Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019

When I heard that Star Wars Celebration would be held in Chicago this year, I was stunned. My second reaction was to immediately reserve a hotel room at the convention center. Since we're part of the local 501st Legion (the Midwest Garrison), there was a lot of planning to be done. Eugene and I helped with the local Galactic Academy school, which is a Star Wars costuming group for kids.We knew we wouldn't be able to attend all five days of Celebration, but we knew they would be intense. We knew we wouldn't be able to do everything. My personal goals were to be part of some of the group photos, see friends, participate in the Droid Hunt on Saturday, and meet Anthony Daniels (the actor who played C-3PO) so Alex could get a picture signed. (I would have loved to get a picture with him while I was in my Jawa, but no selfies were allowed.) Panels would have been nice, but the only one Alex was interested in was the Episode Nine panel, and we didn't win the lottery for that.

Since we figured this might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for us, I took Alex out of school on Friday. My brother-in-law drove us to McCormick Place so we wouldn't have to park onsite. I was able to join the Ladies of the Legions (see first photo; I'm the Jawa with two bandoliers in the middle of the first row) and Krayt Clan group photos as a Jawa. I wasn't able to join the Imperial Officer group photo since we won the Hasbro lottery and had to go claim our stuff then. This was around the time the Episode Nine trail debuted, but we couldn't find a good spot to watch the screens on the show floor and settled for watching it later on YouTube.

Alex and I spent most of the afternoon on the show floor, checking out the merchandise and admiring the exhibits. I wore my Imperial Officer costume, but despite trying to stretch my boots, they were still tight and hurt my feet. We left a little early to check into the hotel room and get dinner. When Eugene arrived with the rest of our luggage, we attended a swag trade for members of the official costuming groups. Each group issues a lot of special patches and coins, so we moved from table to table, seeing what interested us. Some of my crocheted characters found new homes that night as well. Here's a picture of some of my new swag, but Alex really made out. He found a few special patches featuring his red stormtrooper costume. The traders were more generous with the kids, but Eugene and I still had to donate patches from our stash to help him out.

Saturday was the Droid Hunt, where attendees wear special patches and selected hunters try to find them. At C2E2, this is an individual event, without competition. Here, we got together in teams to win a medal. Our group didn't win, but I would still do it even without a prize. Partway through the day, Alex and I took a break to get in line for Anthony Daniels. We waited almost three hours. He took a break during that time, but he did come out and allow us to take pictures of him next to a C-3PO. I was still in my Jawa costume when Alex and I finally made it to the front of the line. Anthony Daniels said he liked Jawas (though his character might disagree) and told us a bit about the kids on the set. He asked Alex why he wasn't in costume and who was with him. (Alex's armor is too uncomfortable for him to wear that long.) When Mr. Daniels found out I was Alex's mom, he said I must be a wonderful mother with a great sense of humor. He also asked Alex how he felt about me dressing up, and he said it was fine. After Mr. Daniels signed Alex's photo, I offered him a C-3PO I had crocheted for him. Unfortunately, he wouldn't take it; maybe it's against his policy. I'll definitely keep this droid! By the end of Saturday, I was exhausted and ready to spend a couple of hours off my feet helping out at the Galactic Academy booth. We had dinner delivered and hung out in the hotel lobby a bit to meet other people before calling it a night.

By Sunday, I was too exhausted to dress up again. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for a special breakfast with the Galactic Academy. While we were there, Alex got to meet Walt, the man who made his magmatrooper kit. Walt gave Alex a sneak peek at a special, secret project. Even Eugene and I didn't know what it was. When we got back to the convention center, we wore casual clothes to wander around the show floor and the droid exhibit. This was the day I got to take pictures of other people suited up. While the movie-style costumes are always good, I enjoy seeing some of the creative mashups. There were Sailor Scout Jedi, a Star Trek redshirt who'd been stabbed with a lightsaber, a guy as a bag of sand, Muppet Troopers, and my personal favorites, Sargent Pepper's Lonely Death Star Band. One of my friends was even an ice cream maker during the traditional Running of the Hoods (too bad I didn't get to see it in person; see the link for video).

Although I was worried about the crowds, they weren't as bad as I feared. We tried to go in after show floor opening and avoided booths/events with long lines as much as possible. I didn't buy a lot at Celebration, since we didn't have a lot of room in the car. That was probably a good thing. One store was selling a Jawa doll for $12, but I found it at another place for $4. There were a couple of things that I was interested in, but they were significantly cheaper online. I did get a Porg flash drive and an exclusive T-shirt. However, I think the memories will be the best souvenir of all.

IWSG--Writing Schedule/Flaming Crimes Blogfest

Today's post covers both the monthly topic from the Insecure Writer's Support Group and a blogfest. Let's start with the IWSG. This month's co-hosts are Tyrean Martinson, The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Rachna Chhabria, and Jennifer Lane. Our question is What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?

Well, since I'm a working parent, my job, my family, and domestic chores take up most of my time. That means I have to fit my writing/publishing time in the free spaces. It's actually easier to do this during the work week, when I have a defined lunch hour. (And yes, I insist on taking my full hour.) The early part of the evening is usually devoted to family/household chores, so I write, blog, and do publishing things later in the evening, while my son is getting ready for bed. Even this time gets interrupted for time with my son right before he goes to bed. On weekends, it's more challenging because our schedule can change. If possible, I try to take some time to write Saturday afternoon and prepare blog posts Sunday morning. Otherwise, I seize time to write when I can.

Chris Fey is hosting the Flaming Crimes Blogfest today to celebrate the release of her latest book, Flaming Crimes. She gave us this prompt: What is something ridiculous you would save if there was a fire? Ridiculous is the keyword there. After your family, pets, and important items are safe and sound, what is the one odd thing you'd want to grab from your home?

When I read this prompt, the first things that popped into my head were the Star Wars costumes I troop in as part of the Midwest Garrison. I currently have two, a Jawa and a Staff Imperial Officer. (See photos.) I sewed the Jawa robes and hood myself, so I have sweat equity in it. It also has more sentimental meaning to me, since I've trooped more frequently in it. However, my Imperial Officer boots are custom-made for me (since I had trouble finding suitable boots that would fit), so if I had to choose only one costume, I'd probably save the Imperial Officer. It may be an odd choice, but I wouldn't call saving my costume ridiculous. After all, ownership of a screen-accurate costume is required to maintain membership in the 501st Legion. At least it would be easier to save than my son's Lego collection.

Series: Disaster Crimes #4
Page Count: 304 
Digital Price: 4.99 
Print Price: 16.99

Rating: Spicy (PG13) 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

The Wild Rose Press

BLURB: Beth and Donovan are now happily married, and what Beth wants more than anything is a baby. Her dream of starting a family is put on hold as fires burn dangerously close and Donovan becomes a victim of sabotage.

Donovan escapes what could've been a deadly wreck. Their past enemies have been eliminated, so who is cutting brake lines and leaving bloody messages? He vows to find out, for the sake of the woman he loves and the life they're trying to build.

Amidst a criminal mind game, a fire ignites next to their home. They battle the flames and fight to keep their house safe from the blaze pressing in on all sides, but neither of them expects to confront a psychotic adversary in the middle of the inferno.

Their lives may just go up in flames…

About the Author: Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.

Author Links:

Website / Blog / Goodreads

Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

Feel free to comment about either your writing schedule or what you'd save from a burning house. Humm, can one pull time from a burning house? That seems to be the best way to merge these topics....

C2E2 2016

Although my family always accompanies me to cons such as WisCon and Chicon, they never actually join the convention. C2E2 was the first one they attended. It was also the first con (at least in a long time) that I attended as a fan, not a writer. (I did leave bookmarks in the fan area, but I don't know if people took them or if they were thrown away.)

Alex had no school Friday, so I took the day off. We took the train into Chicago and taxied to McCormick Place. We tramped all over before finding the Midwest Garrison table—even though it was close to our entrance. We got into costume for a while, but Alex had problems with his mask, and we had to take a break to fix it. Eugene joined us later in the afternoon, and while he went around with Alex, I checked out the show floor. We all suited up to get one of Alex’s books signed by Jeffrey Brown. (See photo.) We were also lucky enough to get an ARC of his forthcoming book about Stone Age kids. I walked so much on Friday I set a personal Fitbit best—over 21,000 steps! Needless to say, I was sore the rest of the weekend and scaled back on walking around.

Since we didn’t have a hotel room, we drove back and forth every day. This meant we got up much earlier than normal both days, but we were lucky enough to get good parking even with the crowds. Saturday morning, we shopped first, but we took too long and wound up missing the Star Wars group shot. In the afternoon, I went on a droid hunt. The Midwest Garrison handed out special badges, and I and other hunters went around, finding the people who were wearing them and giving them raffle tickets. As you can see, I managed to collect badges despite the poor vision I have in costume. At the end of the day, Eugene and Alex helped with the raffle drawing.

Alex and I suited up briefly Sunday morning, but we didn't troop very long. Eugene got into costume so kids could blast him with Nerf darts for Blast a Trooper, a fundraising event put on by the Midwest Garrison. Alex helped with that by collecting used darts and reloading guns. I spent the time at a self-publishing panel for comic book writers. (They face many of the same issues book writers do, but they have it tougher with print costs and distribution.) We walked around the main floor again before heading downstairs to hang out with the Midwest Garrison until the end.

 There were lots of great costumes: many Reys from The Force Awakens, Disney princesses, Spiderman, a group as the characters from Inside Out, and many more I didn't recognize. Surprisingly, even with all the other wonderful costumes on display, Alex and I gained a lot of attention when we were Jawas. (I just followed stated costume requirements for the 501st Legion, but apparently I make a very good Jawa. Must be the lack of height.) Lots of people took pictures of us; in fact, whenever we stopped to let someone pose with us, we'd get other people taking pictures too. We made the highlight video of Day 1 (we're posing with R2-D2), and I was even interviewed about comics.  

It's getting late, so I won't discuss all the loot we bought or considered buying. Although it was an exhausting weekend, with little writing, it was still a lot of fun. We're already planning to attend next year--and this time we'll probably stay at a hotel to make things easier.