MystiCon – A recap

This was a profoundly interesting weekend.

MystiCon 2017 was my first time at a conference/convention as a panelist. I really, really enjoyed being able to talk about some of the many interests that shape my writing to a crowd. It also generated some cool thoughts and ideas that may turn into blogposts! That’s always exciting for you all.

One of the things I found most valuable about this was the ability to connect with fans. I think that as a writer it can be hard sometimes to feel that connection. Even if you have a very active following online, I find that waiting for comments or responses to things posted into the void of the internet can be heartbreaking. You put a lot of your self into your books and into your platforms, and those moments of interaction are rare for most small-time authors like myself.

Going to a convention as an author is the opposite of that. If you have been subsisting on a trickle of interaction, you are suddenly guzzling a fire hose. I have experienced such at World Fantasy Convention and Dragon*Con previously, though to a lesser extent in many respects. Because of that previous experience, I knew to shelter my fragile introvert heart with many breaks and lots of sleep and down time between events. This was especially important for me this year since I was a) required to be certain places and b) am juggling a lot right now. If you need advice on handling conventions, you can check out this post from last year.

With proper care I had a great experience! It was so great to meet people, including authors and readers, at this event! I’ve included some pictures below for your entertainment, though I didn’t take nearly as many as I would have liked.

Until next week!