Hello Lovely Readers!!
If you've never attended a book convention like Coastal Magic... WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?
Coastal Magic 2018 was held in Daytona Beach at the beautiful Shores Resort and Spa right smack dab on the beach. The weather was perfect with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's. (Remember that this is February and people from the north are freezing their you-know-whats off)
My room had a balcony overlooking the pool and the Atlantic ocean. It was heaven! Just imagine eating breakfast to the sound of the waves and the seagulls!
Ahhhhh! I really didn't want to leave!
Of course there were a few authors and readers who chose to eat breakfast in the dining room downstairs... and order a pitcher of mimosa's. Yes, I said PITCHER!
And if the hotel itself wasn't enough, there were fifty fantastic authors hanging around. Yes, I said 50! Readers attending CMC2018 were able to meet them, chat with them, hang out with them and even get them to sign books for them.
If you hop over to the bar, be sure to see Ecko. He will prepare the perfect drink for you, as evidenced by the smiling faces of Jamie and me.
Every person attending CMC2018 received a fabulous insulated bag with a zippered top, filled with all kinds of goodies... several books, and every kind of swag you can think of! Pens, chapstick, candy and other snacks, fancy bookmarks, pins, spinners, nail files, cups, jar openers, note pads, cup holders, and so much more. Lots of fun stuff.
I want to stop here and thank all the authors who contributed to those bags and all the other bloggers and helpers who put them together. That was quite a project!
And then there was the beach party! Lots of fun and dancing and really getting to know one another. Here we have Jessica Hawke, Gayla Pickett Leath, Hildie McQueen and Eric Asher.
There were so many activities that I simply can't list them all here. Movie night with Cinamacraptastic, Meet & Greets, Dinnertime get-togethers, and so much more.
Look who's coloring with Karen Rose and Nancy Northcott! That's me! It was so great chattng with these fantastic authors and getting to know them.
And they like to color!
Look who's coloring with Karen Rose and Nancy Northcott! That's me! It was so great chattng with these fantastic authors and getting to know them.
And they like to color!
All attendees to the convention got to have lunch with an author. I picked Princess Alethea Kontis, because... well, she's a princess! And I love her books and her sense of humor. She not only signed one of her books for me, she colored on the page!
As a bonus, Leanna Renee Hieber sat at our table for lunch as well. I immediately went out to buy her book "Strangely Beautiful".
I missed Princess Alethea's Traveling Side Show because I was moderating another panel at that same time, but I heard it was delightful! And after meeting some of the "actors", I know it must have been outstanding!
And then there was the book signing! So many authors! So many books! I was in Bookaholic Heaven! Just walking around the room you could feel the energy created by these amazing authors and their fans.
Of course I came home with a suitcase full of books, but how could I not? Some of my favorites were there, ready to personally sign their books for me.
Just stopping by and chatting with some of the authors was so much fun! Especially when those authors included Cynthia D'Alba and Hildie McQueen.
Cynthia D'Alba had me laughing so hard! If you ever meet her, ask her about her parrot.
Tawdra Kandle is always delightful. I have previously interviewed her here on The Novel Lady, but this was the first time meeting her in person.
And one of the highlights for me was
meeting Karen Rose, the #1 International
Bestselling, RITA-award winning author. She has killed off more than a hundred people in her murder mystery/romance novels. I came home with a full set of her Cincinnati Series! And a bar of soap with bloody fingerprints! Can you imagine the look on the inspector's face if he found that in my luggage?
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Jennifer Morris and her sister Delorianne for organizing such a fantastic convention! I was honored to be a Featured Blogger for this wonderful group of people. So much fun! Jennifer, I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next year.
I will definitely be there!
1 comments:
It was great hanging and working with you at the Coastal Magic Convention this year. I had a blast as well. I was the lucky one moderating Princess Alethea's Traveling Side Show and it was fantastic. I laughed so hard at times, that the video I took might be a bit jiggly. But Tempest and I both taped the skits. I'll send you a link.
The authors, readers, and other bloggers were great. And the weather was perfect.
I don't know how Jennifer and Delorianne manage to pull off such a well organized and smooth running event each year, but the do, and they do it fabulously.
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