Authors After Dark–Wednesday and Thursday

Well, I decided I could never possibly cram everything that happened at AAD into one huge post. It would explode my computer. So instead, I’m going to make two separate posts and try not to leave anything out. But I might. Because my brain is still kinda tired.

So I drove over on Wednesday from Atlanta with my author friends Renee Regent and Delilah S. Dawson, and I’ll tell you that one of the best parts of being a writer is being able to hang out with other writers, especially for four hours in a minivan. Because you can talk about EVERYTHING, and then have lunch at J. Christopher in the middle of nowhere and all that. Renee updated us on her new WIP and Delilah told us all the things going on in the world of Steampunk and it was just a lot of fun.

Then we arrived in Savannah and I filled up two big pushcarts with all the boxes and boxes of stuff I had brought with me. Well, I should say that the bellhop filled up two whole pushcarts and toted them up to the 7th floor with a smile, for which he got a nice big tip. My roommates Linzy Antoinette and Chhaya Delaine were already there and we hugged and squeed and checked in and got our little conference necklace/pouchy things. I don’t know what they’re called. Then I started wandering around like a little lost lamb who doesn’t know what they’re supposed to be doing, because I had never been to a writers’ conference before. Luckily I ran into my awesome Atlanta friends Jenniloo and Scarlet Wylde. (Psst…if you click Scarlet’s name you can go to her site and take a brief survey for her new business–AND receive a 15% off code for bedroom toys! Just sayin’!)

Then I saw my friend Sarah Frantz, who edits for Riptide, and who gives the best hugs on the planet, so I got one of those hugs and then I was starting to feel like, okay, I can possibly actually do this.

Then I met my other author buds, Lanie Flin, Donjaline Hope, Ny Corson, and Elissa Stark, and we were all like, “It’s time to eat in Savannah, bitches.” We walked down River Street in the drizzle to a place called the Cotton Exchange Tavern and it was really freaking tasty!

Me and Linzy particularly enjoyed the Triple Berry Coladas with little umbrellas. Cause, you know, Linzy is really little.

So…we walked back to the hotel in the rain…there was a lot of rain…did I mention the rain? We slept and woke up in the morning to an awesome waffle party with Torquere Press. There was syrup, fruit, chocolate chips, more syrup, and free books. It was a win. Then it was on to my first panel, a contemporary panel with Cat Grant, Liliana Hart, Dianna Love, Joy Daniels, and me. Let me just say, it was AWESOME to meet these ladies. We talked about what inspires us, why we like writing stories in contemporary settings, where we get our story ideas, and lots of other things. Here’s me and Joy Daniels, courtesy of Chhaya Delaine, who was my wonderful photographer at AAD…

And one of the whole panel, I believe from my Facebook friend Tina.

And me afterward signing someone’s shirt. Can I just say I signed all kinds of stuff and it was so exciting? It was like, wow, they want my autograph. It was cool. Many thanks to Tina for this photo. 🙂

After that we had a lunch with Stella Price, the organizer, and I got to meet more folks. Then it was time for my BDSM panel–YES!–and I got to see Cat Grant again, as well as some new friends–Ann Mayburn and Yvette Hines.

Wow, this panel was fun. First of all, the attendees were all naughty ladies. You know it’s true! It turned into more of a group discussion/sharing session than a panel, but I always love when that happens. I got to learn what my fellow BDSM authors were up to, talk about lifestyle issues, and talk about my own experiences trying to do justice to power exchange relationships. It was a fun time.

Here we all are. This is courtesy of Leagh Christensen.

So…that was already a pretty fun day, but there’s more. Back out to dinner with my author buds, this time to Blue Moon Tavern and then dessert at this crazy-delicious, award-winning “chocolate bar” called Lulu’s. Okay…people…I can’t describe it. Amazing, amazing desserts. I had this delicious mousse layered thing on an edible chocolate base and basically my head just exploded because it was so good. Here we are high on chocolate…

So, as you can see, we all had our “I Like Naughty Books” shirts on (which I hope to sell on the site some day soon) and the waitress was like, “Oh, what’s going on with that?” So my friends explained that this was my first time at AAD, and that the shirts were for our big ghost walk later that night, and a few minutes later, the waitress came back with this special plate she’d made for me! Notice the lips made of cherry sauce, and the handcuffs and flogger drawn in chocolate!

Yes, she got a redonkulous tip too. So…Savannah was turning out to be a really amazing place. Despite the rain, everyone was friendly, helpful, and supportive. When we left Lulu’s, our thoughts turned to the big ghost walk that Linzy and Chhaya co-sponsored and helped organize. It was a LOOONG time in the planning, and a lot of work that Linzy put in, so we were a little anxious. We prayed for clear skies (it was raining non-stop) and we prayed for a good, entertaining guide capable of wrangling twenty drunk, horny ladies.

Well…our prayers were answered…

Please meet our guide, Skippy Spiral of Ghost City Tours. We signed up for the late night, adults-only tour and begged for someone really inappropriate and bawdy. We got Skippy, who was this adorable combination of sexy, funny, geeky, wild, and eminently patient with our whoops and catcalls. We stopped in each square and he told us spooky stories about old Savannah homes and events. The weather was beautiful…no rain, a little humid but not too hot. Perfect.

AND, after each story, Skippy unbuttoned one button on his shirt. That’s a performer for you. Maybe he was scared that if he didn’t take off his shirt, we’d revolt. I don’t know. He also said “fucking” a lot, which we encouraged. By the end, he’d progressed to clipping his badge to his nipple, as you can see in the photo below. That’s just the kind of tour guide he was.

By the end we were exhausted but happy. Here’s the entire Ghost Walk crew in our matching shirts. I like to think we terrorized the ghosts of Savannah for one night, instead of the other way around. I hope to organize another Ghost Tour someday but it would be hard to top this one. Many thanks to everyone who joined us!

Well, I think that’s it for Wednesday and Thursday at Authors After Dark. There’s still a ton more to say but Friday and Saturday will have to wait until tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed my post, especially those who wanted to be there but couldn’t. We missed you!