Horrorfind Weekend 13 Update

Horrorfind Weekend 13 is fast approaching, now only a few weeks away (Sept 2-4).  And once again, I'll be making an appearance ... I know, I know, you've waited all year to see me.  Well, I can't wait to see all of you, too.

Last year, the convention drew a crowd of around 5000.  This year, I'm  expecting a much larger crowd, especially since both hotels sold out so fast.

As I've mentioned before, I'll be doing two readings at the convention:  Saturday, September 3 (10:00am – 10:30am) and again on Sunday, September 4 (11:00am – 11:30am).  Both readings will be held outside, underneath the carport at the rear of the Wyndham Gettysburg Hotel.

I'll be reading from my forthcoming children's novel EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS.  Here's a brief descriptions of the book:

For fourteen-year-old Eve Hallows, life can be summed up in one word—horrible.  She has the most horrible friends.  She lives in a horrible old castle.  Even her family is a bunch of horrible monsters.

However, in the monster-inhabited world of Gravesville—a world where messages are sent through Ouija boards, jack-o’-lanterns get facials to suit their moods, and the worst thing Eve has to deal with are those annoying zombie tourists who overrun her favorite graveyard during the Halloween season—horrible means wonderful.  And everything for Eve is perfectly horrible.

But her life is about to go head over heels when a mysterious group known as The Source starts terrorizing Gravesville.  Now she must move to the human world—where everything is opposite ... and for Eve, that's absolutely adorable!

Besides the readings, I'll also be giving away a limited number of special prizes--though you'll have to wait until the convention to find out what they are.  I will say the story focuses heavily on Halloween, and since this is Horrorfind Weekend, expect the prizes to be, well, spooky.

Hope to see you there! 

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Horrorfind 13 Author Schedule

This year's Horrorfind Weekend (lucky number 13) will be held once again in Gettysburg, PA on September 2-4.  And once again I'll be attending as both a fan and an author.  The difference, however, is that this year I'll be doing a special reading just for kids.  (Don't worry, folks.  I won't be reading the story from last year.)   The schedule is tentative, but as of now I'm reading on Saturday (10:00am-10:30am) and again on Sunday (11:00am-11:30am).  So if you're in the area and you're bringing your kids, then stop on over and say hello.  I might even have something special to give away.

Here's the complete schedule.  If you don't catch my reading, chances are you'll find me all googly-eyed at many of these:

Friday

5:30pm – 6:30pm: Zombies – Authors Christopher Golden (moderator), Tim Lebbon, Jason Gehlert, Jeremy Wagner, and Scott Baker discuss why the dead just won’t stay dead, and why the literary zombie craze is far from over. (Reading Room)

6:30pm – 7:30pm: Ronald Malfi and Rio Youers (Reading Room)

7:30pm – 8:30pm: The Life of Forrest J. Ackerman – Author Deborah Painter discusses the horror genre’s favorite Uncle. (Reading Room)

8:30pm – 9:00pm: James Newman and Norman Prentiss (Reading Room)

9:00pm – 10:00pm: Women in Horror – Authors Monica J. O’Rourke (moderator), Kelli Owen, Mary SanGiovanni, J.F. Gonzalez, James A. Moore, Sheri White, and Lesley Conner discuss the history and contributions of women in literary horror, and their future roles. (Reading Room)

Saturday

10:00am – 10:30am Spooky Stories for Kids with Robert Gray (Outside – Rear Carport)

10:00am – 11:00am: Thomas F. Monteleone and Chet Williamson (Reading Room)

11:00am – Noon: What We’ve Learned So Far – New authors Kevin Lucia (moderator), Sheldon S. Higdon, Lincoln Crisler, Stavros, Jacob Haddon, and Bryon Morrigan discuss the perils, pitfalls, and lessons learned from publishing in the new millennium. (Outside – Rear Carport)

11:00am – Noon: James A. Moore and Mary SanGiovanni (Reading Room)

Noon – 1:00pm: Jason Gehlert and Jeremy Wagner (Reading Room)

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Politics and Religion in Horror – Politics and religion are two things many prefer not to discuss, yet horror fiction examines them regularly. Authors Kim Paffenroth (moderator), Andersen Prunty, Ronald Malfi, Kelli Owen, Rio Youers, Norman Prentiss, and James Newman discuss why. (Outside – Rear Carport)

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden (Reading Room)

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Monica J. O’Rourke and Nick Cato (Reading Room)

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Brian Keene and Kelli Owen (Reading Room)

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Dustin Warburton (Reading Room)

5:00pm – 7:00pm: Bizarro World – Authors Andersen Prunty, Jeff Burk, Gregory Hall, Eric Mays, William Pauley III, Jordan Krall, Kevin Donihe and Nick Cato discuss the origins and future of the Bizarro genre, and offer some select readings and performances. (Reading Room)

5:30pm – 7:00pm: Author Q&A – Authors Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Brian Keene, J. F. Gonzalez, Kelli Owen, Mary SanGiovanni, Chet Williamson, and Thomas F. Monteleone answer your questions about anything in this no-holds-barred Q&A. (Outside – Rear Carport)

Sunday

11:00am – 11:30am Spooky Stories for Kids with Robert Gray (Outside – Rear Carport)

11:00am – Noon: Charles Colyott and Brent Abell (Reading Room)

Noon – 1:00pm: Sheldon S. Higdon, Lincoln Crisler, and Bryon Morrigan (Reading Room)

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Robert Ford and Kevin Lucia (Reading Room)

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Jeff Burk and Scott Baker (Reading Room)

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Jacob Haddon and Lesley Conner (Reading Room)

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Wesley Southard and Jay Franklin (Reading Room)

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Horrorfind Weekend Wrap-Up

Let me start by saying if you're a fan of horror, then you need to attend Horrorfind Weekend. I have never had more fun at a convention of any kind. The celebrities were fantastic--which of course can be said of a lot of conventions--but this one was so laid-back it was surreal.

I knew it was going to be that way once I got on the elevator and standing next to me was George Romero.

Or perhaps it was when I went into the lounge and saw Jack Ketchum.

Oh, now I remember. It was when I went to get a bite to eat, and sitting next to me was Brian Keene.

And every single one of them was so nice and approachable.

There were far too many highlights to single out one, but I did enjoy the authors' panel: I Will Not Apologize For Art. The veterans offered great insight into the craft of writing and the business--the hell with horror stories, just have one of these guys talk to you about the publishing industry and you won't be able to sleep for a week.

Once I fed my inner geek, and I remembered I was actually there to do a reading, I was amazed at how organized and accommodating everything was for the authors. Brian Keene and the staff at Horrorfind went above and beyond to make sure we were treated just as well as the other celebrities.

Thank you guys for all your hard work.

Then came my reading. Let me tell you, I'm usually a puddle of panic when it comes to public speaking of any kind. My thinking was, Well, I'm at a horror convention, so if I puke during my reading, maybe everyone will think it's part of the act. But the audience was wonderful and very supportive, and to be honest, I don't think I completely sucked. If I get the opportunity, I'll try to upload the audio file for anyone who wants it.

I want to give a special thanks to those of you who came to my reading. There were a lot of better things to do at Horrorfind, and for you to take time to listen to little-old me ... Thank You!

I would like to submit one complaint, however. It was near impossible to get a drink with Freddy and Jason slicing up all the bartenders....

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Horrorfind Weekend Update; New Short Story Now Available

Horrorfind Weekend is almost upon us. So if you live near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, or you got a hankerin' for a road trip, come check it out. It'll be going on Sept 3-5. My reading is scheduled for somewhere between 1:00pm and 2:00pm on the 5th.

This year I'll be reading Garbage, Inc., a heart-warming tale about a man, his dead prostitute and a mysterious garbage man. If you'd like to check out the story now, it's available for just one dollar at these fine locations--

Amazon

Scribd

Smashwords

Looking forward to seeing you all there....

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Horrorfind Weekend Update

I've been busy lately preparing for my reading at Horrorfind Weekend (now only 22 days away), trying to get my story all neat and tidy, which includes, among other things:

• Compacting the story I'll be reading, so it doesn't go over my allotted 15 minutes
• Practicing voices in the mirror (which I should record and post; it is a rather comical sight)
• Rewriting entire chunks that worked okay on paper, but really suck when read aloud

So what story will I be reading? Here's a hint. One of the links to your right no longer works.

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Another one of those pesky articles

Another month goes by, another Hellnotes article goes up. Need a refresher on those five narrative parts that make up a story? You can get your learn on here:

The Five Narrative Modes of Fiction

And don't forget: Horrorfind Weekend is creeping up, now only 39 days away. Do you have your tickets yet? I've heard the first hotel is sold out, but there are still rooms available at the sister hotel next door ... at least for now.

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Horrorfind Weekend ... It's Official

You probably thought this year's Horrorfind Weekend couldn't get any bigger. With horror icons like George Romero, Bruce Campbell and Doug Bradley lurking about; and authors like Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, Joe R. Lansdale and Brian Keene* feeding sweet madness into the recesses of the mind, what more could you possibly ask for ...?

Well, ME!

Yup, this year I get put on the chopping block. I'll be performing a reading on Sunday, September 5, from 1pm to 2pm, so if you're in the area, stop on by and check it out.

Here's the full schedule:

FRIDAY:

5:30pm – 6:30pm: Greg Lamberson and Jason Gehlert
6:30pm – 7:30pm: Mark Justice and Brian J. Hatcher
7:30pm – 8:30pm: Norman Prentiss and Kelli Owen
8:30pm – 10:00pm: Panel: “Vampires Don’t Sparkle” – Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, J. F. Gonzalez, Monica J. O’Rourke.

SATURDAY:

10:30am – 11:30am William Carl, Amy Grech and Lesley Conner
11:30am – 12:30pm Thomas F. Monteleone and Matthew Warner
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Brian Keene and Bryan Smith
1:30pm – 2:30pm Joe R. Lansdale and Chet Williamson
2:30pm – 3:30pm Jack Ketchum and Monica J. O’Rourke
3:30pm – 4:30pm Ronald Malfi, Gord Rollo and Kim Paffenroth
4:30pm – 5:30pm The Bizarro Power Hour: Andersen Prunty, Jordan Krall, Eric Mays and D. Harlan Wilson.
5:30pm – 7:00pm Black Bed Sheets Meet & Greet: Meet the publisher, editor and authors of Black Bed Sheets Books.
*5:30pm – 7:00pm Panel: “I Will Not Apologize For Art” – Clive Barker, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Bryan Smith, J.F. Gonzalez, Chet Williamson, Thomas F. Monteleone.

SUNDAY:

11pm – Noon: Robert Ford, Kevin Lucia and Sheldon S. Higdon
Noon – 1:00pm: The Dru and Lu Show
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Jacob Haddon, Robert Gray and Nathan Rosen
2:00pm – 3:00pm Lisa Manetti and Charles Colyott

*A very special thanks to Brian Keene for putting this schedule together.

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