A Tale of Marble and Chiffon

My Los Angeles Romantasy Adventure

Recently, I traveled to Los Angeles. Originally, I had planned on writing about the many fun adventures I had on my first LA trip. However, as it sometimes goes with work travel, I mostly saw the inside of the hotel. At least this hotel was the historic and iconic Biltmore. If you aren’t familiar with the Biltmore, opening on October 1, 1923 it has established a long history of elegance and opulence. Its very presence was a statement to the rest of the world that Los Angeles, which was a young city at the time, had arrived to metropolis status. Unsurprisingly, it quickly rose to fame as the hotspot for Hollywood elite, glamorous parties, and the backdrop for many popular movies.

The Biltmore still radiates that grandiose, old-school charm, well-suited for the reason I was there, the Fabled Fantasy Events Romantasy Book Convention. Romantasy is the perfect melding of Romance and Fantasy and, as a genre, has been blowing up in popularity (for good reason). Authors, book industry professionals, entertainers, vendors, and fans gathered to celebrate their favorite books.

I was there promoting Book Club Journeys, and while it was a lot of work, don’t worry, there was also play. I was able to sneak away a few times to meet a few of my favorite authors, like Kate Golden. Ask me about accidentally cutting in on that line! I ran into sisters Nicole and Lexi of Fantasy Fangirls, an incredible podcast dedicated to fantasy books. I made new friends too, like Cliché teas from Alaska. They offer delicious, high-quality teas with delightful and clever names. I realized the best place to meet people is on the stairs or at the bar. Speaking of, a special shout out to Rommel, the bartender at the Biltmore. At first I was thinking it must be weird seeing a sea of ballgowns and fairy wings in your bar, but then I remembered, it’s another day in Los Angeles.

The Ripped Bodice, a famous queer-and female-owned romance-only bookstore, created a pop-up version of their store at the event, which was lucky for me, because it was on my list of must-visits while in Los Angeles. It’s nice when those appear in your hotel, eliminating the need for sitting in traffic. If only everything was that easy!

Honestly, there was no need to go to Hollywood proper, because we were privy to a fantastical red carpet cosplay event. Our favorite characters came to life and strutted their stuff down that runway to the cheers of the audience. I met witches, queens, fairies, dragon riders and dragons. One woman made me feel like I actually was seeing Danielle de Barbarac from Ever After in real life. I also met a lot of heroines, strong women who were creating their own amazing stories.

I went to LA alone, but I left with a bunch of new fierce friends. It made me realize, this is one of the reasons why I started Book Club Journeys. I wanted to create a safe space where like-minded people come together and celebrate what makes them happy—plus, of course, all the joy that comes from traveling to a place that is as magical as the story which inspires it. It’s not often you can step into the story.

Learn more about our newest Book Club Journey, Outlander: Scotland.