The annual Lake County Comic Con - located at the Trilogy Orlando, address 100 Falling Acorn Ave, Groveland FL, it's north of Clermont FL folks, check your GPS - will open Sunday November 20 from 10AM to 5PM, and I will be one of many vendors there offering our wares!
I will bring the latest volume of the Strangely Funny anthology series, copies of my short story collection Last of the Grapefruit Wars, and a special offer this time around.
For one book purchase at $10.00, you get a Witty Librarian mousepad!
For two book purchases at $20.00, you get a Witty Librarian mug!
Supplies are limited, so the deal won't last!
I might even bring my Royal Palm Literary Award for display!
Hope to see you there, drive safe. Mask up if need to, COVID is still out there, please get your booster shots.
Once, long ago, before the dark times, before the pandemic, I would make convention visits to Clermont FL for a Sunday comic con.
While the COVID situation remains fraught - even with the vaccinations and the booster shot I just got last week - it seemed safe enough to make a return trip. Except this year they weren't doing it at the Clermont center - I didn't ask but I expect the city couldn't afford yet to have it open - so it was in a meeting room at a gated community (Trilogy Orlando) north of Clermont.
This year I brought some new items for sale: Mousepads with my "Definitions of a Witty Librarian" design. I also planned on giving away a Witty Librarian coffee mug in a raffle... except I forgot to pack the bloody coffee mug!!! (AAAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHH)
Missing from this photo: THE DAMN COFFEE MUG
And so, emotionally scarred by my failure to forget ONE THING that I always do whenever I go on these convention runs... I set up table and got to work! By... sitting there and waiting for customers to come to me, because I was working solo this Sunday.
I did have time to walk the floor once in a while (bathroom breaks)...
They had me in the corner of the room with the local chapter of the Ghostbusters! So every time the kids came by they played with the proton pack and made flushing noises (the traps disposal)...
I have to admit I also play a lot of Pokemon Go, and the thing is there's a mission requirement to get past Level 40 where you have to capture 200 Pokemon. Good news is, the Trilogy's center had three Pokestops you could load with Lures to draw in more than 200 Pokemon all day long... sooooo...
I also needed to take a picture of my Pokemon buddy at one point, which got photobombed by a Shinx!!!
In the good news category, I caught interest from a number of readers looking for new titles, and I made sure they left with at least bookmarks to think about buying one or more of the Strangely Funny books. Even better, two of them bought the print copies! One bought the first volume of Strangely Funny, and the other bought the last copy I have of the History and Mystery Oh My edition.
Nobody bought the mousepads though, so I have a glut at the moment. Anyone need a Witty Librarian mousepad?
This is what's on the mousepad, if you want it, drop me a line...
So here's hoping this was a safe and healthy comic con for all attendees, and that our Thanksgiving will be one of fun with family and friends!
I will make an Author's appearance at the upcoming LAKE COUNTY COMIC CON this Sunday November 21st opening at 10:00AM! It's at Trilogy Orlando in Groveland, FL, (exact address is 100 Falling Acorn Ave, Groveland, FL 34736 so you can GPS it) with tickets going for $8 a person.
I'll be selling copies of my story anthology Last of the Grapefruit Wars as well as volumes of the Strangely Funny anthologies containing my works, especially the latest work "War of the Murder Hornets!"
This year I'm including Witty Librarian mousepads for sale, and I will be holding a raffle drawing of a Witty Librarian coffee mug!
Some lucky winner will get this official Witty mug!!!
I promise to be fully vaccinated for the event - getting a booster shot this week - masking up and socially distancing, and I hope to see you there with appropriate CDC-approved style!
I went again this year, with hope that I have more titles of interest and able to get more customers. I did speak with a wonderful lady who loves reading, and was happy to get a copy of Strangely Funny and History and Mystery. I had more people ask about NaNoWriMo - I had a sign up promoting it - and a good number of people eager to get bookmarks for free.
Clermont is not a large-scale con like MegaCon or TampaBayCon, but it's pretty active for a city-run event. I'm hoping more people keep showing up for this.
Also, I asked for some help this year watching the table, so my nephew Drew volunteered to backup and help with sales and convention seeing.
Here's fellow author and convention vendor Bill Hatfield! He's sitting across the aisle from me.
Here comes the first cosplayers of the day! Steam Punks!
R2! You see him rolling, they faintin...
The professional cosplayer area in the main lobby
One other thing that happened this trip: I got my brother Phil to see just how hilly Clermont is. A long-time cross country runner, even HE is impressed by the terrain.
Have you ever BEEN to Clermont? You know, you can live a long time in Florida and get used to the idea of everything being flat or at least hilly, but by GOD you go to Clermont and all of a sudden you're dealing in VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS EVERYWHERE! If you had to bike from place to place your heart would give out by the ninth block, I SWEAR...
Anyhoo, here are some photos of my Sunday excursion to the Clermont Performing Arts Center for their annual Comic Con:
The Pikachu Car made it to Clermont! And was able to drive up those damn mountains!
There's Scott trying to keep things organized. Met Scott through City of Heroes and a couple of events he hosted at a comic book store he once owned in Clermont. If you wanna keep up with his antics, check out Florida Geek Scene!
Here's me getting set up at my table! Remembered the book display this time!
Getting all set up for the day!
Getting the cosplayers walking by my table! I am trying to time the photos so that the Clermont Comic Con logo will be on that screen.
There was a film crew working on a documentary at this convention.
WONDER WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. Justice League is a good movie. Way better than the shoddy Batman v Superman.
Battle of the Planets! Sadly, no Voltron cosplayers!
The table next to me was selling vintage Star Wars action figures and toys.
OMG. There is a classic Chewie action figure WITH BOWCASTER RIFLE.
Yes. I bought it.
Another closeup of the display table, because...
I HAD A CUSTOMER BUY THE STRANGELY FUNNY Vol. ONE COLLECTION! WOOT.
I'm making arrangements right now to attend Clermont Comic Con on Sunday November 19 2017 as an Author.
More local communities are hosting their own scifi/fantasy/comics conventions, noting the modern appeal of cool geek. You don't have to go to a major Con in a large city anymore. Well, actually, you kinda want to because you get to see more A-List celebs and artists, but hey, any chance to hang out in public dressed as Batgirl is a good plan.
