Kevin Lucia: StokerCon 2019: Thoughts

This past weekend, I experienced my first StokerCon ever. I had a marvelous time. Even now, words fail me. What can I possibly say about my StokerCon experience that others haven't already said? To sum it up, I've decided what made StokerCon so great was simply this: seeing a ton of my writing brethren in the same place, meeting new ones, and very simply, hanging out, talking shop and life, and just taking the weekend as it came.

See, I'm not sure if my experience is typical, but I kind of think it is. For the first two years I attended conventions as a "nobody." I didn't have any books to sell, and even when I did have Hiram Grange & The Chosen One, I didn't get a vendor table right away. Of course, from that perspective, I couldn't wait to get a vendor table so I could sell my stuff. It seemed like the greener grass on the other side of the fence.

Same thing with serving on panels. I couldn't wait to serve on a panel. Quite the status symbol, right? To be selected to share my experience and thoughts with others?

Since 2013, however, I've either had my own vendor table, or shared vendor tables with other authors, and I've served on dozens of panels. I've got to say, for the most part, it's all worked out pretty well. Regarding vendor tables, at the very least, I always broke even. More often than not, I made a profit. Also, I enjoyed serving on panels. Especially the ones which developed into free-flowing conversations about horror fiction.

At StokerCon, I didn't do any of these things. No vendor table, no panels. I just floated where I wanted. Attended only the panels which interested me. Spent all the time in the world with people who were important to me. I didn't worry about selling books, or serving on a panel, or performing a reading. In fact, no one showed up for my scheduled reading. What did I do? Skipped out and attended one of the best panels I've seen in a very long time, about how personal tragedies are dealt with through writing fiction.

I enjoyed StokerCon more than I've enjoyed a convention in a very long time.

The reason why?

I spent all the time in the world with people who were important to me.

That's what made the weekend special. And really...what more needs to be said?