Hi there,
Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage as this recap is a little long; but then, BDSM Writers Con was an extraordinary event full of activities, Mix & Mingles, and world-class education provided by all our presenters.
It’s been three days since BDSM Writers Con and I’m still flying high from the spectacular time I shared with all of you. From the moment we connected with participants, BDSM Writers Con was a non-stop thrill. I’ll try to recap it all, however, I’m sure I’ll miss a few wonders here and there, so starting next week, we’ll open the floor for participants—both authors and readers—to share their experience with you.
As for me, below are my recollection and fondest memories of BDSM Writers Con 2014.
We started with welcoming the early arrivals on Wednesday, August 20, as we set up the conference bookstore and authors dropped off their books and helped decorate the tables. It was wonderful to have a few authors help set up the conference banners; there’s no way I would have ever figured out how to construct them.
By 4:30 p.m., Dr. Matthew Scrivens arrived with all the food for our Author Buddy Program. Talk about fabulous tasty treats! He provided a passion fruit cheese cake with crumbled nuts on top that was to die for. We had over twenty new and experienced authors attend. The Author Buddy Program was the brainstorm of Destiny Blaine who suggested we offer authors a place where they could network amongst themselves and novice authors could find mentors to help them navigate the perilous waters of publishing in this genre. (Just one way we incorporate your ideas into our program.)
The Authors Buddy Program was followed by our “Unofficial Kickoff” at the Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos with Mark Weiser and James Barr. It was three hours of non-stop singing and laughter. Mark Weiser even made me and author Leya Wolfgang do the “head, shoulders, knees and toes” song. I’ll admit, I had a little trouble with the toes or was it the shoulders…ok…I’ll admit, I had a little trouble following the song even more so when Mark Weiser throw us a curve and Leya and I had to touch heads, shoulders, knees and toes. We laughed more than touched and on Thursday and Friday we were still singing the song. Plus, Leya earned herself the “troublemaker badge” for her quirky song requests. Author Debra Hyde stumped the piano masters with her request for a classical piece. Mark joked that out of the over 5000 songs they knew, Debra would pick the one song they didn’t.
On Thursday, we welcomed all the participants for our inaugural conference and Joey W. Hill and I both shared our hopes for authors and readers alike to keep an open mind as they explored this highly erotic and often misrepresented lifestyle. I have to say, I got choked up when I read my speech as I looked out at all the participants gathered and saw my dream of creating a place where authors, readers, and anyone curious about writing or exploring Dominance and submission could come together had come to fruition. And as both Joey and I stated, though there is no “One Way” to practice BDSM, there is an “individual way” to do so.
We held our first Mix & Mingle Thursday night which was hosted by Sir Viktor from Dom sub Friends and the owner of Paddles, the longest running BDSM Club in the US. Participants enjoyed munchies and a tour of the Public Dungeon.
I had the pleasure of announcing our BDSM Contest winners and thrill at announcing them once more just for you.
Kestra Gravier – received a contract from Decadent Publishing for her story, Silver Chasing.
Helena Stone, Corrine A. Silver, and Mia Koutras are under consideration for a book contract from Totally Bound. Once they complete a few tweaks, they should receive their contracts. We’ll keep you posted on that.
Riverdale Avenue Books also offered book contracts to two additional contestants: Leya Wolfgang and Mariah Bailey.
Plus, Riverdale Avenue Books offered an additional twenty-one book contracts to seventeen of our Featured Authors and four of our Finalists were able to publish in our First Annual BDSM Writers Con Anthology. Several authors like Cara Downey, Leya Wolfgang and Corrine A. Silver are making their writing debut in the anthology.
That’s twenty-four book contracts and three pending contracts which were procured by BDSM Writers Con for our participating authors. I haven’t even mentioned the seven other potential contracts which were discussed during the private Publishers/Agent’s Appointments Friday afternoon following the Publisher’s Panel—we’ll keep you posted on those. That’s twenty-four confirmed book contracts and another ten pending. What other conference do you know that can provide such a remarkable opportunity for their authors?
Book contracts weren’t the only things given away during BDSM Writers Con. We had over fifty-two donated gifts raffled off throughout the four-days of the conference provided by authors and sponsors alike. We had gift baskets from Marla Monroe, Joey W. Hill, Paige Matthews, Sorcha Black, Leia Shaw, Tessie Bradford, Marie Tuhart, Jennifer Kacey, Roz Lee and myself. Plus, we had Rose Crops from Bo Blaze & Detail Toys; metal cuffs and collars from Dungeon Delights; a Whip and Cat-o-nine-tails from Snake Whip; and beautiful photographs of Fetish Fine Art by Captured Erotica. On top of all that, Cut 2 Me Designs donated over one hundred items for men from their sexy line of men’s wear. But that’s not all…we also had two gift certificates for a 2-Day Getaway at Caliente Resorts & Spa and a 3-Day vacation at Hedonism II. We raised $513 through our raffles which will be donated to National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, our conference charity.
Friday participants were given the night off to allow them to explore New York City. Several participants took in a Broadway Show and went out on the town. Others had private parties with their favorite authors. Over thirty participants joined Lori Perkins, owner of Riverdale Avenue Books, at the Jackson Hole on Third Street for dinner and drinks. It was wonderful to share a more intimate setting with participants as they shared a little about themselves. Lori surprised the crowd when she advised them that they’d just participated in their First Munch; a common gathering of individuals in the BDSM lifestyle.
Saturday, we held the majority of our BDSM Live Demos conducted by BDSM Experts such as Bo Blaze providing information on the various toys used in D/s scenes; Lady Sabrina with instructions on how Rituals & Protocols can enhance relationships; Nauttiboy dazzled participants with his workshop on Sensual Steel; and, Traveling Fool & MaryAnn electrified the crowd—literally—with their demonstration of the Violet Wand. All together BDSM Writers Con provided thirty different lectures and Live Demos to participants; a few of them at the club due to safety reasons. And of course, Saturday we had our annual trip to a BDSM Club. This year, Powder from NYC Fetish Tribe hosted our club night mixing authors and readers of Dominance and submission with actual practitioners of the lifestyle.
Sunday, we came together for the last time as a group and shared a few words of our experience before saying goodbye and moving on to our BDSM Book Fair and Between The Covers Erotica Reading Series. I was honored by the comments received from participants both during that time and expressed in our private FB page where Gray Dixon wrote, “I laughed. I cried. I felt a little pain, mixed with pleasure. My mind was stimulated. Wow! Where else can one go and get all these sensations? I’m counting the days until next year.” And Mia Koutras stated, “I can’t thank all of you enough for one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”
I want to thank all of our sponsors, our presenters, and our participants for helping make my dream of BDSM Writers Con become a reality. I look forward to seeing you all again for BDSM Writers Con 2015. For those that want to get a head start, we’ve opened registration for next year and are offering a discounted rate of $200 through October 1st. Use our easy payment plan of $20 a month. As always, we welcome your comments and ideas on how we can improve BDSM Writers Con. We welcome your ideas and comments for BDSM Writers Con 2015 as we work to provide you with world-class BDSM Experts and experienced BDSM authors to help educate you on the various aspects of the power exchange.
I know I’ve said this several times before however it deserves to be said once more…a very special THANK YOU to Rose C. Carole for her exemplary assistance in making BDSM Writers Con the amazing conference it was and to all our participants—both authors and readers—who made my dream come true.
BDSM Writers Con where fantasy and reality come together!