So, Saturday 25th September saw me at pedalling my wares in the Preston
Guild Hall at the Preston Comic Con and I have to say that I had a
mighty fine day.
From
the outset I felt that the convention was going to be a success. I had signed
books at a mini-con in the Harris Library earlier in the year and
that small affair had been exceptional with minimal advertising, so I
had a feeling that the good folks of Preston would rise to the
challenge once again. I was not mistaken. Just as we were about to open, the word
went round that there were 1500 people queueing outside. When the
doors opened, it was as if Moses had let go of the Sea of Reeds; it
was a torrent which did not let up until late in the afternoon.
The
organisers seemed to have been on a roll. The guest list was well
worth a look: Holly from Red Dwarf, Admiral Ackbar from Return of The
Jedi and Peri from Doctor Who to name but three. Not only that, but
they had chosen a most splendid venue. The Guild Hall was spacious
and airy and the abundance of seating gave conventioneers plenty of
time to rest before diving back into the fray. The local council
had even chipped in by providing ample free parking for the day.
There
was an all-round jovial atmosphere. Plenty of cos-players brightened
up the day and visitors had come from all round the UK. I had one fan
come to my stall who had travelled up from London!
In
all, I had a fantastic day meeting fans old and new. It was great to
be able to sign books on my home stamping ground rather than having
to drive for far too long and feeling dead on my feet for the day.
I
look forward to the next one.
A.S.Chambers is an author of horror and urban fantasy fiction.
He is the creator of Sam Spallucci: Investigator of the Paranormal and can be stalked in the following places:
Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
