The End of UTOPiA....

the beginning of something new and beautiful.

2017 is going to be the last UTOPiA con.

For those who know me, UTOPiA con in Nashville TN has played an incredibly important part in my life. It would take me a whole novel's worth of words to truly explain the impact it has had.

For many years, I was friends online with an incredible bunch of people who I often chatted to in the late hours of the night and into the early morning. They lived across the pond, and at that time, I was teaching full time so tied in more ways than one.

In 2014, I finally quit the day job to pursue this creative life. One of the very first things I did was finally get my ticket to UTOPYA 2015 (as it was then) in Nashville. It was a crazy decision; I had just given up a secure salary and I was terrified of flying --- but I KNEW I had to go. I had to finally hug the people who had become such dear friends.



I had no idea what to expect; the indie author community was still emerging in the UK and I had never been to an author event. The first thing that happened when I walked into the Millennium Maxwell, is I was swept up in a literal tidal wave of hugs from Carol and Adam Kunz; that first two minutes set the tone of the conference. I have never been hugged so much in my whole lifetime.

Those three days went by in an incredible whirl of knowledge, love, acceptance, inspiration... and home. It isn't hyperbole to say that for the first time in my life, I truly and wholly felt like I had arrived home - a strange thing to say for an English girl who had never visited the US in her life.



I booked my ticket for the following year before I boarded the plane home, and 2016 was even more special because this time, I was going BACK home.

Janet Wallace is the founder of UTOPiA.Con, and I have the incredible privilege of being able to say, she is now a dear friend. Janet has influenced my journey in so many ways and I know we have many roads to travel together in the future. Exciting times are coming and I am so joyful and full of positivity for them... but in the meantime, I'm going to let myself grieve for the loss of something truly special; a space where my most favourite, most special, most loved friends gather and share and hug.



I want to say a heart felt thank you to Janet, her team and all those incredible authors who have become friends and sisters. I know that there have been friendships made for life, and I know that we shall see each other many more times, but at the moment, I am reflecting on the times we have shared together - and those memories will always be in my heart.

This news is even more deeply felt this year because as it stands, I am not able to attend the 2017 conference. I know this is going to mean I can't fully close on this episode of my life, and I know that it is going to cause a great deal of sadness in the coming months, but I am doing everything I can to ensure that UTOPiA  and my tribe are fixed in a secure place in my heart.

So, Janet and my beautiful author friends, I raise a toast to the memories, to the laughter, the fun, the friendship, the love, the encouragement, the peace I found in your presence - and most of all, I raise a glass to future shared adventures. Know that I love you with a whole heart, and that there are going to be many tears shed over this for a little while to come.

Kate xxx

UTOPiA 2016: Review

So this is a little late in being written but it's because it takes me a while to decompress after UTOPiA. The Convention which is held in Nashville Tennessee (USA) and which is founded by Janet Wallace, holds a very special place in my heart.

Last year was the first time I had been to a convention, and the first time I had been to the States. It is not a cliche or over statement to say that my trip to UTOPiA (or UTOPYA) as it was then was life changing.

It
Changed
My
Life.

Seriously. If I was to tell you how much, and in all the various ways it changed my life, I would have to take up several hours of your time, but know this -- I went to UTOPYA as one person and came back different. It was a moment of metamorphosis. I can never thank my beautiful UTOPYA tribe enough for filling me from tip-to-toe with love, encouragement, inspiration, and confidence. 4 days with those folks is like super-charging the battery to the point you could literally fire yourself off into space.

So this year I returned, knowing that like all good things you experience, it's dangerous ground to go back and try and relive it - and it was different; I was no longer embarking on some scary, thrilling new adventure, I was going home.

Home.

Four little letters, and a meaning as great as the universe. That's how it felt when I walked through the doors of the Millennium Maxwell. I spent the first few days hugging and laughing, and generally being beyond excited to see people who have become more than friends, but family - a sisterhood. UTOPiA gets me, and I love it fiercely.

With Susan Burdorf, Author

This year, I wanted to give back to the UTOPiA community, and headed up an anthology with some truly talented UTOPiAns, called 'Revolution.' Working together on something that meant so much to us all, allowed me the great privilege of really getting to know authors I didn't particularly know so well before hand, and beautiful friendships grew from that project. A massive thanks to Christina Benjamin, Caroline A Gill, Kelly Risser, Jessie Campbell, Raye Wagner, Tricia Zoeller, Nooce Miller and Kelly Risser.

Profits from the sale of the anthology are going to Carlyle Labuschagne's charity 'Help Build A Library In South Africa.' (Links are at end of this post)

This year I exhibited again, and it was bonkers to see how my stand had grown since only a year before. It was a symbol of the journey I've taken - and this time, I remembered to take the Cadbury's chocolate.

I was up for nomination for a UTOPiA award for two of my titles, 'When Sorrows Come' and 'Beautiful Freaks' - I can't express in words, how much that meant to me, but if you were here with me now, I would demonstrate it through interpretative dance. (Just think Kate Bush and you'd be somewhere in the right ballpark)

I was also beyond privileged to chair a panel on formatting - now, I tell you, those guys knew what they were talking about, and we, as a team, demonstrated that not only is formatting the  coolest element of book making, but that it is also extremely important. It was an absolute pleasure to chair and felt like another step in my journey.

There are so many precious moments, from last minute swag making with my beautiful friend Carlyle Labuschagne and her publisher Erika (nice to meet you, BTW!), to being on the Karaoke support team with the wonderful Ashley Bodette, to hugging the amazingly beautiful Carol Kunz, to midnight sorority parties with Chelsea Fine and S.M Boyce, two women who I admire beyond measure and who one day I aspire to be, to meeting up with my beautiful friend Patti Larsen, who inspires me to write more, although I'll never catch up with her gazillion books, to hanging with the legend that is Janet Wallace, to having the table best table buddy ever, KD Wood, to the late night PJ font party with Jo Michaels, to sushi with the beautiful Christina Benjamin, to Tequila contests with my buddies Chelsea Stirling and Christina Mercer, to treasured moments with my dear friend Susan Burdorf, and to sharing soul with Stacie Wilson. oh, my goodness I could go on and on... and there are so many amazing souls and dear friends who I also shared such special moments with - you know who you are.

These moments fill me up for the rest of the year. They make me feel like I belong to something wonderful, positive, creative and world-changing. Being in the presence of so many kind and loving people who want to lift as they climb is something that is literally priceless.

So, now it's time for a little spate of the post-Utopia blues, but what makes that manageable is the fact that I had already purchased my ticket for 2017 back in March and my flight tickets are already booked.

With my lovely friend, the author of 'Our Song' Ashley Bodette 

Awards Night with Chelsea Stirling and Christina Mercer

With my beautiful and ridiculously talented friend Christina Benjamin (Author of the Geneva Chronicles) 

With Chelsea Stirling <3 nbsp="" td="">

With the incredible Patti Larsen. My Superhero. This woman is a writing machine. 

With the founder of UTOPiA, Janet Wallace. An inspiration and  honoured to be able to call friend. 

With the awesome Tina Donelly and author, and table buddy, and friend for life KD WOOD

Revolution Anthology links: You can get your copy in either Paperback or eBook from the following links
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I1OVE56
USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I1OVE56  

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT UTOPiA 2017 over at http://www.utopiacon.com