NEW YORK COMIC CON 2012



LADIES WHO STEAM: Women in Steampunk panel at New York Comic Con - L to R: Lauren Panepinto, Ay-leen the Peacemaker, Liz Gorinsky, PJ Schnyder, Me, Anina Bennett

Trying to explain New York Comic Con is like trying to explain DragonCon. You have to see it to believe it. For those complaining that NYCC was too crowded, well, they've clearly never been to DragonCon, which is, every year, WAY too crowded. So the NYCC crowds did not phase me in the least. I was just thrilled to be there. For not only was I traipsing about in my usual Narcissa Malfoy cosplay, I WAS A PANELIST. It's been a dream of mine to be a NYCC panelist and this year it came true on the LADIES WHO STEAM: Women in Steampunk panel alongside the fabulous women listed above, Ay-leen, Lauren and Liz holding down the editorial and art side of the panel, the rest of us the author side. We chatted about why Steampunk matters, the ingenuity and the reinvention of it, the costuming and the concepts, our thoughts about where the genre is, where it can go, and why anyone should care. Check out Tor.Com's album for more fabulous pictures of the panel and keep your eyes out for my upcoming eerie Victorian paranormal story, TOO FOND, to be featured this month on Tor.com. (If you're interested in a copy for your very own, It's available now as a .99 pre-order to your Nook...) This story has been a big hit at my convention live readings.

Thanks to our fab Auror's Tale publicist Jenn Levine I knew to attend The Mary Sue / Her Universe meetup and met Jill Pantozzi and Ashley Eckstein while I was hanging out with the fabulous, ridiculously talented Jeff Carlisle, drooling over his art. I admire Jill and Ashley so much for who they are and what they're able to do in promoting Geekdom throughout the land, and especially raising the bar for women in the industry. In that vein, keep an eye out for Fan Girl TV, as I was a part of one of their first events this week as well, hosting a live show with very talented panelists and performers. While at the Mary Sue / Her Universe meetup I also met a lovely and engaging freelance comic editor who bonded with me over Harry Potter and Victorian literature (two of my very favourite subjects in all the land) and who has wonderful ideas for her own work. I got a chance to cheerlead a bit, something I feel called to do in this life, and as her ideas are truly, truly wonderful and potentially life-saving for so many of her readers who would relate, I hope she keeps in touch and I hope she gets her own work out into the world one way or another.

The rest of my time at NYCC I hovered about The Group That Shall Not Be Named: HP-NYC and alongside my oft sister Bellatrix (othertimes an uncannily perfect Irene Adler - and who in real life is an exceedingly talented Jack of All Trades and BFF), Cassandra Johnstone, who, as Bellatrix, teaches a mean and amazing Wand Dueling class. The Group That Shall Not Be Named, the largest Harry Potter meetup group in the nation, made sure the weekend was fabulously full of Quidditch, Wand Dueling and more. Something I got to do this year that I'm rarely able to do is walk the floor. That was wonderful and on day one I got this incredible peacock feather fascinator for day two (an item perfect for a Malfoy and for my general sensibilities) and this was as much of a hit as anything I've ever worn. Ever. (By Rae Beth Designs)

Like with any convention heavy on Cosplay, there are some amusing things one overhears and witnesses.

Voice 1: "Is that a sexy version of-"

Voice 2: "YES."

Throw in some expletives and that was something overheard between two young men, the iterations of which could have taken place between any number of persons of any gender or orientation about any character of any fandom. Everything under the sun. Grown, burly men confidently and without hesitation shouting out the names of My Little Pony characters to those of any gender dressed as them. Like DragonCon, you have to give yourself extra time to travel escalators and cross rooms, and like DragonCon, people watching is sort of the best.

Favourite costume? The Bain Capital Bane. Brilliant and epic. Check it out on Tor.Com's FB page. Also, Michael Mason Photography has some great shots as well.

Favourite moment? Looking out into the packed house at our Steampunk panel. When I introduced myself at the panel, a cheer went up in the room. I was honoured by this, I was flattered, and I was more driven than ever to keep writing books. Thank you, readers.

Coming up, WE'RE JUST A FEW WEEKS AWAY FROM THE NEXT MAGIC MOST FOUL NOVEL! We've got cool stuff regarding THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART, like book trailers, excerpts, giveaways and more, the book is available for pre-order wherever books are sold, both in print and digitally, so if you, like me, forget about release day, pre-ordering is always an option. I'll be touring for signings and events in Cincinnati, Ohio, Portland, Oregon and New York City, possibly Salem, MA, so stay tuned to my Appearances page on my website, and for postings on my FB wall, and of course, tweets!

Harry, the Beloved Professor, and the End of an Era

Thursday evening into Friday morning, July 15th, 2011...

So, alongside an enormous contingent of The Group That Shall Not Be Named, we journeyed forth unto the movie theatre to commune with our beloved witches and wizards one last time.

(And several of us ended up in the New York Times)

Anyone who has followed me for any amount of time likely knows the following:

- I default easily, comfortably and rather joyfully to Narcissa Malfoy when dressing for such events.

- I am a Slytherin in ambition, love of spooky things, love for head of house and utterly Slytherin in my fashion.

- I am a Ravenclaw in my politics/social issues. (Sort of a Slytherclaw; I'd be like Luna's black-sheep cousin who would say the same odd stuff she says, only way creepier).

- I am rather enamoured with Severus Snape. (Understatement of century.)

I was utterly taken in and wholly overwhelmed by this film, and also by confronting the fact that I must soon write the final book in my own fantasy series. When moved and overwhelmed I take solace in lists. So. I have seven things to say, because seven is a magical number in every way and if I don't limit myself here, I might just babble on for ages. But I have my own books to write and deadlines stare me dead in the eye. So...

1. Thank you, Ms. Rowling. You are my hero.

2. If a packed-to-the-gills theatre can be reduced to shrieks or sobs just by showing the beloved face of someone we know is about to die in the maddening parade of death that is the Deathly Hallows, something special has occurred that their very images are so real to us that we cannot bear to see them go.

3. F YEAH, Neville!

4. "I've always wanted to use that spell." ... Kick-ass.

5. Dear God. The Prince's Tale keeps scrolling through my mind, over and over again in an aching, heart-wrenching loop.

6. OMG with the weeping. So. Much. Weeping.

7. "Always."

*swoon* *die* *sob* *swoon* *sob* *adoration*

I will Always adore you, Harry, and everyone in your world.

Thank you, J.K.

Forever and Always.

Aeternitas 2011

Well, release week celebrations for The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess is nearly done, though I hope your Strangely Beautiful reading pleasure will continue... (The contests for my HAUNTED LONDON BLOG TOUR are still up and running! Check them out!) and my cross-country travels have brought me back home again to NYC. I'm still attempting to process the Week of Awesome. Admittedly, I'm really tired, fighting a cold that I always get after exerting myself as madly as I do on release weeks, but I'm very blessed in having some amazing events to show and tell.


Starting with... Aeternitas 2011.

I was there because The Group That Shall Not Be Named kindly asked, since I am an unabashed Harry Potter nut, if I would be a Keynote Speaker along with friend and author of Knightley Academy, Violet Haberdasher, about the threads linking our love for Harry Potter into our own unique fantasy worlds. The Keynote video can be found on the Aeternitas page. Also, who can say no to a Harry Potter convention benefiting Lung Cancer research and the HP Alliance?!
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So. Gather about 300 Harry Potter fantatics into one charming, thoroughly House-decorated hotel on a lake, with a tent, with Ray the Dark Lord of the Bar, the great DJ Swish aiding our parties, a lineup of Wizard Rock and Hogwarts school programming, serious cosplayers and costumers, the beautifully led Keynote discussion with Violet and I about our love for HP and how that translates into our fiction and the awesome questions from the audience, me gladly taking on the reins of a very plausible Narcissa Malfoy (as noted in the MuggleNet article)... OMG the level of Geek-tastic could be split between a thousand Horcruxes and the squee would still need containment. I honestly have NO idea how to recap this weekend. It was one of those 'you had to be there' weekends.
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When you really love a genre, any genre, book, series, whatever it is, and you gather with others who share the same love, an automatic bond forms. You have a specific language, code, inside jokes, and a certain freedom that you certainly don't find in the Muggle world at large, because you are around people who, yes, admit that they own a level of geek that is larger than your average bears, but in context this is, in fact, encouraged. And as the con was filled with very talented, accomplished people, we all return to our lives to go on with our own art, our music, our work, etc, all the better for it. As I sit here trying to summarize, it's all a bit of a squee-blur, frankly. -- And we got a write-up (and a fabulous mention) in MuggleNet!!
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Here are a few favourite moments among countless:

- Wand-ball (requirements: wands and balloon)

-Catching up with Violet and talking publishing industry shop, and, of course, our Keynote and three book signings!

-Whatever in the world Ray the Dark Lord of the Bar would come up with next. The 'Dead Hufflepuff' was a crowd favourite.

- Unbreakable Vow!

- Impromptu Slytherin graveyard photo shoot. (Thanks to Violet for humoring us and taking photos). All the photos in general made for riotous fun, especially with The Enthusiasts directing much of the ridiculousness.

- The Dark Lord, Bellatrix, The Malfoys (including myself) and a back-up group of Death Eaters rocking out to Thriller on the dance floor.

-Signing at Annies Book Stop and watching my Slytherin contingent walk through the parking lot and proceed to own the store. (You can order signed books through Annie's! Just email them!)

-Cassie's dueling workshop, and Cassie in general, one of the most incredibly versatile actor/costumers around.

-The amazing costumes featured in the Fashion Show.

-The LePages for being beautiful and letting me play.

-The fact that Jonathon, organizer of The Group That Shall Not Be Named couldn't be seen out of the back seat of the car packed with con-gear because he was stuck sitting behind a cauldron.
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And now, photos. Here are only a few of my faves. More can be found on my FB page in my Convenions and Events album. The Bellatrix is Cassandra Johnstone, Lucius is Perseus LePage, Draco is Draco LePage and thanks to The Enthusiasts, to Cassandra and to Violet for lending photo magic. Huge thanks to Amanda and HP MA and The Group That Shall Not Be Named for some amazing organizing. Thanks to the fabulous attendees for bringing the awesome. Huh-zzah.




























Cheers and if you haven't checked out the latest Strangely Beautiful release, The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess, there are a lot of fun ghost stories and giveaways as a part of my annual Haunted London release week tour, with our final post tomorrow!
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ALSO, stay tuned. This week I'll be revealing my GORGEOUS cover for DARKER STILL, a Novel of Magic Most Foul!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So it's no secret I'm a Harry Potter fan. And there's nowhere better than New York City to be a fan, where The Group That Shall Not Be Named creates incredible events around the Potterverse. Add the Harry Potter Alliance into the mix and the lead up to the Deathly Hallows midnight shows at Lincoln Center was really amazing. Please check out The Harry Potter Alliance's petition for Fair Trade chocolate in Harry Potter branded chocolate. This is only one of the many real-world Horcruxes they're trying to solve. From flaming HP themed drinks to invading a local diner to the flashmob around Columbus Circle (as documented by the New York Times)- it was blast of a twelve hour long celebration. As you can see, I chose a bit of a Narcissa Malfoy look and rocked out with my fellow Slytherins.

One of the great highlights of the night was meeting fellow author and media maven Violet Haberdasher, who had for quite some time come highly recommended to me as an author and person. Her Knightley Academy series is a clever Victorian take on, as the title does not mislead, an academy for Knights. Of course I was going to adore her. It helps that she's a tremendous lot of fun in addition to being a fellow fan of just about everything I go SQUEE over. Um... fabulous books and NaNoWriMo cheerleader aside, she reviews Doctor Who episodes. Considering I've been a Doctor Who fan since I was 7 years old, the meeting of minds that everyone said was meant to be, indeed felt just so.

With all this wind-up, it was a good thing the movie lived up to all the celebration. *sigh* Wow. Now, being a fan of the books first and foremost, I never go into the films with expectations. I know things will be different, I know things will be omitted, but I always know the casting and acting will be top notch, and I am always particularly won over by that. And this film? Best one yet. I'm not going to give anything away, only to say that I laughed and cried. A lot. The film is such a different feel, tone and take, just as the book is. And it was beautifully done. This part of Harry's hero's journey is painfully and beautifully rendered. The strength of this film is that we care about these characters so much. At this point we are so invested, it makes every difficulty, choice, loss, triumph and brave act all the more meaningful. I truly felt this one was made for the fans of the books especially, and maybe it's no coincidence that Our Lady J. K. said it's her favourite. It is simply beautiful.

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Around the Strangely Beautiful universe... Thanks tons to Reading with Tequila for a lovely new Strangely Beautiful review, it's so wonderful to see new readers getting on board with a series set to unfold into its further adventures. On that note, we'll soon be marking a new chapter in the Strangely Beautiful universe, so stay tuned, I can't wait to share the Midwinter treat with you!