San Diego Comic Con

I realize as we enter 2024 that I have been remiss in keeping this blog up to date on my travels so thought I would do a fun recap of the year!

In mid July, I was a featured panelist at the Imainarium Convention in Louisville, KY. This was a fun gathering of authors and readers, where authors took to panels in order to tackle an array of topics from book marketing, to writing 101, to topics in sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, romance and numerous other genres. I spoke on two panels at the event, one on approaching the creation of audiobooks from an author’s point of view, and the other was on writing historical fantasy. I enjoyed both being able to convey my knowledge with readers and fellow writers, and learned from fellow panelists.

I was excited to visit at the event with my long-time friend and an incredible fellow author, Dacre Stoker, who was one of the guests of honor at the event. I enjoyed visiting and catching up with him both on life and our many book projects!

The second guest of honor was fantasy author Terry Brooks. I grew up reading his extraordinary works and was thrilled to be able to speak with him during the event! I met him many years ago at another signing, when I was still a young girl only dreaming of one day releasing a novel. He offered some amazing advice about the writing path and I loved being able to take the opportunity to thank him for the advice which he offered so many years ago.

No sooner did I leave Kentucky, then I boarded a plane to attend my favorite event of the year – San Diego Comic Con (SDCC)!

The largest of such cons in the world, SDCC is an annual event which celebrates the best of comic books, television, and film, primarily catering to fantasy, sci-fi, anime, and horror. This year, the event was slightly less star-studded than normal, due to the writers and actors strike which took place over the summer, however, I still greatly enjoyed the event! A few highlights were getting to hear Jamie Lee Curtis speak about her new graphic novel, and I was one of the first to see the first episode The Dragon Prince, an animated show I greatly enjoy on Netflix.

We also walked the Con floor, collected some signed books, and found some incredible artwork from the numerous artists who attended! I was also joined on the trip by friend, Jonny, who flew over from London, England in order to attend. It was awesome to see him, as I had not done so since Covid began.

SDCC also offered a special exhibition for AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and The Mayfair Witch series. It featured a recreation of 1920s New Orleans, complete with actors playing the roles of those in search of the supernatural!

We also were able to spend an afternoon visiting with my long-time friend and the artist behind my maps and dragon illustrations, Raven Quinn.

In addition to seeing old friends, we also visited a few favorite vineyards in the Temecula Valley, CA in search of our favorite bubbles. Including South Coast, Carter Estates, and Wilson Creek vineyards, we tried a great deal of delicious sparkling wines (a favorite of this author).

Our next trip was in September, when I was joined by my friend and co-author, Erin McFadden. Together, we headed to Boston to attend the Getting Witchy With It book signing. The signing was held just outside of Salem, MA. Famous (and perhaps infamous) for the Salem witch trials, we spent a day exploring the city, visiting the Witch House, several cemeteries, and taking in the gravity and personality of the historic location.

We also tried to explore some of the culinary scene. We visited The Lobster Shack, enjoying fresh lobster rolls!

We also tried the lobster martini, made famous on Guy Fieri’s Diner’s Dives and Drive In’s. Not being martini drinkers it was…well.

We also took a tour of Harvard. I enjoyed learning about the history of the famous university and hearing some stories of the various people who have lived throughout the halls over the years.

The signing itself was a great experience. We enjoyed meeting new readers and visiting with fellow authors. We were also thrilled to release our new co-written novel at the event, Fractured Moonlight, a follow-up novel to USA Today bestselling novel, Shattered Moonlight: A Twisted Fairytale.

In October and we headed to our last trip of the year, my beloved New Orleans to attend the annual Dark Gift Alliance ball, associated with the Vampire Lestat Ball. Getting in late on Thursday evening, we enjoyed a fun evening of good food, and managed to find an open balcony overlooking Bourbon Street, where we enjoyed people watching with a couple of local beers.

Later that night, we gathered at a friends out to help prepare for the ball, constructing gift bags which would be handed out at the ball the following night. We also listened to good music and caught up on each other’s lives as it had been nearly a year since we had gathered for the pervious ball.

The next day was International Champagne Day! We found a champagne bar celebrating the event with a table-side pour from the winemakers and had a fun time trying various varieties!

We also managed to honor what has become one of our annual traditions, getting food at Acme Oyster House. A Bourbon Street mainstay, Acme serves some of the best po-boys and fried fish platters in the city and is always scrumptious with its food! Ironically neither of us likes Oyster’s but the food is always great.

That night, we attended the Dark Gift Alliance Ball, hosted at the Howlin’ Wolf. The ball was a festive gathering with elaborate costumes, and fun performance including a tarot reading and a burlesque show! Also loved getting to visit with friends, and enjoyed the event long into the night.

The next day, we began with another tradition, brunch at Brennan’s. Though probably most famous for its invention of Banana Fosters, it also has some of the best brunch dishes around. Eggs Hussard has to be my personal favorite, washed down with a delicious glass of champagne.

When we left brunch, we wandered through New Orleans for several hours, visiting the Carousel Bar in the historic Hotel Monteleone. The bar spins, making a full rotation once every fifteen minutes. They are famous for their classic cocktails, from sazaracs to traditional champagne cocktails.

Then for our last night in New Orleans, we took a trip down the Mississippi River on a jazz boat dinner cruise, again gathering with friends to enjoy good food, conversation, and the river by moonlight!

A few months ago, I had the amazing opportunity to attend San Diego Comic Con (SDCC). This was an incredible event and I had an amazing time attending!

SDCC began with a flight down to one of my favorite cities and I was able to spend a few hours writing on the beach before the event officially began.

The first day of SDCC began with an evening entrance. I was very grateful to have had my tickets provided by Dabel Brothers Publishing who were there promoting their recent publications of Sherrilyn Kenyon graphic novels, along with other numerous additional publications.

Guided by my personal assistant, Gladys, who arranged for me to attend the event, I spent the first day walking around the con, seeing some fun sights which included having a picture taken from a set of the upcoming Star Wars Episode VIII.

Walking through the Star Wars and Marvel model section of the con.

Sitting in the captain’s chairs from Star Trek.

And of course, my favorite part, viewing the incredible cosplay which also comes with a comic con event!

For those who have never been, SDCC is one of the largest with a reported 130,000 people in attendance over the extended weekend. Events span beyond the conference center to multiple hotels along the marina.

Exhibits, cosplay, and super-hero themed drink and food specials fill the entire area for the entirety of the events and there is always something fun to experience.

The next day was spent between exploring further and standing in line for Hall H, which is the largest room in the conference center. Inside are held some of the biggest events and speakers. In order to get into Hall H, one has to acquire a wrist band, which are handed out to those in line the night before events. These lines generally begin days in advance, with people camping out in order to secure entry to see their favorite stars and panels. Though we did not stay overnight at the venue, we stood in line approximately 13 hours in order to acquire our bands and then were back in line the next morning by 5am.

The wait was completely worthwhile! The panels we attend:

Fear the Walking Dead & The Walking Dead:

Game of Thrones:

As a huge fan of both Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, it was an incredible experience and I loved getting to listen to the speakers and panelists talking about the shows.

The last day I managed to attend a couple of panels. One on YA fantasy and another on writing dystopian novels and then had a fun time visiting with the always amazing Christopher Rice.

For those unfamiliar with Christopher’s work, his newest novel co-written by Anne Rice, Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra, will be released later this month. He was kind enough to sign a copy for me and is a novel I would highly recommend!

I also had the incredible opportunity to meet Sherrilyn Kenyon who was kind and generous with her time. I must admit to be a touch star-struck to meet her and she could not have been kinder.