Fan Expo 2022

This was my first convention, and also my first time speaking in front of an audience as an author (something I was incredibly nervous about). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was the experience of a lifetime. I witnessed nerd culture up close for the first time, and I’ve loved attending fan and comic conventions ever since. The costumes, the smiles, the appreciation of art and awesome ideas is always great to see. I also learned, despite being worried I would bomb during the panels I was part of, that people enjoy hearing me speak. So much so that I was listed on fanexpo.ca as one of the fan favourite authors this year! But the best lesson I learned was the one that came from falling off the stage while being a moderator. Yup, you read that correctly. I had been worried about the worst, and then the worst happened. And I was perfectly fine afterward (both physically and emotionally). I laughed, the audience laughed (after initially being almost comedically concerned), and I learned that once you can get up from falling off a stage in front of a room of people, you can recover from pretty much anything.