The Great Swag Scramble

Sorry for being such a downer yesterday! I swear, I’m not normally that woe-is-me. Or at least I try not to be.

Anyway, sometime yesterday morning I realized we’re nearing RT. Sure, sure, we still have fifty-three days and all, but really…that isn’t enough time when you have things to do! Like me. Oh man, I have things to do. I have clothes to buy and outfits to figure out. I have my hair to fix and get all awesome (you know I have to get something special for this convention, right?). 

Then I have to start figuring out what kind of costume I’m wearing for the Ellora’s Cave Disco party. Meh…I want comfortable so I’m thinking I’ll wear jeans and a vintage style t-shirt with like Orange Crush on it or something and go all Farrah Fawcett on my hair. *flips it over her shoulders and lets it blow in the imaginary breeze* So that’s one outfit. I think. I have to get dressy clothes *mutters* and things to wear the rest of the time. Jeans are good the entire time, right? It isn’t like I’m important or anything…maybe I can get one of those massive, floor-sweeping skirts so I can pretend I’m girly.

Oh and I have to get swag. Swag is perhaps the most important part of a convention for an author after their wardrobe. The swag readers pick up at a convention is something they’ll (hopefully) have for several weeks, months maybe even years afterward. It’s the hope of the author that once the conference is over the reader will utilize the swag and think of the author and her books. I’ve had Romance Trading Cards (which I’ll have this time around as well). I’ve had guitar key chains and sewing kits (for Primal Song and Primal Design). This time, I’m going to try other objects that have my logo on them like the header at the top of this page. Nothing too suggestive, just my name and info. I think. I might need to see if they can put my website on the items I chose.

But the point of this is, I spent several weeks wondering what I was going to get for this convention. If I was pimping out a book, I’d choose something from the book for the theme, but since I’m pimping myself as an author…it’s a little more difficult. I mean, I want this to be stuff people want to keep, but I don’t want something too bulky either. *sigh* Ah well. I’ll probably change my mind a few million times between now and the deadline to get items.

Oh! If you’re not going to RT, but want to be a “part” of the experience, RT and ARe are teaming up to give readers a chance to participate from home. Click on the Book Expo button on the right sidebar for details.

What conferences are you going to this year?