I had a lot of fun at MarCON, the Multiple Alternate Realities Con in Columbus OH.

Got into LAX, changed planes, set in for a long flight and I can’t remember if I ate on that flight or if I was fine from the scant (and I do mean scant, only had one beer) alcohol in my system at this point. Either way when I landed in Chicago, I made a B line for breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, Guiness. That did the trick since I was trying to keep caffeine consumption low.  For those not aware, I sort of have a bad heart.

Landed in Columbus slightly early I think and Tiffani was there on time to pick me up. She dropped me off at the hotel where Kim (Shadowdance) met me and hugged me pretty tightly. I got to meet Avery in person too though I’m sure we met at DragonCON the year before when I sat on a panel with her. He and I left back to their house so I could nap for a few hours. What a difference THAT made.

Friday’s schedule:

7:00 – Author Signing.  That didn’t go over too well, mostly due to lack of traffic and extra cold air conditioning in the hotel.
10:00 Paranormal Romance (apparently I was the moderator but didn’t know it until last night)
11:30 – Reading with TammyJo Eckhart.  We read from three different pieces.  I read from Heavenly Bodies, Siddella’s Surrender, and Bound to Her from Over the Moon anthology.

Afterwards, bed. At 3 AM. would have been earlier but Shadow stayed up and we talked.

Next day up by 11 AM, thought I’d smoke a cigar and eat and go but ended up eating thanks to Avery making me bacon and toast, sucked down water, pills, we left and I was on time for my panel on Trends in Fiction. That was pretty fun, being there with Rosemary Laurey and two others, but I think next time some better direction (in both panels0 would have been nice. Last two weeks were crazyfucked up. So my mind was a wreck.

Afterwards, found Shadow, Jojo, somehow acquired another fangirl I’ll most likely never see again (damn redheads) and then decided it was time for my Saturday ritual: SIt back, light up and relax.

Ended up attracting a few more crazies…hell there were even homeless people in Columbus! Also it seems odd that to so many strippers I seem familiar. I’ve been in a total of four strip clubs total, two were for “work” purposes (I used to flyer promo) one was with Rob and the other was at Cybernet 2009 cause I wanted to see what Larry Flynt had actually done.

Otherwise I don’t really care for overpriced drinks, girls who flirt for a half assed seduction and wouldn’t understand if I wanted to break out the floggers…

Had 11:00 Panel on Why Kink. Here’s the rub. It was “moderated by Sascha Illyvich and whoever shows up”

Guess who was to talk to about 30 mostly non kinky people about what and why kink exists and how popular it is. Thank GODDESS I was a Toastmaster. I talked, wore my voice out after an hour and a half. The Fetlife meet and greet was scheduled for same time as the panel but the man who scheduled it ended up in my panel so he moved it to after the discussion. We covered what kink is, definition of bdsm and how it differs, sexuality and kink, why kink of course, a typical BDSM scene or how a kinky sex scene might go, took some Q/A.  Well we is the royal we.  I mean me.

After that, I raced around to the various groups in the room, asked what they thought, got some good positive feedback and then met Shadow and Avery downstairs where I knocked back two more scotch and sodas in tribute to Simon Templer.

Bed again at 3 AM. Up the next day at 11:00, at the Con at 1 PM. Rosemary and we had lunch together. It was nice to talk to her, get her opinion on some of the industry, RWA, and just bullshit. Again, someone I’ve known for ten years and are glad to call comrade.

Last panel was on Writing gay Characters. Guess who got stuck moderating that too? Yours truly. It was fun though as Denise Verrico and Rosemary were beside me. This is called “menage” LOL!

Overall it was a pretty fun experience and though the date is changing for next year I look forward to it once again.