Today I have a fun guest post to share, written by D.A. Roach, on the topic of Cons. I attended DragonCon a few years ago, and it was a wild, wonderful, and amazing experience. Be sure to check out D.A.'s new release, Between the Bleeding Willows as well as her great giveaway at the bottom of this post.
What’s a Con and Why
Should You Attend One?
By D.A. Roach
This spring, a fellow author messaged me and said, “You have
to go to UtopYA Con. I hear it’s an amazing conference for Young Adult
authors.” I thought that sounded like something that might interest me,
afterall I am a Young Adult author. I had never attended any kind of book con,
either as a reader or author and was curious about it.
UtopYA Con was held in the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in
Nashville, TN this June. Bloggers, authors, readers, editors, and even
publishers congregated to hear panelists chat about topics from overcoming
chronic depression to how to find a literary agent. There were bookmarks,
books, keychains, t-shirts, giveaways, and even two hot male models. These
things are apparently typical of a Con. For me, it was a chance to experience a
part of the book world I had yet to experience.
But what would I get out of the Con? I’m already in the book
world and interact with authors, readers, publishers, editors, and more on a
regular basis, would it be worth the $600 I’d put out to attend the Con and
host half a table? I took the leap and gave it a try.
I enlisted the help of my not-bookish mother to be an extra
set of hands. She gladly agreed, especially with the chance to explore
Nashville in our down time. We arrived, set up our table and checked in to the
hotel. The next day we took our places and watched the wonder unfold. We were
positioned in an aisle with some wonderful authors whom I had never heard of or
met before. We quickly got to know each other and became friends as we laughed,
conversed, and supported each other.
For me, the Con was well worth the money as I got something
invaluable from it...face to face interaction with people I had met online as
well as new people. There is something to be said for impromptu conversation
with people. It’s a chance to get to know more about a person than texting or
messaging affords. In all the time of chatting online with my author friend
(the one who urged me to go to the Con with her), I had no idea she was deaf.
But after a few interactions, I realized I had been mispronouncing her name. I
apologized and she smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’m deaf and read lips.
Honestly, it looks the same to me so I answer to either name.” What? Wait. I
had no idea she was deaf. Not only did I learn something new and personal about
my friend, I found I felt closer and more connected with her after our
experience at the Con.
If you have a chance to attend a book Con, do it. You may
find, as I did, that the people in attendance are fun, like-minded, and genuinely
entertaining to speak with and get to know.
Between the Bleeding Willows
Demon
Hunters Series
Book
One
D.A.
Roach
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Date of Publication: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 1680585274
ASIN: B01C4VVPII
Number of pages: 282
Word Count: about 64,000
Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor
Design
Book Description:
At eighteen years old, Cassidy has
suffered more loss than most…
At the end of her senior year, her
boyfriend, Jace Peters, was killed in a car accident, and her grandmother died
only weeks later of a heart attack. Emotionally lost, Cassidy desperately searches
for an heirloom her boyfriend was wearing in the crash—her mother’s gold ring.
But during her search, Cassidy discovers more than her ring.
She finds a gate to the Demon
Realm….
A battle is brewing, and
Killian—head of the Demon hunters—preps his Clan for the approaching conflict.
They’ve been working to secure the gate between his realm and the mortal world.
But it’s been nearly impossible since Rya—a voracious demon on a quest to
expand her power—devoured the soul of his Clan’s necromancer. Now Rya is
possessed with the necromancer’s powers and she may break through the gate at
any moment.
Apparently Rya isn’t the only one
Killian has to worry about…
When Cassidy accidentally crosses
into the Demon Realm, Killian can’t understand how a human girl survived the
transition. Now he has to find a way to return her to her own world, or risk
her being caught in the crossfire, which is a complication he definitely
doesn’t need. Once back in the Human Realm, Cassidy readies herself for battle.
She signs up for Krav Maga classes, where she meets Tyler Romaitis—a handsome,
tenacious, humble guy. He seems almost perfect, but nothing is ever that easy.
And as the balance between good and
evil shifts, Cassidy finds herself—and her ring—at the heart of the conflict
for the survival of mankind.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/gBICLCIVERw
Excerpt:
I had no idea
where the path would lead me, but I told myself I’d be fine as long as I did
not veer from it. The insects hiding in the foliage sang their quiet night
songs, and fireflies began to twinkle in the shadows, trying to convince me I
made the right choice and would be safe. On the contrary, the trees seemed to
reach out for me, unashamed of their menacing appearance. I walked carefully to
keep my noise down, not wanting to draw attention to myself or scare off the
voice I heard.
The path continued
some ways before it joined with a clearing dotted with headstones. Blaylock
Grove Cemetery. The headstones were in ruins, kicked over by vandals, no longer
marking where the dead were buried. Weeds grew around the grave markers, and
fallen branches cluttered the ground. What the hell was the deal with this
place? There was a bad vibe here.
I crouched next to
a headstone and Googled Blaylock Grove Cemetery. Wikipedia said it was a small
abandoned cemetery that was known for its ghost sightings and haunted
reputation. My arms got goosebumps, but I continued reading through a few
sites. Some believed that the spirits were restless and angry because of the
disrespect for their final resting place. In the 1950s, it became a place where
couples would come to make out. There was also an increase in vandalism, and it
was around this time when the burial ground became known as “haunted.” In the
early 1900’s a mob boss and his goons were rumored to have dumped their
victims’ bodies into the lagoon at the edge of the cemetery. I looked around
and saw a clearing in the treeline ahead; the moon shimmered off of what must
be
the lagoon. The
image gallery showed photos of the grounds in daytime and with infrared film.
Looking at the images only made me feel even more unsettled.
“Jace,” the female
voice whispered to my right in a seductive tone. I stood frozen in one spot,
staring in the direction of the voice, staying as silent and statuelike as I
could. In my periphery, I saw a shadowy figure walk across the clearing toward
the voice. I couldn’t make out a face so I stood and followed it, hoping for a
closer look. In my haste, I snapped a branch beneath my foot.
Crap!
The figure turned
toward me. His mouth twisted in a snarl, and his eyes were solid black. Despite
these deformities, the face was familiar. My heart and mind warred with each
other. Instinct told me to get the hell out of there, but my heart still
thrummed for the guy who had captured it four years ago.
Seeing him like
this, though…
Jace Peters was a
good guy, not evil like the demon before me.
The sound of fast
footsteps and cracking branches gained on Jace. I looked to the sound. In the
dim moonlight, I could only see a large, dark figure running at full speed.
Jace took off and darted between two giant willows at the edge of the cemetery.
The dark figure dove at him—and they both vanished before they hit the ground.
What the…?
I grabbed my
backpack and ran to the willows, but there was no sign of them. I ducked under
the weeping branches and studied the base of the tree, searching for any clue.
I grabbed the trunk to steady myself, but quickly retracted my hand when I felt
the wet sticky liquid. Using my phone light to illuminate, I found the willow
trunk coated in a dark sap. Putting my soiled fingers to my nose, I could not
smell a thing. I touched my tongue to it, and tasted the metallic warmth of
blood. Shining the light up the tree top showed me the streaks started as high
as I could see and ran down to the roots. I walked to the other willow and found
it also oozed blood. The leaves and branches were unremarkable; only the trunks
were affected.
Trees didn’t
bleed, so what was going on here? Maybe this place really was haunted. Had I
witnessed two apparitions tonight, one being my dead exboyfriend?
Why was I blaming
this on mystical things? I had never believed in ghosts and I always thought
those Ghosthunters shows preyed on gullible people. Well, I wasn’t a gullible
person, but I sure as hell saw two figures disappear right before my eyes
tonight.
I needed to get
out of there and get home. After I wiped the blood on the weeds below, I
grabbed my backpack. Stepping out from beneath the branches onto the path
between the bleeding willows, I began falling…down…down…down…
About
the Author:
D.A. is a full time mom and wife.
When she is not doing domestic things (laundry, bills, etc) she is writing,
reading, creating mixed media art, and helping beautify her kids' school
landscape. Oh, and she is ALWAYS listening to music. Her favorite authors
include Rebecca Donovan, Richelle Mead, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Meyer, E.L.
James, and Sylvia Day. Reading great works from authors like these has
motivated D.A. to write her own stories. She hopes to make positive changes in
the world with her art and writing.
"Life isn't about finding
yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
— George Bernard Shaw
WEBSITE:
http://daroachbooks.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/DARoachDA/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/daroach12books
BOOK GORILLA:
http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00AQNBVH2/daroach
AMAZON AUTHOR PG: http://www.amazon.com/author/daroach
Tour giveaway
1 Amazon Gift card $25
2 signed copies (US only) of
Between the Bleeding Willows
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