Have you ever gone on vacation and came home to a horrible case of the post vacation blues? Sucks doesn't it?
Well what I have is even more serious than vacation blues...I have post UtopYA deep-down-in-your-soul depression. You'll understand why in a minute...
And if you've been living under a huge boulder and haven't heard of UtopYA well you're in the right place...
UtopYA is a convention for writers and readers of supernatural YA and NA fiction. It's unlike any other convention I've been exposed to since entering the wonderful world of author-hood. The readers and the writers co-mingle 100% of the time. They are seated next to each other in the opening keynote (which was Jennifer L. -freaking- Armentrout by the way), they visit the exhibitor booths side-by-side, they listen to each of the panelist share their expertise together, they even sleep next to each other in the same hotel. It is as up close and personal as a reader/author convention can get. AMAZING right!?!
Each and every author that attends is there not only to spread the word of their works but also to spend time getting to know their readers. Just wait I have proof with many, many photos.
Day Uno
Did I mention that UtopYA is in Nashville, TN. Home of some awesome music and amazing night life. Well before I got to the night life part of things I met up with the uber gorgeous K Anne Raines to set up our exhibtor booth at UtopYA.
I have to admit walking into the building knowing I'd be surrounded by so many talented authors was scary...SCARY! But everyone was extremely nice. K Anne and I had a fabulous booth even if we weren't quite as prepared as our booth neighbor Kristen Day author of the Daughters of the Sea Triology...whom I forgot to get a picture with. DANG! Kristen had coconut milk and seaweed chips that I nicely declined to consume. :)
After getting our booth pimp on we met up with my soul sister Kate Mathias. If you've had the pleasure of meeting Kate then you know how absolutely sweet and genuine she is and how blessed I am to call her a friend.
I have to admit walking into the building knowing I'd be surrounded by so many talented authors was scary...SCARY! But everyone was extremely nice. K Anne and I had a fabulous booth even if we weren't quite as prepared as our booth neighbor Kristen Day author of the Daughters of the Sea Triology...whom I forgot to get a picture with. DANG! Kristen had coconut milk and seaweed chips that I nicely declined to consume. :)
After getting our booth pimp on we met up with my soul sister Kate Mathias. If you've had the pleasure of meeting Kate then you know how absolutely sweet and genuine she is and how blessed I am to call her a friend.
ME, K Anne Raines, Kate Mathias
Day 2
The convention kicked off with none other than Jennifer L. Armentrout! She was an amazing speaker and stuck around to meet and greet. So inspirational!
The rest of the day was filled with fangirling and stunned silence at the authors and readers that I was able to meet. The proof is below.
The rest of the day was filled with fangirling and stunned silence at the authors and readers that I was able to meet. The proof is below.
Adam Kunz
Amy Miles...whom I have a huge girl crush on now.
Laura Howard
Day 3 - where exhaustion kicked in
By the time day 3 of my trip rolled around I was EXHAUSTED. A girl can only take so much awesomeness before things start getting blurry.
But the day kicked off with a bang...
But the day kicked off with a bang...
Samantha Young...YES, that's yours truly sitting next to Samantha-freaking-Young
Saturday morning I was chillin at my booth because I some how arrived extremely early and none other than Samantha Young walked up and introduced herself...like I didn't already know who she was. So we chatted for a minute and she made her way to the days opening keynote.
However, she was unaware that she was being stalked...umm, I mean followed by ME. ;) She was nice enough to allow me to sit next to her during the keynote...I was polite and didn't drool all over her...no really I promise I didn't!
The rest of the day was a tizzy of lovely people...
However, she was unaware that she was being stalked...umm, I mean followed by ME. ;) She was nice enough to allow me to sit next to her during the keynote...I was polite and didn't drool all over her...no really I promise I didn't!
The rest of the day was a tizzy of lovely people...
Tiffany King
Shelly Crane...I look a tad happy don't I. ;)
Carol Kunz
Cameo Renae
Melissa Andrea
Saturday night was the UtopYA Awards. How amazing is it that this convention has its own awards! I was super excited to get all prettied up and walk the red carpet...but unforunately me and some ladies I went out to eat with had a little too much fun with our fancy dinner at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse and we missed the awards! GASP!!! But we sure do look pretty, right?!?
K Anne Raines, SG Daniels, Kate Mathias, ME, Tara Brown
Home Sweet where-did-all-my-friends-go Home
And then I was home...
Home without all my brand new friends...
No more tackle hugs, no more stalking unspecting authors/bloggers/readers, no more looking around for Indie authors everywhere I go, no more being surrounded by pure unadulterated talent.
And I'm sad...and I miss everyone... :(
I can't wait until next year when all my people converge on Nashville once again!
I want to thank Janet Wallace and her creative brain for dreaming up such an event and allowing folks like me to meander around it. Also Lindsay, April, Jamie and everyone else that I'm forgetting that works so hard all year long to put on UtopYA. I'll see you lovely people next year!
Home without all my brand new friends...
No more tackle hugs, no more stalking unspecting authors/bloggers/readers, no more looking around for Indie authors everywhere I go, no more being surrounded by pure unadulterated talent.
And I'm sad...and I miss everyone... :(
I can't wait until next year when all my people converge on Nashville once again!
I want to thank Janet Wallace and her creative brain for dreaming up such an event and allowing folks like me to meander around it. Also Lindsay, April, Jamie and everyone else that I'm forgetting that works so hard all year long to put on UtopYA. I'll see you lovely people next year!
On to the announcement...
UtopYA's theme the first year was werewolves, unfortunately I didn't attend that year because I would have been all over some werewolves. This year's theme was angels and Janet announced during the closing keynote that next year's theme will be aliens...
If you've meet me under the right circumstances then you know how much of a supernatural sci-fi geek I am. Anything other wordly draws me in...besides scary, creepy supernatural because my over active imagination doesn't need that kind of help.
The afternoon after the reveal of the theme and banner I had the most amazing dream that I was very unhappy about waking up from. It was pretty much my dream book all rolled into one, it featured two characters...Sutton and Knox. So I just decided that after Before the Storm is published August 30th I will start work on Sutton and Knox's novel. Yes I hear you Adley and Derek fans screaming at me...I will also be working on Sanctuary from the Darkness at the same time. But right now I make no promises as to which will be published first but will do my best to keep everyone up to date.
That's all the details you're getting right now...you can infer that the theme of next years UtopYA has influence over the premise of JJ and Knox (and you'd probably be correct if you did). :)
The afternoon after the reveal of the theme and banner I had the most amazing dream that I was very unhappy about waking up from. It was pretty much my dream book all rolled into one, it featured two characters...Sutton and Knox. So I just decided that after Before the Storm is published August 30th I will start work on Sutton and Knox's novel. Yes I hear you Adley and Derek fans screaming at me...I will also be working on Sanctuary from the Darkness at the same time. But right now I make no promises as to which will be published first but will do my best to keep everyone up to date.
That's all the details you're getting right now...you can infer that the theme of next years UtopYA has influence over the premise of JJ and Knox (and you'd probably be correct if you did). :)
Giveaway...FINALLY!
As a thank you to all of you still reading my ramblings and to all that accepted me without question at UtopYA here's a giveaway.
Win 1 of 13 prizes
Win 1 of 13 prizes
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