It is time to gear up for things that go bump in the night, come from beyond, or below, or from a time past or a time which hasn’t yet occurred. That is Dragon* Con in Atlanta Labor Day weekend each year. I’ve been attending the last few years, sitting in on the Writer’s Track to catch up on the writing news and trends and to rub elbows with old acquaintances.
There is a kickoff parade which stops traffic and has eyeballs popping. Fans of various genres, TV shows and movies, are garbed in superb costumes. To see Storm Troopers marching down Peachtree Street flanked by elves, fairies, the steampunk crowd and vampires is something Atlanta has come to expect. I snap photos of strangers and marvel at their attention to the smallest detail in creating their costumes, then head for the exhibition hall for a gander at the most spectacular fantasy art. I usually find a trinket or two to take home.
Celebrities from film, television are on hand to meet their fans. William Shatner, who must have more energy than a nuclear plant, usually appears. Carrier Fisher is on the list, along with Lea Thompson, Kate Mulgrew, and dozens more representing decades of favorite fantasy and science fiction shows and movies. Authors of the fantastic abound too, including such chroniclers of vampires and other creatures of the night as Sherrilyn Kenyon, Charlaine Harris and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (who was writing great romantic vampire fiction long before the current run on the blood banks).
I’ll be looking for the cast members from The Vampire Diaries, my current fav TV show. (I must count as the equivalent of several teenagers.) Sarah Canning and David Anders from TVD will be there, and maybe more. There will also be a Vampire Diaries open casting call for paid extras during the con. I would give it a shot but I haven’t seen anyone over 40 on the show.
Dragon Con is great SF/Fantasy fun. Why is a romance author joining in? Because I have big plans for dark things. Before next year’s Dragon*Con Parade marches down Peachtree Street, I’ll have a paranormal tale of my own ready for readers. Nope! No peeking between the covers yet! But if you come to Dragon* Con and see a romance writer amid the superheroes, Starfleet captains, Cylons, hobbits, wizards, and other strange visitors to our world, please say hello.
PS: If you are a Dragon Con fan/attendee, I’d love to hear what draws you to the con.