Yes, it was GalaxyCon Richmond this time, and there was absolutely no sophomore slump here. It was every bit as engaging and fun as Columbus was, and this one had some additional benefits to boot. Yes, my wife and daughter were with me at Columbus, and they came to the con on Saturday, but this time, I also got to host my mom, dad, and (favorite) niece.
We drove in on Thursday and tried to go to the early pass pickup outside of town. Even at 6pm, the line was halfway down the block! It was clear the convention was going to be utterly packed, which is certainly good for vendors like me. We got to our downtown Airbnb and got unpacked before it got dark (thank you, Spring), and were able to get some good rest. Now, I’m not a big fan of Airbnb in general, but I see where it serves its purpose. I have to admit it was pretty cool because our unit was a renovated historic building, with a lot of the original details still in place. Overall, though, I think I’d still have preferred a hotel room, if they hadn’t been either too far away or 2-3x the price.
Anyway, rants aside, it was pretty cool having my dad help me take my goods and gear over to the convention center, even if he couldn’t come in with me at that time. He got an early preview of the convention-goers, and he was duly impressed. I think his favorite guy in line was dressed as Woody from Toy Story, who had a real pull string and everything. The booth was laid out a bit differently this time, and we were on one of the far walls, but everything else about it felt like home. I finally got to meet J.V. Hilliard in person, and seeing all of the same authors there truly warmed my heart. Then seeing my family show up at the booth: Mom becoming friends with literally everyone, my niece discovering her inner nerd, and Dad taking pictures of nearly every cosplay he saw. It blew them all away. I could see them all seeing me a little differently, as not just an author, but as a businessman, a salesman, and in my element with like-minded people.
I’m going to explore that last statement a bit further. I have done some pretty incredible things in my almost 50 years. I’ve been a rock star, and studied music and production. I was a weatherman in college. I picked up skating and ice hockey at an age where most players are thinking about hanging them up. I did all of these things, and I was decent-but-not-great at all of them. Don’t take that as a put-down on myself, because never once did I feel like I was over my head. I belonged where I was and good enough to be there, but I knew when I’d hit my personal ceiling. But writing and being around other authors feels more natural to me than any other avocation I’ve ever had. It’s as familiar as the career I’ve had for 26 years. It’s a passion I never knew I aspired to until I tried, and there’s still nowhere to go but up.
But I digress. Saturday was almost a blur. The convention center was jammed, and some people waited upwards of 90 minutes just to get in. I talked to so many people and there were traffic jams in front of the booth on the regular. So many memorable moments, just to name a few:
- When Kait Disney-Leugers had a fan who had randomly found her on Goodreads and made the trip just to meet her. Happy tears everywhere, and that kept a smile on my face for quite some time.
- When I talked to a young person and asked if they liked Pokémon cards, and the joy on their face when I gave them their very own limited edition set.
- When a nice lady came to the booth and bought a copy of my book on the recommendation of my childhood best friend, whom she had met at a beauty salon with his mother-in-law. To think that there are people out there talking up my book, it’s indescribable.
Then, there was the panel. “The Truth in the Story” was an inspiration, there’s no other way I could put it. To hear the stories of how much of themselves my fellow authors put into their books. Love, acceptance, pain, exclusion, found family, all of it. It made me appreciate even more the extraordinary company I’ve found myself in. Of course, I had to be the joker and keep things light–I do love a good laugh, even or especially at my expense–but the audience really connected with it and we had loads of questions.
Of course, there’s always a touch of gray in the silver lining. My daughter must have brought a cold with her, because by Saturday night, she had a mild fever. It didn’t take much deliberation to know we were going to head home a day early, because nobody likes to be sick away from home. One of these days, I’ll stay through the whole convention, but it was undoubtedly the right call. It’s getting harder to say goodbye to this group each time, so it’s more until next time.
Speaking of which, next time might be Oklahoma City, May 24-26, but I’ll definitely try to be in Raleigh, July 25-28. As the Pop Up Bookshoppe grows in popularity, there might not always be room for me, but I think I’ve definitely made the grade.
On a separate but somewhat related note, The Duchess and the Indigo Child is now a completed first draft, and I’m doing my first read through. It’s a little short of where I want it, but I’ve already found places where I can add content, detail, and description. My goals, ambitious I know, are to have a manuscript in the hands of my editor by early May and to publish by September. Whether I’ll make those dates, time will tell, but I need to have a finish line to keep myself motivated. Wish me luck!!