Hi friends,
First and foremost, thank you all for your heartfelt messages last week. I read every single one and am truly grateful you took the time to send your love and good wishes. It really proved to me that this is how we defeat hatred - with open arms and kindness. Likewise, if any of you are struggling right now and have no one to reach out to, my inbox is open. You are not alone. 
And now, back to your regularly scheduled shambolic mess of chaos 
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I write you this newsletter on my flight from Atlanta to Orlando, the skybridge from one crazy, chaotic convention to the next :)
Dragon Con was an absolute blast, with lots of shenanigans from start to finish. My convention actually began a day earlier than most, at the Decatur Baptist Church. There, I had the immense honor of interviewing Matt Dinniman in front of 900 of his most ardent, albeit sacrilegious fans. We all had the best time listening to Matt talk about his early careers (which read a lot like a LitRPG character sheet 
), hearing him YET AGAIN discuss hypothetically killing Mongo (the only time in his career that boos could be heard from the crowd), and having the entire room scream "GLURP GLURP!" in glorious, cloud-parting unison 
.
(I may have also added publicly spanked a man for being barefoot, so I'd like to extend a big shout-out to God for not smiting me for that particular choice.)
Sharing a stage with someone as awesome* as Matt was truly an honorâ
*Because Matt doesn't see these newsletters, I'll tell you guys a little secret: I genuinely like this man. He's a good-hearted person who cares deeply about his readers and fellow authors. I'm lucky he puts up with me. Or at least, *did* put up with me. 
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âAn honor I later repaid by having a large ballroom of people shout "F*CK YOU MATT DINNIMAN.... *RESPECTFULLY!*" 
I was going to wait to tell him about that until *after* the videos inevitably started showing up on social media. But then Stoopid David Andrew Trotter decided to snitch on me 
So, I did what any reasonable person would do: I leapt on David's back as he gleefully ran towards Matt with the queued-up video, wrapped my legs around his arms, and physically restrained him.
(Thank god he wasn't wearing a kilt when that happened.)
Granted, he's got 100+ pounds on me and quickly subdued me like a yowling kitten, but, yanno... An effort was made.
On that note, I would like to extend my heartfelt apology to David's wife, Heather. (And yes, I still love you more.)
I should probably also apologize to my extremely understanding husband, who not only has to deal with me on a *general* basis, but who also has to hear about me spanking not one but TWO men on stage just this week.
(To be fair, the second guy really deserved it. I asked the Boinking Beasties crowd what monster they wanted to f*ck and this dude stands up and shouts "RACHEL RENER!" 
)
Other highlights from the weekend include hanging out with several of my absolute favorite humans, like JD Evans, Andy Peloquin, Tao Wong, and David Trotter (even though he publicly hoisted me onto his shoulders like a rag doll); FINALLY convincing Dragon Con to let me host my infamous MEN WRITING WOMEN panel (we had to turn away 150 people at the door because the room was so packed 
); and spending time with so many wonderful readers and social media fans throughout the con.
Oh yeah, and doing late-night karaoke with the entire Soundbooth theater crew* (the most talented bunch of singers you will EVER be up-staged by)!
*Yes, there are videos, and yes, I can confirm Jeff Hays sings Weird Al like a (slightly drunken) angel.Â
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But seeing as already felt like a party-crasher by being the only non-Soundbooth person there, I won't be sharing them publicly. That said, I can confirm there is a 5-minute video of us doing a group ballad of Bohemian Rhapsody. Last I heard, that video has made it over to SB's social media person. So, fingers crossed for you guys, that *may* soon be posted for your viewing pleasure (and my impending mortification).
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Anyhoo, Dragon Con was really, really great.
I genuinely enjoyed doing so many panels and interviews and would love to do more of them once Hematites and History is done. (Only 3 more chapters to go!!) Let me know if you hear of any opportunities in the meantime!
PS - if you missed the antics - such as me getting an entire room of people to scream "PLATYPUSSY!!!" at the top of their lungs - you can join my Patreon! Most of my panels get livestreamed for Realmwalker and Runemasters, and are later posted for Runemaster-in-Training :)
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FANGRRRL!
I have arrived to the Hilton Orlando and can't wait to see all my beloved Fan Grrrls soon!! If you're here, be sure to come say hello!
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Team Update!
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I am so excited to announce my longtime Content Queenie, Bex, has been promoted to my first-ever FULL TIME PA!
Bex is one of the most brilliant, hard-working, funny, and loyal people you could ever have the privilege of meeting, and I could not be more honored to have her at my side! I'm also so happy to officially bring Kels Cook, who's been helping Bex with graphics and content, onto the team as my official Content Creator!Â
What a way for Kels to meet a couple of her favorite authors in person, eh? 
And so, here is the official RR Team line-up! AÂ true dream team, rooted in the love and efforts of so many people who have come together to create the greatest community on the internet!!
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New Book Alert!!!
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One of my dear friends, JA Andrews, has just launched a boxset of her incredible trilogy, The Aenigma Lights!
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National Treasure meets classic epic fantasyâwith a surly elf, ancient puzzles, and a rescue mission that spans empires.
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Dive into a complete epic fantasy trilogy filled with clever puzzles, rich world-building, classic fantasy races, and the kinds of found-family that shape the soul. This omnibus includes all three books: Runelight, Mistlight, and Lastlight.
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Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to get caught up on all the latest and greatest. I'm looking forward to updating you on all the chaos yet to come here in Orlando ;)
Cheers!
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