May 2 2012

The Epitaph, Issue 19 (April 2012)

Issue #19 (April 2012)

The Epitaph

Journal of the New England Horror Writers (NEHW)

The NEHW Committee:

Tracy L. Carbone – Co-Chair
Stacey Longo – Co-Chair
Dan Keohane – Treasurer
Jason Harris – Director of Publicity/Webmaster
K. Allen Wood – Director of Publications
Scott Goudsward – Director of Events
Danny Evarts – Art Director
Tim Deal (alternate)
T.J. May (alternate)

NEHW SIGNINGS AND READINGS:

East Coast Craft Fair

The NEHW will be at the East Coast Craft Fair on Sunday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in New Haven, CT. It will cost $10 to participate at this event. The fair’s organizer is allowing authors’ readings if anyone would like to do that. Content must be G-rated. Contact Jason at dudley228@gmail.com if you wish to participate.

Foxboro Jaycees Spring Fair

The NEHW will have two spaces at the Foxboro Jaycees Spring Fair on May 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participation will cost $15. Contact Jason at dudley228@gmail.com if you wish to participate.

South Windsor Strawberry Fest

The NEHW will have a space at the South Windsor Strawberry Fest June 16 in South Windsor, Connecticut. Participation will cost $15. Contact Jason at dudley228@gmail.com if you wish to participate.

NECON 32

The NEHW will have a table at NECON. Participation will cost $10. Members will be responsible to man the table for a couple hours if you choose to sell books. Contact Scott Goudsward at screaming602@gmail.com if you wish to participate.

Rhode Island Comic Con

The NEHW will be at Rhode Island Comic Con on November 3 and 4. The cost will be $25 per member to participate. Contact Jason at dudley228@gmail.com to be at the table.

NEHW WRITING OPPORTUNITIES

From Scott Goudsward and Rachel Kenley:

Over the river and through the woods does not always lead to grandma’s house or happy endings—especially if grandma’s house is infested with zombies, or if grandma is really a Lovecraftian being in disguise. Once Upon an Apocalypse is a two volume post-apocalyptic anthology laden with the undead and otherworldly mythos crossing into the realm of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and other timeless stories. Editors Goudsward and Kenley, along with publisher Chaosium, are currently open to submissions for these two books of mixed-up retold fairy tales.

What we are looking for:

For both volumes, we want stories with strong narrative lines, stronger characters and a clear blending of the theme and the fairy tales.

For Volume One, imagine Cinderella arriving at the ball and discovering it filled with zombies. Or how different the story would be if it was Snow White and the Seven Zombies. Give us new horrors with Alice in Zombieland, and a prince who climbs Rapunzel’s hair to get away from and find a way to defeat—you guessed it—zombies.

In Volume Two, we want a strong dose of Lovecraft thrown in. What happens to the townspeople in The Boy who Cried Cthulhu?  Pinocchio is going to have a much harder time getting out of the Old One than the whale; a wolf would have been preferable to Little Red Riding Hood and the Byahkee and the Little Mermaid has so much more to worry about then her legs and a missing voice when she faces a Deep One.

Once you choose a story to change it’s your call how far you will take it.  Make the apocalypse clear and give some meaning as to why the dead are meandering through the streets and munching on the breathing or why the Elder God has paid the town a visit.  Plague, pestilence, bio warfare, meteor shower, tail of a comet…be creative.

Because we don’t want duplicates of themes, you will be able to follow the progress of the anthologies on our blog (http://onceuponanapocalypse.com) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OnceUponAnApocalypse) where we’ll keep a current list of themes/tales accepted.  For example, if we get a Sleeping Beauty story and it’s awesome, that will be it for the book.  Stories should be 2K – 4K in length (please query for stories under or over our limit. We will consider them if they are of exceptional merit.)  The only true way to have similar stories is A Snow White and the Seven Zombies in one and Snow White Star Vampire Slayer in the other.

What we are not looking for:

We all know these are dark fiction anthologies, but gore for the sake of gore is un-needed. This is not splatterpunk or extreme horror.  Sex?  If the story calls for it, fine, but keep it to an R rating (maybe even PG-13). We don’t to hear about insertions and spurting fluids, unless its blood from a bite wound or a gun shot.  Try to keep the violence towards animals at a minimum.  In some mythos, zombies chew on animals and that’s fine, but we don’t want redneck zombies killing all of Bo-Peep’s sheep for a pie.  Finally, though we shouldn’t have to mention it (but we will, given the theme)—go easy on the child-related violence, please.  And no pedophilia—that’s just skeevy.

Reading period: now through July 31, or until filled.

Pay rates: pays $.03 per word, no royalties, and three free books and additional copies at 50% off cover.

Email subs to: ouaastories@gmail.com

Format:

Stories should be an attachment to your cover letter email, NOT copied and pasted into the body of the email.  The cover letter should include a single paragraph synopsis of the story and your publishing history. The submission should be in RTF or DOC format (no DOCX).  Left aligned, 1/2” indentation for paragraphs, single spaced. Double space between scenes and use five stars (*****) for breaks in the story. Contact info should be on the first page of the story with word count.

Please do not query for your story until we’ve had it for at least 12 weeks.  Publication is expected for the first half of 2013.  No reprints and no simultaneous submissions.  If we turn you down feel free to try again with a new story, but give it a few days between submissions.

And please, when submitting, be specific which book you are submitting to. We’re reading for both simultaneously. Subject line of the email should be Name, Story Name, Which book.

NEHW MEMBER NEWS:

From K. Allen Wood:

In May, Shock Totem Publications will be releasing its first non-magazine related product. The company is re-releasing a book, The Wicked by James Newman.

An ode to 1980s horror, The Wicked is Newman’s second book, which was originally published in 2007 in limited edition hardcover. The new version features revised text, a new foreword by Mark Allan Gunnells, a new afterword by Newman, and brilliant new artwork and illustrations by Jesse David Young (with additional cover layout by Yannick Bouchard). Also included is a brand new, exclusive tie-in short story the author wrote specifically for this release.

The Wicked will be released in paperback and e-book formats.

Newman is the author of the critically-acclaimed Midnight Rain and Animosity, the short-story collection People Are Strange, and the novellas The Forum, Revenge Flick! and Olden.

From Kurt Newton:

Newton’s new sci-fi/horror novel, Powerlines, is now available for pre-order through Gallows Press, and is now available on Amazon. Here are the particulars:

Order page: http://gallowspress.com/?wpsc-product=powerlines-by-kurt-newton

Plot description: “After his beloved brother is killed in Iraq, Ethan decides to take a weekend hike to clear his head and to get in touch with nature. His destination is a stretch of power lines that run deep into the forests of Connecticut. His journey will bring him through a reclusive area surrounded by mysteries and strange legends. Kissing his beloved and patient girlfriend, Lindsey, goodbye, Ethan sets off on his adventure. It doesn’t take Ethan long to discover that the stories are true…something strange and insidious is hidden in the Connecticut countryside. Something deadly. When Ethan fails to show up at their rendezvous point, she knows that something is horribly wrong. Finding local law enforcement to be uncooperative, she partners up with an unlikely friend as she enters the woods in search of her lover. As they follow the power lines deep into the woods, they have no idea what awaits.”

Book details: 278 pages, trade paperback, retail price $12.99.

He also has a story in The Gallows, available for pre-order through the Gallows Press site. His is the order page: http://gallowspress.com/?wpsc-product=the-gallows-an-anthology

Book description: “From Gallows Press comes a collection of 11 tales showcasing the narrative talents of the Gallows authors. The Gallows anthology is the perfect book for readers looking to sample what our talented storytellers have to offer.” Newton’s story, “The Pit” is included in this collection.

Book details: 228 pages, trade paperback, retail price $8.99, special pre-order price $7.99.

From Peter N. Dudar:

Dudar is pleased to announce his novel, A Requiem for Dead Flies, will be published this summer by Nightscape Press in a trade paperback and a Kindle edition.

From Robert Heske:

Heske’s graphic vampire novel, The Night Projectionist, a vampire graphic novel, will be out in comic shops and bookstores in May.

He also reminds NEHW members to join the coven at the novel’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/thenightprojectionist. The page now has over 10,500 “Likes” and he would welcome more.

The book is only $12.99 and the eye-popping art is by Diego Yapur, whose credits include Priest: Purgatory.

From Tony Tremblay:

Tremblay would like to report he had three stories chosen for inclusion in the Necon E-Books Best of 2011 Flash Fiction anthology.

http://www.neconebooks.com/bytitle.htm

From Deb Eskie:

Eskie would like you to visit the website www.youtube.com/like2productions to view the film short, “Mother’s Sin,” written by her and directed by Chris Lawn.

From L.L. Soares:

L.L. Soares’ story, “The Gulch,” will be appearing in the horror/western anthology, Welcome to Hell, edited by Eric S. Brown, and will be published by E-Volve Books.

Necon Ebooks will soon be putting out The Collected Cinema Knife Fight Volume 1, featuring the early columns by himself and Michael Arruda.

Also, the Cinema Knife Fight (www.cinemaknifefight.com) site has new articles posted every weekday, and has a full writing staff, including several NEHW members.

From Karen Dent:

Dent recently sold her short story, “Basic Nature,” to e-zine publisher Horror On The Installment Plan (HOTIP) for their first issue, Children and Zombies. Check them out, www.HorrorOnTheInstallmentPlan.com. They are a bi-monthly magazine who is still looking for stories to match other themes.

From Alex Kimmell:

Kimmell’s novel, The Key to Everything, is about to be released by Booktrope publishing.

From David L. Tamarin:

New Additions to Profane Exhibit include a Grammy Winner and an Academy

Award nominee. Harbinger International is pleased to announce that Jose Mojica Marins (a.k.a. “Coffin Joe”), Ignacio “Nacho” Vigolando, Chris Vrenna and Steven Severin have joined the Profane Exhibit team.

The legendary Brazilian king of blasphemy and terror, Jose Mojica Marins will be directing the segment “Viral.” Academy Award nominee and film festival favorite Nacho Vigalondo will be directing “Sins of the Father.” Grammy Award Winner Chris Vrenna will score the segment “Viral,” and Steven Severin will also be scoring the film, as well as performing in the film as an actor.

From Dale T. Phillips:

Dale’s next story collection, Apocalypse Tango, will be released in May, featuring different tales of the end of the world (as we know it).

From John Grover:

Grover announces his recent release, “Warning Signs,” a .99 cent short story for Kindle, which is a preview story from his e-book collection, Creatures and Crypts. This story was discussed on the blogtalk radio show, Scary Scribes.  The story can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Warning-Signs-A-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B007W84B4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335222682&sr=1-1.

Grover is also excited about the re-release of his very first published collection Shadow Tales by Double Dragon Publishing. This new edition contains all new cover art by artist and NEHW member David E. Chrisom and contains all new edits, a new wrap around story that ties all the tales together and story notes. Don’t miss this great collection. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Tales-Second-Edition-ebook/dp/B00107M488/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1335222979&sr=1-10

He has also recently received a great review for his newly released epic fantasy novella, Web of the Spider Queen. Check it out here:

http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ebook-review-web-of-spider-queen–

by.html. When you’re done there, check out the trailer for the book created by S.D.

Hintz with original music composed by Project Trinity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu5ejFh8SzQ&feature=youtu.be

As always check out John’s site, www.shadowtales.com, where he’s just added a new projects page that has news on upcoming releases, sample stories from his recent collections, and many other things.

From Timothy Finn:

Finn’s story, “Fighting for Emmett,” appears in the third volume of the Satan’s Toybox series, Satan’s Toboys: Toy Soldiers, from Angelic Knight Press. It’s available in e-book and print formats.

His company’s newsletter recently interviewed him about his nascent writing career.

From Daniel R. Robichaud:

Robichaud has a bunch of short stories he wrote under the pseudonym C. C. Blake being published as e-books by Vampires 2 Publishing (the new incarnation of Vampires 2 Magazine and Vampires2.com). These are not simple repackaging, but revised and expanded versions. He has doubled and sometimes tripled the lengths on them. Three are out so far (available now at Smashwords and soon in other formats as well): a novella length version of Cave and the Vamp (17,000 words) is one book, while the short stories “Cave’s Dark Mistress” and “Cave’s Deadly Beauties” (5k words each) have been bundled together in another (Kindle readers can get the short stories separately, if they wish.) He is really pleased with the new Cave and the Vamp story.

The cover is perhaps over the top, but it makes him smile.

Under another pseudonym, Kaysee Renee Robichaud, he has a blackly humorous erotic trickster tale, “Tricksters are Made, Not Born,” appearing in the Like a Cunning Plan anthology from Circlet Press, due out soon.

Under his own name, his Halloween steampunk story, “Autumn Jitters,” has been picked up for a reprinting in Raven Electrick’s kindle release, Spec-Tacular, which was released on April 24.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:

William Rockwell (CT)
Alan Steven Kessler (MA)
Rob Walsh (CT)
Derek Wiggins (MA)
Duane Coffill (ME)
Eric Stanway (NH)
Errick Nunnally (MA)

– Jason Harris, Editor, the Epitaph: Journal of NEHW
– Stacey Longo, Assistant Editor, the Epitaph: Journal of NEHW

May 1 2012

NEHW at New Haven Craft Show Sunday

The New England Horror Writers and craft shows are becoming synonymous. This trend continues this Sunday when the NEHW participates in the East Coast Craft Fair in New Haven.

The craft show will be held at the Trolley Square Mall on Saturday and Sunday, but the NEHW will only be there Sunday.

NEHW members Kimberly Dalton, Stacey Longo, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Kasey Shoemaker, Rob Watts, and Nathan Wrann will be there selling and signing their works.

You can purchase Epitaphs, the first anthology created by the NEHW, which includes only stories by members. Longo’s story, “Private Beach,” which is reminiscent of Stephen King’s story, “The Raft,” is in this inaugural collection. This anthology also includes a story by Christopher Golden, who has written a number of Buffy the Vampire Slayer books, and Rick Hautala, the recent recipient of the Horror Writers Association’s 2012 Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.

If you saw The Raven starring John Cusack last weekend and are still craving Poe, you could purchase a copy of In Poe’s Shadow, a collection of short stories inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Schoonover’s piece, “VanityVanity,” which was inspired by Poe’s “The Oval Portrait,” is in this anthology.

If Poe is not your style, maybe you’d like a trip to Iceland with newlyweds Jeffrey and Susie Hill in Huldufolk, which is based on Icelandic folklore, written by Watts. Along with the book, he is giving away a copy of The Traffic Lights CD, the band in Watts’ book, with each book purchase. Watts composed the music for his fictional band.

If you are a New Haven resident or work in the city, then Silver Vengeance, by Kasey Shoemaker, whose main character is an ambitious chef in one of New Haven’s trendiest restaurants in her urban fantasy novel featuring werewolves, witches, romance, and bloodshed, might be for you.

There will also be young adult novels by Nathan Wrann and a children’s book by Kimberly Dalton available.  Wrann will have his first two books in the paranormal thriller Dark Matter Heart trilogy at the NEHW table. In Good Night Fright, Dalton rhyming children’s book, John is afraid to go to sleep so he asks his friends how they handle the monsters in the closet. She also illustrated the book.

The show’s organizers will also have readings by Longo, Schoonover, and Watts in the middle of the mall at different times of the day.

Come hear the readings and stop by the NEHW table where there will be plenty of other books available to buy from these authors in addition to the ones mentioned above.

The craft show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Trolley Square Mall is located at 1175 State Street in New Haven.

Apr 30 2012

Chiller Theatre: Then and Now

Chiller Theatre: Then and Now

By Nick Cato

Although I’ve been going to horror film conventions since 1985, it wasn’t until 1991 when I attended my first Chiller Theatre expo, which at the time was called Son of Horrorthon.  I’m guessing Horrorthon had been the name of an earlier version?  Either way, back then the convention was held in Cherry Hill, NJ, at a small but accommodating campus.  Then they began to grow, and eventually moved to a couple of hotels in Secaucus, right across the highway from Giants Stadium, where they held court until about five years ago, when they wound up in the Hilton Parsippany in Parsippany, NJ, where I’ve just returned from their “2012 Spring Spooktacular.”  Chiller runs two conventions a year, in April and again the weekend closest to Halloween.  While the conventions run one evening and two days, I usually attend on Saturday, meet the couple of guests I’d like to meet, cruise the huge dealer’s room, and then leave.

And here’s why Chiller Theatre—at one time my favorite convention—has come to me doing an in-and-out appearance:

At the aforementioned Son of Horrorthon, while crowded, it was still under control.  I was able to meet a couple of my horror heroes (a particular fan-geek moment goes to my discussion with director Herschell Gordon Lewis and his lovely wife) and get some photos and items autographed FREE of charge.  In the early days of Chiller, guests gladly signed anything for free and happily took pictures.  The talk of the day at the 1991 convention was guest star Butch Patrick, the actor who had played Eddie Munster on the 60s sitcom, The Munsters.  People were openly complaining that he was charging $30.00 for an autograph.  I remember countless people bad-mouthing him for his audacity … and yet 21 years later, this practice has become the norm at both Chiller and Fangoria conventions.

A few years later (mid 90s) you saw guests starting to charge $5.00, then $10.00 for an autographed picture, or to sign your own item.  Most of them usually still had no problem taking pictures with their fans for free.  I didn’t have a problem shelling out the five or ten bucks to meet some of my favorite actors, directors, and FX people, but by the late 1990s, EVERYONE seemed to be charging $20.00 for an autograph … and today the norm is between $20.00 and $30.00.

Suffice it to say, what was once a great, fun time has become a way over-priced event that STILL somehow manages to draw some of the largest crowds this side of Comic Con.

But what’s more questionable than the prices are the majority of the guests: Chiller Theatre is named after an old TV show, where classic horror and sci-fi movies were played late on Saturday nights.  Chiller has since become an anything goes convention: over the past ten years there’s been more former wrestlers and non-genre TV stars than there’s been horror and sci-fi people.  There was even an F-Troop reunion a few years ago!

I’ve been saying for years that Chiller seriously needs to change their name.  While the dealer’s room is still mainly horror oriented (and as far as I’m concerned, the main reason to attend this convention), Chiller’s guest list reads like a who’s who of has-been’s and have never been’s.  “Actors” and “directors” sit at booths selling their cheap, shot-on-video productions, attempting to lure people in with scantily-clad women dressed like Vampirella ; Former wrestlers justify Mickey Rourke’s depressing convention sequence in his film The Wrestler; Former TV stars attempt to show interest in their fans (thankfully most seem interested, but there are many gems, including a certain cast member from Star Trek—charging $30.00 an autograph—who once sat there reading a book as he signed some poor schmuck’s photo); and possibly the saddest of all, self-published writers who have NO CLUE how the business is run, hocking their horribly-edited novels and wondering why no one is stopping by their table.  In fact, aside from Doug Winter and Jack Ketchum (who stopped attending Chiller a few years back), Chiller is simply NOT for horror writers.  It’s a film expo full of people looking to find horror film T-shirts, rare DVDs and theater posters.

I’m often asked, “Why do you still attend?”  There are two reasons: the dealer’s room and the one or two guests they usually have on hand who I find interesting.  As mentioned, Chiller’s dealer room is one of the largest and best of any film convention I know of.  There’s an endless array of horror-related merchandise that anyone can spend an entire weekend browsing through.

Nick Cato with actress Luciana Paluzzi from the 007 classic Thunderball and the the scifi classic The Green Slime.

At the latest Spring Spooktacular, I found a couple or films I had been hunting down for some time now, and there were two guests I was interested in meeting.  One was Luciana Paluzzi, the beautiful actress who starred in the 007 classic Thunderball as well as the sci-fi classic The Green Slime.  She was every bit as classy as her on-screen personas suggested. And when she found out I was a fellow Italian, she graciously signed a picture of herself for me in Italian.  It’s personal little things like this that separate the thankful guests from the couldn’t-be-bothered types.  Also on hand was actor Laurence Harvey, star of the controversial The Human Centipede 2.  Not only was he a soft-spoken English gent, he had no problem signing anything you wanted, and even hammed it up by donning the bloody lab coat he had worn in the film.  You’d never believe a man this nice could star in such a depraved film!  It’s rare meetings like this that still make Chiller worth fighting your way through the over-priced crowds.

Nick Cato with actor Laurence Harvey from The Human Centipede 2.

At this particular Chiller, the largest line was to meet actor Norman Reedus, who was there as part of a Boondock Saints reunion, and of course to represent The Walking Dead.  I can’t remember the last time I saw girls walking around with autographs so taken aback by someone … you’d think the Beatles were doing a reunion show.

Being a fan of the low-budget stuff, you get to meet the smaller stars a lot quicker as they rarely have long waits to see them.  Of course there are exceptions: the first time Ken Foree from the original Dawn of the Dead appeared, I think I waited close to 40 minutes to meet him. But the wait was well worth it and I’ve since had the pleasure of meeting him several more times and have even exchanged several emails.

The glory days of Chiller Theater are long gone.  It has become an over-crowded, over-priced convention that is more of a nostalgia-fest than a horror con.  But as long as they keep their amazing dealer room, and the one or two genre guests who grab my interest, I’ll probably continue to attend, even if it’s only to pop-in for a few hours during one of the three days. That is, until every guest jumps on the current trend of “photo ops,” where you have to pre-pay $50.00 to meet with a particular guest in a private room to have your picture taken with them by a pro photographer.  Thankfully only a few of the bigger guests have been doing this, but if it becomes widespread there’s a good chance it will mean the end of Chiller.

Then again, everyone said the same thing in 1991 when Eddie Munster started asking money for his signature …

Apr 29 2012

‘Shock Totem’ to Publish First Book

In May, Shock Totem Publications will be releasing its first non-magazine related product. The company is re-releasing a book, The Wicked by James Newman.

An ode to 1980s horror, The Wicked is Newman’s second book, which was originally published in 2007 in limited edition hardcover. The new version features revised text, a new foreword by Mark Allan Gunnells, a new afterword by Newman, and brilliant new artwork and illustrations by Jesse David Young (with additional cover layout by Yannick Bouchard). Also included is a brand new, exclusive tie-in short story the author wrote specifically for this release.

The Wicked will be released in paperback and e-book formats.

Newman is the author of the critically-acclaimed Midnight Rain and Animosity, the short-story collection People Are Strange, and the novellas The Forum, Revenge Flick! and Olden.

Praise for the novel:

The Wicked is a good old-fashioned, unabashed horror novel. James Newman remembers when horror used to be fun, and he’s recaptured it here in all of its gory glory. A terrifying page-turner in the tradition of Graham Masterton, J.N. Williamson, and Richard Laymon. WICKEDly good reading from of horror’s new heirs!”

Brian Keene, author of The Rising, City of the Dead and Ghoul said, “Demons, depravity and despair, oh my! Reminiscent of the best of 80’s horror and Bentley Little at his most grotesque and unrelenting, The Wicked is the kind of horror we don’t see enough of anymore. This is one wild and bloody ride, and in the capable hands of James Newman, it’s one worth taking.”

From Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy and Kin: “The Wicked will be released in paperback and e-book formats. More details will follow closer to release. If you have any questions, please let us know.”

Apr 28 2012

Why I’d Rather Showcase My Books at Craft Fairs than Horror & Comic Cons

Why I’d Rather Showcase My Books at Craft Fairs than Horror & Comic Cons

by Rob Watts

There’s a misconception around the campfire these days that certain products should only be placed in a venue that showcases primarily the same exact products, just in different packaging. The same can be said about writers. We all want to present our work in environments where we are most likely to reach a captive audience. It only makes sense to want to sell our books at events where people attend simply to buy books. Trendy restaurants join other restaurants at local food festivals to sell their food and hot tub salesmen compete with other hot tub salesmen at the local hot tub expos, so why not? For starters, we aren’t hot tub salesmen; we’re authors with our own unique approach in our artistry. There is something very different in all of us that sets us apart from the assembly line produced…dare I say, crap.

Over the years, I have worked at various trade shows with my company and the most important thing I’ve learned is the value of having a unique and distinguished product to offer. Fortunately, my company fits that description, however I’ve witnessed much frustration and disappointment among patrons due to the over abundance of repetitive trade displays such as window installation, granite countertops and vinyl siding companies. So when I began the process of selecting events to promote my new book, I was aiming toward venues where I wouldn’t be just another author pushing my wares. I wanted to find places where an independent bookseller would be a welcomed surprise rather than a usual suspect.

Thanks to the like-minded folks at the NEHW who organize networking events, my vision has been met head-on. Sure, the horror cons such as Horror Hound Weekend and Rock & Shock are festive and fun. Yes, the energy at a comic con is off the hook, but when it comes to actual book selling and valuable interaction between writer and reader, arts and craft shows are an untapped resource for authors. When I spoke to a fellow writer not too long ago, they laughed and asked me if I hated the thought of being in a setting where soccer moms are buying handmade jams, baskets and socks. To which I replied, absolutely not. I would much rather interact with soccer moms than try to convince some teenager, who only has enough money in their pocket to meet Kane Hodder or Tony Todd at their 18th million appearance, that he/she should be buying my book instead. In short, I’d much rather spend my time at events where the chances are much greater that I’ll sell books and make fans.

Even though I write horror, a horror con isn’t always an ideal venue for a bookseller. The same can be said for comic cons. Attendees at these types of events are not really interested in books. They just aren’t. It’s not a slam on them; it’s just the way it is. They are more interested in meeting celebrities, sorting though rare DVDs and dressing up as their favorite characters. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy these events because I do and oftentimes it’s more about who you meet rather than book sales. Just two weeks ago, I had a table at the Toronto Comic Con. Book sales were ok, but the best part was meeting an illustrator who’s going to design for me. So in the end, it was worth the time, travel and cost. It’s definitely worth it to participate in as many events as possible. But they aren’t all at the top of my preference list.

Whenever I see arts and crafts events listed on the NEHW’s calendar, I jump at the chance to attend every one of them. I love that we’re known simply as the authors in the room, not the other authors, or the one out of 20 bookseller tables. We are distinguished and well-regarded might I add. And the best part is, the patrons at these events actually enjoy reading and they love the fact that they are buying the books directly from the person who wrote it. And make no mistake about it, we as writers and independent booksellers fall under the guise of arts and crafts. These events are held everywhere, at any given time of the year and at low-cost. Why not take advantage of it? Don’t just wait for horror events held in the fall. October horror writers are only what Santa Clause is to Christmas. But that doesn’t need to be the case. And if I have the choice between selling at a horror event, where I’m up against Jack Ketchum’s forty-dollar signed copy of Off Season and Robert Englund’s autograph, I’ll take selling next to a table of country-made jam any day of the week.

Apr 27 2012

Important Advice for Authors

Here are links to previous stories that contain important advice for authors.

The Traveling Writer: Ten Things You Should Own for Promotional Events
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/the-traveling-writer-ten-things-you-should-own-for-promotional-events/

Practical PR in Five Steps or Fewer.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/practical-pr-in-five-steps-or-fewer/

Your Cover Art Sucks.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/your-cover-art-sucks/

Jeers of a Clown: Exploring the Balancing Act of Black Humor Writing.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/jeers-of-a-clown-exploring-the-balancing-act-of-black-humor-writing/

The Journey to an Author’s First Autograph.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/the-journey-to-an-authors-first-autograph/

Another Notch in the Bedpost?
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/another-notch-in-the-bedpost/

An Author’s Account of the Middletown Open Air Market.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/an-authors-account-of-the-middletown-open-air-market/

Breaking Out of the Vacuum.
https://jasonharrispromotions.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/breaking-out-of-the-vacuum/

By dudley228 • Posted in Advice
0
Apr 26 2012

An Outing to Boston Comic Con

An Outing to Boston Comic Con

By David Price

I had no intention to attend Boston Comic Con this year. My son’s girlfriend, Amy, had brought it up a few weeks ago, but no plans were made to go. On Friday night, however, she was over visiting and brought it up again. My son, Devon, had no desire to go either, so she was doing her best to convince him. Now, I haven’t been to a comic con in many years, but the prospect of going piqued my interest. I pulled up the website and checked out the details. There was going to be 74 featured guest artists there. 74! Wow, these things have gotten much bigger since the last time I went.

I use to collect comics. I stopped pretty much cold turkey back in the nineties, when all those endless crossovers became big. They drove me nuts, interrupting the ongoing story lines of your favorite series and also forcing you to buy books you didn’t want, just to keep up. It was a sales gimmick that I quickly grew to despise and drove me away from comics completely. I’m still a fan, of sorts. I see every comic book based movie that hits the screen and I’ve been pretty happy with Hollywood’s attempts to bring some of my old favorites to life. I still have probably thirty boxes of comics in storage. It’s like the fan in me is in hibernation, I guess, like my collection.

So when I looked over that list of 74 artists, I didn’t recognize quite a few of them. I’m guessing there are many who have entered the business since my comic collecting days. But still, there were a few that really caught my eye, like Bernie Wrightson, for instance. Wrightson is an artist I have admired since I started reading and collecting comic books. You see, what first drew me into comics were horror comics. I was reading them for a couple years before I even noticed the super hero books. Maybe it was growing up watching Creature Feature on Channel 56, but I’ve always had this fascination with monsters. Wrightson was of course, an illustrator on many of the horror comics that I grew up loving. These had titles like, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Tales of the Unexpected, and Vampirella. Did I mention he was the co-creator of Swamp Thing? Yeah, that too.

Wrightson didn’t stop with comic books, though. He did an illustrated version of Frankenstein, which is absolutely beautiful. Later in his career, he went on to do some illustration for my favorite author, Stephen King. Mr. Wrightson illustrated The Cycle of the Werewolf, The Stand, and even did some work on the Dark Tower series. Needless to say, I was excited at the chance to meet him.

Also on the list of artists, I noticed the name Bill Sienkiewicz. Wow! There was another guy who had impressed the hell out of me with his art. You see, Sienkiewicz brought a style unlike any other I had ever seen when he entered the comic book industry. In 1984, Sienkiewicz took over as the artist for the X-Men spinoff, New Mutants and brought an expressionistic style that was mind-blowing. I’m not sure it was for everyone, but I know he gained quite a bit of recognition and managed to work with some of comicbook greats at that time like Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

There were a couple other names that stood out to me like Bob Layton of Iron Man, Kevin Eastman of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Simon Bisley whose work I remember from Judge Dredd and Lobo. It was enough for me to want to go. To top it all off, my twelve-year-old daughter, who to my knowledge has never read a comic book, begged to go. Between my son’s girlfriend and my daughter, they managed to convince Devon to give it a try. I was happy to drive, so the plans were made. My daughter invited her cousin, Roberta, so she would have someone the same age to tag along with her.

Saturday morning, I picked up Amy and brought her back to the house. She was carrying this trash bag full of costumes because apparently the three girls were determined to dress up. They had the idea that people went in costume to these cons and they wanted to participate. I certainly wasn’t going to put a costume on, but I didn’t mind if they did. There wasn’t a lot of planning involved here, so my daughter Kay ended up as Alice in Wonderland, Roberta was a sort of Victorian age vampire, and Amy wore a Pink Floyd shirt and flag as a cape. With the girls dressed up and ready to go, we headed off to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

The first problem encountered is that the Hynes is near Fenway Park, and the Yankees were playing the Red Sox that day. Finding parking was an adventure. As we passed the Convention center looking for a parking garage, we saw this ridiculously long line outside of the building. That couldn’t be the line to get in, we said. Spotting several people in line dressed as comic book characters confirmed our worst fears, though.

The line moved quickly, however, and we probably only waited thirty to forty minutes to get in the building. None of us were prepared for what we found inside. It was wall to wall with people. You really couldn’t get anywhere without fighting your way through the zombie-like horde of comic book fans. At first, this really bothered my daughter. She complained to me quite a bit. I reminded her that she begged me to bring them. After a while, we all just got used to it.

Devon and his girlfriend went right over to the Newbury Comics table to check out The Walking Dead books. My family is a fan of the show, but none of us have read the books. He grabbed the first few, which was okay with me, since I wanted to read them, too. Amy grabbed a few things that she was really excited about, including a Doctor Who book as a thank you present to me. We stopped at an artist who did a portrait of my daughter and niece in anime style. This put them both in happier moods. When we hit the back row, I saw the line for Bernie Wrightson. I stepped up and he asked if I had anything to sign. I knew I had forgotten something. Oh well, he had some prints from his work on Frankenstein, so I bought one of those. More importantly, I got a picture with him.

Bernie Wrightson and David Price at Boston Comic Con.

We fought our way through the mob and did our best to take in the whole thing. I had just about given up on finding Bill Sienkiewicz when we finally stumbled upon him. I got another cool picture and my daughter got an autographed Cat Woman print. We tried to find another vendor called Madknits, who had these handmade stuffed little monsters, on the way out, but after bumping our way up and down a bunch of aisles, we gave up and decided to call it a day. The kids were hot, tired, and feeling a bit claustrophobic.

All in all, Boston Comic Con was very cool, but it definitely needs to find a bigger venue. The Boston Convention and Exhibition center on the waterfront is much bigger and more suited to something that attracts as many people as comic con does. They should probably consider upgrading, even though I heard that this was an upgrade from previous years. We all had fun, which was the most important thing. Well done, Boston Comic Con.

Apr 25 2012

Late Night TV

Late Night TV

by Ron DiBerto

Werewolves howl throughout the night, Vampires flee mornings light.

Slinking ghouls crawl past a moat, A rotting corpse begins to bloat.

Witches cackle then cast a spell, As demons rise from out of hell.

Shadows move past pools of red, As graves move from waking dead.

Creatures, monsters and ghosts arise, All of different shapes and size.

All these things are always seen, On TV late on Halloween.

DiBerto wrote this poem in 2005. His inspiration for this poem was the “Midnight TV” shown on television when he was a kid. He credits those film classics on keeping “our imaginations going as well as having a blanket over our eyes from time to time.”

“We would sleep afterwards and have those late night nightmares, screaming for mom to take away the boogeyman and soothe our fears. In some ways, I miss those days. My mom does not.”

Apr 24 2012

Support versus Tolerance

This entry originally appeared on Alex Laybourne’s website.

Support versus Tolerance

by Alex Laybourne

As writers, we seek the approval of others for what we do. We may say that we write for fun, or because we love it, and that is all true. A writer writes because they have to, but we publish because we want to share our work, and in doing so we hope for good great reviews and the respect of our peers.

If you talk to any successful person, they will invariably say that they have a wonderful family who supported them the entire way. Just watch any Oscar speech and you will see what I mean. This is also true, and say what you like about successful businessmen or actors. I cannot see another profession that takes quite the toll on friends and family as that of a writer.

We live in worlds inside our head, worlds that not even our nearest and dearest – unless they happen to be writers themselves – could ever understand. We are moody and brooding when writing because we want to write more or need to work out a particular kink in the mechanics or arc of the story, or we are grumpy and moody because we are not writing at that moment in time. We write down and take a sometimes perverse interest in the crazy things that happen around us because it could be a good story idea at some point down the line. Yet our loved ones stick by us. They support us every step of the way.

I have a friend who is really into these self-help books… or as I like to call them – common freaking sense. However, one point that comes across again and again is to surround yourself with people who love and support you. It is supposedly some big secret to success  (sorry the RANT will stop and I’ll get back on topic now).

What got me thinking was, how can you tell the difference between support and tolerance. Those loved ones that smile and nod their heads when you talk about your writing or sit there plotting, writing and editing. Yet on the inside, just below the surface they are  thinking… “You fool. Oh well, at least it keeps them quiet. Stops them from causing trouble”

Can you still count that as support? Are they a positive influence in your life? They support your writing, but when it comes to promotions, and you want to invest some money or a chunk of time during the day to promoting, they put their foot down and refuse. Where does that leave you?

I am lucky enough to have the important people in my life supporting me, but there are a few that I know merely tolerate my dalliances with the written word, and view my attempts to carve a name for myself as nothing more than folly. They are waiting for me to grow up, to start pushing myself hard in other avenues… whatever they may be… please, send all answers to me on a postcard, because I draw a blank here.

This post is dedicated to these people. The silent partners who suffer us writers and support our every step, without ever truly understand what it is we do, and why. It is also a swipe at those who merely tolerate our actions. You all know who you are, and fellow writers, you probably know who they are too. You may not understand why we do it, and you don’t have to. You should support us unconditionally. We are not asking you to do it for us, nor are we demanding you buy 500 copies of our book to make us feel good and give us a rankings boost. We are merely asking that you believe in us. Smile and nod when we talk about our work, even if it is just like the approach taken by John Wemmick with the Aged P in Great Expectations. We are the ones putting ourselves out there, you have absolutely nothing to lose.

Apr 23 2012

Unknown Savior

                    Unknown Savior

                                                        by Ron DiBerto

Through blackened night and fog filled moors, souls flee to light and lock their doors.

They hide amongst their relics of faith, while outside lurks a hungry wraith.

It moves among the well-lit homes, searching for blood that doth roams.

It claws the doors as an angry beast, hoping to have an overdue feast.

When into the night it sees a shape, a shadow does move with a cape.

It lunges with its teeth all bared, eyes open wide as it stared.

And as it reached its unknown prey, a flash of steel would end this fray.

The creature lies as still as the dead, next to the form of its severed head.

Wiping his blade as he looks at this sight, and without a sound he walks into the night.

The legends have been told since that day, of an unknown savior that made his way.

To a fear filled town afraid of the night, to have a chance again to see the light.

Here is NEHW member DiBerto’s inspiration behind “Unknown Savior,” which he wrote in 2006.

“I wrote this after I stayed awake for over 36 hours because of a major case of insomnia. No matter what I tried to help me sleep, it never worked. That is until I sat down and wrote this [poem] out on a pad of paper. I guess that in some way I had to get [it] … out of my system. Because it was not even ten minutes after I put down the pen that I crashed into my pillow and slept like I have never slept before.”