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More Cosplay from 2019 C2E2

As promised, I’m back this week with more C2E2 fun! And now, drum roll, please…the Day 2 costume reveal.

Hint: she’s blonde, rebellious, and tough as…steel?

One of my favorite shows is Westworld. My Day 2 costume was Dolores, the farmer’s daughter/badass android. She doesn’t normally hang around Skeletor, but I made an exception in this case.

I received many compliments, and lots of people asked for my photo. I met only one other Dolores at the event.

Here are a few of my other favorite costumes… Do you know who they are?

cosplay 2019 C2E2

What about this one?

cosplay C2E2

I couldn’t resist a pic with these two troublemakers. Excellent!

Wayne and Garth

Last week’s question was, “Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character?” The winner happened to be Arya with Daenerys the runner up.

Last week, I rewatched season 7 to prepare. Can you believe Ghost didn’t appear the entire season? I hope his gigantic, furry face will be back in the final episodes!

Question of the Week

What television series are you most looking forward to watching this year?

There are several series slated to return for more seasons, including Stranger Things and American Gods. The new Good Omens series is coming in May. What has you excited? Reply and let me know!

Last week, I mentioned I’m working on a novella. It started as an idea for a short story… Many readers have asked what happened to Reed after Ida left Woodlawn in Altered. I decided to answer that question and share more about his experience.

That story has quickly blossomed into 100 pages, and still going! I’m planning to finish writing the first draft this week and then work on edits. Since you’ve been a steady companion on my writing journey so far, this novella will be free to anyone already on my email list:-)

I’m so excited to share Reed’s story with you, and I think you’re going to enjoy finding out what happened to him and others as Woodlawn Youth Improvement Center descends into chaos.

Well, that’s all for today. I’ll be back in a few days with an awesome new cyberpunk book recommendation.

Have you read Altered? Could you spare two minutes to leave a brief, honest review on Amazon? Here’s the link. I’m grateful any time you leave a review on any of my books—it goes a long way to helping other readers find my books.

 

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Who Is Your Favorite Game of Thrones Character?

Last weekend I attended C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo). It’s the Chicago equivalent of Comic-Con.

One of my favorite weekends of the entire year, the event takes place in a massive convention center along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Nearly 90,000 people crowded the halls as they browsed tables featuring artists, comic book creators, authors, and actors. The line-up of speakers included Paul Rudd, Alicia Silverstone, David Tennant, Ralph Macchio, and many more.

I’ve gone to C2E2 several years in a row, and this time I went both Friday and Saturday. I love cosplay and enjoyed the chance to wear two different costumes!

On Friday, I dressed as Daenerys Targaryen (AKA Mother of Dragons) from Game of Thrones. (Day 2 costume reveal coming next week).

favorite Game of Thrones character

Here’s a pic of me with a Cersei Lannister look-alike and a Melisandre cosplayer.

favorite game of thrones character

I even brought along my little purple dragon whom I’ve nicknamed Li’l Drogon. I’m so excited for GOT to return in April.

favorite game of thrones character

Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character? Comment below.

My favorite character is Brienne of Tarth. Not only is she a badass warrior knight, but she also protects Sansa and Arya. And, she fought The Hound and won. Years ago, I met Gwendoline Christie at another convention but unfortunately didn’t get her photo! I sure wish I had.

She was really pleasant and friendly, and I was star-struck.

Stay tuned for more C2E2 pics next week!

 

 

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Adventures in Cosplay: Daenerys Targaryen for a day

In April 2018, I attended the Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) in Chicago. Since I live in the city, it’s a convenient con for me to attend; I’ve gone several times in the past few years. But my costumes were always weak, last-minute attempts.

I knew that cosplay was fun. Admittedly, I was envious of the myriad of costumes ranging from store-bought Star Wars Rei outfits to full-body Deadpool outfits to professional-looking anime get-ups to ridiculously realistic mechs that looked straight outta Japan.

This year, I went all in on cosplay. By planning several weeks earlier, I sourced an amazing Mother of Dragons costume complete with a long, blonde wig.

I studied online photos of Emilia Clarke to match her makeup (those eyebrows!). I even went so far as to purchase a small “dragon baby” that would perch atop my shoulder. [Sadly, dragon baby didn’t make it to the show because I couldn’t find a way to attach her and didn’t want to be faced with lugging a plastic dragon around for what was to be a long day roaming the con. Don’t worry, there’s still hope for dragon baby to appear at future fests and cons.]

Upon arriving at C2E2, I found a cosplay meet-up area for Game of Thrones. Imagine how thrilling it was to enter the gates of Mid-Westeros!

I met fellow GOT fans and had a blast talking to others who adore the epic book and HBO series. Later, there was a group photo shoot, and I emerged with phenomenal photos.

This being my first cosplay group event, I wasn’t sure whether to smile or look fierce in the photos. Often, I just ended up looking confused as evidenced below!

I met Jon Snow.

And Jon Snow White!

Spoiler alert: Littlefinger met his demise (again) by Arya Stark doppelgängers.

C2E2 is one of the best comic conventions in the country. It’s very reasonably priced with a ton of excellent panels and content.

Next year, I plan to attend both Friday and Saturday. We heard that Friday is smaller and attracts more die-hard fans (less family + kids FYI).

This was my first year attending night-time events. I bought tickets to Henry Rollin’s live event. I’ve been a fan of his since the early 1990s, and it was a treat to see the former punk rocker turned poet/speaker again.

My takeaways:

1. A big thumbs up on cosplay. I can see how it can become addictive because it’s an adventure to escape reality and transform into your favorite kick-ass heroine or hero for a day.

2. Plan your cosplay well in advance. I purchased my Danaerys outfit from Amazon which offers a ton of reasonable costumes. Be sure to allow enough time to try it on and exchange in case of a bad fit.

3. Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll walk a ton at these events. Most superheroes wear boots so keep it simple.

4. Check out the night-time activities. My friend and I had a blast hanging out after all the crowds went home. Caution: the nearby bars were packed and service was poor so don’t count on getting a late-night full meal at the hotel bar.

5. Travel light, relax and enjoy the immersive experience that is cosplay.

6. Lastly, don’t be afraid to dance your ass off like Cousin It…