My trip to the RT Book Lovers Convention 2015 – Recap Part 2… The Ghost Story.

Me and Sherry, sneaking up to the 19th floor of the Adolphus hotel (the HAUNTED floor).

For those of you that haven’t read part #1 yet, here it is. AND!!! Here is my RT 2015 Book Lovers Convention photo album (so far). I just received Sherry’s SD card in the mail, so there’ll be more soon…

And for those of you wanting to know more…

Dallas (and #RT15) rocked!!! We did SO much in the 4 days we were there, from meeting and hanging out with authors, to discovering a little bit of Dallas (at least within our walking vicinity). And we had so many adventures!!

Thursday night (when we finally arrived from our awesome Denver trip), we spent hours in the Hyatt hotel bar area (it’s HUGE!!) and took about a MILLION pictures. It was girls’ night out (or “in” since we were actually AT the hotel), and I had a chance to hang out with all of my author and blogger friends (new and old… “old” meaning those I already knew and adored). I have a Facebook album full of these photos, and I cherish each and every one of ‘em (with more coming to me in the mail from Sherry’s batch). YAY ME!! I can’t wait to get ‘em.

We were all on the “JFK” grassy knoll tour… author J.B. Salsbury, me, Sherry & Evelyn (J.B.’s bestie!!)

From going to Neiman Marcus’s flagship store (and cafe!! YUMMY) to checking out the Grassy Knoll (where JFK was assassinated) , to spending hours at the most fantabulous book signing with every single one of our favorite authors in the world (well… romance authors… Stephen King was not there.. LOL!!) to Ghost Hunting in the infamous Adolphus Hotel (we were BRATTY my friends!!), my Dallas trip was loaded in precociousness and full of wonderment!

For example:

Like the one time, when, after a few fun blogger events on Friday, I decided to call it a night. Friday. In Dallas Texas. All the bloggers? Headed to the Hyatt for a fun-filled night of socializing and hobnobbing with the bookers!! And I called it a night.  So I headed back to my awesome hotel (The Adolphus ’cause it was OMG awesome!!) and hung with my bestie, Sherry.

And then the ecstatic, erratic, Facebook posts started… OMG!!!! THE E.L. James was in the house!! Oh… not my house. Not the Adolphus. No. The Hyatt. AT the bar. The very placed I skipped out on for one night. And the frenzy was in full swing. Picture after picture… *squee after squee*. I swear it, you guys. I could hear it all the way down the road in my hotel. I looked over and Sherry and said OMG. What do we do? Do we get out of our comfy pjs and back in our heels and take a taxi and head over? Or… do we take our chances that she’ll still be there tomorrow? We. Were. TORN!!! We wanted to meet her… OH HOW WE WANTED TO MEET HER! GAH! Considering my HUGE love for her handsome and enigmatic Christian Grey back in 2011… yes. I was destined.

But maybe not yet. We were tired. We had snacks. We were snuggled with our cozy pillows. It was quiet… soothing… and we were in PJ’s!!! She had her hands full, we were certain… it just wasn’t our time.

Vivi, Maryse, Sherry AND author Darynda Jones are fries ‘n mustard addicts!

And the next day… we went to the Mega Saturday book signing with all of our favorite authors!! BEST. DAY. EVER!!! Photos, autographs, books everywhere. And HUGS!!! The best hug day of all!!! We ate at the cool Hyatt hotel restaurant thingie/bar area and met with Viviana and her blogger bestie, Kelly. Sharing our LOVE of mustard and fries. YES. MUSTARD. ON FRIES. How can you not bond, when two future besties (me ‘n Sherry – mustard ‘n fries addicts – talk about a fluke!!!) meet up with Vivi and HER bestie (and Vivi is a mustard and fries addict) too. And then… a few days later, author Darynda Jones jumps into our reminiscing and tell us that SHE TOO is a mustard and fries addict. KISMET my friends. TOTAL KISMET.

Then we left… and decided to explore the JFK site, walk around the block, met up with a MUCH LOVED author (and friend), J.B. Salsbury (and her BFF, Evelyn). And then… we were back at the Adolphus. THE most awesomest hotel of all of Dallas. And maybe of all of the world. ‘Cause it’s not only gorgeous, remarkable, and all “The-Shining-like”, but it’s got SO much history… that it’s haunted.  FREAKING HAUNTED.

Sherry and I side-glanced each other. We were kinda… bored. So much action. SO much adventure. So many authors… and all of the sudden… it was way too quiet. We had some time to kill. And I said… 19th Floor? Her eyes popped!!!

YESSSSS!!!!

Let’s totally be sneaky!!! What’s so sneaky about going up to the 19th floor? It’s rumored that the Adolphus is HAUNTED!!!! But even better… the 19th floor is the ONE with most of the ghost “sightings”. And for some reason… (okay.. renovations) the 19th floor was pretty much off limits for visitors. Buttttt… we’re not visitors, right? We’re guests. Tee hee. Semantics. *snort*

So off we went. Onto the GORGEOUS freaking spooooky “The Shining-like” elevator (we were already on OUR floor… the 6th floor) and we choose #19. And the elevator voice lady says “Going DOWN”. And I was all… “NO. GOING UP!!! 19… we’re on 6!!!” And I say… “Sherry, hit it again! She doesn’t understand.” So pretty-elevator-voice-lady repeats… GOING DOWN. And I was all…. “awwwww BUMMER, Sherry. We can’t go to the 19th floor. They blocked that floor on the elevator so they’re just gonna send us down.” *pout* And the doors close… and suddenly… we go UP. TO THE 19th FLOOR!!!!! *gasp* and YAYYYYY and EEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!

And we come out into this crazy looking… beautiful floor. Everything’s upside down. Wrapped in plastic. Furniture. Mirrors. Tarps over all of the other elevator doors but the one WE came through. Cooooooool. Oh sure… there were plastic water bottles and food wrappers left by workers, but come on!!! There we were, on the 19th floor (the elevator lady-voice tricked us!!!!) and we walk into upside down furniture, plastic wrap, antique looking things and TARPS on DOORS!!!!!!!!!

You KNOW we were spookily-impressed. So impressed even… that I forgot to turn my iPhone camera on to video it. Especially the darn elevator trip that was SO awesome ’cause she totally lied to us!!! So we photograph stuff… we try to get through the “main” door that leads to all of the rooms but it’s locked. And we’re giggling ’cause we think we pulled one over on the “DO NOT ENTER” world. GAH!

We forgot to record us except for our trip DOWN back to our room… still. It’s cute.

So we venture back down to OUR room. Thrilled at our escapade. Clapping with glee!!! We are SO BRAVE!!! Like Dex and Perry!!! We’re TOTALLY ghost hunters. We go back to our room, get changed from our fantastic day into more cute dresses expecting to go RIGHT back to the Hyatt hotel and hang out with more of our fellow readers and favorite authors.

But… before we go I side-eye Sherry again… I say. “Wanna take another look up there? This time… I’ll record it all.” The ghost-hunter call is strong. We wanna check it out. And I’m SO sure I’m gonna get elevator-voice-lady to to say “going down” again, when I choose floor #19 that I will be able to prove she’s a ghost. Right in the elevator (which by the way… the say the elevator is haunted, too). BUT!!!

She says GOING UP. Just like she’s “supposed” to say. My theory has been FOILED! Or has it? So we go back up and OMG we are attacked by THE TARP ELEVATORS!!!!! *gasp* and I dunno if you know this, but tarps like to get sucked INTO elevators due to all that air suction stuff going on in elevators. try to get elevator doors to close, when big black plastic tarps are a-flappin’ in ‘em. Yep. I was thinking… ohhhh we are so gonna get kicked out of this hotel…. LOL!!!

So look. Here is THAT video and I think you’ll laugh like we did.

Tee hee!!!! Riiiiiiiggghhhhttt?? GAH!! That was so fun! And there was more to come…

SO!!!

Then we head over in a taxi to the Hyatt. It’s mid-afternoon, and earlier that day, there was a HUGE influx of OMG-E.L.-JAMES-IS-HERE-AGAIN-GET-PICTURES-EVERYONNNNNNEE!!! But… alas… we missed it during our JFK/Ghost hunting adventures.

But we pull up to the Hyatt’s curb awesomely impressive “let everyone out” area… and there are only TWO people standing at the curb waiting for their own taxi. A normally INCREDIBLY taxi-busy place is so calm and peaceful… and as we approach the Hyatt “curb” to the entrance, the two calm and peaceful SMILING women standing there are none other that author Daisy Prescott and OMG. NO WAY. E.L. JAMES!!!!

YUP!!!!!!!!

Sherry, Author E.L. James & Maryse

Just standing there… all nonchalant… not a soul around them… not even trying to hide. I. WAS. THRILLED. Come on. Was this NOT MEANT for me ‘n Sherry?? Wasn’t this finally the OMG OPPORTUNITY presented to us by the all amazing universe that KNEW how much I wanted to hug E.L. James at least ONCE in my life? Yes. It. Was. And I didn’t even have to fight the crowds, because there she was. No frenzy. No mobs. Nothing. Just us… saying… “Oh hello E.L.!! How are you today? Fancy meeting you here!” *snort* well.. I didn’t exactly say that, but close. I asked how she managed to just be standing there, with nobody around?

Bah! It didn’t matter. There she was… there we were, and despite the two BIG missed opportunities, one had presented itself, in all of it’s peaceful glorious glory to us, and we were all too happy to chatter and snap a photo or two. She was AWESOME. Fun, calm, giggly, and she liked my dress! Eeeeeep!! *blush*

So far… so awesome. What a day!!!!!

Being bad… and playing “Cards Against Humanity” with Erin Noelle, Willow Aster, Me, Sherry & Kayla Robichaux.

So we go into the bar area, and hang out and play an AWESOME GAME of “Cards of Humanity” with a few of our new (and FAVORITE friends), authors Willow Aster, Erin Noelle and Kayla Robichaux. AND OMG that game is SO blush-worthy but I warned ‘em all… don’t let my PG website fool y’all. Imma win this game. I know how to play it, even if it’s my first time. LOL!!! AND ummm… almost true to form, I was totally taking it!

But then… it was time for our TRUE ghost hunting experience lead by an Adolphus Hotel employee… “Kevin”. We had amassed a small crew of bad-ass ghost hunting authors, such as Erin Noelle, Kayla Robichaux, Karine Halle (YESSS!!!! The queen of ghost hunters, herself – although I’m gonna tease.. she WAS SERIOUSLY reluctant to do this due to the actual possibility of ghosts. Goes to show y’all… they may write about it, but it doesn’t mean they do it. *snort* ), and OMG Kellan’s boss… S.C. Stephens. Quiet and sweet… and a total brave bad-ass!

Part of our ghost-hunting crew. Erin Noelle, Kayla Robichaux, me and Sherry in the bottom right corner.

So we went on our expedition. At first… he was just giving us the history (albeit AWESOME history) of the Adolphus. The guy that created it, how he got it named after him (sneaky “town counsel” stuff way back in the day), how the QUEEN ELIZABETH stayed there and ordered room service, and got an employee in trouble with his wife ’cause it was all top-secret stuff and she was suspicious saying something along the lines of… “Unless you’re with the Queen of England, you better explain yourself” . LOL!! And Lo and behold he WAS with the queen!!!

And then he told us how former President George W. Bush goes to eat there (at the “French Room” restaurant – SUPER FANCY STUFF), but one time he showed up in jeans and was turned away!!! *gasp* He had to go back to his room and change. LOL!!!! Nice to know that the restauranteurs have standards no matter “who” you are.

I bet the Queen wasn’t in jeans. Just sayin’.

So all that to say… Kevin the ghost-hunting tour guide reluctantly tells us that he’s not actually taking us on a ghost tour ’cause the 19th floor is in renovations and is closed to the public. Say WHAT!???  So I say… “What if you didn’y take us up there… but then you totally did? Hmmmm….?” *waggles eyebrows* My sneaky self was totally gonna promise a non-disclosure of the event. LOL!

But I didn’t have to… ’cause he totally took us up there. OH YES HE DID. And he told us to wait for the “right” elevator so we wouldn’t get stuck behind the crazy TARP-ghost disasters. I side-eyed Sherry and we giggled. By then, our whole crew (except for Kevin) knew all about our sneakiness… there was giggling.

Our official “Ghost-Hunting” crew… Me, Erin Noelle, S.C. Stephens, Kayla Robichaux, Sherry & Karina Halle. The ghost in the elevator TOTALLY said her name…

Let alone, when Karina told us that when she took the elevator to come join us, the elevator TOTALLY knew her name. WHAT WHAT WHAAAAAAT!!???  She told us, getting on the elevator, she pushed the button for out floor and it said…  ”Going up”. She heard “Ka-ri-NA”. YES. YES SHE DID. And we did too. When we piled in with Kevin, and pushed the 19th floor button, we SO HEARD IT. P.S. Here is a picture of us that Sherry took with her ALWAYS accurate and awesome camera… tell me this doesn’t scream GHOST STORY right off the bat.

But then… There ‘s this photo… *gulp*

Oh. Em. Gee. That is CREEPY.

So we went up… and we explored.

Erin, Kayla, S.C. Stephens, me (sorta) and Karina leading the creep-crew.

We saw her room (bride that was jilted RIGHT there at her wedding, and hung herself in the stairwell). THIS stairwell… in the ballroom … now converted to a “guest room”. Eeeeep!

We were in her room. In her closet. (originally the STAIRWELL where she hung herself)… It’s still there… just hidden under all of that drywall.

Did we experience anything? Well… it could have been psychosomatic… but there was a dizzying effect for pretty much ALL of us on that floor, especially in her room. But there is NO denying WE ALL HEARD that clicking sound behind us, in the dark… in her room, as he told us stories of other guests that had sensed or seen some really weird stuff. We didn’t get that caught on tape unfortunately… but it was a persistent, constant quick click click click click that was like an tiny surge/spark of electricity-noise when you flip on a light switch. You know?

That weird electrical “click”. Just over… and over… and over again fast and in succession.

click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click……

We all stopped talking  and turned to look into the vast darkness behind us to listen. But it stopped.

Kevin, our ghost tour guide started talking again… and it started again…

Slower this time…

click click…… click………… click……. click click………………………..     click.

She was there.  We just know it. She was listening. She wanted to interact.

He told us that we were free to bring our pillows & blankets up and “camp” in her room.

Ummmmm…. yeah. About that.  No.

*snort*

BUT!!! I did find a DVD player AND remote control in her room (or was it her neighbors room)? And we SO needed one in OUR room, ’cause Sherry had brought her DVD of Fifty Shades of Grey. LOL!!!! Kevin told us… go ahead and take it down. Use it!

Tee hee!!! We stole the ghost’s DVD player. We are SO bad. Alas… she’s badder. Because it didn’t work right. That’s right.  The DVD player was haunted.

More to follow…. because it was the NEXT night of ghost hunting (sneaky ghost hunting again) that provided actual results. I have the sounds… and the images. This time… different authors were part of our “ghost hunting play date”. Mary Elizabeth (well, that’s stretching it bit but I’ll tell y’all, later) however bad-ass author Amber L. Johnson came up with us… I’d post it all now, but like I said, Sherry’s SD card just arrived, and I have to download (and then upload) that audio/video capture.

Ready for part 3? ➔ Happy Halloween! So, hey! I have a ghost story for ya… (my trip to the RT Book Lovers Convention 2015 – Recap Part 3…)

Tagged as: book signings, romantic times convention, RT convention