I got to understand what I can contribute to this world after being apart of the best NYCC to date. Despite the fact that the ATM and convention cafeteria was ungodly expensive, forcing me to travel some distance for decently priced food, I still had the best time of my life in The Big Apple. So, what made this NYCC the best for me? There are so many wonderful answers to such a basic question. And every single one of them leaves a great smile on my face.
First and foremost, I was in New York, again. While Philadelphia is my hometown glory, I do love exploring other towns and cities to gain perspective and insight of the “bigger picture of life”. And, because of that, I ended up traveling to so many places in the United States and New York and San Francisco are my two favorite cities. New York because of its vibrant history and San Francisco, or California, in general, is the LGBT HQ of the country. Any chance I can get to visit The Big Apple, I am immediately on board. But, the big adventure was inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
See, this year was the first year that I wasn’t working in Panels as I elected to try something new: Anime Fest. Now, this was a big step for me because I’m not really knowledgeable about anime as I’m more of a gaymer and science fiction/fantasy fanatic. I did this because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone to see what else I can uncover. And, lo and behold, I came to a wonderful discovery that I’m quite fond of anime and will be trying to get more involved in the anime community which my best mate, Markus, was happy to assist in. He even gave me a small list of anime to start off with and I can handle the rest.
And, though I made it very clear to myself that I wasn’t going to bring my work to the con – just good old fashion fun away from work. But, when people learn that you’re a writer, opportunities for collaborations and projects seem to open their pathways to you. It’s funny, me being a writer seems to just flow into a conversation and it feels quite lovely. Made me realize that I finally found my place in the world. According to my mom, I finally “figure out what I wanted to contribute to my communities.” Writing…is what I want to offer my communities; stories that bend the minds are what I will focus on.
Oh! I finally got to have a meet and greet with Paul Charles aka “The Gay Comic Geek” at one of the many gay bars in NYC. And, this time, I got to actually have a full-fledged conversation with him and – get this – I got to pitch a Class Comic idea to him, which he was completely onboard for. Paul did tell me that he had to run it by his team, first, which I get, being a businessman and whatnot. Nonetheless, that was my biggest highlight of the entire con; slinging back pints with a potential new friend (I make them really quickly).
But, the con is over now and I’m back to reality with a wicked case of post-con depression…brilliant. *sigh* Well, off I go to work and all that. Haha! But, seriously, I’m fine. Nothing that a lot of writing can’t fix. If I get his (Paul) approval to proceed with the comic series, then I’m really going to be golden.
Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.
