My Twisted & Kinky World!: What a bust... but still a good time!

Well, my first convention of the year was a bust. I knew I was taking a chance going to Oasis, a Sci-Fi convention, to sell my books but I seriously did not think it would be a financial bust! Last year, I sold several book and even though I took a loss, it was still worth the trip to Orlando. However, this year, I only sold two books at the convention! I actually sold more books to some of my mother's co-workers at the hotel I was staying at in Daytona Beach!

But… I still had a very good time over Memorial Day weekend. I stayed in Daytona Beach and commuted to Orlando for Oasis. The drive was only about 45 mins. (don't tell FL highway patrol I said that!) and staying on the beach was preferable to staying in downtown Orlando! Surprisingly, cheaper too!

At Oasis, I hung out with many of my fellow authors and artists. Anytime I get to hang out with Bill Hatfield and Paul Vincenti, it is always a good time! Paul is an AMAZING artist and if I could afford his work, I would cover my walls with it! Bill writes Sci-Fi and is actually one of the only Sci-Fi writers I will read. Bill's wife, Karen (who stayed home this time), makes handcrafted jewelry and Bill brought me the custom piece I had commissioned.

I was able to meet David Webber (briefly) and hung out a bit with Janny Wurts & L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

I also was able to collect almost 100 books for my Books for Troops drive. The book dealers in the vendor room were very generous! Thanks guys!

I opted not to attend the last day of Oasis and instead spend at least one day in Daytona Beach. Sunday, tropical storm Beryl played havoc with the weather. It was cloudy, but warm, with sporadic wind gusts and rain. Well, being stubborn as I am, I was determined to enjoy Daytona anyway and hung out around the pool & hot tub. I am glad I did because I got to meet 3 of the 4 members of Winter Rose. They are a rock band... well heavy metal band... out of Port Richey and frequently play in Ybor City. Two of the guys bought books from me and they gave me a CD to check out their music.

I had a blast in the pool & hot tub drinking beers with the guys and it made my weekend worth the trip! I won't be going to Oasis next year but I will be spending Memorial Day weekend in Daytona Beach again. If you are down that way, let me know and we can have a beer together too! I can't wait!