I’m rich! My #utopYA2015 post

Words will never fully be able to describe how rich I feel. Being an author is rewarding in so many ways. The best part about it, for me, is the people who I get to meet, the people who I call my friends. I spend three days with them a year on average. We attempt to cram a years worth of fun into those three SHORT days.

I’ve now been home from Nashville for 6 days and I’m still not sure that I’m fully recovered from my trip. My brain has been working overtime since the moment I got in my car to make the 8 hours drive. So many idea have come to me. Some good, a few great and some that have been dismissed already. I’ve spent countless hours researching and writing since I’ve been home. It’s how I process everything.

BUT I’m ready to do it all over again!

I’ve already bought my table space for next year. I booked the hotel. The countdown is on my computer. 363 days. 2016 is a leap year.

Next year the conference will fall over my birthday. I’m excited to be able to celebrate with some of the most fun, energetic and outgoing people I know. I’m trying to convince the fiance to come with so that he can experience the magic of all things Utopia. We’ll see how that turns out.

As for #utopYA2015… here are a few highlight from my experience this year.

1. The people. I met so many that I would never be able to make a complete list without forgetting a few so I won’t try. I will say that we had some AMAZING young readers there this year and it was very refreshing to see.

Those are just a few of the FAB ladies that I spent time with.

2. Casey and I won best shared table again for our BookLeggers theme. Yes, I wore a red flapper dress with crazy high heels (most of the time) and the head-piece. It was awesomesauce!

I finally got the chance to meet Snowa Fox!

3. I got my tarot card read by the amazing Elisabeth Kauffman. It was freaking cool. I can’t wait to see her again next year and have her read them again just to see how things have changed.

 

4. The inspiration. Sorry – no pic will be able to capture that. This is the ONLY con that I’ve ever attended where you feel like a part of a family, no matter how big or small you really are in the publishing world. The people around you inspire greatness. You can walk up to anyone, say hello and you now have a friend for life. This was my second year and again, I came home inspired to write. I came home determined to finish my current WIP, my other WIP that’s been harassing me for the last nine month AND I have plans for two more books.

The moral of this post…

EVERYONE needs to attend this con, if only once, to experience the magic that Janet Wallace has created. It’s a blessing to be a part of it. That’s why I’m rich. Because I have the best friends a girl could ask for, a family that has my back and pushes me onward, even if I only get to see most of them once a year.