Hello all! Thank you so much for joining me here today at Love Bytes for my monthly author column. This year I attended the RT Booklovers Convention for the first time. It was held in Las Vegas, which was also a first for me. I got there a couple of days early and got to hang out with the fab M.J. O’Shea and Anna Martin. Of course if it’s going to pour down rain and hail in the desert, it’s going to do it the two days I’m there sightseeing. Despite the rain I managed to get some nice pictures, and video of the beautiful fountain in front of the Bellagio. I walked down the strip with a Piña Colada, had an $18 Strawberry Daiquiri, and went to Chippendales with the amazing Kim Fielding and Eli Easton. Because, you know, Vegas.

Before I left for RT I prepped. And prepped. And prepped. Thanks to the fantastic advice and guidance from the awesome Poppy Dennison, Damon Suede, and Tere Michaels, I managed to put together a plan of action. I knew if I didn’t prep, there was a good chance I’d feel stressed out and overwhelmed which usually leads to sleepless nights and migraines. Prepping was definitely stressful. There was a heck of a lot to do and not much time to do it in. I had deadlines, releases, a conference, a workshop, and personal engagements all leading up to RT. Poppy, Damon, and Tere were exceptionally patient in answering this newbie’s questions. And I had lots.

With a convention this size, you need a plan of action. So once I knew what events I would need to be at, I sorted out what swag and giveaways I needed for what, making sure everything was already put together so I wouldn’t have to worry about it at the hotel. I also learned that from here on out I’d most likely be transporting swag in a suitcase seeing as how one of my boxes ended up taking a detour to Puerto Rico. Luckily the box arrived Thursday evening with the swag I needed for Friday and Saturday.

Once all my swag and giveaways were organized, I opened up the RT Booklovers Convention online agenda and went through it day by day. I opened up a word document and created my schedule, adding priority events like the panel I was taking part in, along with Dreamspinner events, and other events I was recommended. Then I filled in the blanks with events I wanted to go to. I filled every timeslot. Of course that didn’t mean I would be attending everything I had on my list. That’s pretty hardcore, and something I haven’t worked myself up to yet.

But having a full schedule eased some of the stress, as crazy as that may sound. It meant I was never wandering around lost, or worrying about what I should do next. If during one particular event, folks wanted to meet up for lunch, then I just did that instead. There were a few events I missed, sadly, but the lines were too long by the time I’d gotten out of a previous event. There was also the one afternoon I had a terrible headache. Hydration is key at conferences. I think I just hadn’t had enough caffeine.

I got to hang out with lots of fantastic authors and readers. I met several THIRDS Nerds from all over the world which was amazing. I was surprised how many readers knew me and came up to me to say hi, get something signed, or ask me questions about the THIRDS. It was incredible. It was also great seeing how many LGBTQ authors were in attendance.

I was nervous at the start of my panel Laughing Through Your Tears which I took part in with the fantastic Z.A. Maxfield, Tessa Dare, Eli Easton, and Tara Lain. The turnout was great! After a few minutes my nerves settled and I had such a blast. I managed to read through both my excerpts from the THIRDS with a somewhat straight face. I’d say that’s a win when you’re reading about puppet fisting. There was a lot of laughter which was a relief. You never know how these things are going to go. Good to know there was a room filled with dirty birdies. 😉

I learned a lot from this year’s RT, and I’m excited that next year it’s in Atlanta, Georgia which means I can drive there. Woot! So unless my GPS goes really wrong, it’s unlikely my swag will end up in Puerto Rico. <3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

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