Salvete, readers!

A couple of weeks ago I attended Supanova Comic Con and Gaming on the Gold Coast. This is one of the biggest pop culture events in Australia. My publisher, Odyssey Books, very kindly provided me with a ticket so that I could promote my upcoming novel The Way Home, the first instalment of the Ashes of Olympus trilogy. The novel will be available at all good online retailers on 31 July, 2018. Supanova GC was actually my very first convention, and I’ve been reflecting on it as a learning experience.

 

I have never really felt the urge to attend these events up until this point, for a few reasons. Besides the fact I have never really had that much in the way of disposable income, crowds aren’t really my thing. And yet it was more than that. Though I’ve always adored pretty much any story which featured spaceships or dragons or robots or magic swords, I’ve always shied away from the social aspects of pop culture. I was always happy to enjoy the genre stuff in the comfort of my armchair, perhaps quietly geeking out with a handful of friends online. Doing it face-to-face always felt weird. Besides the fact I tend to be an introvert, I always worried I was doing it wrong.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been surrounded by nerds berating me for not liking the right things, or liking the wrong things, or still being into the thing they’ve now decided was uncool. Or I quite like something but am a complete novice and therefore unworthy. So I guess I approached this event with a certain amount of trepidation—what if I was doing it wrong, not just with the stories I like, but with a story I had created?

Well, I had to get over it fast, because the doors were opening and literally thousands of people were pouring into the convention centre. The cosplay was amazing and colourful. I’m astounded and impressed by the effort people put into celebrating the things they love, but I must admit I felt a little surge of adrenaline as a legion of superheroes, anime characters, zombies, and Vikings came rushing in…

Well, the good news is that nobody told me I’m doing it wrong. In retrospect, I don’t think I needed to worry.

Lots of people stopped by the table for a chat. I swallowed my nervousness, pressed my promotional postcards into their hands and gave them my elevator pitch. To my amazement, most people seemed genuinely interested in the story and impressed by the artwork on the postcards. A lot of people said they’ll look out for the book when it’s available. Some wanted advice on how to start writing or get published, and I was more than happy to share my experiences. I got to share my enthusiasm about some of the books on the Odyssey table and managed to sell a few books by my friends—I love having the opportunity to help fellow authors out. I also went wandering and met some local indie authors, bought a few books, and had a merry chat about the industry and where it’s going. I even had the chance to meet Terry Brooks, creator of The Shannara Chronicles, and he gave me some awesome advice—but that story is probably worthy of its own blog post!

By the end of the day, I had found my tribe—the folks I met that day are genuine, friendly people who adore stories just as much as I do, and aren’t afraid to show it. Turns out I do have a place in this world, after all.

Of course, that was only the trial run. The real test will be at Supanova in Brisbane later in the year, when I’m promoting my actual book.

I hope I see you there!

Until next time,

Valete

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