Tales from the Con!

A few weeks ago, Erin and I were fortunate to get to be part of the Crystal Coast Con. Erin is a fantasy author--plus, she's incredibly fun and charming--so she gets invited to amazing events. I, being her loving husband, support her and crash these shindigs, thus getting thrown into the fray. Fortunately, Erin doesn't seem to mind that I'm riding her coattails. :-)

Book signings and parties are awesome, but they just don't quite compare to a great Comic Con. This was nerdvana, and I was totally at home.

Some people geek out, I Deek out.

Erin and Deek at our booth at Crystal Coast Con!

Before the festivities began on Saturday, we had dinner with some old and new friends.

Dinner the night before with Dave Atwell, Chrissy Lessey, Stro, Erin, and Deek!

I met Dave Atwell at the another library signing that I crashed--are you noticing a theme here? He's got several books out and knows the biz super well. Chrissy Lessey and I know each other because we are both Pandas! Wut? Yep, we live in the same neck of the woods and got published by Pandamoon Publishing.

But we got to meet the totally versatile Stro that night. I say "versatile" because Stro is a professional actor, wrestler, has a series of YouTube videos, and also does things like raising money for kids. You name it and Stro has probably done it. He's got the best stories too!

Connect with Stro!

Connect with Dave Atwell!

Erin meets Noah Hathaway, #Atreyu of #TheNeverendingStory

When Erin first got invited to Crystal Con, one of the things she wanted to do more than anything was meet Atreyu of The Neverending Story. Also, some people call him Noah Hathaway. You couldn't ask for anyone more down to earth. It wasn't more than a few minutes into our conversation, and we were swapping pet stories and chatting as if he weren't a famous movie star.

Interesting fact: Noah recently had to have back surgery for an injury he received when a horse fell on him in The Neverending Story. I kid you not. The director was very particular about each scene and shot each one a ton of times, and one of the times, the horse fell on Noah.

Connect with Noah Hathaway! 

Deek and the awesome Noah Hathaway!

I love just meeting people. As they strolled by, if they had on a interesting costume or, as in the case of this gentleman, had interesting art, I asked them about it. This guy was a tapestry of tattoos. Everything from Star Trek to Popeye.

Serious about his artwork!

I found this amazing robot near the food court. Hopefully it isn't an alien robot bent on taking over the world and just hiding at this con until his fellow robotians arrived.

Crazy robot!

This gent looked like he came right from the Jedi Academy. I immediately thought of him as OB2-Kenobi, OB1's long lost brother.

OB1's brother, OB2-Kenobi and Deek!

This spaceman was just so cool I couldn't pass up a chance to get a pic of him.

Spaceman!

Erin and I were seated near Tasya Teles of The 100! I've never seen the show, but Erin loves it and was thrilled to meet her. Tasya was so incredibly nice!

Erin, Deek, and the super nice Tasya Teles of #The100! 

Connect with Tasya Teles!

I love Superman. I've never made it a secret that if I could have a super power it would be to fly, so when the Man of Steel strolled by, taking a break from saving the world, I had to get a selfie with him.

Deek and the Man of Steel!

This is one of my favorite pics of the con. Batgirl, exhausted from fighting crime, takes a few minutes to stop and read #122Rules. Batgirl, also known as Shannon Henry, was a super sport and looked dashing in her cape and mask.

The fearless Batgirl, Shannon Henry!

Connect with Shannon Henry!

We sold a lot of books, but this gent was the first one to buy all of our books at the same time. Each and every one of them! He came by, read the covers of each, and debated saving his money for something else. A couple hours later, he came back. Wut? Yes!

First customer at Crystal Coast Con to buy ALL of our books at once!

Yes, a Sand Person!

Rick Mora of Twilight sat at a table right across from us. We had the pleasure of watching him interact with fans all day. Each person that came to his table left with a big smile on their face. When he wasn't wooing fans, he chatted us up as well. Seriously, awesome guy!

The awesome Rick Mora from Twilight!

Connect with Rick Mora!

Thor wields the hammer and my bride doesn't seem to mind!

Deek meets Jafar!

Love seeing Kylo Ren helping a Star Trek admiral care for a baby!

Deek the Geek in Heaven!

Deek meets Kylo and a mini Jedi!

It's a croc!

Erin and Chrissy!

Chrissy's booth was right next to ours, so some of our fans even bought her books. KIDDING! Chrissy is insanely popular with folks. She has some of the most dedicated fans, and she and her husband charm them all. I can't tell you how many times I heard people say that they'd read her other books and were totally stoked for this one.

Connect with Chrissy Lessey!

We got the privilege of seeing Bill Blair in full-on makeup. He's done a ton of Star Trek characters from Klingons to Cardassians. He's even in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Bill Blair in full-on makeup!

Connect with Bill Blair!

One of my favorite new peeps of the con was Dango. This guy is so incredibly down to earth. He's a stand-up comedian, actor (The Walking Dead), and a firefighter. Yes, that's right. He saves peoples lives for a living. This is one of my favorite #BirthSelfies ever.

Best #BirthSelfie Ever!

Dango supportin' his peeps!

Dango looking totally bad arse in his movie gear!

Dango signed his pic for us!

You do NOT want to be on the wrong side of this guy!

If you can't quite read it, Dango wrote:
Deek, Thanks for birthing me,
Dango

Connect with Dango! 

Raaaaar Deek and a T-Rex duke it out!

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Deek.

After the con, Erin and I headed out for a little fun in the sun!

Deek and his gorgeous bride on the same beach he asked her to marry him!

Erin giving Deek her will-you-stop-taking-pictures-of-me-look!

Gotta stuff your bra, Deek, if you're going to compete...

Though the con was a blast and I was grateful to be part of it, the best part of the entire thing was that I got to spend it with Erin. She's my best friend and partner in everything. Erin makes the sun rise in the east and the world spin on its axis. I'm so beyond grateful to have gotten to go on this and all adventures with her.

Deek and Erin

Adventure on, peeps! Until next time, Deek out.

About the Author

Deek Rhew

Deek Rhew is a transplant from a rainy pocket in the Pacific Northwest. Deek now lives in a sultry corner of the US of A where the sun shines bright, the sweet tea flows, and the hush puppies are hot and delicious.

He and his brilliant, but stunning author bride, Erin Rhew, live a simple life with their writing assistant, a fat tabby named Trinity. They enjoy lingering in the mornings, and often late into the night, caught up Erin’s fantastic fantasy worlds of noble princes and knights and entwined in Deek’s dark underworld of the FBI and drug lords.

He is the author of two books:

122 Rules

A federal assassin grows a conscious just when he's about to pull the trigger.

He has decision to make: Finish his assignment, or follow his gut and save his quarry.


Read #122Rules to join the fray.

Birth of an American Gigolo If you've even been betrayed. If you've ever been cheated. If you've ever wanted to serve up a can of whoopass on someone that desperately deserved it but never got the chance... ​It's time for you to get the revenge you so truly deserve. A Husband. A Mistress. A #WifesRevenge Get your revenge. Read #BirthOfAnAmericanGigolo