Tuesday, June 24, 2014
My First Romance Convention: A True Winner by S. E. Smith
My First Romance Convention: A True Winner
By S. E. Smith
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| Julie, Sally and I at the Crowne Plaza |
While it may seem as if I’m an experienced author, nothing
says rookie more than the doe-in-the-headlight look in my eyes and the shaking
inside as I attended my first romance convention. RomCon 2014 was an incredible
experience filled with wonderful guest speakers, generous and knowledgeable
authors, and a fan base that would humble any author. Eve Langlais told me that
attending RomCon last year was like jumping into the deep end of the swimming
pool. I am just thankful I am a good swimmer because that was where all the fun
and action was.
I was stunned to
learn I had won the RomCon 2014 Readers Crown Award for Science Fiction Romance
with Ha’ven’s Song: Curizan Warrior Book 1.
Synopsis: Emma Watson’s life changes when she is
rescued by creatures not of this world. Ha’ven Ha’darra is the Crown Prince of
the Curizans. No woman has ever turned him down and he isn’t about to accept
his mate doing it. He just has a few extra problems to overcome. The Valdier
have given him six months to change Emma’s mind, a traitor is trying to kill
them, and they have crashed on a remote moon.
Ha’ven’s Song:
Curizan Warrior Book 1 is available at
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| Jennifer Zane and Me |
I attended several of the RomCon
University workshops hosted by many of the great authors and publishing houses
while I was there. Guest speakers, such as NYT Bestselling author Debra
Holland, Robin Cutler from Ingram, Jim Azevedo from Smashwords, and other wonderful
presentations by Cherry Adair and Jennifer Zane provided insight into what
makes an author successful. One of the most important things I learned was that
reviews do matter. Jim Azevedo from Smashwords walked attendees through the
Algorithm used by Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks and more when it comes to
understanding ranking, promotion and important steps for ensuring the author’s
story is not lost.
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| Mina Khan, Michele Callahan, and me |
I also loved meeting
up with my two of my Alphas Unleashed authors, Mina Khan and Michele Callahan. Alphas Unleashed
went to #1 on Amazon’s Bestseller’s list for Superheroes and #2 in Science
Fiction Romance behind….. Razor’s Traitorous Heart! LOL. Mina and Michele both
had fun giving me a hard time about that. Both women were not only amazingly supportive
of me, but I am in awe over the wonderful stories they write. If you have not
checked them out, I would recommend it.
Razor’s Traitorous
Heart: The Alliance Book 2 continues to be #1 on Amazon’s
Bestseller’s list in Science Fiction Romance. This story follows the
struggles back on Earth after their first contact with aliens. You’ll also get
a chance to catch up on previous characters. For more infomration or to
purchase, click on the links below.
Alphas
Unleashed refuses to be left behind. It is currently #1 on Amazon in
Science Fiction/Fantasy Superheroes. This anthology by Mina Khan, Michele
Callahan, Carolyn Jewel, and me will take you on an adventure from Earth and
beyond. Whether you are looking for witches, djinns, or more Alphas Unleashed
has just the story for you. |
| Me with Author Alanea Alder |
The
biggest impact on me was how generous and supportive all the authors and fan
were. I was stepping out of my comfort zone (that is the small bedroom I had
converted to an office) and it was an amazing experience. Kudos to Michele,
Jennifer and all the others who worked so hard to make RomCon the best, but I’d
like to express a very, very, very special thank you to my readers who came
from great distances to say hi and who helped make this the best experience
ever.
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| Holly, Terry, Julie, Beth, me, Tina, and Mandy enjoying a lunch break! |
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| Me with Fan Tina |
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| Michelle won the Kindle Fire giveaway |
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| Holly, me and Terry (Daughter and Mom fans) |
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| Beth and me |
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| Me with Michele Callahan, President of RomCon |
Fans can visit me at SESmithFL@gmail.com or visit my web site at: http://sesmithfl.com. Join me for additional information about the books at http://pinterest.com/sesmithfl/s-e-smith/, http://twitter.com/sesmithfl, http://facebook.com/se.smith.5 and at my new book discussion forum at http://www.sesmithromance.com. I look forward to chatting with you!
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7 comments:
Look at the smile in the pics. So glad you had fun at your first event. It's weird to escape the writing cave, but also really awesome especially because you get to meet the readers who love the worlds we create :D
Your First Rom Con Sounds Great. Look like you had a Awesome time, Congrats again on the Award. You have created a world that i love in your stories and will continue to visit.
You were right, Eve! It was like jumping in the deep end AND it was so much fun. I learned a lot that I didn't know about and have a lot of 'fun' work ahead of me.
sounds like it went great, wish i could of been there, congrats on your award.
Congrats on surviving your first con...and with so much grace & style! So glad we got to meet :)
(((Hugs)))
Mina
I had tons of fun meeting you in person! I am very glad you decided to come out of the cave. :). Michele
awww looks like you had a blast! I'm so glad you did and I for one am LOVING the other pic's you're posting! And congrats on the award! you soooo deserve it!
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