Big milestone here guys!
Not only will I be vending in Authors Alley at MarsCon 2024, I’ve been accepted as a Guest and will be speaking on five panels at the convention!
That’s huge for me. First time being a guest on a panel at a convention like this. I’m excited and nervous, but mostly excited. Fingers crossed I don’t make a fool of myself.
That’s one heck of a lineup, if I do say so myself. Lots of fun topics and I’ll be sharing the table with a ton of excellent authors! Probably I’ll sit there and look pretty most of the time.
As many of you may know, public speaking is not my forte…in fact I’ve typically been terrible at it throughout my life. But I’m slowly getting over that. I’ve been doing well in person at my table during markets and conventions, and recently I’ve begun doing a bunch of podcasts like Blasters & Blades, ConTinual, and various other author chats as they arise. Not to mention my training at the bar – talking to anyone and everyone who seems so inclined.
I may actually be turning *gasp* social. Who’d a thunk? Not me.
Back to the point. This is my first guest acceptance of many, I hope. I’ve also been accepted as a guest at RavenCon in April and believe I’m doing a reading at Scares That Care: AuthorCon III, also in April, maybe some panels, too. It’s a trend I hope continues so I can build a positive reputation in the author community, with publishers, and most importantly with my readers – current and prospective.
To that end, I’ve applied as a guest at ConCarolinas this summer, Multiverse in the fall, and – the biggie – I’ve applied to be an attending pro at DragonCon. To be honest, I doubt I’ll get accepted this year, BUT, gotta work up to it.
I hope this becomes old hat pretty soon, but for now, I’m preparing as best I can and trying not to work myself up too much.