Greetings my fellow fans of all things fantastical!
As some of you may know, I recently published my first novel “Key” (when I say first, I mean first in what will be a series…hey…I like to write! Our very own ‘The Viking’ did a review of it “here“) So…what do you do when you get a whole bunch of books dropped of at your door? You very quickly make the rash decision to attend the Supernova Pop-culture Convention with the Australian Society of Authors! That’s what!
Yeah, I totally did that. It was a very quick decision and I was not actually all that ready for a convention, but I had a blast! Aren’t conventions just amazing, you’re with your own kind at a convention–do we have a kind–I don’t know, I kind of feel like a different species of Human sometimes…
To be entirely honest, Supernova Adelaide (Supernova travels all around Australia) is only the second convention I have ever attended, and I very much enjoyed myself. While I did remain behind my stall for the most part, on Saturday I was guarded by my heroic little brother in whom took these photos and on Sunday, my rather baffled father protected me in the morning and my little sister joined me in the afternoon.
It is actually surprising how much you see behind a stall, and I have a trained eye for famous people, all in whom kept strolling past my humble little stall and I would hardly be able to contain myself that I was in the same building as these wonderful actors and writers.
Truly the colors, the costumes, the happy faces, the culture, it was all so dazzling and bright. At one point, George Martin was in the window just over my stall, looking down and smiling and I just laughed at my little brother (who does not watch Game of Thrones nor read A Song of Ice and Fire).
Across from my stall I had amazing artists to gawk at, with their incredible artwork, and hilariously enough…I had the company of Daleks — I kid you not, life sized Daleks…and they zipped around the convention, bumping into people, squawking at them and having a hilarious time with the Doctor Who cos-players. I *loved* the Daleks! Though the mic that made people’s voices into a Dalek voice just across from me…that got a bit tiresome after about an hour.
Doctor Who was actually very popular — and a suprising one for me, was the amount of people cosplaying as Cecil from the Podcast ‘Welcome to Nightvale’ — which my little brother knows nothing of so he did not know to take any photos.
While my little brother may not read or watch a Game of Thrones, he did a lot of following George Martin around anyway, for the sake of being in reporter mode. He was very excited when he returned to me with the story of George Martin reading out a portion of his latest book, which I cannot repeat to you at all under penalty of…well…lets say a beheading shall we? In fact it was so secret, my little brother said that everyone who went into the room had to give the guards their phones, camera and all electronic devices to be locked up and anyone standing by the door was stalked by the guards. My brothers eye’s were shining at the delight of it all.
I had not actually intended to return on Sunday, but Saturday went so well that I decided to head back into the fabulous fun that is Supernova. I am very glad that I did. My Dad has never attended a pop-culture convention and was a little bit displaced by everything in the morning, but highly enjoyed running around looking at everything and laughing at what he saw. I tried very hard to explain what it all meant, but I think I failed.
By noon, my sister arrived and being the Game of Thrones addicts we are — you can imagine what ended up happening when I suddenly stood up and shouted “Mel! Lady Stark! Oh my gosh, it’s Lady Stark!”
I know actors by their faces, not their names. I know, I do Beer and Popcorn here on the Network and I don’t know actors by their names! All Saturday, Hobbit actors kept walking past, and I kept silently freaking-out but alas, I did not know their names!
My sister tore off like she was Arya Stark looking for her mother. A while later, a beaming girl returned — you have never seen a more happier face than the face of my sister in that moment as she carried a photo signed Michelle Fairley. No one was lining up for signing, it was all empty, so my sister had talked to Michelle for a while and had stumbled over each word but she was still the happiest, most excited girl in the world.
A few moments later, I got up from my stall and rushed off to get my own and just like my sister, I stood and chatted to Michelle Fairley, telling her about my novel (as my sister had told her about it, and Michelle realized we where sisters) and I stumbled over every word I said just like my sister. I walked away feeling on-top of the world. Nothing could have ruined that day, nothing!
Thus my sister and I spent the rest of the afternoon fan-girling, and my sister eventually ran off to listen to Michelle’s session in the hall, coming back to fan-girl some more about how amazing and fabulous and awesome she was.
I am very glad that I took the chance to attend Supernova 2013. I got the meet some amazing people, sell my new novel, fan-girl, play dress-up and feel entirely comfortable in who I am and that is what I think these types of conventions are about–feeling like we, as a type of subculture have a place to belong.
Kylie Leane – Reporter
Kylie was raised on a healthy upbringing of old classic science fiction thanks to her Dad. Though being unable to spell or write, she was confident that with imagination by her side, someday she would be a writer! Which she is now, writing fantasy and science fiction while illustrating on the side. Her first novel, Key, in the series Chronicles of the Children, involves little green aliens which she has a particular fondness off.
She has an unquenchable love of Anime/Manga and can’t stop buying books after this one particular novel called Fellowship of the Ring changed her life.
Twitter: AuthorKylie
Website: kylieleane.com
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