LibertyCon34 After Action Report to follow!

For those of you who don’t know what LibertyCon is, then look no further. LibertyCon is a Literary convention held annually in Chattanooga Tennessee.

Now, you may have heard about this convention among the Southern Fandom family, but it is unlike any other Literary convention out there, because of the way that Uncle Timmy, (Tim Bolgeo) designed it.

What is LibertyCon

(taken from the LC about page)

LibertyCon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and we are a Charity for Charities. Each year we select a charity nominated by our attendees and staff through a Board Meeting vote where everyone present at the meeting is allowed to cast a vote. 

You probably know by now that LibertyCon is a convention that prides itself on great guests, phenomenal panels, a killer ConSuite and our “Family Friendly Atmosphere”. We’re a convention that is small on purpose (we limit the attendees to 750, which is actually in our Charter) since we want to give the fans a chance to sit down and chat with the guests. Sure we could try to bring in twice the attendees, but do you think you’d be able to sit on a couch with Terry Brooks talking about law or playing Magic the Gathering with Brandon Sanderson if we did?

If you feel like you don’t know anyone, don’t worry. Strike up a conversation, attend the panels and hop in with a comment or question. Or if you really want to get to know people quick offer to help out. A few hours working in the ConSuite will let you meet up with more people than you’ll be able to remember. The conventions aren’t the real world… believe us when we say that you’ve probably never met a more accepting group of people than the members of Southern Fandom.

Liberty can probably be a bit strange to first-timers because we tend to be a pretty close-knit group. But that’s the way it is in the South. The first time you’re a new friend, the second a better friend… and before you know it you’re a member of the family too. (don’t worry though, we won’t ask for rides or to help with babysitting. However, Brandy will probably draft you for a staff position. It’s what she does.)

For the rest of the details, check out the LibertyCon about page

Before LibertyCon, I had fumbled my way through draft after draft of short story and novel ideas with no real idea of how to clean it up or how to go about publishing it. Even as a member of local writing groups and the Chattanooga Writers Guild, I struggled to get useful input about how to better my craft and how to go about the business of writing.

When a good friend of mine told me about the convention, I jumped all over it. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Archeologists, NASA scientists, nuclear physicists, and so many more.

LibertyCon’s available knowledge base is so diverse, that you can easily find someone within the community that knows the answers you are looking for, or worst case, someone will know the person with the answers, and they will happily connect you.

As stated above in the about section of the website, LibertyCon is a tight nit family, and each convention feels like a family reunion. That right there is the beauty of it too, because we’re all growing in the craft, and almost everyone that is part of the LibertyCon community will help where they can, from bouncing ideas to passing on info about anthologies and contests, folks help each other, and it is beautiful.

Another thing to take into account, which Uncle Timmy had planned for when he created LibertyCon, was the ability for us baby authors to network with our peers as well as top-tier authors. The amount of knowledge available still blows my mind. And even folks like Kevin J. Anderson, Larry Correia, Eric Flint, Jody Lynn Nye, Bill Fawcett, etc. are happy to chat and answer questions.

Now, besides attending great informational panels, moderated by authors and experts in their respective fields, there are fun panels, discussing everything from some major series, (It Came From The Trailer Park, was one for us, as well as a JTF-13 and What’s new from Three Ravens Publishing panel), But panels for cosplay, chainmail crafting, The four horseman, Salvage Title, and Fallen World universes, plus readings by your favorite authors and more.

Then we have the game rooms, for video and tabletop gaming, an amazing Consuite, The Mad Scientists Round table, Make it Take it (crafting room with supplies), the LibertyCon Artshow, and the after-hours activities to include Kareokee and Room Parties.

Now, if you’d like to be part of this great yearly gathering, Tickets for LibertyCon 35, happening June 23-25, 2023, go on sale July 16, 2022 at noon EST. The cost will be $60. LibertyCon only sells 1,000 tickets to our event, and they sell out quickly. So be ready for the “Hunger Games” if you want to come hang out with the rest of us aspiring authors.

One last thing…

Remember that networking thing? There’s always the chance it might go beyond, and you make some great friends of these folks. Even if you don’t get the opportunity to come to LibertyCon, get out to the conventions that you can, meet other authors and personalities. You never know, you might come away with new lifelong friends.

LibertyCon34 AAR

I have been trying to get this put together for the last week, but life has not been permitting. So let’s get this show on the road.

This year’s LibertyCon was something entirely different for me.

At LibertyCon32, in 2019, I was a lowly baby author with one published short story under my belt in the Sha’Daa: Toys anthology, thanks to (Michael H. Hanson, Edward F. McKeown of Copper Dog publishing), just trying to find my way and learn how to better myself in the craft. I walked out of that convention with three novel requests, and it was beyond surreal.

This year, I walked into LibertyCon with four novels under my belt, too many anthology credits to quickly count and an Indie publishing company that I have worked my tail off to get where it is today.

It’s hard to explain how it felt different from the last convention. Granted three years had passed since the last in-person LIbertyCon. It was still the same inviting family environment, like attending a family reunion with your favorite cousins that you hadn’t seen in forever. So many hugs were shared with friends and family that were very much missed.

But this time, we had one hell of a crew of Ravens and titles to show off to the world.

Our “It Came from the Trailer Park” panel, seemed like an overwhelming success. For one of the first panels on Friday, we had thirty-six or so folks turn out, and we had everyone rolling. This is one of the reasons why we have Volume 2 of the Trailer park planned for this year. Because it’s fun!

We shared a lot of mead and pulled off a successful room party that everyone really seemed to enjoy.

We made the traditional run to City Cafe for a bit of real food.

And after closing down the table and unloading things back at the house, we had dinner at the house with Steve Jackson, played some Munchkin, and talked some business.

And then, go figure, I was followed home Monday. The only way to appease the forces of evil, was to send them on their way with more mead.

Jay Boyce, Me, Mel Todd, Cisca Small, Gini Koch.

It was an amazing weekend of friends, networking, story-building and so much more. It is so hard to find the words for how things have shifted on my end. I am so grateful for the LibertyCon Community and everything you have helped me to learn. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am in my writing career, and I wouldn’t be able to help out other authors to realize their dreams and become published as well. There’s just something overwhelmingly satisfying about having a hand in bringing an awesome story to life.

I know I pissed off a few folks when I bailed out on Con tear down, and that I do apologize for, but opportunity knocked, and I answered.

Moving forward, I’ll have to figure out where I belong and what I can do as staff, because I’m not just a lone author attending the con, I’m a publisher with other authors and folks wanting to talk. So I have to figure out how to work with the new dynamic.

All in all, it was a freaking amazing weekend that went by way too freaking fast. I already miss my buddies, and wish we had more time to hang out. But there is always next year.

Even after a crazy busy weekend filled with memories, networking, and fun, it’s good to be home.

~William Joseph Roberts aka Hillbilly