Reflections of PennedCon ~ by Marj Ivancic

Since last month’s blog ended with me and my two pals setting off on a great adventure, I feel a bit obligated to tell the story of the aforementioned escapade in this installment and put an ending on that cliff hanger. So here we go…

Let me begin by saying—Penned Con isn’t an event; it’s an experience!

Husband and wife duo, Rick and Amy Miles have to be part wizard, part sleepless zombie in order to bring so many people and resources together so seamlessly. And the event isn’t just a few hours or a single day. It’s three whole days! That’s seventy-two hours of dealing with a multitude of problems and personalities.

Insert flabbergasted head shake here!

It’s really quite miraculous.

Sadly, Alex, Darlene and I missed Day 1’s five educational sessions/panels. We were on the road for the majority of the day—me at the helm, Darlene co-piloting, and Alex prairie dogging out of the occasional nap to add a quip or two to conversation or to compare jerky-tasting notes with Dar. Thankfully, the eight-hour trip flew by with no mishaps or hiccups or major road construction.

Upon arrival, we dumped off our suitcases and made for the ballrooms where we unpacked our books and swag and set up our tables. Then it was off to grab a quick bite before 80's Trivia/Game night with a great gang of readers who joined our team. Overall, our collective brain did…okay. I’ll blame the hotel network speed for our not-so-great showing, because our cesspool of useless 80’s knowledge was pretty darn deep. (Did I mention that this year’s event theme was the 80’s?)

Day 2’s six-hour signing was book-ended between a keynote speaker and a pride-stripping lip sync contest…which WE WON!

Photo: Courtesy Amazon

(our individual match). The three of us teamed up with the totally tubular Savannah Verte to compete against a formidable rendition of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Who would have thought half-melted, spray-painted Styrofoam discs could make such convincing DEVO hats? I SAY WHIP IT! WHIP IT GOOD! (And yes, there is video of it, but I’m not saying where!)

Day 3’s signing again kicked-off with a keynote speaker and wrapped up with an 80’s prom that featured some way rad costumes. Folks really dug deep in the closet or at the thrift shop to find that perfect puffy-sleeved prom dress or jean jacket! I think I even saw a cummerbund or two. Oh, and the hair! So. Much. Hairspray.

If you’re interested in seeing just what this event is all about, The  PENNED CON FACEBOOK PAGE has a lot of great pictorial evidence many of us photo dodgers wish would just quietly disappear.

So, when all is said and done, Penned Con is fun time. But as we drove home, Alex, Darlene, and I reflected on how it’s also much more than that.

Penned goes beyond authors selling books/readers buying books. Scattered throughout the three days were opportunities to bridge that distance across the book display table and allow readers and authors to get to know one another... To laugh and joke and just be people at a party, making friends and having fun. We met some colorful, funny, sweet, wonderful people throughout those three days.

This event is also about raising funds for Action for Autism, a 501

(c) (3) charity based in St. Louis, Mo. The profits from Penned Con are donated to a scholarship fund that helps lighten the financial burden of families with attending children. This year’s proceeds would be applied to help a set of triplets participate in the program and hopefully, someday, merge back into a mainstream school. Rick announced that the 2019 event raised $13,366, which was then MATCHED by an anonymous donor. How amazing is THAT? Because of this person’s generosity, Penned will now be donating a grand total of $26,732 to an incredible program. (Dear Anonymous Donor – THANK YOU!)

It’s now over two weeks later and I’m back to the real world. Back at work. Back to cleaning the house. Back to trying to get the next WIP done. But it took a good seven days to recover both physically and mentally, as well as a few more days to unpack after Penned. But it was worth it. Every crazy moment of it.

To view Marj's other blog posts, visit her MEMBER PAGE

The Aftermath of a Signing and a Realization ~ by Darlene Kuncytes

I just got back from Penned Con in St. Louis.

This was my first time attending this event, and to say that is was overwhelming would be a severe understatement.

It was…mind-boggling!

I’ve done my fair share of wonderful signings through the years, and I live for the energizing jolts I get from readers when I go to them. Not to mention the sheer joy of meeting in the flesh people I now consider good friends. That is SUCH a bonus!

And Penned? It was off the charts electric!

Well put together, this event was huge. And I loved every single crazy moment of it! It was non-stop fun!

But, as I sat there, taking in all of the hustle and bustle as avid readers strolled through the aisles, their eyes alight with excitement as they pulled their carts of books so happily behind them, or carried their heavy totes as if they weighed nothing…I realized something.

There is absolutely nothing better than that moment when you fully understand that you are in the presence of true readers.

It hit me like a thunderbolt from above as I sat there quietly sipping my coffee as people began pouring in.

In a day filled with cell phones, binge-watching TV, video game playing technology, these amazing people simply still just LOVE books! They love everything about them. And they love the storytellers who share them!

As an author, I know there are those fabulous creatures out there who love the written word. I’m blessed to have an amazing group of readers. But, in a world of social media, we sometimes forget to really see how much our readers love books. They really, truly love everything about them.

And I needed that. I needed to breathe in all of that enthusiasm and eagerness on an epic scale. I watched. I listened to them talk with my fellow authors, saw their smiles genuine and happy and filled with glee, and I thought to myself…My God, they really, really do love books! (insert Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech here. Lol)

And it is invigorating as all get out! This type of genuine excitement feeds a writer’s soul more than anything else possibly could. It make us realize that what we do matters!

I will admit, that of late, there has been a small part of me that was beginning to worry that life was getting a bit too busy and hectic. That everything nowadays is about convenience, and the ease in which things come to us, and that the days of curling up with a good book and losing yourself for a while were becoming fewer and farther between.

That’s not the case, thankfully. 

Readers are the most amazing people on earth. They really are.
They live for losing themselves to magical places and using their imaginations. They love getting lost in worlds created by authors who love weaving those tales, and I am grateful for each and every one. 

Whether you read my books, or the books of others…the point is, you are reading!!! And THAT, my friends, is what matters!
So, from the bottom of my heart…Thank you!

And always remember to live, love, laugh, and READ!

PennedCon 2019 ~ by Marj Ivancic

It is the end of summer. The sun is lower in the sky. The flowers are

photo: Pixabay.com

fading, the leaves falling. Were it any other year, my heart would sit heavy in my chest and a bit of anxiety would take up residence in my belly, a seasonal tourist since childhood.

But not this year.

In a matter of days, I will be hopping into a car with two of my favorite people (authors Andi Lawrencovna and Darlene Kuncytes) to make the long trip to St. Louis, Missouri, where we will partake in the legendary author/reader event known as Penned Con.

When I applied and was accepted as an attending author, I was excited, but the event at that time was over a year away. It had no shape or form in my brain. It was a merely date on a calendar.

But fast-forward to the June/July time frame…

The Facebook Reader group seems to catch fire. Authors and readers alike are posting and engaging. There is laughter and silliness (the event is 80’s themed after all!) There are questions and helpful answers. A community is born.

Outside of Facebook, the authors prepare. New friendships and

Photo: Pexels.com/Dennis Magati

mentorships arise. We order extra books, try our hands at crafting giveaways, and discuss what should (or shouldn’t) be packed. Even allow ourselves to get talked into lip-sync contests that we would never, ever normally agree to.

Watching the magic some authors work—their swag, their brand, their presence—I’ve run the gambit of emotions: stressed (Will I look like the newbie I am?); overwhelmed (I have nowhere near that level of professionalism!); excited (Who cares? This is going to be so much fun!); blessed (Everyone has been so friendly and helpful!)

I’m holding on to the “You be you” mantra rather like a castaway adrift in an endless sea, clinging to a wilting floaty. But still, it has carried me this far and I know it will get me through to the end. That, and great, supportive friends, like Andi and Darlene. In the end, the event will be what I/we make it, and I know we will make it one to remember. One that will cause much reminiscing that starts with, “Remember that time, at Penned?

” And with any luck and continued blessing, we will be able to attend next year’s event as well.