When I was informed where my table would be, I admit to be dubious and somewhat disgruntled for they had placed me and the other author guests out in the hall, not in the Dealer's room as they had in the past. Upon closer examination I realized that we would be situated across from Hall G, which is the largest hall where many celebrity guests speak at. Okay, I thought. Maybe this wouldn't be detrimental. In fact, it turned out to be fortuitous.
Thursday I prepared for long lines and confusion as to where I would need to go to get my guest badges. There was no confusion or long line. It was clear and easy, the first time in a couple of years that getting my guest passes and parking passes were simple and straight forward! What a joy and a great relief to my stress levels!
If you've seen the photos I took you may have noticed that I was positioned between the wonderful Kelley Armstrong and the amazing Violette Malan. It was a joy to spend time with these lovely ladies. I would also like to extend my congratulations to Kelley for her novel, Bitten, being picked up to be turned into a television series, and to Violette for the release of her new novel, Shadowlands.
Other authors of what we dubbed "Authors Alley" included Stephen B. Pearl, J.M. Frey, Leslie Livingston, Adrienne Kress, Nancy Kilpatrick, Max Turner and Marie Bilodeau. It was wonderful seeing all these creative folks together!
Thursday also saw me on my first panel regarding indie publishing. It was a lot of fun. Stephen B Pearl, Sass Cadeaux, Alan Draven and I had a great time being moderated by the lovely Monica Kuebler of Rue Morgue. It was wonderful to finally meet Sass. We've been FB friends for some time! It's too bad we couldn't have spent more time together.
The only drawback to Thursday evening was that I was unable to attend Kevin J. Anderson's booksigning he had invited me to.
Friday saw me with my most signings and therefore I couldn't go into the Dealer's room and schmooze around like I wanted to. I did managed to run in and see if Kevin was at his publisher's table, but I kept missing him. Such was my luck.:)
Saturday saw the craziest day. I learned later that the building had to be closed off from new attendees for a few hours because the building's maximum had been reached at 55, 000 folks.
As some may know, I tend to bring my family along when I go to conventions. My son and my husband get to go and have fun while I have the joy of signing books.:) Well, on Saturday morning, before everything began, I was able to go into the Dealer's Room and do a bit of shopping while my husband and son stayed at the table. When I returned I noticed whom my author friends were speaking with. I was surprised.
My son wanted to go into the Dealer's room to go play at the Lego booth but I had to stop him from going. I told him that "Gimili was here" and he started looking around for someone in costume. I turned him around and pointed at the gentleman talking with my author friends, and said to my son, "That's the actor who played Gimili. That's John Rhys-Davies."
Well, my son's eyes popped out of his head and a big smile grew on his face. I asked Mr. Davies if he would be kind enough to pose for a photo with my son as my son's a big LOTR fan. Mr. Davies did. He sat down beside my son, we took photos, and he talked to my son in his "Gimili" voice. It was fantastic. After, he stood up to go to his signing area, but he wanted to give my son something. He looked in his satchel, couldn't find it, and then, asking my son's name, said he would come by the next day and give him the present. We were floored! We were all on a high!
Saturday also had Kevin popping over to see me at my table. It was so wonderful of him to take the time to do so. We sat and talked for a bit, getting to know each other a tiny amount. We have been friends on Facebook for quite some time, so it was lovely to finally meet him in person. He signed the copy of Clockwork Angels I had.
Saturday afternoon had me on a panel about Vampires (of course.:) which went brilliantly. The only downside to Saturday is that I had to turn down a dinner get-to-gether because of a growing migraine.
Sunday was sadly and gratefully the last day.By about 10am the show was fully underway and I couldn't keep my son at the table waiting for Mr. Davies--if he was going to show up. My husband and son went off to the Lego booth to play. Shortly after that, I realized my husband had taken the money pouch and I had to run into the Dealer's room to get it. To my horror and dismay, when I returned, Mr. Davies had come by in our absense! Violette and her friend, Barb, tried to keep him there for my return, but he couldn't stay. Instead, he kept his promise and left a signed print of him as Gimili for my son. He even remembered my son's name!
Well, I asked Barb to run in and get my hubby and son. As soon as they came back I told them what had transpired. I said the only thing to do was to go over to Mr. Davies and say thank you, and that's exactly what my son and I did. My son was so happy and excited that he couldn't stop bouncing!
Sunday ended Fan Expo on a high note, with memories that will last us a lifetime. I did better than I expected and realized the 'experiment in action' of having us in the hall worked out very well for me.
I want to say a public thank you to all those volunteers who helped make it flow as well as it did, and to all the guys at Hobby Star who made it all happen!
What a great story, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing. :) Your son looks just like you! I am sure he will remember this forever!
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