Ramblings From This Chick: Guest Post with Aria Kane and Giveaway

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Guest Post with Aria Kane and Giveaway

Meet Aria Kane, author of and one of the featured authors that will be at the Coastal Magic Convention in February in Daytona Beach.

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he's a chihuahua.

She's the author of A Titan for Christmas, Once Upon a Darkness, Love and Other Games, and One Lucky Night.

Find Aria at:

Aria Kane's Secrets to a Great Book Con

1) Talk to everyone - don't be afraid

The coolest thing about a book con is: you share at least one interest with every single person there. Your fellow readers love to talk about books as much as you do and here's the real secret: the authors do too! Meeting one of your favorite authors can be intimidating, but remember they're just as happy to meet you as you are to meet them. For the most part, authors are super excited to meet the kind of readers who go to these events, so don't be afraid to say hi!

2) Don't skip the bar

At most reader-oriented cons, I've had just as much, if not more, fun hanging out in the hotel bar or lobby after the official programming ends. I've met some of my best writing friends, a co-author, and many famous authors over drinks after the sun's gone down. The more laid-back, informal atmosphere really lends itself to making new friends.

3) Wear your name tag

I know some people think they're dorky or annoying, but they're very important. We all know how awkward it is to ask the name of someone we've been talking to for a few days. Plus, wearing your name tag will help people who only know you online recognize you. If I can, I always write my twitter handle on my name tag - you wouldn't believe how many squeals of "Oh, I know you from Twitter!" I get at every con! If you have a book blog and the name isn't listed on your name tag, I definitely recommend writing that on there.

4) Drink water. More water.

Have you ever woken up the day after a big con day and felt hungover? You probably are, in a sense. It's easy to forget in all the excitement, but you should try to drink at least two liters (closer to three if you are a man) of water every day, especially when you're at a con! It will give you more energy, help you recover more quickly from lost sleep, keep you from catching every little bug everyone is carrying, remember names and details better, and much more.

5) Business Cards

Even if you're not a blogger or published author, if you find yourself hitting it off with someone in a line or in the aforementioned bar, it's really helpful to have a simple business card with your contact info on it in case you want to keep in touch with the person. When I get home from a con, one of the first things I do is go through my stack of requested* business cards and follow people I enjoyed talking to on twitter.

*requested is the key word here. Don't just go around shoving your card at anyone who glances at you. Business cards are only effective when given to someone with an actual interest in keeping in touch with you.

6) Have fun!

It's so easy to get bogged down by the little frustrations that can occur at any con. You only have a limited amount of time to be surrounded by hundreds (thousands?) of people who have the same interest as you - don't waste a lot of it complaining, worrying, etc. Do you have to wait in a long line to get into a popular panel? Make friends with those around you in line. Did the one author you really wanted to see have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances? Check out some of the other authors there - you may find your next favorite author at the signing.

As with anything, staying positive will help you have the best con experience possible!

Once Upon a Darkness, a zombie retelling of Hansel & Gretel

Gretchen and her twin brother, Hank, were sacrificed by their zealot parents to a zombie horde when they were five years old. They were rescued by The Company and raised to become soldiers in the war against zombies.

Clint's only skill is war, but he's weary of killing other men and hopes life on Gretchen's four-man team will suit him better. On his second day on the job, they are attacked, drugged, and taken to a prison where the prisoners are used as experimental subjects in search of a zombie cure.

When Hank is culled, Clint and Gretchen must put aside their personal feelings and find a way out of the prison, surrounded by thousands of starving zombies, before Hank becomes just one more disposable guinea pig in the hands of a twisted mad woman.

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iTunes |

When Jenna's job as an engineer makes her miss her flight home from the mining colony on Titan, she's heartbroken she won't be able to make it back to Earth in time for Christmas with her family. Until a coworker gives her another option: private cargo pilots sometimes take on passengers.

Grayson pilots the only ship leaving Titan in time to make it back to Earth before Christmas. He doesn't want any passengers, but Jenna convinces him to take her on the three-day trip. Neither of them had planned for the passion that erupts between the two on the tiny cargo ship.

Then Jenna realizes Grayson is transporting extremely dangerous cargo. When she discovers why a man like Grayson would take such a risk, she has to decide whether she'll turn him in or help him.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |