Aug 28 2012

Are the Skulls for sale? Helpful advice for NEHW members.

by Rob Watts

Author Rob Watts autographing his novel, Huldufólk, for a fan. Photo by Jason Harris.

For almost a year now, I’ve attended just about every, if not all NEHW signing events. In addition to my own scheduled appearances, I feel the various offered events that are hosted by the NEHW are a valuable resource for an independently published author and anyone who hasn’t taken advantage of them is sadly missing out. In addition to gaining exposure and promoting your work, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the friends you make through the organization as well as creating new friendships along the way.

As a frequent guest of these events, I have learned a thing or two about people’s’ reactions to our presence at some events. Most people love us, and it has nothing to do with the fact that we are so frigging cool, but more-so due to the fact that we are a unique brand. In a sea of repetitiveness, we fully stand out amongst the jewelry booths, the handbags, the jam counters and the birdhouses. When people approach our booth, they are pleasantly surprised to discover that we are the authors of the work in front of them. They are even more thrilled when we offer to sign their books for them personally. There is something to be said for making someone’s day without so much as breaking a sweat.

If you are planning on attending a future event or even if you are relatively new to the scene, here are a handful of tips to keep in mind when spending the day at the NEHW booth/tent.

First of all, try to make every effort to be on time. If an event begins at 10:00 a.m., try to be there then or a little bit before. The reason for this is simple; it makes setting up our display easier. Space on the table is limited and the earlier that the display can be set-up, the better organized it will look. It can get a little crazy when visitors approach the booth and books are still being set up in front of them.

Keep the front of our booth clear. Nothing keeps visitors away more than cluttered table. Keep the conversation and socializing behind the booth or in a more open common area. You want a visitor and potential buyer to feel comfortable and invited to approach our booth. I know when I see too many people in front of a table I keep walking. I have seen if for myself at these
events as well.

No Book Blocking! What is book blocking? Book blocking is when a visitor may be showing signs of interest in one author’s book and a fellow author or guest of the author intervenes to talk up their own book. This is a huge no-no at events and is greatly frowned upon. I’m not saying it happens a lot, but I have seen it once or twice and it warrants illustrating. There is plenty of opportunity for authors to make sales throughout the day. There is no need to prevent a fellow author from making a sale, especially if it’s their only sale that day.

Keep food and drinks off the table space. We don’t want anyone’s books getting damaged by spilled sodas or pizza sauce.

Don’t complain that you didn’t do well at an event. Every event is different. Some are well-attended, some not so much. There isn’t a science to this, it just pans out that way. How well your book does is entirely up to the author. You might sell one book, you might sell five. You may even walk away with no sales that particular day, but there is no one to blame for that. It’s the chance you take when going out to promote your book. I’ll admit, the NEHW had a touch of a dry spell during the last couple of events, but this past weekend in Middletown, CT. we made up for that dry spell and then some. Every author sold multiple books and walked away feeling good about the day. But when it doesn’t go so well, it’s no one’s fault. You’re only making yourself look bad when you whine about not doing so well at an event. The events aren’t booked with the promise of stellar book sales. It’s just a venue and opportunity for you to promote your work. How well your book does is entirely up to you. Spending the entire time at the event increases your chances of sales as well, so it’s best to devote the day to promoting your book.

Learn about your fellow authors and their work. The one thing I’ve always admired about the authors I spend the day with is the fact that it’s a team effort. If a visitor asks for a book about zombies, then we will direct them to a certain author’s book. If they are looking for young adult, then we’ll direct them to another. It’s helpful to know who writes what so we can be supportive of our fellow authors. If they want my book, then of course I’m happy. But if they are looking for something completely different from what I have, then I’m more than happy to direct them to someone else’s work that they might enjoy.

Keep in mind that space is limited. Most times we are working in a 4×8 space at indoor events. That’s enough room for two chairs behind the table and the rest of us are standing behind or near the booth. Keep this in mind when attending events. We don’t want a cluttered appearance and we certainly don’t want to take room away from a potential book buyer. The outdoor events are bit more flexible on space because of the open area, but indoor venues are almost guaranteed to be small and cramped. A good rule of thumb is to check with the (NEHW) event coordinator ahead of time to see how much space is available before inviting friends or family to join you at the event.

Show appreciation for the coordinator(s) for that event. In addition to being thoughtful and considerate towards the actual venue (we want to be invited back), you should also take a moment to think about the hard work that goes into being a part of the day’s festivities. Whether it’s Jason or Stacey, Scott, Tracy, T.J., et cetera, a lot of their personal time and effort goes into setting these events up. They are not getting paid to wake up at the crack of ass, pack up their personal vehicles with supplies, materials, food and drinks and so on. They do it for the benefit of the NEHW and its members. So give them a show of appreciation by saying thank you. Perhaps even hang around after the event to help break down the area. I’ll tell you first hand that that EZ up and down tent isn’t all that easy and after a 6 to 8 hour day out in the sun, breaking down that thing is the last thing anyone wants to do. But it has to be done and the more hands available, the quicker and easier it will be and everyone can get on their way. In short, make yourself available as best you can. It goes a long way with the people that busted their hump to set the day up.

Author and NEHW Co-chair Stacey Longo signing a copy of Pookie and the Lost and Found Friend for a fan. Photo by Rob Watts.

Lastly, there are five questions that have and will be asked at every single event. To help you feel welcome and part of the team, memorize the five questions and answers and you’ll be a pro before the end of your first event. Good luck!

Are the skulls for sale? No, they are only there for decoration, but if you’d like to buy one, you might want to try the fish tank aisle at Walmart. That’s where this skull was purchased.
Do you have any children’s books? Yes, as a matter of fact we do. We currently have Pookie and the Lost and Found Friend by Stacey Longo, and Good Night Fright by Kimberly Dalton.
Are you a publishing company? No, we are an organization of New England area authors, illustrators, screenwriters, publishers, et cetera. We attend these various events to help get our name out, and it’s a good opportunity for us to meet other writers and spend the day together.
My son/daughter is a writer and he/she would absolutely love your group. Can he/she contact you? Yes, you can take one of our NEHW cards or flyers and have them contact us via the website. We also have a Facebook page that they can join which is a great way to communicate with other members.
Are you crazy because you write horror? Yes, we are all clinically insane and you should purchase our books to avoid any certifiable behavior that may come on as a result of you walking away from our booth empty handed.

Got all that?

Aug 27 2012

An Author’s First Publicity Event

by G. Elmer Munson

G. Elmer Munson signing a book for a fan. Photo by Stacey Longo.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending my first event with the New England Horror Writers. It all started out like a dream I’d once had: The lights came on as we all gathered backstage in anticipation. The crowd chanted “N-E-H-W! N-E-H-W!” as they stomped their feet in the soft grass of the Wadsworth Mansion. Out of nowhere, someone screamed “Let’s get ready to rumble” and the crowd went wild. We all ran out to the sound of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Apollo Creed gave us all high fives.

Okay, I may have embellished a bit there. What actually happened was no less awesome but much more low-key. I simply walked up to the booth full of people I’d never actually met and said, “hi,” and it was all cool. I met Robert J. Dupree, Jason Harris, Alan Kessler, Stacey Longo, David Price, and Rob Watts and immediately felt welcome. I was glad I’d decided against wearing my werewolf costume, and not just because it would have been life-threateningly hot.

After finding a home for my books, I sat down and we talked about movies and stories and other normal things that people discuss. It was very relaxed and very cool. The day was perfect (a bit of sun never did any harm … well, not much) and the place was pretty well packed. We spoke with a lot of different people and everyone sold some books. Quite a few people stood in the sun for a while just to talk to us about books, their favorite authors, and dark fiction in general. It was a great day to hang out, talk to people, and share our work with the world.

I left feeling great. I left looking forward to Hebron and events beyond. I also left inspired. On the drive home, I thought of the greatest story in the world. Unfortunately, I had forgotten it by the time I got home.

I couldn’t remember the greatest song in the world, so this blog is just a tribute.

Yes, I stole that from the D.

Aug 22 2012

The NEHW Attends Middletown Open Air Market for the Second Time

by Jason Harris

The New England Horror Writers will be attending the 10th annual Middletown Open Air Market and Festival this Sunday, August 26.

This will be the second year the NEHW and its’ authors have been at this event. This years authors will be Robert J. Duperre (The Gate), Alan Kessler (A Satan Carol), Stacey Longo (Pookie and the Lost and Found Friend), G. Elmer Munson (Stripped), David Price (Tales from the Grave), Kristi Petersen Schoonover (Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole – Tales from Haunted Disney World), and Rob Watts (Huldufólk).

Click here to see the other vendors participating at the market.

Last year the event happened in October after Tropical Storm Irene hit the state and caused The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate to postpone the event from its usually date in August.

The Open Air Market happens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, located at 421 Wadsworth St. in Middletown, CT.

Aug 19 2012

Barbeque Benefit a Success

by Jason Harris

The Paulette Smith Family Fire Fund Chicken Barbeque benefit was a big success with more than 60 people attending.

The benefit was held at Creaser Park in Coventry, Connecticut. Along with food, there was music and raffle prizes. Mike Greenfield of the Presh Catch Show on WHUS, announced the winners of the raffle baskets along with performing with the event’s band.

Paulette Smith and her son, J.P. Photo by Jason Harris.

The event was held to help out Paulette and her son, J.P., who lost their home at 102 Rabbit Trail in a fire on July 21. Several fire departments were called in to help battle the fire, which caused extensive damage and destroyed all their belongings including the family dog. The family wasn’t home at the time of the fire.

Three Lug Doug performing at the benefit. Photo by Jason Harris.

Donations to help in the rebuilding of thier home can be made out to “Paulette Smith Family Fire Fund” c/o First Niagra Bank, P.O. Box 415, Coventry, CT 06238 or to Northeast Family Federal Credit Union, “Smith Fire,” P.O. Box 180, Manchester, CT, 06045-0180.

People milling around at the three-hour event. Photo by Jason Harris.

Aug 13 2012

Barbeque to Support Fire Victims

There will be a Paulette Smith Family Fire Fund Chicken Barbeque to benefit fire victims this coming Sunday in Coventry’s Creaser Park.

The chicken barbeque happens from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Creaser Park in Coventry, CT. on Sunday, August 19 to benefit the Smith family, of Coventry, who lost their home at 102 Rabbit Trail in a fire on July 21 where several fire departments battled the fire which caused extensive damage.

Paulette and her son, J.P., were not home at the time, but the family’s dog died in the blaze. The family also lost all of their belongings in the fire.

Tickets for the barbeque are $12 for adults and $6 for kids under 12 years-old. For tickets, call Leane at (860) 983-8815. Along with food, the event will have music too.

The park is located at 100 Case Road, Coventry, CT 06238.

Checks for tickets or donations can be made out to “Paulette Smith Family Fire Fund” c/o First Niagra Bank, P.O. Box 415, Coventry, CT 06238.

The friends of Paulette and J.P. Smith have set up a fund to help with the rebuilding of their home. Donations may be sent to: Northeast Family Federal Credit Union, “Smith Fire,” P.O. Box 180, Manchester, CT, 06045-0180.

Aug 12 2012

A Hard Pen is Good to Find

by Bracken MacLeod

I indulge a couple of writerly affectations that do nothing to improve the quality or prolificacy of my writing. Still, they stimulate some reptilian aspect of my neurology that compels me to maintain their use. For example, I take abundant notes about random facts and story ideas in a Moleskine notebook. Even though there are cheaper notebooks out there and its entire function is made redundant by smartphone apps like Evernote, I love the feeling of the small leather hardbound book in my hands. I love the (probably contrived) history of it. And I love belonging to the subculture of people who modify and use them. But the sensual experience of the notebook is limited by the quality of the pen one uses to write in it.

My former profession required constant note-taking and I found that writing with cheap pens resulted in hand cramps and near constant frustration at their lack of both comfort and style. As a result, I switched to a semi-expensive fountain pen in the hope that A) the necessity of finesse in its use would result in less white-knuckle writing (and the attendant cramping), and B) its elegance would satisfy that part of me that seeks sensuality in small experiences. It did both. Sadly though, my pen required regular upkeep as the nibs would wear out with the kind of punishing use to which I put them. Despite that inconvenience, I gained an appreciation for writing with a precision pen. The feeling of taking hand-written notes is enhanced by using a pen designed for performance and comfort.

There is a certain amount of anxiety inherent in carrying a fountain pen around in one’s shirt or pants pocket (or even in a bag), however, as they can and do occasionally leak. I’ve been the victim of more than one unintended ink emission and it had convinced me that, despite the pleasure of writing with one, the hazard of a Deeptrouser Horizon spill was too much for me to bear. As luck would have it, the twin burdens of maintenance and betrayal were about to be lifted from my shoulders as the Great God Pen smiled down and blessed me with his inky munificence.

Tombow Ultra rollerball pen

One afternoon, as I was exiting a Barnes & Noble, I noticed a shiny beacon signaling me from a nearby bush. There I found a beautifully unadorned brushed chrome pen. Picking it up, the first thing I noticed was its weight. It had a pleasant heft and solidity that appealed to me. It was heavy–not a disposable thing, but significant–a potential weapon as well as a tool of creation. Not thinking that this was probably a moderately expensive pen that I should turn in to lost and found (thank you, greedy subconscious denial) I slipped my newly acquired Tombow Ultra rollerball pen into my pocket. An hour or so later I found myself presented with the opportunity to try it out. As I passed a horse trailer with a flat tire, a story title occurred to me and I desperately needed to record it before my capricious mental states robbed me of inspiration. I pulled over to the side of the road, opened my notebook, and set about writing down the two brilliant words that, once paired on paper, would open the flood-gates of further creative stimulation.

As ink slipped from pen onto paper, a jolt of exultation hit me like a liter of dopamine splashed in my face. The creative power of my stolen found pen flowed like Omar Khayyám’s proverbial moving finger. As the words took shape on the paper, I trembled in anticipation of their profound meaning awakening the Muse and sending me into a fury of automatic writing that would result in my literary magnum opus. I became one with the pen, feeling snug and comforted inside a brushed-chrome womb, floating in the black amniotic fluid of artistic creation. Drawing a final line beneath the words for emphasis, I slipped out of my trance. Holding my breath, I peered down at the title heralding my inevitable Stoker Award.

Corpse Rodeo

Oh well. It’s still better than writing with a Bic.

Aug 9 2012

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ Directors Talk about ‘Ruby Sparks’

by Jason Harris

It has been six years since husband and wife directing team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris came on the Hollywood scene with the hit independent movie Little Miss Sunshine. Now they’re back with Ruby Sparks, a movie about a novelist struggling with writer’s block who finds romance with a female character he wills into existence.

Recently, this directing couple sat down at a Boston hotel to talk about there first movie and everything that went on with their newest movie.

Instead of six years since their first hit, Dayton and Faris look at it differently.

“We’re saying it’s really only been three years for each of us,” Faris said.

Dayton and Faris found directing both movies to be different from each other.

“Every project is its own set of challenges and rewards,” Faris said. “I’m sure there were similarities, but we’re probably more focused on what’s new about it.”

The challenges and the rewards are “what make it fun,” Dayton said.

Faris said the biggest difference between Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks was that the former was an ensemble cast, which led to more preparation and rehearsals.

“We had to build a family in that one; our rehearsals were all about how to make these people feel,” Dayton said.

“It was a different process in the preparation and shooting, too,” Faris said. “There’s something about an ensemble cast, they get to a point where they are working together so well. It’s like a well oiled machine.”

With Ruby Sparks, the relationships were already there, since the stars, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, are in a relationship, Faris said. The challenge for them was to show how their relationship as the characters of Calvin and Zoe is different from the viewer’s relationship.

“It was pretty easy for them to distinguish between Calvin and Ruby and Paul and Zoe,” Faris said. “There were certain things in rehearsal we decided that part of Zoe, we didn’t want; it isn’t Ruby.”

She considers Dano “a very brave actor” who “likes to challenge himself.”

Dayton feels that Dano “goes for it” with his acting.

“The scene where he confronts her with the truth of her origin; that scene was really intimidating to all of us,” he said. “[The scene] was scary for him and Zoe. We spent a lot of time working on that. In the hands of another actor, it might have been hard. Paul is a very gifted physical comedian, but you really don’t get to see that in most of his roles.”

Faris considers him a physical actor who puts his entire body in to his work, which she loves. It’s what they liked about him in Little Miss Sunshine and in Ruby Sparks.

“He’s smart and his intelligence comes through in his presence, without having to do much that was really important when he wasn’t speaking at all.”

Dayton and Faris chose Kazan’s screenplay because of “her voice.”

“It felt very true and singular,” Dayton said.

The idea of a film dealing with men and women in relationships was also attractive, he said.

Faris mentioned that where the story goes and how it doesn’t fall into any genre were two appealing aspects of the film. She found the film exciting and hopes they can bring the audience with them on this ride.

Dayton did find it a challenge on how to sell the audience on the story without any “funny machines” to spit Ruby out or “a comet that flies across the sky and there she is.”

Many people have told them their newest movie could have gone in a number of different ways, Faris said.

“I think that’s very true. We feel a tone in the script, but I think it’s still a big challenge to get that on screen and have it preserve that real tone.”

She mentioned that this happened with Little Miss Sunshine, where people “saw it as a broader comedy, like a kind of European Vacation.”

“I think a big part of the tone comes from casting.” Faris feels it is important to cast the right people to act in the role like a real person would.

“It’s hard to know, though, where it is,” Dayton said about the tone. “I feel it when I read it, but it may be our projection immediately on the material.”

They had no problems with Kazan as a screenwriter.

“The first conversation we had with her was a really good conversation,” Faris said. “We seemed to be on the same page. We worked for about nine months to shape it into the film we wanted.”

Faris said it was scary for them since Kazan was the actor and the writer. She was “a great collaborator” who trusted them with her screenplay. They wouldn’t have done the film if she couldn’t let go of her story.

“I had nightmares of her stopping in the middle of a scene and saying, ‘that’s not what I wrote,’” Dayton said.

This husband and wife directing team don’t have any arguments, but “discussions” about the projects they are working on, they said, when asked if any situations about directing certain scenes or the film’s direction ever came up.

“I say no; she says I don’t remember,” Dayton said.

Faris said, “I would call them discussions.”

“We constantly debate every aspect of the movie,” Dayton said. “The real secret for us is prep. Because there are two of us, we’re able to act out the scenes at home and sort of explore the material. We’re terrible actors, but we know what we’re asking our cast to do and we know the feelings.”

By acting out the material together, it allows them to raise any issues and work them out off the set, she said.

“We pretty much come to the material … from a similar angle. It’s not like I have one idea of the film and Jon has another.”

“We don’t take a film when those things happen,” Dayton added, because it could ruin their relationship.

They shot Ruby Sparks digitally even though they could have shot with film.

“We love film,” Dayton said. “We can’t ignore that digital media is here to stay. We worked really hard to try and get the most, let’s call it the ‘appropriate’ look. We had to undo certain things that digital tends to give you, and yet in certain situations digital was really incredible.”

Ruby Sparks was a labor of love for everyone involved in the production, he said.

“We knew that we wanted a film that was full of feeling and humor and hard work.”

People can see for themselves when the movie opens in theaters tomorrow.

Aug 4 2012

What to Look Forward to Next Week

Next week will bring reviews of the movies, Ruby Sparks and The Bourne Legacy, which will be on the site Friday and Saturday respectively.

Along with the Ruby Sparks movie review, there will be interview articles with the directors of the movie, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, along with its stars, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. Kazan is also the writer of the movie.

There will also be an article about pens from author and NEHW member Bracken MacLeod.

Aug 2 2012

Heads Up!

by K. Allen Wood

If you’re an author with access to the Internet, you’ve undoubtedly been bombarded recently by other authors peddling their books or stories. We’ve all been exposed to this before, but until the past year or so most self-promotion from authors was done in a classier, more respectful manner.

Some still operate that way (and we’re grateful), but others have taken it to a whole new level.

I won’t sit here and tell anyone they shouldn’t promote their work or the work of their friends or authors they enjoy, but I will explain what typically happens on my end when authors do it incessantly.

What’s that smell?

If you follow me on Twitter, I will likely follow you. If you do nothing but post links to your book or books, I will block you and vow to never read your work.

If I connect with you on LinkedIn and you immediately send me a message or an e-mail telling me to check out your book on Amazon, I will “disconnect” from you and vow to never read your book—especially when, as happened yesterday and thus prompted this post, I sample it and there is a mistake three words in. No, thank you!

If we’re friends on Facebook and I’ve “liked” your author page—which is the page I expect to see writing updates generate from—and you go and post daily the same goddamn updates on your personal page, your author page, and every writing-related group you and I (sadly) belong to, even those that are not meant for such updates, I will block your updates, vow to never read your work, and find you to be a total wackadouche.

If you constantly post 5-star reviews on Amazon and then share those overblown, unhelpful reviews loaded with WHIZBANGPOW! adjectives and vague clichés like “it gripped me from the first word and didn’t let go until the last”—which are obviously meant to A) kiss the (undoubtedly more popular) author’s ass, B) hide the fact that you didn’t actually read what you reviewed, and C) use his or her book as a piggyback to your own shitty book or books—I won’t believe a word you’re saying and more than likely will never read that author’s book because your word can’t be trusted.

(That’s right, an absurd run-on sentence in a post where I criticize bad writing. Got a problem with that?)

The fact is, you’re not helping anyone, especially yourself. Most of us promote our work in some regard, but some of you are OUT OF FUCKING CONTROL! I won’t begrudge you your rights to be that way—that pushy, lying kind of self-promoter. You’ll surely fool a lot of dummies out there. But I won’t support you. And worse, I’ll find it very hard to support those other authors that are unlucky enough to be promoted by you. They’re the innocent bystanders in this whole thing. And some are probably damn fine writers, which is a shame.

In the grand scheme of things, the big picture, this post is just one insignificant opinion from a relatively insignificant dude … but rest assured, I’m not the only one with this opinion.

So do as you will, but remember this: You can’t push or lie your way to the top. You can push and lie your way to a top, sure, but it’s most definitely not the top.

Editor’s Note:

This blog entry originally appeared on K. Allen Wood’s website.

Jul 31 2012

Fund Set up for Fire Victims

A fund has been set up for a local Connecticut family to help them rebuild their home after a fire on July 21.

The friends of Paulette and J.P. Smith have set up a fund to help with the rebuilding of their home on Rabbit Trail in Coventry after it was destroyed by a fire on Saturday night.

According to the Journal Inquirer, “several area fire departments responded to the fire, which caused extensive damage to the home at 102 Rabbit Trail.”

The newspaper also states that homeowner, Paulette Smith and her son, J.P., “were not home at the time of the fire, but the family’s dog died in the blaze. The family also lost all of their belongings in the fire.”

Donations may be sent to: Northeast Family Federal Credit Union, “Smith Fire,” P.O. Box 180, Manchester, CT, 06045-0180.

Jason Harris Promotions

Category Article

Are the Skulls for sale? Helpful advice for NEHW members.