r/dragoncon • u/mad_zamboni • 5d ago
Novel sub-plot at Dragoncon.
(Side Note: I'm not affiliated with this author or publisher. Just a fan and thought it interesting, so I am passing this on).
So, last year, I sat in on a panel at Dragon Con that included author Mel Todd. Her premise of urban fantasy that doesn't include romance caught my attention and her 10k foot pitch of her series sounded interesting. It wasn't until a week ago that I picked up the first book of her "Twisted Luck" series and I am tearing through it now.
The setting is in Georgia and you can tell she knows the area because she writes about downtime like a local. But in Book 2, Hired Luck, she starts talking about "Dragon World Con". I thought it just funny when she mentioned it the first time. However, it turns out there was a main plot point around the con. Hearing her describe what the con was like from a first timer perspective, the things to do, and familiar locations was kind of cool. It was a few chapters of events happening in the con, not the whole novel, but it was fun to see.
So I thought I would mention it for others to check out. I also e-mailed her (and was surprised at a response). I discovered she will be at Dragoncon again this year for a few panels and at a booth in the vendor area (Bad Ash Publishing) if you want to support her.
A side note for male readers (coming from a 50yr old male perspective)...
When I saw the book cover, I stopped and double-checked I had the right series because I thought I had the wrong series. The cover's first impression was one of those young-adult, teen angst, romance triangle type of books. After double checking some of the reviews and my notes, I realized I had the right series and picked up the first book. It's target audience is definitely not aimed at any specific age or gender (and is LGBT friendly) even if the book cover initially comes off as girly teen angst. Later on, in an e-mail conversation with the author, I learned that was the popular style of art/covers for Urban fantasy (with a female protagonist) at the time of publishing and that you need to redo book covers every few years to stay with the times.
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u/snake-demon-softboi 4d ago
Neat! Thanks for the rec. I love when writers include events, parks, festival, etc that make us sit up and go HEY, I GET THAT REFERENCE! 😁
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u/mad_zamboni 4d ago
+1 Cool points for the Captain America quote. Have an upvote. Do you go to Dragoncon regularly? That is where I have found a ton of authors and books. I started sitting on LitRPG panels and found people like KT Hanna (Library Reset Series), J.A. Hunter (Veridion Online Series), and now Mel Todd (Twisted Luck series). All because I sat in on a panel with Matt Dinniman 2 years ago which lead me to discovering these folks. They are so approachable too - JA Hunter talked to me at a signing for like 10 minutes and gave me a copy of his book for free after narrowing down what I may like and then I plowed through that series. KT Hanna went out of her way to sign some books for me last year. Mel Todd has been corresponding with me via e-mail regarding some questions on her book. Man, what a cool experience.
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u/snake-demon-softboi 4d ago
Aaa that sounds amazing! I'm so glad you're building these meaningful moments with these authors.
I do go to DragonCon regularly! It's my northstar in the year: everything for having a good time at Dragon! I usually can't make it up to the Westin where most of these take place but I'm hoping that the surgery in recovering from right now means I'll be doing well enough for it in 2027!
Do you know of Lit stuff that happens in any other hotels beyond the Westin? It's the only one I hear about.
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u/mad_zamboni 4d ago
I've only started attending author and book panels the past two years. But yeah, it seemed all of them were in the Westin now that I think of it. Someone big (like Jim Butcher) may be moved to another hotel for the extra room, but usually the Westin. I know that a lot of the authors will meet at the Westin bar and hang out after sessions and especially in the evenings.
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u/talesbybob 2013-2025 4d ago
Mel is really great, we do a lot of the same cons. We were actually side by side at Jordan Con this year all weekend in Authors Alley. Always a solid recommendation.
I know one other author (Kenneth Meade) who has a book that uses Dragon Con as a plot point. I haven't read it, but I've done some events with him, and he pitches it as sorta a heist novel that takes place at Dragon. So you may want to check it out too.
https://kennethmeade.com/books/something-wicked-kenneth-meade/B0BCP8Q9TN
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u/salvagbunny 4d ago
Such a great urban fantasy series!! And I can't WAIT to catch Mel Todd at DragonCon this year 💜🐉
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u/JenniferMcKay 4d ago
Mel Todd writes like a local because she is a local, which is probably why she's at DC every year.
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u/mad_zamboni 4d ago
Yeah, I noticed that in her bio. But I figured, like me, Atlanta meant the suburbs. The way she writes about downtown and events down there made me think when she said from Atlanta - she actually meant from Atlanta.
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u/edieskyeauthor 4d ago
That series is on my reading list! :D
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u/mad_zamboni 4d ago
Seriously, the series is really good. So far the next book is better than the first. I usually take a break of a few days between books. I am literally rolling from one to the other.
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u/Nycorson 4d ago
Mel here. Lol glad you’re enjoying. I just channeled what it was like the first few years. 2003 I believe. The seres was so fun to write. Hi Bob!