dinner on Saturday night. Julie and I selected our seats over in the front corner of the room... and all of a sudden we were invaded by Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, Lara Adrian, Jennifer Armentrout, Jillian Stein and Liz Berry! I went so fangirl stupid that I couldn't really speak. THEN, we were joined by Wendy Higgins, Kimberly Derting, Cora Cormack, Jay Crownover, and Kristen Proby. We were in author corner! It was quite the experience, and really helped me to see that authors are just normal people. A little crazy and fun, and totally willing to talk about anything. There were lots of laughs had (and even a few tears). Aside from the authors, I was particularly impressed by Jillian Stein and Liz Berry from 1,001 Dark Nights. They were both super sweet and relatable... and I enjoyed talking about our favorite authors. I have a new respect for what they are doing for the romance community.
And finally... CHECK OUT THIS BOOK HAUL! I'm gonna need to put some more shelves together.
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| Jeaniene Frost and Kresley Cole |
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| Gordon and Ilona Andrews |
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| Aprilynne Pike and Kevin Hearne |
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| Lara Adrian and Chloe Neill |
When talking to Jeaniene Frost today at the brunch, she confirmed that they would be back next year and expect things to be bigger and better. Tickets go on sale in only a week or two - so keep your eye out! And if you are a follower, don't be afraid to ask me to play local tour guide. I love showing people around. Until next time...
Happy Reading!
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