Finding The Right Book Con For You

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? How she has to try all the different porridge, and the different beds before she finds the right one? Well, finding the right book con is exactly like that.

Since being published in 2011, I have been to several cons and events. Some have been large with thousands of people. I think the highlight of those cons have been the Mega-Star Authors I have fan-girled over and got my books signed. I remember my encounters with legends like Nora Roberts, Patricia Briggs, and Marjorie M. Liu. Squee!

The downside is I'm part introvert, so at some point (and it doesn't take much) the noise level and the sheer number of people overwhelm and exhaust me. I have to go hide in my hotel room.

I have also attended wonderful little luncheons, a pleasant few hours to connect with a table full of people. These are lovely, but they are over too soon. I wistfully wrap up bookish discussions and take my leave. My favorite is the Southern Magic Reader Luncheon in Birmingham, Alabama. Those ladies know how to party!

But there are some cons that fit you just right. They're a blast and when you leave, you're both exhausted and energized. A strange, but good place to be. For me, Authors After Dark is that con. It's not too big, and it's not too short.

You have amazing authors and readers come together, all united by their love of books.

This year, the Mistress of Ceremonies was the very awesome and sweet Sherrilyn Kenyon.

It's about 4-5 days long and you get to see the same people running around so before you know it they are familiar faces, and then friends.

The panels are awesome! Most of the AAD readers attending the con are serious readers, they know their genres and books, they can discuss book boyfriends and plot twists into the wee hours of the night. So authors are not just talking heads behind tables during sessions. Instead you have dynamic, deep bookish conversations.

Some of the panels I was on this year: Odd Paranormals, MCIR: What the heck is that? (Half our attendees thought it was Motorcycle Club, but went ahead and stayed for our discussion of Multicultural and Inter Racial stories -- Yay!), Crossing Genres and more. The Dragon panel was packed!

But most importantly, everyone is excited to be there and ready to have fun.

So thank you Stella and wonderful staff for this wonderful year! Next year, AAD will be in Savannah and it'll be the last one in the U.S. for a while...so I'm both sad and looking forward to it. I know it'll be grand.
For more information about the Savannah AAD in 2016  click on this link.

Pictures From the Southern Magic Luncheon

Even though I'm in Texas and the Southern Magic RWA chapter is in Alabama, I love being a member (because some of my most favorite writing/reading peep are in it) and I love attending their annual Romance Readers' Luncheon. They have some awesome keynotes...last year it was Sherrilyn Kenyon, this year it was Jeanine Frost...(keep reading to find out about 2014!)

(Posing with Jeanine Frost, one of my favorite authors)

"Romance celebrates emotional & relationship empowerment" ~ J. Frost

Of course, my fun always starts when my awesome friend Carla Swafford picks me up from the airport. Last year, thanks to getting a bit lost, she gave me the most wonderful tour of Birmingham. This year she kept repeating the mantra "No side trips!" and got me to the hotel in time for the Friday reception. We had plenty of laugh on both trips...and that is always a good start to the weekend.

(Carla with my signing dragon and my book at the luncheon)

Here are pictures of some of my favorite peep I love seeing every year:

(Here's M.V. Freeman, the president of SM who seemed to be in 5 different places at one time! I got to sit at her table and received a very nice bottle of Grey Goose vodka...representing her very sexy Russian hero)

Author Naima Simone, who always brightens up any room with her giggles...she, Carla and Heather put together an awesome video which was super cool and super funny. I hope they share it online because you don't want to miss it. Hee, hee...they share it. So enjoy: http://youtu.be/DF8-2FIMzVM

 And Heather, one of my favorite readers/librarians ever! But I also made new friends...like author Debbie Herbert who had her book come out just the day before...

(Don't you love her cover?)

Of course, Southern hospitality was front and center. Besides welcome bags for every attendee, there were supercalifragilistic baskets given out as door prizes and then others that were raffled off...so cool! Check out the awesome basket I won:

Eeep!!! In other words, Dragon and I enjoyed our visits loads and can't wait to be back in sweet Alabama for the 2014 Southern Magic Luncheon when the keynote will be...SYLVIA DAY!!! Eeep!!!

Authors, Books and the Gifts They Give

The first time I read Jeanine Frost’s “Halfway to the Grave” was in college and it was a moment of epiphany.

(The first book in Ms. Frost's Night Huntress Series)

You see, romance has always been my secret indulgence. Working through high school and college, I always rewarded myself after a hell-week of papers , tests and quizzes with romance novels. However, I found myself tiring of the traditional romance heroine waiting to be rescued, always taking a secondary role to the hero. And then I discovered Ms. Frost’s story and urban fantasy.

Some might argue that urban fantasy is not romance. No, but my favorite ones do have strong romantic elements. And have you read the Night Huntress series? Cat and Bones together are perfect, one the most romantic couples I have found in fiction. You never doubt their love for each other.

But more than that, Cat is a heroine I can respect. She starts off naïve, but with a steely inner strength that lets her hunt vampires. Even better, she’s intelligent. She’s brought up prejudiced against vampires, but soon starts examining evidence, making her own decisions, making mistakes but learning from them.  She matures and grows into her true self throughout the series…and that’s what makes her one of my favorites. 

I attended Conestoga 12 in 2008 because I found out several of my favorite writers – Ms. Frost, Melissa Marr and Rachel Caine—were attending. I was a reader then and I was thrilled. It was the first time I'd met writers.

 (Jeanine Frost is on the far right, at the end of the table)

I loved the stories they wrote, the wonderful adventures they took me on. Sometimes those fictional heroes and heroines were more like friends. But meeting the people who wrote those stories, created that magic...that was a whole new level of awesome.  Listening to these writers talk about their stories, about writing, was a spark that ignited all kinds of possibilities in my mind.

Today I'm a published author with my newest release, Wildfire: A Paranormal Mystery with Cowboys and Dragons, coming out on Sept. 20. I have written stories that I hope touched readers, or at least whisked them off to another world, a grand adventure. None of it would have happened without the stories, like the Cat & Bones stories, that touched me, the writers who worked hard to create those worlds and share them, who took time to talk to me, inspire me. 

And that's what makes the Southern Magic Romance Readers' Luncheon so special. Yes, there are all kind of fun giveaways and baskets full of fabulous (I still love the books best!), but more importantly attendees get to meet so many talented authors, have so many wonderful conversations.

I plan to thank Ms. Frost in person at the Nov. 2 luncheon.

If you wish to attend the luncheon, be sure to register and pay before October 27 at www.southernmagic.org/luncheon/html.

When: November 2, 2013, Saturday, 11 a.m.

Where: Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham, AL (free parking)

Who: The keynote speaker is NYT bestselling author Jeaniene Frost! The welcome speaker is NYT bestselling author Christy Reece who also writes as Ella Grace.

Why: We’ll be giving away lots of free books, and fun SWAG, awesome raffle baskets and lots of laughs. You’ll also get to meet a ton of talented authors. FMI, check www.southernmagic.org.

And speaking of giveaways...

Leave a comment on my post, and you might be the one randomly picked to win a digital copy of Wildfire! I'll announce the winner on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013.

See you at the luncheon!

Mina

https://www.amazon.com/author/minakhan
Blog http://minakhan.blogspot.com/
FaceBook www.facebook.com/Mina.Khan.Author/

Wildfire by Mina Khan

Lynn Hana Alexander is a 25-year-old Japanese American shapeshifter haunted by guilt. She’s been questioning herself and her dragon abilities ever since she failed to save her grandmother.

When her best friend is threatened by mysterious fires burning up acres of West Texas, Lynn rushes to the rescue determined not to fail again. However, with a tempting firefighter, a flirty city developer and dragon pheromones distracting her, how is she going to find the arsonist?

And worse: is her primary suspect a malicious rogue dragon or the love of her life?

IF you'd like a signed paperback (yes, it looks awesome on the shelf!), please check out the Goodreads giveaway: 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wildfire

by Mina Khan

Giveaway ends October 05, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Author Naima Simone'S Writing Foundation

Some people are pure sunshine. I met author Naima Simone online and enjoyed getting to know her. She was nice and positive, pleasant...yeah, I wasn't prepared for our in-person meeting at all.

It happened last year, during my first visit to the great state of Alabama at the fabulous Southern Magician Romance Readers' Luncheon. Even though I knew a lot of the people there --had met quite a few face to face, others I knew online -- I was nervous. I figured I'd be the only Texan there (nope! Met quite a few, woot!) and everyone was super-nice. On top of that, I encountered Naima -- she hugged, twinkled, giggled and made me giggle. She remembered my book, A Tale of Two Djinns. And then she made me giggle some more. Lol! Yeah, she laughed my nerves away, literally.

So it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Naima....

My Jordan

 "In the book of Joshua, the Israelites emerged from the wilderness, prepared to enter into the land God promised them. They encountered a swollen, rushing Jordan River, too swift and deep to cross. Before their eyes, God piled the waters of the river back upon one another and the people crossed over dry land to the other side. In the midst, God instructed Joshua to have twelve men carry stones to their camp at Gilgal, saying, “The stones will serve as a reminder to you. In days to come, your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Tell them that the LORD cut off the flow of water in the Jordan River. Tell them its water stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant of the LORD went across. The stones will always remind the Israelites of what happened there.” (Joshua 4:6-7)

The stones were a monument for the Israelites and their descendents so when they looked back they would have a reminder of what God had done for them.

When I received my first request for a full manuscript four years ago, my father told me to go out in my yard, find a stone and place it on my mantel—so I wouldn’t forget that moment of victory. He understood what I’d already discovered and would assuredly experience again during my journey as a writer.

We all face disappointments, rejection and failures. Sometimes they are enough to discourage us to the point we ask ourselves why do we continue to chase a dream, to pursue a path littered with stumbling blocks? Why don’t we just…quit? But among those disappointments are sweet moments of joy and triumph. Like when we receive the first win in a contest. Or when we receive The Call. Or when a reader emails and says how our stories touched their hearts and provided moments of escape. It’s during those times we need to collect our stones…collect our stones to serve as reminders that for every rejection there’s an acceptance. For every bad review there are three readers who post on FaceBook appreciation and love for what we do. For every “no thank you” there’s an “I want to see more of what you have”.

Our stones remind us that God is faithful. And the only way we stop picking up more and more stones is to quit. As long as we fight this good fight of creating and giving of ourselves, we will have a monument dedicated to joy, success and prosperity we and our children can look back to and say, I crossed my Jordan."


 Naima Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary and erotic romance. She’s a member of RWA’s Southern Magic chapter, mother of the Dynamic Duo, lover of everything Vin Diesel and wife to the fabulous husband who tolerates this affair. And, ahem, check out her latest cover:

Under His Wings is coming out Jan. 23, 2013! Show Naima some bloggity-blog hospitality with some comments, y'all!

Adventures in Gift Wrapping & Other Firsts

October has been a month of firsts for me and super-busy. But that's good. Sometimes we get into ruts or stick with the familiar because it's easier...and safer. Trying something new is always risky, but it has its rewards. You stretch your boundaries and grow.

One of the firsts I'm proudest of is the publication of my multicultural short, "DEAD: A Ghost Story."

Unlike my other published stories, DEAD is NOT a romance. In it, Nasreen – the Indian-American protagonist grapples with her life and death in West Texas.

DEAD was inspired by the many immigrant wives I met during my time as a business reporter in West Texas. For the most part these women are invisible to the mainstream society for various reasons – language barriers, isolation, and unfamiliarity with their adopted country’s laws and social mores etc. So this story was written to recognize them and to highlight a usually hush-hush part of the immigrant story.

I have readers who love my genie romances, so why not write another one instead of trying on a completely different genre? Because the idea of all the invisible Nasreens in the world sort of haunted me until I’d written the story. In doing so, I discovered a different side of myself, a new voice inside.

If you'd like to check DEAD out, here's the Amazon link.

Another first I'm proud of is putting together my Author's Basket for the Southern Magic Romance Readers Luncheon 2012.

I'm not a crafty person. I can't turn ribbons into works of art, and gift wrapping usually involves LOTS of tape...and the end result isn't pretty. Hey, it's what's inside and the thought that counts, right?

But, I'd promised my Southern Magic sisters a raffle basket and by hook and crook I'd get it done. So I enlisted the DH (he's married to me and doesn't have a choice...plus, he's very practical & task oriented).

I loved the shopping part. A perk of writing genie romances and stories with an Asian flavor means I can have fun getting colorful, exotic gifts. Of course, I over-shopped. But that's okay, my DH managed to fit most everything into the basket in a nice, snug, efficient way. Here take a look:

(The book in the back is a Moroccan cookbook, then other good reads, incense, candles, Christmas decorations and more...um, like I said...I had fun shopping!)

We ran into trouble when it came to wrapping. I measured/guesstimated the cellophane and it was too short. So we had to creatively angle the basket, pull and stretch...and use LOTS of tape. By the end of it all, I wasn't even going to attempt working with a ribbon. Instead, I purchased a pre-curled pretty concoction and stuck in on top!

Now I have got my fingers and toes crossed that the ribbon bit stays stuck...if not, I hope the recipient is too distracted by the goodies inside to notice the missing finery. Whew, I feel like I have truly earned the good times and the several glasses of wine I'll enjoy when I finally get to my first Readers Luncheon.

Share some of your firsts!