Capricon 45 (2025)

Is it true that you feel like a zombie after a convention? Yes, totally, absolutely. I got back from Capricon on Sunday, and I slept most of Monday. XD

Last year was my first year at Capricon, but I mainly went to have fun with my family (yes, we brought the kids along in 2024 - they have some nice options for the younger crowd, too), instead of promoting my own writing. This year, I decided to do a little bit of author stuff as well.

The best part about this year - no kids! Lol. Hubbie and I wanted a kid-free con this time. It honestly allowed us to chat and get to know some new people, which is tough for me in the best of circumstances. Thankfully, Capricon is a welcoming convention, and for the most part everyone is an awkward geek, so it's less intimidating for those of us with social anxiety. ;)

Overall, I had a blast. I attended panels like Across the Rainbow: LGBTQ+ Representation & Diversity, which had wonderful writing insights. And I enjoyed the discussions in Tricksters and Other Morally Complicated Beings, as well as Common Motifs Across Mythology.

On Friday, I read two scenes from Dead As Dreams, which wasn't as nerve-wracking as I'd feared it would be - heh. Both Friday and Saturday night, I hung out at Donna J. W. Munro's parties. She's an author friend I've known for a long time, and she graciously allowed me to display my books (you should go buy her books if you like horror). And on Saturday night, Deanna Sjolander joined us, another mutual author friend who had her release party for The Case of Too Many Albins (another great buy, along with the first in the series).

I spent a lot of time gaming on Saturday. They have a gaming room that's open all day, including through the night on Friday and Saturday. A lot of card and board games are available to check out and test, and they also usually have a scavenger hunt that encourages you to try a variety of games. Hubbie and I signed up for a game of Flamecraft, led by one of the gaming room staff, a fun and adorable game (that's now on our to buy list - our kids will definitely enjoy it, too). I also took a look at The Witches, an out-of-print Discworld game, and played a couple rounds of Lemming Mafia with some new acquaintances.

And I also couldn't avoid the Dealer's Room! Since I can't seem to stop buying tea, I bought three loose leaf blends from Apothecary Teas. Oh, and I found a Discworld puzzle (also out-of-print) - looking forward to putting it together. Hubbie, who usually buys hardly anything, spent the most at Phylos World Building. He saw this Green Dragon and couldn't resist!

So, aside from the exhaustion this week (thank the gods for caffeinated tea), Capricon 45 was an awesome experience. Hopefully we can go to Capricon 46 next year!

P.S. Yes, I finished revisions for Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned right before heading to Capricon!

Mini Mind Splat #1: Tea

I said I was going to try this, so here it goes. Hopefully it doesn't all end up too stream on consciousness.

MINI MIND SPLAT WARNING: Nothing I comment on is meant to offend. It's simply my opinion and how I feel about certain things (mostly inconsequential things). I'd love to see thoughts from others in the comments. Just remember, have fun with it. This isn't meant to be super serious.

Tea! I love tea. The only time I ever drank coffee was if it had a lot of chocolate and milk in it (and other flavored syrups), so you know, it didn't taste like coffee anymore. I'm a tea person.

Now, I know many people say the only real tea is the loose stuff, or the fresh tea leaves. I'm sure I'd love that, too, but I mostly stick to the teabags, though I've combined some of my own herbal mixes in the past. I guess I'm also pretty picky when it comes to tea as well.

The hot stuff? I prefer green tea. With jasmine or ginseng! I also have been enjoying the chai green tea (more on chai later). I've tried some of the Tazos, and I have this loose blend of chamomile and lavender that's pretty yummy. But let's face it, with kids, writing, and other responsibilities, I usually go for the caffeinated stuff, instead of the herbal stuff. Maybe when I have less of a need to keep my eyes open all damned day I'll go back to experimenting with which herbal teas I like. For all my hot teas, I prefer to add honey to sweeten.

Cold tea? This is mostly the black stuff. Actually, sweet tea is my ultimate favorite tea. I'm a southern girl at heart, even though I've lived in the Midwest my entire life (I love New Orleans, especially, and man have I had some great sweet tea down there).

Sometimes we make our own tea at home with one of those iced tea makers that one of our parents got us for the holidays one year. But as far as the bottled stuff goes, I enjoy Pure Leaf the most. Perfect balance of sugar for me, plus is tastes more natural. I used to love Nestea (Lipton) when I was younger, but now the fake sugar gives me a headache and it just doesn't taste right.

Cold tea mixed with lemonade also rocks!

I promised I'd come back to chai. Chai lattes are also a weakness of mine, though I try to resist because I know they have so many more calories even compared to sweet tea. The Oregon Chai brand is so yummy.

Funny thing, though, did you know chai means tea? So it's a tea tea latte. XD I didn't know chai meant tea until a few months ago, but it is rather hilarious. Us silly Americans with the crazy marketing and naming of things. =P

Do you like tea? If so, what kind is your favorite? If not, what do you prefer to drink?