CanCon Ottawa Debrief

Hello Dreamers.

CanCon Ottawa was a whirlwind of excitement and stress. The weekend was packed with experiences that I can’t wait to share with you.

Day 0: The Journey Begins

I woke up early on Thursday. I boarded the train to Toronto from my hometown. I had messed up my train booking for Ottawa, missing the 10:48 AM departure from Union Station.

Once on VIA Rail, I felt a wave of relief. My luggage was within weight limits, and I had accepted that the cart would stay home. I settled into my economy seat and struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. When I mentioned I’m a published author, his eyes lit up. The excitement didn’t fade even after I told him I’m self-published. He found it fascinating that I write fantasy with a hint of erotica and shared stories about his girlfriend's love for smut.

After four hours, a few chapters read, and a $3.45 can of Diet Coke, I shared my website with him. I couldn’t reach for a business card in the chaos of disembarking, but I hoped he’d remember me.

By 5:30 PM, I arrived at the hotel. When I tried to check in, my card got declined. I spent an hour on hold with the bank, only to learn I needed to reset my card's PIN. Sigh.

Finally, I got into my room, settled in, and headed out for dinner. There was a pizza bar nearby that hit the spot.

Some of the best pizza ever!

I tried to joke with the waitress when I discovered the jalapenos in my poppers were red. I think I scared her. After dinner, I returned to the hotel to wind down, preparing for the busy day ahead.

Day 1: The Convention Begins

I pried myself out of bed at 6:45 AM. Breakfast was included, so I decided to indulge. I discovered it was a buffet-style, all-you-can-eat spread. The meat, eggs, and potatoes were on a serving tray, and there was a waffle iron with a batter dispenser.

Hallelujah

You bet I took full advantage of that!

After stuffing myself, I gathered my gear and Ubered to the convention grounds. I found the vendor hall after wandering around and set up my table.

A sign reading "This book is Lovecraftian Horror centering around a woman and an eldritch tentacle monster. Curious? Step right up."](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/92f50e_72a7115f49d646189ac075c3997ae975~mv2.jpg "")

I hoped people would step right up.

CanCon is a literary event specializing in sci-fi and fantasy.

Yes, that is a TARDIS behind me. As is a makeshift Dalek and a face of the Silence.

I made an effort to arrive early and set up. At 10:00 AM, there were still no attendees, just vendors. At noon, I asked when the vendor hall would open to the public. The answer? 5:00 PM.

With no panels that piqued my interest, I spent the time doing last-minute checks. Finally, 5:00 PM arrived, and the crowd poured in, eager to explore.

I had heard that Friday is typically slow, but I managed to sell one copy of Whispers of the Abyss.

At 8:00 PM, I attended an afterparty with Toronto SFF. We gathered at a nearby bar where one of the guys had reserved a table. I returned to my hotel room around 11:30 PM, drifting into a half-drunken sleep.

Day 2: Embracing the Chaos

After dragging myself out of bed, I indulged in another hearty breakfast before Ubering to the convention. October 18th, 2025, was also known as No Kings Day, and I felt compelled to show my solidarity.

This had been taken later in the day, but it was better than the one I took that morning.

Now that I was more awake, I could dive into the details about the other vendors.

The vendor area was a vibrant mix of authors, publishers, and book-adjacent services. I shared a table with a company called "Pulp and Paste," which sold custom, handbound stationery. Their notebooks and planners were popular, especially the D&D organizers. They were pricey, but the quality was undeniable:

• Handbound

• High-quality paper

• Customizable pages

• Covers with patterns of the customer's choice

  
  

To my right, I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Colghan. He’s well-known in the con scene in Ottawa, with a loud, energetic personality. While he has written many works, he’s most famous for Fifty Shades of Neigh (yes, it’s about centaurs).

During our interactions, I learned about the 'Spice Game.' It’s simple: a random person picks an erotic book, opens it to a random page, and the author scores points based on the content:

• 2 points for a sex scene

• 1 point for foreplay or pillow talk

• 0 points for anything else

  
  

Once he learned about Whispers of the Abyss, we dove into the Spice Game, eager to see who would score higher.

He was accompanied by an artist named AJ LaFrance, who painted nautical-themed subjects, mainly mermaids, on plywood. He sold prints of his work at the table next to Colghan's books.

Like this one. More on it in the haul video.

Despite assurances that Saturday would be busier than Friday, I only made a couple of sales: one copy of Whispers and $3 worth of merchandise to a guy placing a bid for WorldCon Edmonton. Outer Rim AF is my best friend.

The market on day two wrapped up at 6:00 PM. The afterparty with Toronto SFF turned into a chaotic, no-reservation dash to an East Side Mario's. The company was delightful, but what do you expect from a restaurant whose main selling point is "All you can eat breadsticks"? (I definitely took advantage of that). The adult mac and cheese I ordered, dubbed Fetitetine Alfredo, was decent.

The group left early, low on energy. I regretted not ordering dessert, so I treated myself to cheesecake on DoorDash once I got back to my hotel room.

Day 3: The Final Stretch

The last day began with two waffles, a pile of protein, and potatoes before I grabbed an Uber. I picked out an outfit for Sunday that, to quote the chair of the Conference, "Looks both fancy and comfortable."

The forecast predicted around 15°C, so I decided to show a bit more skin.

Also just wanted to rock the LOZ scarf.

On the third day, I rearranged my table, hoping to squeeze out a few more sales before the end.

There were plenty of rounds of the Spice Game, complete with giggles and disappointment. I chatted with someone writing a story about, ahem, seducing the essence of vanilla extract (get it? "vanilla sex?"). We even read a parody of erotica that Colghan had been drafting.

Oddly enough, the Spice Game helped me sell a copy of Quantum Songstress. The reader flipped through the pages and commented on the well-written sentences and appealing interior design. She wasn’t interested in Lovecraftian Horror Romance Tentacle Porn, but I showed her my other two books, and she found Quantum Songstress intriguing.

As the day came to a close, a drone flew overhead.

It was time to pack up. Unfortunately, the bookplate used for signing left a casualty.

After saying my goodbyes and discussing the idea of the Monster F’er Anthology, I hopped into an Uber to the VIA station, boarding the train back to Toronto at 6:00 PM.

Unlike my journey there, I rode in business class on the way back. The price difference wasn’t significant, and the car was half-empty. I sat next to no one.

But hey? They included dinner!

Mmm, airplane food.

There was also an open bar. I indulged in a rum and coke, ginger and rye, red wine, and water.

Once I arrived at Union, the VIA train was late. I had less than ten minutes to catch my connecting Ontario Northland bus to Barrie. A wrong turn led to panic as I struggled to find the bus terminal. Dragging around 48 lbs of luggage, I feared I would miss my bus.

Staff at the station flagged me down, asking if I needed water. I replied, "I'm looking for the Northland back to Barrie!"

They guided me to the ticket stand, where I learned the bus had already left, and the next one wouldn’t arrive until the next day. "It’s cold and raining, and this building will be locked up, so I’ll be stuck outside all night..." I wept while gulping water, struggling to breathe.

They convinced me to Uber to a later stop to catch the bus. So, $60 later, I arrived at Hwy 407 Station, only to find out the bus had passed by before I got there.

At that point, I called my mom and asked for a lift. She agreed, but only if I got to Vaughn Metropolitan Centre, the northernmost stop on the TTC. I made it there, grabbing chips and chocolate from the vending machine to calm my nerves. I felt for a teen who missed the last subway train and couldn’t reach his mom.

When my mom arrived, I felt terrible. I knew she wasn’t happy as I loaded my stuff into the trunk of her SUV. While she insisted it was okay, I knew it wasn’t.

I finally got home at 4:00 AM. I managed to sleep, but I wasn’t functional until Thursday, when I wrote this post.

Overall Reflections

I'm debating whether to do it all again. An email arrived stating that if I book a table before Halloween, I can get a discount for 2026.

In the meantime, I hope the extra exposure pushes my books and other works. Someone even suggested I take commissions for short stories. I need to modify my site anyway, so I’ll consider adding that.

Well, goodnight dreamers. Expect to see the haul video coming soon.