Last weekend I attended Supernova, Australia’s version of Comic Con.
Crowd city!
At times you had to wait for the person next to you to breathe out so you could breathe in.
Firstly though, I’d like to say a big thank you to Mark Mercieca for putting me up for the weekend – I really appreciate it!
At Supernova, I’d hoped to get Carrie Fisher to sign a few things – right up until I realised I’d have to pay $80 for her pen to grace my memorabilia.
I staggered away a bit shell-shocked.
Clearly, I’d failed my first true test of fandom – the lines to most of the celebrities were so thick I couldn’t even see the celebrities themselves. I didn’t chase Carrie’s signature – but a ridiculous number of people did.
However!!!
I did redeem my fannish side by queuing for hours to get Raymond E Feist to sign some of my books.
Magician was one of the first big fantasy novels I ever read, and its success inspired me to aim for my own number one international bestseller (still working on that.)
What impressed me the most about Supernova was the fans. It was like a trip back to my childhood where a bunch of old clothes on their way to the op-shop became a gateway to adventure.
In the case of Supernova, fans dressed up as their favourite character – and they looked good!
I could have spent the entire weekend just taking happy snaps of them, while they were more than happy to pose for anyone willing to pull out a camera.
And that’s what it’s about for a writer – inspiring fans to care enough to dress up as one of your characters.
For a writer, it probably takes more than a book though. You’d need a hugely popular graphic novel or a deal with Hollywood to get you over that line, but still – inspirational!
In the end, it’s the dream we chase, and events like Supernova help keep it alive.
That’s also why I had my manuscript printed up as a book. Inspiration. It’s all about the dream.
Looks like you had a good time. Closest I’ve got to anything like that was taking the kids to Free Comic Book Day at my local comic shop. Plenty of Star Wars character were there for pics.
Still not sure about the Pink on that cover though – lol.
Thanks Dave! It was a lot of fun, and pretty cheap if you didn’t opt into any of the VIP-type packages or buy too much. Would have loved to have been at the Free Comic Book Day with my camera! And about the pink – yeah, it’s going, but it certainly is drawing a lot of attention. 🙂
Don’t dump the pink – it looks great!!!
Well done for making up that book – what a great idea for inspiration.
Thanks Nicole – I just don’t want to give the wrong impression, that’s all. The pink makes it look a bit like a romance, when the clouds should be somewhat ominous instead.
$80 for a signature!!!!!!!!!!! oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!! I had no idea!!
Love that last pic of you holding your book in your hands. it’s a great feeling, huh?
It certainly took me by surprise too Lynda! Mind you, general entry was pretty cheap – the bells and whistles cost lots of money.