My 2019 DragonCon Schedule, now available in a handy-dandy graphic!
Hope to see you there! xox
Optimism is the true Resistance.
My 2019 DragonCon Schedule, now available in a handy-dandy graphic!
Hope to see you there! xox
A new episode in The Princess Adventures has been posted — READ IT HERE.
“Dragon Con 2018. Sunday. The day I didn’t win yet another award…”
So much happened on the Sunday of Dragon Con that I had to break it into two parts. This is Part One: The Dragon Awards.
By the time I’ve finished chronicling this year’s Dragon Con, I will have written around 10,000 words. But you know what? I’M GLAD. I’m glad because I am able to process and chronicle this year’s amazing convention and all the magical things that happened to me. Magical things happen every year, but until now I have never had the time (or made the time) to tackle this assignment and see it all the way to the end.
I always give myself some sort of ridiculous arbitrary time limit, but my Dragon Con Report was never going to be done the week after Dragon–I should have never expected it to be. Nor should I put such pressure on myself in the future. Because now that it’s almost done, I feel…whole again. Well, almost whole.
There are still all those storm chasing diary entries and photos…
I’ve released these Princess Adventures to all my Patrons at the $1 Level and up. I do this because it is my main source of income. Funding these adventures has to come from somewhere!
THANK YOU, PATRONS!
xox
Princess Alethea
If there was one thing that needed to happen before my upcoming Storm Chasing adventure, it was that I was going to need a new tiara. And not ANY tiara…a special tiara. But what kind?
Chris suggested something with lightning, which seemed cool. I was thinking maybe I could scour Etsy and find a design that suggested maybe that or storm clouds. I didn’t want to commit to something large and weighty—I prefer the lighter, more understated variety that I can wear for longer periods of time.
Other than “Etsy,” really, though, I had no real I idea of what I wanted, or where to start.
It felt a lot like when I’m writing a book and I got stuck on the name of a character…I want a good name, but I have no real preference one way or another…so I ask my friends on Facebook. What am I looking for? I don’t know. But what I’ve come to realize is that 1.) my FB friends make up an incredible creative braintrust 2.) they, and all their suggestions, are hella inspiring. A girl could do worse!
So I threw it up on the wall…suggestions for a tiara?
And within about 5 minutes, my friend Mandi posts a link to Etsy that makes me positively squeal. It’s Ozma’s circlet.
Those of you who haven’t read the Oz books, or haven’t seen Return to Oz, or didn’t watch Emerald City, don’t know about Ozma, Princess of Oz. As a baby she given to the witch Mombi by the Wizard of Oz, to prevent the rightful ruler from gaining the throne. Mombi turned the baby into a boy and raised him as “Tip.” (Tip created Jack Pumpkinhead.) Glinda discovered this, and forced Mombi to turn Tip back into Ozma. Kickass Ozma—with her undetermined age, fluid gender, and fairy blood—became quite the benevolent ruler of Oz.
Ozma’s book was the third installment in the Oz chronicles, and had possible the best subtitle ever. Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Billina the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tik-Tok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People Too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein.
Between Baum and Carroll, I was well-versed in quirkiness at a very young age.
The circlet in the 1900s era books, as illustrated by John R. Neill, is a very distinct O with a Z inside it. Those unfamiliar with the circlet might think it looks like lightning.
I was actually kind of shocked just how many of my friends were unfamiliar with Ozma!
But here was the kicker: Not only did I recognize the circlet and love it immediately, but it was also affordable. Made by a Bronze Smith here in Florida—www.handmadebronze.com.
I looked closer at the design…contacted the artist…and what do you know? One of my favorite tiaras—bought at DragonCon decade or more ago—was made by one of his apprentices!
And now I have a new favorite: my Official Storm Chasing Tiara!
My world may be small, but boy is it crazy magical!
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Are you as excited as I am? Want to help pitch in for gas, hotels, and coffee? Paypal akontis at gmail or click the Donate button on the right! (And Thank You!)
Want an ALL ACCESS PASS to Alethea’s Official Storm Chaser Diary and Pics? Become a Patron of the Princess today! Pledging as little as $1 a month gets you exclusive access!
That’s right, everyone — I will be at Gen Con this year! Here’s my schedule:
Friday
11:00 AM | Boston | Revising Your Story |
12:00 PM | Boston | Young Adult, Growing Up |
3:00 PM | Boston | Dark Stories for Kids and Teens |
Saturday
12:00 PM | Atlanta | Support Systems for Writers |
1:00 PM | Austin | How Can Authors Get Reviews? |
4:00 PM | Boston | The Ins and Outs of Patreon |
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And as a bonus, here’s a schedule of all Mikey Mason‘s concerts (where I may very likely be as well)
Thursday COMEDY ROCK GEEK MIKEY MASON 9-11pm Lucas Oil Meeting Room 4
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Friday FIREFLY DRINKING SONGS WITH MARC GUNN (Mikey will be performing a song or two.) 8-9pm Westin Grand IV
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Friday MIKEY MASON’S BROWNCOAT SHOW 9-11pm Westin Grand III
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Saturday COMEDY ROCK GEEK MIKEY MASON 9-11pm Lucas Oil Meeting Room 7
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Become a Patron of the Princess today! As little as $1 a month gets you an ALL ACCESS PASS to exclusive content!
Storm Chasing Update!
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Are you as excited as I am? Want to help pitch in for gas, hotels, and coffee? Paypal akontis at gmail or click the Donate button on the right! (And Thank You!)
Want an ALL ACCESS PASS to Alethea’s Official Storm Chaser Diary and Pics? Become a Patron of the Princess today! Pledging as little as $1 a month gets you exclusive access!
Chris says that peak storm chasing in Tornado Alley starts the second week of May. Depending on what the radar looks like (and prior personal obligations), we could depart as early as May 3. We might be gone for as little as two weeks, or as much as a month. It’s all up in the air. We will go wherever the wind takes us. (Heehee…I could do this all day…)
“I know there’s no way to tell me for sure,” I asked Chris, “but what are some of the usual areas of the country in which you find yourself?”
I’m curious, because a lot of this is going to be countryside I’ve only seen covered by Sam and Dean Winchester. It’s a lot of new territory for me!
It is highly likely that we will find ourselves in:
North/Northwest Texas
Oklahoma
Kansas (Haven, here we come!)
It is less likely (but still possible) that we might find ourselves in:
Nebraska
E. Colorado
Wyoming
New Mexico
Iowa (Sarah is super excited about this prospect!)
Chris says that every season the storms seem to be tracking farther south—an interesting trend.
Noteworthy Pit Stops We Might Make:
THE TWINE BALL (Kansas)
The Twister Museum (if it still exists…and yes, I am packing my t-shirt) (Oklahoma)
Carhenge, Nebraska
The National Weather Center and NOAA (Norman, Oklahoma)
Big Texan Steak Ranch (I will NOT be attempting the 72oz steak!) (Amarillo, Texas)
What are some of your favorite Roadside Attractions in Middle America? Let me know in the comments, and I will add them to my Possible Trip Goals list!
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Are you as excited as I am? Want to help pitch in for gas, hotels, and coffee? Paypal akontis at gmail or click the Donate button on the right! (And Thank You!)
Want an ALL ACCESS PASS to Alethea’s Official Storm Chaser Diary and Pics? Become a Patron of the Princess today! Pledging as little as $1 a month gets you exclusive access!
THIS THURSDAY kicks off the weekend we’ve been waiting for all winter long–Coastal Magic Con in Daytona Beach, FL! Dance parties, fun and games, and the opportunity to hang out with some of my closest writer friends ON THE BEACH!
Here’s my schedule for the weekend. (Between panels, you can find me at Leanna Renee Hieber’s vendor table.)
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Thursday, Feb 22
4:30-6:30pm — Welcome Mingle
Friday, Feb 23
11:30am — Princess Alethea’s Traveling Sideshow (feat. Leanna Renee Hieber, Mari Mancusi, Eric Asher, Deborah Blake, and Piper J. Drake)
4:00pm — Paranormal Author Meet & Greet (w/Leanna Renee Heiber & Mari Mancusi)
Saturday, Feb 24
9:00am — Hear, Here! (Audiobooks)
11:30am — Kids Just Wanna Have Fun (Shenanigans and Substance in YA)
12:30pm — Lunch with an Author
4:00-6:00pm — Pubic Book Sale / Signing (The Shores Resort & Spa Daytona Beach, FL)
It’s always a blast to find yourself in the local paper. Even more interesting is the perspective.
What you see here is a bunch of fun-loving romance writers whooping it up in the Great Outdoors. What I see is the Mikey Mason t-shirt I wore in honor of Mikey making some Grand Proclamation that morning to his Patreon followers…and the heart that Amy gave me after taking this photo, the one I wrote Kathryn‘s name on days later when she was going through her complicated heart surgery. I prayed she was going to make it. She did not. But I will light my candles and smile for her anyway, and dance and sing with my writing friends, because that’s exactly what she would have wanted.
The STARs were my first friends in Florida (apart from Bianca, who kidnapped me immediately and claimed me for her own BFF.) They remain some of my dearest friends to this day. THEY GET ME. It is so important to have people in your life who get you.
As I say in this article: “When I first moved here, I didn’t know anyone. The members of STAR instantly welcomed me and understood how important my career was to me. We brainstorm, share trials and errors, tips and tricks, and support one another as often as we can.”
Happy Valentine’s Day, my Best Beloveds!
Read the full article HERE.
Find out more about the SpacecoasT Authors of Romance HERE.
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Follow Alethea Kontis on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/princessalethea
Hello, everyone! We’re exactly a week away from this year’s Sideshow at Dragon Con and I’m SO EXCITED! We have a fabulous line-up of authors participating, awesome gift bags sponsored by Sherrilyn Kenyon for the first 40 attendees, and MORE! But first, let me tell you about our amazing authors!
Leanna Renee Hieber – Actress, playwright and author Leanna is the award-winning, bestselling author of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels for adults and teens. A 4 time Prism Award winner for excellence in the genre of Fantasy Romance, Leanna’s books have been selected for national book club editions and translated into languages such as Complex Chinese, German and Polish. She is a proud member of performer unions Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA, and lives in New York City where she is a licensed ghost tour guide and has been featured in film and television on shows like Boardwalk Empire. Find out more about Leanna and check out her amazing books at www.leannareneehieber.com
Gray Rinehart – Growing up in Georgetown, South Carolina, Gray started writing in middle school, but “outgrew” it after college (excluding some professional publications) as he started his career in the United States Air Force. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2006. Near the middle of Gray’s militarycareer, he became more serious about writing. In 2004 he attended Orson Scott Card’s “Literary Boot Camp” and proceeded to publish his first short story in 2007. He logged his first “professional” sale in 2011 and continues working toward the goal of supporting his family as a full-time independent writer. Find out more about Gray, his books, and his music at graymanwrites.com
Mari Mancusi – Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small–so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys.When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys traveling, cosplay, snowboarding, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure—playing videogames. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their two dogs. Learn more about Mari and check out her gorgeous books at marimancusi.com
Diana Peterfreund – Diana Peterfreund has published ten novels for adults, teens, and kids, including the four-book Secret Society Girl series (Bantam Dell), the “killer unicorn novels” Rampant and Ascendant (Harper Teen), For Darkness Shows the Stars (a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion), and Across a Star-Swept Sea (inspired by the classic series The Scarlet Pimpernel). Her newest novel, OMEGA CITY, is a contemporary adventure novel for younger readers set in a secret bunker city somewhere under modern Maryland.
Her works have been named to the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age list, the Capitol Choices (metro DC-area) reading list, and the Texas Lonestar List, as well as having been named to Amazon’s Best Books of the Year. In addition, she’s written several critically acclaimed short stories and a variety of non-fiction essays about popular children’s literature. Diana lives outside Washington D.C., with her family. Learn more about Diana and her novels at dianapeterfreund.com
Zoraida Cordova – Zoraida Córdova is the author of The Vicious Deep trilogy, the On the Verge series, and the Brooklyn Brujas series. She loves black coffee, snark, and still believes in magic. She is a New Yorker at heart and is currently working on her next novel. To check out her beautiful books and learn more about Zoraida, stop by zoraidacordova.com
I am so happy to have so many veterans returning, and thrilled to welcome Zoraida to the Sideshow family! In the meantime, get in the spirit with our Exclusive printable Sideshow Coloring Sheet, and watch “The Little Mermaid” performance from last year’s Princess Alethea’s Traveling Sideshow (below)!! And don’t forget to show your support for the Sideshow by purchasing one of our limited edition t-shirts (they WILL NOT be available at Dragon Con, so get yours NOW!)!!
xox
Princess Alethea
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Follow Alethea Kontis on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/princessalethea