Category: 2016

What SPNFamily Is All About at SFCon

spnfans

img_1383

The last Supernatural con of 2016 was memorable for me, though not for the reasons I thought it would be. I was spending time with the kids so was only able to get there Saturday night, and the second – literally – I stepped off the shuttle and into the hotel, my phone rang and I got the shocking news that my dad had passed away. It was one of those moments that turns completely surreal immediately. I think I told the doctor trying to be sympathetic on the phone “no that can’t be right, I’m in San Francisco.” He patiently answered that yes, he realized that, but in fact my father had still expired. It will be darkly comedic at some point, but I’m not quite there yet.

I wandered into the hotel in a sort of daze, and immediately some of the Creation people I’ve come to know over the years knew something was wrong. Even though it was way too late to get registered, they got me a wristband and my seat pass and whatever else I needed. My friend Max held my hand and walked me to my seat and checked on me throughout the concert.

I couldn’t even bring myself to make any phone calls; instead I drank in the Saturday Night Special like it was a lifeline. It feels like that sometimes anyway, but never so much as that night. I felt surrounded by love, fans who are friends all around me and cast who feel like friends too singing such emotional songs that I was swept up in it and out of my own sadness. Just for an hour, but it was what I needed to give me time to accept what had happened gradually, so it didn’t overwhelm me.

Read more →

Burcon Sunday with Jared, Jensen and Felicia Day

spnfans

img_1151

img_1124

Sunday was another rather emotional day thanks to the recent election.

In the morning gold panel, Jared said that he had messaged Misha when the results came in and was worried when he didn’t respond right away. Forty eight hours later he got back a sad frowny face. Both Jared and Jensen applauded Misha for his efforts to get people to vote, saying how proud they are of him. I’ve said it before, but I just love how supportive they all are of each other.

In response to some fans whose lives have been changed by the show, Jared reminded us all that #AlwaysKeepFighting is also a metaphor for the show – that it’s important to make a difference that lasts.

20161113_102118_wm

20161113_103046_wm

img_1215

During the gold panel, a fan asked Jared and Jensen what their most elaborate prank was.

Read more →

Hometown Supernatural Con – Burbank Friday and Saturday 2016

spnfans

img_1045

img_1056

Returning to Burbank for what is, for now at least, the last Supernatural con that Creation has planned there, was both festive and emotional. Many of the actors live there, so that means their families can come see what they do for a dozen or more weekends out of the year, and even actors who aren’t making paid appearances sometimes show up to join in the fun. That means a con in Burbank is usually a very good party.

Even as an East Coaster, I love Burbank too. It’s such a nice little airport and a lovely hotel with a convenient little convention ballroom attached. There’s a handy bar to meet up with fellow fans, and there’s all of Burbank a few minutes away with its great restaurants too. I hated not being there last year, instead stuck at the giant Pasadena convention center, so I was thrilled to be back.

It was the weekend after the election, and emotions were running high for both guests and fans. Somehow the con felt like the best place to be, surrounded by a lot of love and support. There were fliers throughout the hotel letting fans know that this was a safe space, and that they were accepted here. It made me proud to be a fan and a member of this SPN Family – and to sort of want to stay there in that fandom bubble for as long as possible!

Read more →

NJCon 2016 Sunday – Jared, Jensen and the Real Bob Singer!

spnfans

img_0910

img_0930

 

Sunday morning happened early as it always does, with the boys’ morning Gold panel. Jensen was clearly as tired as me, because coffee was a repeated theme all day. He thoroughly owns being grumpy without it – Jensen turns into grumpy Dean apparently. He was pretty bummed that his hotel didn’t have coffee makers in the rooms, which I found entirely understandable after the kind of weekend I was having!

The boys were entertaining as usual, despite the lack of coffee. Jared said he really liked last week’s episode, which was old school SPN – the reason why he fell in love with Supernatural.

Jensen: (pouting) I thought I was the reason you fell in love with Supernatural.

More than one person in the ballroom: Yep.

Read more →

Supernatural Comes to the East Coast at NJCon – Friday and Saturday 2016

spnfans

img_0763

img_0733

img_0777

I guess you can tell that things have been busy around here – between family and holiday stuff and finishing up the new book, I didn’t manage to find time to write up my NJCon adventures until now. I think that’s a record, but I can’t promise it will stand for too long…. At any rate, here’s my recap of NJCon. Take a little break from Black Friday shopping and peruse the pretty pictures. And stay tuned for part two later today!

Finally, a con I can drive to! It was gorgeous weather and my GPS took me through scenic Pennsylvania countryside with beautiful fall foliage and past pastures with Shetland ponies and lots of antique stores, so I was in a really good mood by the time I got to the hotel. Which was a good thing, because New Jersey is such a weird state (no left turns, everything’s a complicated jug handle or a traffic circle that’s totally not working) that my GPS couldn’t even FIND the hotel. Luckily the friendly staff at Barnes and Noble could, so I made it in plenty of time to set up in the vendor room.

Like every other aspect of Supernatural cons, the vendors who regularly do these cons have become a sort of surrogate family too. Everyone watches out for each other, helps each other set up, lends out tape and markers and scissors and whatever else is needed. Shout out to my fellow vendors!

Thursday was a lot of people coming by to find out what ‘Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls’ and ‘Fan Phenomena Supernatural’ were all about, or coming by to tell us that they had already read them and enjoyed them. Which makes my day every time. I had a lovely late snack with my friend and fellow fangirl, Hansi, who is also the director and producer of the upcoming web series, ‘Squee! The Fangirl Project’. I’m co-writer and associate producer of this celebration of fangirling, so needless to say I’m ridiculously excited about it – the first cut looks amazing!

Friday kicked off with Richard and Rob and Louden Swain, and rules and regulations which now include no live streaming.

Read more →

AtlantaCon Sunday with Jared and Jensen and Friends

spnfans

img_0601

Sunday’s gold panel brought us a tired Jared and Jensen, but that never seems to stop them from being up for chatting with fans. Jensen ribbed Jared for being in his trailer “drinking wine” while Jensen was filming a fight scene in the mud, which sounds pretty intriguing actually.

They J’s had dinner with Peter Roth, head of the CW, the other night, and the outcome of that chat seems to be that Roth is game for Supernatural to keep on going as long as we’re watching and Jared and Jensen are up for it. In other words, let’s keep going!

I’m writing this having seen episode 3, which makes everything said about the relationship between Dean and Sam and their mother extra poignant. Jared said that after his real life mother saw the scene where Sam brings Mary a cup of tea, she called him to complain that he never does that for her. Awww.

Read more →

Supernatural Comes to Atlanta!

spnfans

20161022_233714_wm

img_0512

img_0523

Supernatural was new to Atlanta, and so was I – this was my first trip to a city that was warm and welcoming (and had some fabulous food). I’m in the thick of work obligations and pulling together the new book, so this will be a drive by con report, but I wanted to share some of the photos and some of my favorite moments. So here goes!

This is Part 1, Friday and Saturday. Sunday coming up soon!

Briana Buckmaster and Kim Rhodes are always a great way to kick off a con, and this time was no exception. Briana talked seriously about how much she enjoyed playing Donna as a character who looks like her – “so I don’t have to hide”. She’s also not eager to have Donna get involved in another relationship if/when she’s back on the show, never mind how nice Brendan Taylor is. After all, Donna already found love – with Jody. It may not be a romantic love, but it’s definitely love.

Read more →

Toronto Con Supernatural 2016

spnfans

img_0220

img_0235

img_0084

Now that Season 12 of Supernatural has premiered, there’s a sense of excitement in the fandom that’s absolutely exhilarating. I just finished my review of the premiere, so it’s time to sit down and try to remember what happened last weekend at Toronto con. Luckily, it was pretty memorable.

Warning: Long post ahead! With probably way too many pictures (or is that even possible when we’re talking about Supernatural??)

Torcon, as it used to be hashtagged, has been a special con ever since that time three years ago when Rob Benedict had a stroke near the end of the convention. His fellow Supernatural actors, along with fans and Creation staff and volunteers, were instrumental in saving his life that night – and nobody who’s at Torcon ever forgets it. I spoke with Rob a few hours before the premiere episode last week about his experience on the show at the end of last season, but we also talked a bit about the cons and how emotional they are. Especially this one, and especially the Saturday Night Special. We almost lost Rob, and that makes every time he takes the stage that much more special. Look for that interview here soon – and for Rob’s powerful chapter in our new book, Family Don’t End With Blood, which will be released in May. Until then, here are some of my favorite moments from this year’s Torcon, and lots of pretty pictures.

Read more →

Sunday at DallasCon – Jared, Jensen and Julian!

spnfans

dallas-nip2

The hotel didn’t get any better on Sunday, but it was even harder to care when we had Jared and Jensen and Julian to entertain us, not to mention Rob and Rich.

I had a chance to chat with Megan Padalecki, who was there to sell her new book, Little Moon. The tiniest member of our family absolutely LOVES her first book, Big Mo, so of course I had to buy this one too. I introduced her to Monica, the production manager for Family Don’t End With Blood, and they totally hit it off. In fact, they sort of geeked out together in animated conversation about printing stock and such things that are far above my pay grade. Meanwhile, I chatted with Jared’s lovely parents, who wanted to know all about the new book and how their son’s chapter had turned out (AMAZING!!!) Soon the Padaleckis will have two published authors in the family, I said, which put a smile on their faces.

Jared and Jensen took the stage for the morning gold panel looking amazing (not a shock, I know) and seeming well rested and in a good mood. Texas agrees with them, I think – they always seem to be in an extra laid back good mood when they’re in their home state.

Read more →

Supernatural Texas Style – DallasCon Saturday

spnfans

img_9748_wm

I only made it to part of Dallascon, thanks to a poorly scheduled department retreat (at least I thought it was poorly scheduled…) I flew in on Saturday afternoon, but luckily for me, Ben Bella (the publisher of our new book) is located in Dallas, so the production manager offered to pick me up. I had never met Monica, but she’s not only the production manager for ‘Family Don’t End With Blood,’ she’s a fellow Supernatural fan, so I was pretty sure we’d hit it off.

We did. In fact, we hit it off so well that we talked excitedly about the show and the boys and the book and the conversation was so scintillating that we missed our exit and ended up downtown. Oops. Scenic tour of downtown Dallas, and then we finally found the Westin. Not the Westin garage, which was hidden around a handily disguised U turn, however. A few more wrong turns (it was a theme of the day) and we finally made it into the garage, only to find large portions of it covered by stacks of building material and reams and reams of rolled up discarded carpets. Which meant very few parking spots. What the hell?

Eventually, in desperation, Monica proved her superior parking skills and parked the car sideways in several half-blocked spots with stacks of building materials in the other half. That wasn’t the only problem with the Westin, it soon became clear. The entire hotel was under construction – as in, the lobby was inaccessible and lots of men in hard hats standing on giant cranes were literally taking the place apart. With very loud drills and jackhammers and who knows what else. I repeat. What the hell?? Did they not remember they had booked a convention for thousands of people this weekend??

I was having flashbacks to my dismal hotel experience in Vegas last spring before long. There was only one restaurant open in the hotel and it was woefully understaffed and overwhelmed, which meant that there was no way to grab a quick bite when you have 45 minutes between panels. There were four elevators but at any given time usually only one or two were actually working, the others repeatedly getting stuck between floors and then taken out of commission. To add to the fun, they continued to do construction work on the escalators that took people from the ground floor to the convention floor, so there was literally no way to get between them but the already inadequate elevators. At times there were 100 people packed into the lobby entrance trying to get from the first floor to the second. Argh.

That said, the con itself was excellent. The seats were big enough and comfy (woohoo!), the stage was just the right height, and the guests were in great moods. Oh, and there were fangirls. Some of my favorite fangirls, who I hadn’t seen since Houston con a long long time ago – that went a long way toward forgetting just how awful the hotel situation was. (They did comp con guests one night, which I do appreciate).

Read more →