Vampire Diaries Convention & Meeting Damon Salvatore.... WIN FREE BOOKS!

What the Heart Wants on Kindle
The weekend of August 16th, I attended a Vampire Diaries convention in Dallas. While I expected to have a great time (I am obsessed with the show, so anything related to it had to be great, right?), this event far exceeded my expectations.

I was disappointed that Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Joseph Moran (especially Joseph Morgan!) didn’t attend, but the TVD cast members who were there did a phenomenal job of making this a weekend to remember.
 
Some of the Vampire Diaries convention highlights…
The Q&A sessions were entertaining and informative. The hunters, Vaughn and Connor, did their Q&A together, as did Jeremy (Stephen R. McQueen, Steve McQueen’s grandson) and Matt. They were all funny and interactive with the crowd.

Divine Enemy on Kindle
Of course, the best Q&A was with Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore). He was so gracious and friendly and appreciative of his fans. He is truly a class act. His nickname is ‘Smolderhalder’ and he informed us that Matt Davis, who plays Alaric Saltzman, gave him the name. (Because of Ian’s mesmerizing eyes and this smoldering look he has). Ian seemed a little embarrassed about it. He’s actually pretty unassuming to be so perfect. ;)
Not only was this convention a blast, I made great connections and seemed to generate a great deal of interest in my Vampire Diaries Kindle Worlds books.   
On Saturday night, they held a Founder’s Ball. Jeremy, Matt, Atticus, Vaughn, Micah, Trevor, and Connor were on stage, hosting contests and chatting with the crowd.

Once the official tasks were out of the way, they climbed off the stage and joined the party, dancing in the crowd with fans. It was unexpected and absolutely fabulous (for the young girls. I stayed back and observed.:))

Me and Ian and my friend, Christy.
(I’m on Ian’s left in the stripes)
Ian’s brother, Bob Somerhalder, has a Business called Built of Barnwood. He had a booth at the show, and I had the pleasure of meeting Bob and his lovely wife, Deena. I gave her a post card of my Kindle Worlds Vampire Diaries books, and she asked me to send her the links and offered to help spread the word. The two of them are such nice, down to earth people. Bob came in the auditorium where we were waiting to line up for Ian’s autograph and chatted with us. We told him he had those same ‘Ian eyes’ and he jokingly said he was the ‘original Smolderhalder.’

My favorite moment was meeting Ian Somerhalder and having my picture made with him. We waited in a long, long line, but I would have waited an eternity for the opportunity to see him up close.

When it was my turn, I stepped forward and he gave me a big hug. It was so surreal. I truly couldn’t believe I was actually touching Damon. He had this light, crisp, manly scent. (I think I might have touched his abs. I was in a bit of a daze, but I seem to remember that.) His eyes are even more spectacular in person. He winked at me and gave that crooked grin… Oh my…  (Yes, I’m fifty-two years old but I am a star struck ninny when it comes to people like him.)


Me and my kids at the ball:
During the photo, he squeezed my shoulder tightly and as I was walking away, he held onto my hand until we were out of arms’ reach. It was a moment I will never forget. Sigh…

When it was my turn to get Ian’s autograph, he looked up and winked and greeted me. I knew that was my moment. So I took a deep breath and…my vocal cords froze, and my brain cells evaporated. I couldn’t speak.

My twenty-year old son, Presley, was behind me, and when he stepped up to Ian, here is how the exchange went…(Ian was eating a chocolate gluten-free granola bar)
 
Presley: Hey man, since you have your mouth full, I won’t ask for a kiss.
Ian: (Chuckles) I don’t know, man, it’s pretty tempting.
Presley: I’m sure it is.
Ian: Let’s settle for this. (Lifts his fist and they fist bump)
Presley: All right, but I’ll tell people we kissed.
Ian: (Laughs) Okay, you do that, brother.

I thought…Geez, my son is cool as a cucumber, chatting him up like they’re old friends, and I’m a blithering idiot.

Below is a pic of my son and Torrey Devito, who plays Meredith Fell on the show, and is currently going through a divorce with Paul Wesley, who plays Stefan Salvatore, the other guy in the love triangle.
So…that’s about it. A spectacular weekend! I highly, highly recommend that fans of the show attend a convention if possible. It is a treat you’ll never forget. This event was put on by Creation Entertainment.  I’m planning to attend Eyecon in November in Atlanta. I cannot wait!
What are your favorite tv programs? Have you ever, or would you ever, want to attend a convention put on by that show? If you could write and publish books related to any tv show, past or present, what would it be?
TO BE ENTERED IN A CONTEST TO WIN A FREE KINDLE COPY OF EACH OF MY VAMPIRE DIARIES BOOKS, JUST TELL ME IN YOUR COMMENT WHICH VAMPIRE DIARIES CHARACTER IS YOUR FAVORITE (If you don't watch the show, you won't have a favorite, but then, you wouldn't want the books either :-)

If you would like to try to win them for someone else, list their favorite character in the comment) I will draw the winner next Wednesday, August 28.

19 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had such a fun time! Would be so cool to meet Ian. I have so much respect for him with all of the charity work he does. :)

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    1. I had a blast. Yes, he's a great person. Very giving.

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  2. Oh my gosh! You touched Ian...you smelled him. LOL. So glad you got to meet him in person and had such a great time at the party. I can't wait till the next season of TVD starts.

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    1. YES I DID! :-) It was amazing--still doesn't feel real. It's like I can't remember exactly what it was like because it didn't seem to be happening, yet I'll never forget it either. LOL. Maybe the next time I get to see him, I'll have my wits about me.

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  3. Ahem, I don't think 52 is too old to have feelings for anyone! The older I get the more I understand it's just a number, even though our physical body looks older and society dictates we need to act more mature.
    My fav character is Ian too because I loved him on LOST.

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    1. Thank you, Kim! I feel better about it now. :-) Yes, he was awesome on Lost too.

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  4. OH, and my favorite show was LOST and would've gone to a convention to see Sawyer and touched his abs for sure!

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    1. Yes indeed! I would loooove to get up close and personal with Sawyer. :-)

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  5. It sounds like you had a great time! What fun.

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  6. It does sound like you had a wonderful time. Enjoyed your pictures and reading about when you met Damon--my favorite Vampire Diaries character, too.

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    1. Thank you, Ann. Yes, it was an incredible time. It was amazing sharing it with my kids, too. Team Damon! :)

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  7. LOL! Your son Presley has your sense of humor! I love it. I don't even watch the show, and you've got me wanting to attend a convention. What a great experience for you, made extra special because your kids were there. And your eyes look pretty smoldery in that picture with Ian--he must be contagious. So fun! Thanks for sharing.
    Oh, almost forgot--my favorite show is FaceOff on the SyFy channel, the series where contestants compete by using their incredible movie-makeup skills. To watch people do what they do best, regardless of what it is, inspires me :)

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    1. LOL, Anna. You have no idea. He's hilarious. All three of my kids are funny. We have a great time together. Ian would make anyone smolder...

      I've never watched that show. Didn't even know about it. Sounds interesting. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I don't know anything about that show but the convention sounded interesting and I liked the pictures.

    Marilyn Baron

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    1. Thank you, Marilyn. Yes it was very interesting. Glad you enjoyed the pics!

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  9. Loved the exchange between your son and Ian. That was hysterical!
    Did Ian know you're writing fanfic for the show for Kindle? Just curious. Have you washed your fingers since touching those abs? And, uh, did your kids see the touch and were they mortified or applauding that mom's still got it!

    :) Christine

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  10. Hahaha. Yes, it was too cute to watch two of my favorite men bantering like that. :-) (I'm divorced from Presley's dad, so I don't have to include him, LOL)

    Ian didn't know about my books, but his brother and sister-in-law know. They wouldn't really let you give things to the celebrities, but my daughter gave my post cards to the person who was sitting next to each celebrity and taking the pics from us for the celebrities to sign. So Ian might know it by now. You're not supposed to say much to them, but if I hadn't been struck dumb, I was going to say, "I'm a published author. Do you want my autograph?" Maybe next time I'll be able to speak.

    No, kids didn't see it. Ian was in a room where they herded us in to pose for pics. Kids would have been mortified/envious. :-)

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  11. Oh Gosh...I'd never really been obsessed with an actor as opposed to the character (s) he plays....but Ian Somerhalder is a different story. Granted, I started loving him because of Damon Salvatore (Hotness +Sarcasm?? Whooo!) The fact that he is a charming, friendly humanitarian in real life....sigh...I would DEFINITELY love to meet him in person...

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