JordanCon 2024: Day One!

 Hello, Readers and new friends from JordanCon! My first official day at JordanCon was in the books, and wow, it was a busy one! My day started at 7 a.m. because my body didn't understand that just because it was Friday did not mean I must function. Once the coffee activated my brain cells, I started preparing for the day. Today was costume day, which meant it was time to be evil! The soundtrack for getting ready this morning was obviously Taylor Swift's new album that dropped last night. I couldn't tell you if I liked it or not. I was too focused on figuring out how to use a curling iron and do makeup. Which are things I don't usually know how to do. Once we were all glammed up, it was time to start socializing downstairs. I also had a photoshoot done with Kathy Campbell, the CEO of Dragonmount. I'm so excited to see the shots she got! Once I get them, I'll be sure to share them. Full disclosure, if you need a morning self-esteem boost, I highly recommend getting dressed up, putting on a tiara, and having a photographer call you gorgeous and hype you up for 30 minutes. 

After the photoshoot, we socialized and killed time before the opening ceremony. Some authors in Author Alley were setting up, so we walked around. One of the authors has a book called Queen's Peril. There's a Black Queen in it, so the author, Darin Kennedy, asked if I'd pose with a copy of the book. I was so flattered and obviously had to say yes! I was trying to give my best evil queen glare with it. I returned at the end of the day, buying all 3 books in the series and having Darin sign them. I'm super excited to start reading them. People becoming Chess pieces trying to survive the deadly Black Queen sounds like an exciting story! I'm sure the Black Queen is just misunderstood ;). 

 After this, it was time for the open ceremony. Marc Gunn started the ceremony with some fun songs, including one about drinking with hobbits. I really didn't catch any pictures of the opening ceremony. I'm trying to post only images of people I've gotten their permission. The toastmasters were Kitty Rallow and Aleena Jack; they were so fantastic and funny. 

After the opening ceremony, Tress and I returned to the room for lunch to wait for the vendor area to open for shopping. The Authors Alley and Dealer Hall are already near and dear to my heart. I am an aspiring author and have grown up working at vendor events with my dad's knife-making business. So, since I have the platform, I definitely wanted to show these folks some love! I'll include some links where possible. I'm not an affiliate for these folks; I'm trying to do my best with the media responsibility bestowed upon me. 

First, we went through the Charity event. The auctions weren't open yet, but the lovely Kalyani was doing Henna work for the charity portion of the weekend. I've always admired Henna but have yet to have it done. So today, I was able to get some art on my body and support a good cause! 

After that, it was off to the official JordanCon merch table, where I got a bag of holding because I had things to buy. Once I had a place to put shinies, I connected with Dawn Voyles of Aurora's Gift Box (
etsy.com/shop/aurorasgiftbox.) She had all kinds of sparkly goodies, and I've decided I need a tiara collection. This one spoke to my love of moons and stars. I will be rocking it tomorrow.

After shopping for shinies, I chatted with Marc Gunn at his booth. He was super friendly and had lots of goodies. You can find him on social media with the handle @Celtfather. In addition to his music, he also has a music podcast!

The next stop was chatting with the family behind Black Belt Maps, who create gaming maps. They were all so lovely. I'm just starting to learn about tabletop games, so I can't express much on this topic, but if you are interested in games, go see them! (https://linktr.ee/blackbeltmaps)

I had to cut my vendor chats a little short after this because it was time for a writer's panel I really wanted to attend. I didn't take any photos because I wanted to focus on the content discussed: writing about magic systems in fantasy. It was super inspiring, and when I get home, I will try and write some more. 

Around 5:00, the ConSuite opened for dinner. JordanCon membership includes free access to the ConSuite, which has all kinds of food, snacks, and drinks. This is not normal with conventions, but I was grateful for it. If you have special food accommodations, the lovely people at JordanCon will take care of you. When you purchase your membership, they ask if you have any food accommodations. I am, unfortunately, gluten-free, but I felt really comfortable with the food situation today. Traveling with food issues is usually a huge stressor for me, so it was nice not to have to worry. Today's options were a couple of curry options and gluten-free chicken tenders. I went with the Cauliflower Curry, and it was so delicious! They even have a special table in the grab-and-go section with gluten-free PB&J sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks! All of the gluten-free food was on a separate table to avoid cross-contamination. 

Once we had food in our bellies, Tress and I returned to Author Alley, where I acquired books. I'm nervous that I'll be over my suitcase's weight limit. Oops. I couldn't resist buying books. I'm a book dragon; it's what I do. However, I am definitely grounded from spending any more money this weekend. 

First, I connected with Barbara V. Evers, who was lovely! When telling me about her story, she had me at Telepathic Giraffe. We talked briefly, and she gave me some advice for aspiring authors, which I greatly appreciated. Some of the proceeds of her books go to giraffe conservation, which I love.

The next author I had the chance to chat with was Vanessa Giunta, whom I sort of already knew. Tress connected with her at last year's JordanCon and picked up some of her books. They got on the topic of my aspiring to be an author, and I got connected with Vanessa in her writer's group. She was also one of the authors on the writer's panel I attended. Tress brought the books she bought last year for me to borrow, so I'll be reading those soon!

The final author I got to speak with was Jeffrey Falcom Logue, a LITRPG author. This genre is new to me, but I've wanted more of it because of The Wandering Inn. One of the Interludes in the 9th Wandering Inn book was a goblin cooking show, and I needed more of that in my life. Jeffrey's books are what he calls Dungeon Core, where the Dungeon happens to be the main character. One of the books happens to be about cooking, so I had to have it. 

Shortly after chatting with Jeffrey, Author's Alley closed for the night. Tress and I chilled for a bit before she went to Guy Robert's panel on Shakespeare and connected it to the Wheel of Time. I was going to go, but I was so utterly drained by that time I just couldn't. I read in the hotel lobby for a bit before retiring to our room to type out this post. It was a busy day, but I'm grateful for this experience. It's been a rough year, and this has been such a fantastic adventure in getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things, and it's only the first day!

One more note: It is undoubtedly one of the more important things I will say. JordanCon is so very inclusive, and I love it. Everyone has been incredibly lovely, and there's so much support for LGBTQIA+ people within this convention community. They take safety and being welcome so very seriously. I picked up this flyer on one of the author's tables. Unfortunately, I do not remember which, but I wanted to share it in case anyone needs this resource.