My very first ApollyCon was a whirlwind of fantastic fun!
I attended ApollyCon 2024 at the Gaylord National in Washington D.C. this past weekend and what a ride! The hotel and convention center were absolutely beautiful, right on the water with views out the massive multi-story windows. The event was very well run with lots of fantastic panels for readers to enjoy and two days of signing which was also super!
Some major highlights for me:
- Seeing some of my bestest author friends and realizing how many wonderful people I’ve gotten the privilege to know over the course of my career.
- I got to be on a panel–Paranormal Pleasures–with the fabulous Jeaniene Frost, Dahlia Rose, Melissa Marr, Vela Roth, and moderator HR Moore. What fantastic questions and so much fun hearing all the authors’ different answers and experiences and takes.
- The readers were so sweet and kind to me as always. Getting to talk to fellow book nerds is one of my favorite things to do!
- I saw some really fantastic cosplay, make up, t-shirts, custom books to sign, and some really funny shirts. I think the one that tickled me most was a man whose shirt read on the front, “I’m just here to carry books for my wife.” And on the back it read, “And call her a good girl.”
- I loved all the bracelets people made (some just for me!).
- The readers who brought their copies all the way from France and Spain just made my heart so happy. (Bonus, they were also incredibly nice about me attempting to speak in French and Spanish with them because I never get a chance to speak with anyone in those languages, and I really, really want to.)
- The number of people who had already preordered The Games Gods Play was absolutely amazing to me. Usually most people are new-to-me-readers, so just…wow!
- To the readers who told me how much they loved my Liar’s Crown series and couldn’t wait for the third book, I teared up way more than once (and I don’t tear up easily). I can’t wait for y’all to read it!
- I had a wonderful dinner with Recorded Books, my audio publisher, and got to know them as well as make some new author friends. Yay!
- To Pam, who came out to D.C. at the drop of a hat with me as my assistant, I seriously could not have managed this without you! Especially the tetris game of what fits in the luggage and what has to be checked. LOL.
