Joisey Adventures Presents: Dragon*Con 2011 -- Day Two

Let's continue with our story from Dragon*Con 2011..

It is 7am on Saturday morning. Now you figure getting up that early I must be going to work but no...I was off to a writing workshop called "21 Days to a Novel" The workshop was led by Michael Stackpole and here is the official description:

Seminar 6: (21 Days to a Novel) New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole presents his three week program for preparing yourself to write a novel. This set of 21 exercises is broken down to give you everything from character creation to world building, practical plotting devices, dialogue development and character voice creation tools. This program is a practical, kick-in-the-pants place to start your career.

Now you would think it could not be done but with these exercises it is genuinely possible. I might use the tools he gave out at this workshop for National Novel Writing Month and I might just do that. I already have ideas flowing in my head; I just need the time to write it down.

After the workshop was over, I booked it back to the Walk of Fame to conquer the one and only WILLIAM SHATNER. His manager or handler told me he was signing at 1100am but had a photo opportunity but would be back by 1130am. That was a lie. So the next time was 130pm, right in the middle of the Smallville: Three Bad Guys and a Supergirl panel that David wanted me to go to. I left the Walk of Fame and went right back to the Hyatt. I told David that I had to leave early from the panel because of William Shatner and he was cool with it.

So 1pm rolls around and we are led inside of the ballroom and immediately Michael Rosenbaum starts with his crazy antics. If you have not seen any of his work, YOU NEED TO. Right now. Stop what you are doing and go to YouTube and look up something of Michael Rosenbaum. Or you can just watch my videos below.





145pm comes and I bolt out of the ballroom and make my way back to the Walk of Fame. Now on Saturday at Dragon*Con this is a feat in of itself because now all of the costume paraders are back and mingling inside the hotels. Luckily when I got to the Walk of Fame William Shatner still had a line. Apparently he has this weird policy that if he does not have a line waiting for him, he leaves. Where he goes...no one knows.

I approaching his "room" which is one of the bell desks and he is seated. His handler/manager takes my Shit my Dad Says book and asks me where I would like William to sign the book. I said wherever and to make it out to Nick & Danielle. I was told no personalization. Fine. I moved over to stand in front of William and asked him about his Tennessee Walkers. Those are the breed of horses he owns. Asked him nothing about Star Trek or Boston Legal or TJ Hooker. He said to me that his horses are doing fantastic and that he is thinking of getting another one. He also said that no one has ever asked him about his horses and he thanked me for that. I said well I like to be remembered. He said that he would remember me if I ever went to a convention where he was again. His manager started to get annoyed so I grabbed my book, said thank you, and went on my merry way.

At this point I got all of the autographs and pictures that I wanted....until I heard Misha Collins was finally there. Now I am a fan of Supernatural but I forgot my Supernatural Book of Demons book so I decided to surprise my friend Fran who is a big time Misha Collins fan. Last year at Dragon*Con I had Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) leave her a voicemail so this year I figured I would do the same. I called her and her husband answered the phone. I told him to put her on once she was finished with whatever she was doing. We had maybe a four minute BS conversation and then I asked her to hold on. I talked to Misha for a second and asked him if he would not mind talking to a big fan of his on the phone. He said no and took my phone and the conversation went something like this: "Hi..who is this? No who is this? I am not telling you. Because I don't want to. No still not telling you. Nope. Sorry. Oh by the way this is Misha and I am sorry I missed you at Dragon*Con." When he handed me back the phone I was in tears laughing. Fran asked me who that was and when I told her she nearly died. Now I just have to get her to the Kevin Sorbo signing in October.

Now I am officially done with autographs and pictures. I got in no order whatsoever: Beau Bridges (picture with/autograph), Robert Englund (autograph),Carrie Fisher (autograph in book), Christopher Lloyd (picture with/autograph),William Shatner,(autograph in Shit my Dad Says book), Wil Wheaton (picture with/autograph in Just a Geek book),Eliza Dushku (picture with/autograph). and Jim Beaver (autograph in book).

So off to do some SHOPPING. There are three dealer rooms in the Marriott Marquis so three ways for me to spend way too much money. Luckily enough since I had a good idea of what I wanted to get, temptation was not there. No one had Deadman Volume 1 though as well as The Walking Dead Volume 8. But this is what I did get:

Comic Books/Trade Paperbacks
Terminal Alice by Jeffrey Kaufman (Zenescope Comics)
Hack/Slash Death by Sequel by Tim Seeley
The Walking Dead Volume 7 and Volume 9 by Robert Kirkman
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told edited by DC Comics
X-Men Origins by edited by Mark D. Beazley

Regular Books
Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sword of Darkness by Sherrilyn Kenyon written as Kinley MacGregor
Vamped by Lucienne Diver
The Ascension by Samantha Sommersby
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Yes I have a lot of reading to do...plus all of the other books I have! By 7pm I was done. Went back to the hotel and took a mighty nap...after having this awesome burrito from Cafe Momo's as well as other things but I will keep this blog PG-Rated.

All in all, even though it was only two days of convention I had an awesome time. Can not wait for next year! Only 357 days left!