New Cons Added

In case you're wondering, to the left were a bunch of magnets I brought on our Royal Caribbean cruise to help identify our cabin. If you've been on one, then you know what I'm talking about. All the doors look the same. They REALLY came in handy for us...and another group on our floor. You see, they had an elderly woman in their group and she had a hard time finding their room, too. So, they "borrowed" one of my magnets to her out. I had no problem with that, as I counted it as free advertisement for my book. I guess you could say we helped each other. A win-win, baby!

But back to the reason for this blog post.

In about 4 weeks, I'll be attending Momocon with my teen cosplayer, and we can't wait. This will be our first time there, but it seems to be pretty big in the anime world. If you're there and see me around, feel free to stop and say hello. And as always, I'll most likely be carrying some merch with me, too. I don't go anywhere with out it and I love giving it away for free.

As for what's new, we've added GalaxyCon Raleigh to our list of stops along with a "possible" stop at Soda City in Columbia SC. I wasn't planning to do as many cons this year, but let's face it. I love comic cons and I love supporting my cosplayer. The good news is these two cons won't set me back too much. I don't know if anything else will turn up, but if it does, it needs to be local for me.

As for what lies ahead in our future con list (2025), I have my sights set on something in FL and perhaps near Dallas. I want to expand not only my horizons, but my reach, too.

Cosplay Mom Sightings

Now that ABANDON STATION has been released, you think promo probably stops. Yeah, right. There's no such thing. So, I'm going to use this time to post some places where you might catch me leaving some merch around convention halls and probably chatting it up with people. I absolutely LOVE doing this as much as I do author panels. That being said, if you see me around, stop and say hello, take pics, or scream "Ohmygod! You're that amazing bestselling author! I can't believe you're here!" Not only will the shock and fear on my face make for a great TicTok video, but you never know when I might have some extra merch to give away.

BanzaiCon - March 9th only

SC ComicCon - April 6th and 7th

MomoCon - May 24th through 27th

SC ComicCon Jr. - TBA

Oh, and since I rarely brag, I'll take the time to do it now. This is my kiddo, Middle Bit, cosplaying Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul. I think she's awesome!!

My Fears

With the release of Abandon Station, I want to share something that I don't think a lot of authors talk about. As much as we love a new release, we're also scared to death. In the last few hours, a lot of doubts have set in. What happens if my book is a flunk? What happens if sales can't tank because they never took off? What happens if nobody cares? The first thing that comes to mind, as an author, is that...it probably sucks.

Doubt is a beast that has clawed its way up from the depths of hell. I hate it! We all experience doubt. It's a rite of passage. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others. I think I'm the former, and that's what brings me to this post. Nothing makes me more insecure than a new release. I can do all the promo I want, but at the end of the day, numbers tell a story either in your favor or against.

So what do I do to not think about those numbers? Most authors will tell you they focus on the next story that they're hoping is even better than the last. That's what I do. Or, we move on to a different project—done that too. If we love to read and love to write, that's what we do. We don't focus on the numbers or—if you're like me—you don't read the reviews or the rankings. Someone will have to point it out to me or share a screenshot before I read it. I do my thing and keep it moving. That's how I combat the doubt. That's how I shove it right back down into the hole that crept up from. I give myself a few days to let the anxiety and the stress calm down, and then I move on. That's the only way I know how to deal with it.

So you're dealing the doubts right now, just remember, you don't suck. That situation that you're going through now, it sucks. But it won't last forever. It'll try to destroy whatever mental foundations you've erected, but you're stronger than that because you've already outlived it, time and time again. Let it have its moment, but remember, you're the one in control and doubt doesn't deserve anymore than a moment of your time. It needs to move on, so you can. Period.