For those who don’t follow me on social media and want a breakdown of how Penned Con 16 was, this post is for you. For those unfamiliar, with Penned Con you can read about it here.
The 3 days I was there passed in a blur of hugs, tears, and laughter. It was like a family reunion. I was able to hug readers and authors that I only got to talk to online. We danced out butts off, ate more than our stomachs could hold and held up our love of the written word. It was a wonderful reminder of why I write.
Friday morning the Keynote room was packed waiting for Quinn Loftis to remind us why we write/read. (Can you see me right in the front row. hehe). At lunchtime, the authors were taken down service elevators and into a sun-filled atrium that held our 3-course meal: Salad, Chicken breast with roasted potatoes and green beans with lush chocolate cake. It felt like we were royalty!
Friday was a blur of signing books, passing out swag and hearing about panels I didn’t have time to go to. After the signing, there was a Nerf war of epic proportions (check out the gun one of the people brought!) After that, we had a party hosted by Red Coat PR with a DJ and a bar. Much dancing was had.
The following day was much the same but it flew by. We tore down out tables at 2 and got ready for the Luau dinner that was held. It had a roasted pig and everything! At that dinner, Rick made good on his promise that if the charity could raise an additional $2,500, he’d wear a coconut bra and grass skirt. When all was said and done, we managed to raise over $13,000 for Action for Autism, which was amazing. 952 readers and bloggers walked through the door to see us, each one of them helping to raise funds for the charity as well.
The awards were given out during that dinner and I’m still in shock I won! A second dance/DJ party was held, along with a ton of photos. By Sunday morning my brain was fried but in a good way. It was hard to say goodbye to some of these friends as it’s the only time of year I get to see them.
I’m already counting down the days for Penned Con 17. 🙂
Danielle Bannister, Author 