Hello all 🙂
Recently, in the Authors & Attendees group on Facebook, we spent some time going through some of the things readers can expect during next year’s seventh annual Coastal Magic Convention. It was a fun way to introduce new attendees to some things to look forward to, and a good way to highlight some differences for our returning friends. In case you missed it, here’s a bit of what our #CMCon19 weekend will look like.
Thursday will start off with a Writer Mini Boot Camp, sponsored by Book Lovers Con. This is a separate event, with separate ticketing. The Mini Boot Camp admission can be purchased alone, or in addition to the full Coastal Magic weekend registration.
The five hour program (10am – 3pm, $35) is an extension of the intense, two day Writer Boot Camp previously presented annually at the RT Booklovers Convention, and continuing at Book Lovers Con. Workshop instructors will be Coastal Magic Featured Authors Tere Michaels (Emotional Arcs: The Universal Story) and Damon Suede (Character Building: Action Figures). The two will be joined by additional authors for a panel Q&A. (You can read about the workshops and other info in this post.)
The first officially scheduled Coastal Magic event will be our Welcome Mingle, which will
have a Mardi Gras theme next year. (Mardi Gras starts on Saturday, but we’re taking advantage of the theme all weekend long!)
The Welcome Mingle is our “party night”, and is moving to Thursday for the first time next year. We’re also toning it down just a bit, so people will have more of a chance to catch up with old friends, and get to know new people. We’ll still have music playing, and we’re toying with the idea of a smaller dance floor (not decided yet), on one side of the room, so that the music isn’t as loud for those chatting on the other side. I hope this gives everyone a fun place to “land” when they arrive, and a good way to kick off the weekend. As for any of our themed events, if you’re up for dressing the part, GREAT! But “come as you are” is totally welcome, as well. 🙂
For anyone who wondered about our usual Thursday evening fare… don’t worry, it didn’t go far. Cinema Craptastique has simply shifted to Friday night. It’s a move that’s been asked for for a few years now, and we’re finally gonna give it a try next year. If you’ve never been to/participated in a Cinema Craptastique, you’re definitely in for an experience. After a day of panels and meet & greets, and a break for dinner, our emcee Damon Suede will lead us in live tweeting an awesomely awful movie, with popcorn and prizes to boot! It’s an annual favorite for both authors and attendees, and is always full of laughs. Publicly appropriate pajamas are totally encouraged, lol.
Saturday is full of crazy cool stuff.
First, we’ll be continuing with our panels and meet & greets. Then, readers and authors will get to have lunch together! Lunch With An Author is our annual chance to break 
things down and keep them simple. This “no promo” lunch is included in the registration, and gives readers a chance to choose an author to sit with (four/five readers per author), and spend some quality time getting to know each other.
Later in the afternoon will be our annual book sale/signing. Each of our Featured Authors and additional Signing Only Authors will be available to convention attendees, and the signing is open (free) to the public. Books will be available for purchase, and you can have them personalized by the authors. We do allow for readers to bring a total of five books from home to have signed during the signing. We do encourage attendees to support the participating authors by purchasing books on site, if possible. If you’re an “ebook only” reader, many authors will have swag items you can get signed as keepsakes, and are happy to take pictures with fans.
Saturday night will see the return of our Game Night! This is a fun way to spend our last evening together, and allows attendees the chance to get frantic and frenzied during SWAG BINGO, or chill out with authors and other readers for board games, card games, coloring, and other relaxing activities.
For anyone not familiar with SWAG BINGO, it’s an hour long, prize filled game full of swaggie goodness. Our amazing and generous Featured Authors will be contributing swag and novelties to the welcome bags every attendee receives. In addition to the information that you obviously get from promo swag (book release dates, collectible character cards, freebie book codes, etc.), in this game, it can win you prizes!! Hosted by a handful of Featured Authors, you’ll be asked to find specific items in your piles of swag. (Ex: cowboy hat, book title in green font, ocean scene, author name with only five letters, etc.) Find enough items to make a BINGO, and YOU WIN!
Sunday we’ll be winding down and saying goodbye, but not until we’ve had a few fun panel discussions, and had a bit more SWAG fun.
SWAG Crafts is a fun way to turn your swag into keepsake or dual use items. Collect items into a simple, mini scrapbook, or add ribbon to create bookmarks showcasing your favorite authors or characters. Join authors and readers who have lots of ideas, and make something awesome even awesomer, lol!
The last thing on Sunday is always our Feedback & Farewell discussion. This is an open forum for attendees (authors and readers) to chat about what they really enjoyed during the weekend, what didn’t work quite as well, and offer suggestions for the following year. I always look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts and ideas while they’re still fresh in people’s minds.
So, there you have it. The final schedule, complete with panel topics and other goodies will be posted towards the end of the year, but this is a basic rundown of the bigger events. I hope that helps everyone get excited about what’s to come next February!!
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