Authors After Dark–Friday and Saturday (and Sunday)

So, in case you missed the post about the first two days of AAD, we ended Thursday night with a VERY late Ghost tour. As in, we went to bed at 4 am after much drinking, gabbing, and other shenanigans. Needless to say, I didn’t manage to make it to breakfast Friday morning, but I did make it to lunch with Eliza Gayle, which was very delicious and very much appreciated after our crazy night.

After that we visited an Indie resources event where I got to meet and hug one of my cover and graphic art designers, Robin Ludwig of Robin Ludwig Design. She was so sweet and we talked to her about covers and indie publishing for a while. Then it was on to the BDSM Bingo event, organized by Ann Mayburn.

I was so out-of-my-mind excited for this only to have a chance to meet so many of my heroes. In addition to Ann, the event featured Kallypso Masters, Eliza Gayle, Cherise Sinclair, Yvette Hines, Sasha White, and Joey W. Hill.

I KNOW! Can you BELIEVE IT?

Here’s a picture of all of us. I was just soaking it in. And trying to breathe, since I was wearing a corset, lol.

It was really fun. We called out kinky words and read the definitions while the contestants filled out Bingo cards. My friend Jenniloo ended up being the first winner and she chose my awesome (and somewhat silly) Plausible Deniability Basket, filled with all kinds of quasi-BDSM-toys which were also stuff anyone might have around the house.

After Bingo we attended an Indie panel with Kallypso, Cherise, and some other indie authors giving advice about self publishing. It was very informative. Then it was up to the room to get ready for the Vampire Ball. By getting ready I mean me and Chhaya Delaine did this:

Haha, no, not really. I’m not much of a drinker. Well, not usually. Here’s all of us outside the ballroom waiting to go in: Lanie, Donjaline, Renee, Ny Corson, Chhaya, and me.

Here’s a pic of me with Jenniloo and Scarlet Wylde again!!

If I find any more pictures of the Vampire Ball I’ll post them but so far this is all I could find. Which is funny because I was there for a long time dancing and chatting away, lol. And talking to readers! Several readers approached me to introduce themselves during the Vamp Ball and we had wonderful conversations. It made a great night even more wonderful.

In fact, over the course of AAD I met with and talked to so many people that I was hoarse by Sunday Am (and I still am!) I got to meet people I’d known online for a while, including lovely, smiling Cynthia G., and the inimitable Laura Topaz, who kept us all in stitches. After the Vamp Ball, me, Linzy Antoinette, Laura, Chhaya Delaine, and Elissa Stark stayed up talking and laughing until the wee hours of the morning. Here’s me and Laura…I am giving her some aftercare. (Long story, lol) Notice her cool handcuff bracelet!

We finally got to bed around two am, so we could be well rested for the Saturday morning Meet n Greet n Eat. Here are me and Linzy with everything spread out Saturday AM, waiting for the first guests to arrive.

We had lots of waves of people come through, and it was great to share some mimosas and junk food and just hang out.

Here’s one of my new friends, Yolanda, telling me, Sherrie, and Marcia about a really wack book she was supposed to review once. Thankfully it wasn’t one of mine!

After the Meet n Greet, I rested for a bit and got ready for the Book Signing from 2-4. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d brought about 60 books but I had no idea if I would sell three or ten or fifty. In the end I ended up selling all but 8 of the books and that was really exciting! I also gave away Annabel Joseph tote bags which was great because people needed them for all the books they were buying.

There were authors and books everywhere and it was nice to have a chance to talk again with all the friends I’d met. And I got to sit next to my new pal Yvette Hines, which was the icing on the cake. Also, they brought us food and water halfway through, so we didn’t wilt. Look how happy I was at my little author table! I had a blast.

After that, there was just one more big event, and it was the one I’d sponsored–The Elemental Ball.

Me and Erin Quinn were the two authors in charge of the “Spirit” section, so I went all out as the spirit of Marie Antoinette. Really, I just wanted to wear a big hoopskirt gown and a beehive white wig but you know…you do what you have to do. Here I am, pre-wig, applying Band-aids to my feet.

Here I am post wig, just after Linzy applied some fancy eyeliner for me since I do not know how to do it myself. Notice my embarrassed, slightly exasperated expression. The white makeup was a THING.

Now, I have to take a minute and talk about my friends Linzy, Chhaya, Renee Regent, Lanie Flin, Donjaline Hope, Ny Corson, Elissa, Janine, and Karen, all of whom helped me stuff 500 bags of swag, helped me create a cool centerpiece, helped me get my outrageous get-up on, helped me get downstairs and around the con with all the things I needed…well, you get the picture. I couldn’t have done it all without them. And just after Linzy had painstakingly put on my eyeliner, my friends presented me with this…

It’s a collage of little notes they wrote me and the bookmarks and swag I’d brought to the conference. To answer your question, YES, I almost started bawling, but NO, I restrained myself because of the eyeliner previously mentioned. But anyway, that was basically the theme of the night…that everyone was so wonderful and the whole conference was SO worth it no matter the time, effort, and cost.

After that, it was time to go downstairs. Outside the door to the ballroom, people were already lining up. Everyone was smiling and hugging me. I felt kinda like a rock star but kinda awkward too, like I was going to keel over in the hoopskirt any minute. Here’s me and my friend Cynthia in her beautiful outfit.

Inside I was able to greet my table guests and check out all the amazing costumes. I am still collecting photos of all my friends but here were some I already have on hand. Me and Laura Topaz, who is so warm and wonderful:

Me and Sarah Frantz. Stealing more hugs.

Me and Jennifer Z, who was beyond friendly and wonderful and who I can’t wait to meet again:

So…afterward we returned to the suite to collapse and appreciate all our AAD experiences. Here’s Laura Topaz getting more “aftercare” from me and Linzy, who still had her “Zom-bee” makeup on.

You can’t tell by this photo but Joey W. Hill was sitting right across from us and she told me she’d read Deep in the Woods and that she loved it, and I kind of thought to myself, is this really my life? Do I really have these remarkable friends and remarkable fellow authors who are so kind and supportive? I asked for a photo with her because…you know…omg. Now I am laughing at how bedraggled I looked, but it was okay. She is such a wonderful classy lady. It was an honor to meet her.

I bet you’re thinking, well, the post will finally be over. But NO, because I gave away a prize at the Welcome Ceremony on Wednesday, which was Breakfast with Annabel Joseph. So on Sunday morning I had breakfast with a lovely woman named Christine, along with her daughter, who I didn’t realize was author Jaime Rush. (I KNOW!) My friend Renee joined us and we had a great time at Clary’s Cafe talking about past lives, real estate, publishing, and other diverse topics. Then me and Renee headed back to Atlanta, exhausted and happy, still talking animatedly about our writing and publishing and future dreams.

SO…I am scheduled to be a featured author next year at AAD in Charlotte, NC, and I can’t wait. There are so many people to thank but all I am going to say is that I have the best friends and readers in the world, and leave it at that.