A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back, Conclusion

Sunday morning, another nifty breakfast and more books than I could shake a stick at are given away. I gotta mention that every time we sat down at a table for a meal, the centerpieces alone were worthy of an hour's discussion (hey, when you have Halloween on the horizon, you never know what you'll find next to your upside-down coffee cup! Fake vampire teeth, anyone?)

As I had a plane to catch in NJ, I had to forego the last panel discussions, and high-tailed it back to the airport, dropped off my rental car, and then made my way to the ticket counter to check my bags. Got into the security line... uhh... sort of. The elevator going UPSTAIRS to the security line had a line! My flight was due to start boarding in 45 min., so I cheated. I took the elevator up to the second floor, but then discovered there were TWO separate areas where security was checking bags. I was escorted to one area, which immediately blossomed into a nice, noisy swarm of people, whom security divided into TWO MORE lines. BOTH lines looped around the airport terminal, around large marble columns, past bathrooms, through tiny corridors, and finally to the velvet rope, where security AGAIN divided us up (for reasons I have yet to fathom.) Suffice it to say, I missed my flight, but I did get a helluva lot of my in-flight book read while waiting.

Okay. Over to Customer Service where I discovered there's another flight out in 3 hrs. I'm put on stand-by, along with the 33 other people who missed the same flight back to Houston. One lady is going beserk because her dog was on the first flight, and who'll take care of Mimi when it lands?

I was #4 on the stand-by list. The next flight out took 5 of us. I had the MIDDLE seat but I didn't care. I was heading home, and I slept most of the way, anyway.

I felt somewhat refreshed when we landed. I found my luggage without too much trouble, considering the Houston Bush airport is under major construction in the baggage pickup area. Took the shuttle to the parking lot where I'd stashed my little life-saving car, and started for home. Traffic was sparse, and the flow was easy. I stopped once to refuel the car and me, and made it back home safe and sound.

By the way, there's still bits of grass stuck in the undercarriage of my car.

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back, Part 4

Saturday morning was a quick Continental breakfast, followed by panel discussions. These started out with intros of each person on the panel, followed by Q and As from the audience. I am always appreciative of authors who get up in front of a crowd of strangers and allow their readers to nit-pick about a particular book.

After lunch came the book signing. The book store, per se, had been open since registration, allowing con goers to peruse and buy at will. This was their chance to get the authors to personally autograph them. I had brought MY STRENGTH, LORD OF THUNDER, and PASSION OF THUNDER to the book store, and that's what I was seeing come across my table -- until one person handed me a copy of RUNNER'S MOON: JEBARAL. I choked up and almost lost it. It's one thing to buy a book at a con and have the author sign it. It's a whole 'nother thing to find out that a reader had gone to all the trouble to pack a different book and bring it with them.

To that reader, I don't remember your name. Please forgive me. But thank you! And know that your simple gesture meant the world to me. In fact, it practically made my whole con-going experience!

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back, Part 3

Friday morning I went sightseeing. If you've ever wanted to live in a Norman Rockwell painting, where the streets are lined with trees covered in rich shades of orange, gold, and red, then the villages of Airmont, Suffern, and all those little places like that which are nestled at the foot of the small mountain range in that part of New York/New Jersey is where you want to be.

I stopped at a small nursery/market that had transformed itself into a sort of Halloween fairground. This kind of place evoked so many wistful memories for me, I couldn't pass up stopping and checking it out.

I was even blown away by the bins of apples, Indian corn, pumpkins, and other fresh produce.

Friday afternoon was check-in time at the con. That night was a mixer.

I read palms. So late Friday night I participated in a little "dabbling", surrounded by three other fantastic authors with "seeing" abilities. It was fun, it was intriguing, and I had a pounding headache when we were done (a one-hour event stretched into 2+ hours), but it was incredible!

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back, Part 2

To continue...

I landed at the Newark Airport after flying over Manhattan. It'll probably be the closest I'll ever get to New York City.

Got my rental, and off I went to find Suffern. But the trees and the foliage were too breathtaking not to stop and notice. I come from south Texas where the weather hardly turns cold enough to make the leaves change. It was dark by the time I reached the hotel in Suffern, but already I was loving the cool weather and fantastic scenery.

It's Thursday, and I have most of Friday to go sightseeing before registration begins. It's my first writers con as a participant and writer. And I'm scared to death.

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Con...and Back

(From Nov. 5th to the 10th, as part of the AADPW blogging contest, I will be talking about my trip to Suffern, NY, and the Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend that took place from Oct. 23-25.)

Day One

I left the house early for the airport in Houston two and a half hours away. A cold front had come in the day before, and it had been raining all night. It was still raining sporadically until I reached El Campo, and that's where I hit the frog strangler. It continued to pour on me, forcing traffic to slow down on the divided highway.

I drive a 2001 Ford Escort ZX2. A small car, but wide and low to the road. I fully believe that's why the car saved my life that morning.

I was nearing Kendelton (for those of you familiar with US 59). A refrigerator truck was in the right lane and slowing down, so I decided to go around him. We were running about 60 mph. As I came around on the left side, I saw the water on the road, taking up most of the road. At the same moment, I got caught in the backwash from the truck.

I hit the water, and my car began to spin out of control. Something in my head kept saying DON'T HIT THE BRAKES. At the same time, I remembered to turn in the direction of the skid. All this time, my car did Two Complete Counter-clockwise Revolutions. I tore through the grassy median. I vaguely remember seeing dirt and grass flying upward, and hitting my windshield.

I came to a sudden, jerky halt on the opposite side of the freeway, facing oncoming traffic. It was still dark. It wasn't yet dawn. And I could see the headlights heading straight toward me.

Numb, I couldn't think other than I needed to be on the OTHER side of the freeway. So slowly I drove back across the torn up median, unmindful of the fact that I could get stuck in the mud, and stopped when I reached the northbound shoulder. It took me several minutes to stop shaking, but I prayed thanks I hadn't flipped. That another car hadn't hit me. And that I was relatively unhurt.

Yes, I continued on to the airport, but my nerves were shot. I parked my car, got checked in, and made my flight in time. I arrived at the New Jersey airport around 5:00 p.m., rented a car, and got to the hotel in Suffern by 7:00.

On my way home on Sunday, I found the spot where I'd gone across. It has to be the only area in that fifteen-mile stretch where the median is flat. The rest of the time it dips down into a ditch.

I had been thinking about trading my little car in for some time now. Screw it. I'm keeping my little Ford Escort.

Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend

I'll be there!

Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend

Save the date! October 23-25, 2009 - The Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend is filling up fast! Sign up by August 1^st to get the lowest membership rate of $160 for the weekend. (After August 1^st, the membership goes to $175.)

The event is being held at the Suffern, NY Holiday Inn, located conveniently about 1 hour from New York City and most of the area’s major airports. Guest include:

Jacquelyn Frank

Sunny

Joey W. Hill

Stella and Audra Price

Bianca D'Arc

Rosemary Laurey

Jennifer Armintrout

Madeline Oh

Georgia Evans

Mechele Armstrong

Samantha Sommersby

Cat Johnson

Cathy Clamp

Eliza Gayle

Diana Castilleja

Leigh Ellwood

Tilly Greene

Selena Illyria

Adra Steia

Stephanie Julian

Judi Fennell

Kayleigh Jamison

Donna Grant

Robin T. Popp

Linda Mooney

Mima

Area attractions include the phenomenal shopping at Woodbury Common (http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7) and the Forest of Fear (http://www.theforestoffear.com/home.php), held on the site of the New York State Renaissance Faire at Sterling Forest.

The convention is limited to 200 attendees so your “face time” with your favorite authors is maximized. We’re having loads of panel discussions, parties and a fantabulous dealer’s room. We’ll also be holding a massive charity raffle to benefit the CAN and Pets Alive – a local no kill animal shelter.

Sign up now for the best rates! The conference registration is only $160 until August 1^st ($175 after August 1^st) and the hotel is $99 per night, double occupancy. Lots to do in the area will make this a weekend you will never forget!