I have a confession...as long as I have been going to conventions & as many conventions as I have attended over the years...I have NEVER been to A-Kon before this year!

Just like last time, when Mike & Charlotte start to talk, the sarcasm flows freely, so buckle up!

Texas Authors, Inc, formally the Texas Association of Authors, is a nonprofit organization who's goal is to support independent authors through education & marketing assistance in order to help authors get their books in front of more people through more avenues of distribution.

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about being your favorite superhero? Did that fantasy ever inspire you to make that dream a reality? For Michael Byrnes, that is exactly what has happened.

Walking up to her table at this year's Fan Expo Dallas, it was obvious that Dee Rich, aka Lady Dee Rich, is someone who belongs in cosplay. Throughout the weekend, she always seemed to have someone there talking & having blast! Between her energetic personality & the music playing at her table to encourage random mini-dance parties, there was never a lack of enthusiasm permeating the air around her.

If you think he's Aquaman, think again...this is Arthur Curry, Sustainable Fisheries Consultant for Executive Aquatic Management, Inc.

Sam, the shy, but very friendly owner of Pixel Moon Studios, kindly took time out of her day to tell us all about how she got into making things like nerdy plushies & unicorn headdresses for conventions. Having earned a bachelor's degree in fine art & being a nerd at heart, Sam decided to put her talents to work making the kind of unique & fun things that she always wanted to see at conventions.

One person in the latter group was Erica Muse of Scarlet Muse Cosplay. On this day of the convention, she was decked out in her Darth Rey costume & was quite gleefully taking every chance she had to talk to each of her fans, as well as potential fans, who came by her table. 

As I was walking the floor at All-Con, I came across a table that intrigued me from the shear uniqueness of its appearance. Sitting at the table were two authors, Jeannie Ruth & Diane Lindmark, with a collection of very colorful books & a whole host of hand-crafted hats.

Many of you are familiar with friend of the show BCharlotteD from our previous article about her. Well, we decided that she needed a proper interview as soon as we could get one set up.

So far this year, we have had the chance to speak with several independent authors from across the various genres and get their perspectives on what it's like to be an author in today's digital world. Each has had their own tactics to get their work in front of new readers, both online & in person. However, Blaise Ramsay was the first that we have talked to who went all the way into the deep end of the pool & setup her own publishing company in order to release her books. 

One of these exceptional photographers is Brian Holm, aka Photo Persuasion. Brian has been doing cosplay photography for the better part of a decade &, when you see his images, it shows.

Don't expect to see princesses & talking mice at her table. While her style may be influenced by Disney, the images that grab her attention are pulled from Stranger Things, Rick & Morty, Marvel, & the Walking Dead.

Overall, the wonderful craftsmanship & clear love of horror that each & every piece out on display exuded was phenomenal. Alee has provided a truly terrifying offering decorations & apparel that any horror movie fan would be proud to own & display at home.

If you are a fan of Star Trek or enjoy books that use pop culture to spread a message, then I highly recommend that you go check out Kevin's books right now!

Mike & I had the opportunity to speak with the delightful Charlotte from BCharlotteD Cosplay about her experiences as a relatively new name making the rounds in the North Texas cosplay community.

While at the North Texas Comic Book Show, I had the chance to interview Matt Long, with Cosmunity. Now, as they are still a pretty young company, even those people who attend conventions regularly may not know who or what Cosmunity is, so we asked Matt to help enlighten our readers as to why everyone should check out their app.

We had the privilege to interview local comic book artist, Jake Goodman, about the upcoming release of his first major comic book: Tartarus. Jake gave us the low down on this project, which he has been working on for a little over a year and a half and is in the final stretch of completing.

Among the many comic book creators, store owners, and enthusiasts that we met at this year's North Texas Comic Book Show, there was one duo that stood out form the crowd. They were Charles Breakfield & Rox Burkey, the authors of a techno thriller book series called "The Enigma Series".

At this year's North Texas Comic Book Show, I had the chance to sit down with Marla, from MCubed Cosplay & talk with her about her experiences in the world of comic book conventions, what it's like to be a well known cosplayer in the DFW area & beyond, & what her thoughts are on her cosplay work compared to her other modeling.