What a wonderful way to spend a weekend. It wasn’t my first time at a Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Festival as a Guest Writer, but it was one of my most memorable. Everyone was so friendly from the amazing thoughtfulness and beautiful attitudes of the volunteers, who, by the way, are worth their weight in diamonds, to the fans dressed in their jaw-dropping outfits, some of which took many hours, over several weekends of tedious labour to produce. I was with my daughter Amanda Canham, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for being my assistant for the entire weekend.

Josie & Rebecca, the Wicked Witch

POST SHOCK

The other writers I shared the QBD Books tables with were a lovely, lively bunch, most of whom I hadn’t met before, which is always a bonus.  The panel I attended was an all-ladies session with questions and answers chock full of advice for readers to new writers. It was a packed audience, and my usual initial nerves at speaking in public receded to a mild level once our talented hostess started asking questions and our panel of experts including Victoria Aveyard, Maria Lewis, Lynette Noni and myself, entertained the audience with warmth and a light-hearted banter that generated lots of laughs.

Terry Brooks with Marianne Curley

One of my special treats of the event was meeting Terry Brooks. What a wonderful and humble Super-star that man is! The writer of The Shannara Chronicles, and a list of fantasy novels too long to fit on this page, Mr Brooks entertained us all with his stories of his personal life and situations he found himself in over the thirty-plus years he’s been writing, and working as an Attorney before then.  With his lovely wife Judine on hand, those two were an absolute joy to sit beside, and even though for most of the weekend it was back to back, it was still awesome. Okay, I have to tell you, we had lunch in the Green Room together, I got the opportunity to introduce Mr Brooks to my family, and… he gave me a warm hug at the end of the day.

With Chris Curley & Maddison Ruby Baker 

And finally I must mention the readers who dropped by to meet me, have a chat, and have their books signed. As always, this is what I look forward to at these events. Meeting the people who love your stories, that love the characters that came flying, or scrambling, or maybe even kicking and screaming out of your soul.  And the two years you spent wondering if you’re wasting your time, whether anyone will want to read your story, or even like it when they do, is all put aside and laid to rest when that fan stands in front of you with nervous excitement glistening in their eyes, your book clutched against their chest, with well-worn pages and corners bent. And then they say, “Oh my God, I loved it so much.”