Happy Valentine’s Day from the NEHW
Tag Archives: NEHW
Papa Necon (Please Read)
This was written by Christopher Golden for the Necon E-books website.
Dear Necon Community,
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we write to you today to ask for your prayers, good thoughts, and positive energy for our Papa Necon, Bob Booth. As some of you may have heard, Bob came down with bronchitis in November. He was sent for a chest x-ray and it came back showing a shadow that the doctor didn’t like. Further tests revealed spots on his lung and lesions on his liver, which led to still further tests. He has been diagnosed with stage four extensive small cell lung cancer and stage four liver cancer. The doctors also believe that it has spread to his bones, and he is undergoing further testing to discover if it has reached his brain. Early next week, when all of the results are in, decisions will be made regarding the wisdom and usefulness of chemotherapy and other treatments, but it must be said that options are limited.
Over the more than thirty years since Necon’s founding, it has become ever clearer that Necon is more than a convention. It has been called summer camp, but always feels like more of a family reunion, and our Necon family grows and changes with every passing year, spreading further and adding new members. Bob has been the center of that family–truly Papa Necon–since the very first day, and it is one of his greatest pleasures. We trust that many of you will want to send Bob your thoughts, kind words, and well wishes, and we gratefully encourage you to do so. Prayers and positive energy are powerful and would be deeply appreciated by all of us.
Cards and letters can be sent directly to Bob at home. Bob Booth, 67 Birchland Ave Pawtucket, Ri 02860. If you’d like to send e-mails and want to be sure they reach him, the best way is to send them to Sara, and she will see that he receives them. Her e-mail is saracalia08@gmail.com.
Thank you for your kindness, past, present, and future.
Sincerely,
The Necon Family
Bob and Mary Booth. Photo by Jason Harris.
Many NEHW members know Bob Booth and are sadden by the news mentioned above. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
The New NEHW T-Shirt
The New England Horror Writers organization has created a new t-shirt with a design by Jesse Young, a NEHW member. These t-shirts will be available at NEHW events.
The front of the new NEHW t-shirt.
The back of the t-shirt.
The ‘King’ of Tsongas Arena
A Conversation with Stephen King
By Timothy P. Flynn
On Friday, Dec. 7th, the streets of Lowell were packed with traffic all heading to a very special event at Tsongas Arena: A Conversation with Stephen King. The event was to mark the first for the Chancellor’s Speaker Series for the English Department at UMass Lowell. One of the esteemed faculty members, Andre Dubas III, acted as host/interviewer for the talk.
“It’s scary as shit in here!” was King’s first words to the audience resulting in an uproar of laughter. This was King’s first ever arena event, he stated, and the feel for the evening was established: this was going to be a night to remember. Dubas gave a rather lengthy introduction to the merits of King’s work and movie adaptations to which King cut him off saying, “You make it sound like I died!” When Dubas gave King the compliment of having doubled Charles Dickens in book sales, again King states, “They didn’t have e-books back then.”
The topics talked about included story ideas, aspects of the writing craft, and King’s rise to success. If you read any of the many King biographies out there, some of the more famous stories and anecdotes were brought up such as the origins of Cujo and how King states he never needed a psychiatrist because with all the crazy shit he makes up, people pay him. The funniest story was when King finally had a dinner with Bruce Springsteen at a restaurant in Pennslyvania, and a beautiful 16-year-old girl floated over to the table for an autograph with such excitement. “She didn’t even fucking look at Springsteen!”
Dubas read an extract from On Writing which was very moving having to do with the writing process and the will to continue writing. After Dubas’ reading, King read a brand new story, Afterlife, which was a story of a man who died from colon cancer and the events thereafter. The essence of the story was man’s fear of death, and if given a choice to start over again exactly the same versus blow out like a candle in the wind; most make the wrong choice.
The end of the night consisted of a Q and A session with about 10-15 questions asked. King added his usual wit and humor to his answers along with advice everyone in the room was listening to. A woman in the crowd brought a poster board picture of King at Fenway reading a book and her question was if King knew what book it was. Well, this slick creative woman got her poster board brought up to the stage for King to look at only to find a large sign in the back of it stating, “Sign Me!”- With roars from the crowd, King signed it.
A group of Stephen King fans.
After the event was over, a bunch of us NEHW members met up at front to recall the night. We all went down the street to Lowell Beer Works for awhile to end the night. You can use your imagination on how the conversation went and topics discussed.
The event was a surreal, fantastic memory that I will forever cherish. I read King’s books, I created a challenge to myself via his On Writing memoir, I proposed to Barbara in front of his house in Bangor, Maine and now I was able to hear his talk and joke in the same room( very far away though). I am getting closer, maybe one day I can get that signature and that picture.
Craft Fairs, Vendors, and Grand Openings, Oh My!
Craft Fairs, Vendors, and Grand Openings, Oh My!
By Jason Harris
I started Saturday morning going to the Sleigh Bells Arts and Crafts Fair at Bacon Academy in Colchester, Connecticut. If Stacey and I weren’t operating a business, Books and Boos, the New England Horror Writers would have had a table or two at this craft fair.
You can read the Reminders article about this craft fair here.
The craft fair was bigger and had more vendors than the Tantasqua’s Holiday Craft Fair last Saturday. The school had vendors in the hallways, cafeteria, and even into the library. There were some interesting vendors who I talked to about bringing their wares into Books and Boos.
Re-use of Misdirected Flatware owned by John M. Gilchrist (www.esty.com/shop/gilsgarden). Photo by Jason Harris.
Mice made from forks by John M. Gilchrist. Photo by Jason Harris.
There were also a woman, Tracy Fowler, who worked with leather. She made items like wallets, belts, and knife sheaths. Her business, WarEagle Leather Works, located in Windsor, Connecticut.
Belt buckles made by Tracy Fowler. Photo by Jason Harris.
Photo by Jason Harris.
Hair accessories created by Tracy Fowler. Photo by Jason Harris.
The reason I went to the holiday craft fair was to help out the Bacon Academy’s students by purchasing two boxes of their homemade cookies for the grand opening celebration at Books and Boos. The celebration included a reading and signing of Bad Apple by Kristi Petersen Schoonover and the giving away of a new copy of The Priest of Blood by Douglas Clegg with the purchase of $5 or more.
Author Kristi Petersen Schoonover reading from Bad Apple. Photo by Jason Harris.
Photo by Jason Harris.
Members of the New England Horror Writers: Jason Harris, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, and Stacey (Longo) Harris. Photo by Nathan Schoonover.
My Time at the Rhode Island Comic Con
My Time at the Rhode Island Comic Con
by Rob Watts
Myself, Jason Harris, Stacey Longo, Scott Goudsward and Kristi Petersen Schoonover began the task of painstakingly arranging our table in a manner of which patrons would … oh, who am I kidding? We threw it all together and if something fell on the floor, then it probably didn’t belong there in the first place. Our booth did look pretty diversely kick-ass! In addition to our own books, we had action figures, DVD’s, movie adaptation novels and of course, comic books. We were prepared for anyone and anything that came our way that weekend. Or were we?
Well, nothing could have prepared me for the 9am stroll through “Celebrity” alley just prior to the show’s opening. Stacey and I took it upon ourselves to stalk a couple of former stars while attempting to flee from a couple of others. “Oh boy, time has not been generous to that one” was uttered more than a few times. But there were a couple of highlights during that brisk wander. For instance, did you know that Mitzi Kapture (of TV’s Silk Stalkings) is married to Seinfeld’s The Soup Nazi? Well, she is and they are both wonderfully kind people. Also wonderfully kind, yet extremely happy, was Gil Gerard of the classic 1970s sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He was very gentlemanly as he reached out to shake both our hands but was quick to point out that he was selling Buck Rogers coffee mugs, baseball caps, lunch boxes, toilet paper and anything else you could put the name Buck Rogers on. As big of a turn off as this might have been, I still couldn’t believe “Buck Rogers” was in front of me, talking to me and trying to sell me a bunch of worthless crap. I couldn’t wait to see what other surprises were in store.
The doors opened to everyone at 10am and within 15 minutes, the aisles were flooded with convention goers. The booth blocking rule had a moratorium placed on it for the weekend due to the fact that people were streaming past us left and right all day long. We were perfectly happy behind the table all day, in our “safe haven.” People watching was a perfect ten as every super hero, comic book, anime, movie or TV character you could ever imagine was represented. To my delight, a different Captain America walked by me on an average of every 22 minutes. Star Wars characters were high in attendance and Jason Harris and I spent much of the two days debating on which guys at the con wore the best Bane character get-up. Of course, I can’t forget to mention the best dressed guys at the convention. Kristi’s all-time favorite tribute band, KISS Forever!
Venders were plentiful, and although their tables became repetitive after a while, they did have some amazing items for sale which could make even the least sentimental person nostalgic. I for one was tempted to plunk down fifty dollars for a near-mint Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle, but don’t judge me. The toy venders, however, had some competition at the NEHW booth. Scott unloaded a fair amount of his action figure collection throughout the event’s two-day run.
Some cool cars were on display in the lobby such as the Ghostbusters Mobile, the Adam West era Batmobile and two Delorians from the Back to the Future films. Speaking of Back to the Future, I got to meet and chat with actress Claudia Wells who played Michael J Fox’s girlfriend in the first film. She’s still very lovely and very cool. Speaking of cool, we got to chat it up with former pro wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He had some interesting stories about his glory days in the ring, including the “Montreal Screw job” and his relationship with Vince McMahon. Bottom line, he was very likeable.
Word at the convention was they had sold around 5000 tickets in advance. 12,000 people attended the convention just Saturday alone. This was RICC’s first year and it went off with a bang. Although it was a long two days for us in Providence, I think it’s safe to say we all had a great time. Kristi finally got to meet Dirk Benedict, I met my now-current co-writer on an upcoming project, Scott finally sold his giant King Kong action figure, Stacey got to hang out with Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Jason learned never to order a 30 dollar Filet Mignon from McCormick & Schmick’s when he’s starving. That’s a different story for a different day.
The NEHW at the Tantasqua’s Holiday Craft Fair this Saturday
The New England Horror Writers will be at the Tantasqua’s Holiday Craft Fair this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tantasqua Regional Sr. High School in Fiskdale, MA.
You can meet NEHW members Tracy Carbone, Scott Goudsward, Stacey Longo, Rob Smales, and Rob Watts, who will all be selling and signing books at the craft fair. The NEHW’s tables will be located in the school’s cafeteria.
If you are looking for a holiday themed book, Smales is selling, Checkin’ It Twice & Other Heartwarming Holiday Tales, which contains his story, “Fishing Buddy.”
The Tantasqua Regional Sr. High School is located at 319 Brookfield Road in Fiskdale, MA 01518.
My Time in Billerica
My Time in Billerica
by Rob Watts
As me, Jason Harris and Stacey Longo entered the doors of a tiny little church on a quiet side street in Billerica, MA; we were slightly confused as to where we were having our NEHW book signing. The address was correct, our GPS’s sent us to the same place, yet this wasn’t our usual style of venue to promote ourselves and our work. We called out “hello?” a couple of times but our calls went unanswered. Finally we saw a door to our right which read “No shoes allowed in the studio.” Of course, it only felt right to walk right through the door, shoes on and all. Upon entering the room, the three of us stood with our mouths hanging open, completely dumbfounded by what had laid before us. It was a room full of chairs, Halloween decorations, candles, a podium and a table full of food. A few seconds later, we were happily greeted by Alan Kessler and his wonderful family who were lovingly setting up the room for our arrival. ‘This is too nice for the likes of us’ I thought.
Alan Kessler, a NEHW member mentioned back in August during his first NEHW event in Middletown, Connecticut, that he’d like to contribute to the organization in some way, shape or form. He didn’t want to just be a stagnant member in good standing. He wanted to organize a different type of event for us to participate in; one that would cater more towards us as authors rather than exhibitors at trade shows. It was a nice gesture on Alan’s part, but although his intentions sounded sincere, it was unsure if such an event would take place. Three weeks later, sure enough, Alan had sent word that his event was a go and invited any NEHW member to participate. I am not lying when I say; Alan and his family went above and beyond what we might have expected. In addition to the above mentioned ambiance, Alan invited many of his neighboring book lovers, as well as a reporter from a local Billerica newspaper to cover the event. Every seat in the converted old church (and Alan’s current karate school) was filled with bodies. It was nice that people had come to see us, rather than just stumble upon us.
The event began with the participating author’s conducting a live reading from their books in front of the audience. I read a short story of mine called “Carman.” Tracy Carbone read from her latest book Restitution, followed by Stacey Longo reading from her children’s book Pookie and the Lost and Found Friend. We had a newcomer to the event that day as well. Author Rob Smales joined us for his first event and read a short story of his which is featured in The Ghost is the Machine. Alan, who very well could have shed a little spotlight on himself by reading from his own book A Satan Carol, graciously declined, as the event was about us, not him. We all thought that was a thoughtful and unselfish gesture.
After the readings, the audience was encouraged to visit our table at the back of the room to browse our book selections. It was an overwhelming rush of people at one time, who kindly purchased books and spoke to the authors. Food and beverages were available to the visitors which allowed for more interaction before the day drew to a close. I must really give Alan big thanks for what he and his family did for us that day. He opened up his place of business to us and his friends and gave us a beautiful venue to present our work. We’ll never forget that day.
Pictures from the NEHW Reading/Signing Event at Alan Kessler’s Karate Center
Alan Kessler, the host of the NEHW event. Photo by Jason Harris.
The Podium for reading. Photo by Jason Harris.
Author Rob Watts reading his Kindle story, “Carman.” Photo by Jason Harris.
Robert T. Smales talking with Tracy Carbone and Stacey Longo. Photo by Jason Harris.
The NEHW table. Photo by Jason Harris.
Author Stacey Longo reading from her children’s book, Pookie and the Lost and Found Friend. Photo by Jason Harris.
Journalist and author Louis J. Salome talking about his book, Violence, Veils and Bloodlines. Photo by Jason Harris.
The NEHW table being swamped by readers. Photo by Stacey Longo.
Author Tracy Carbone reading from her new novel, Restitution. Photo by Jason Harris.
Author Robert. T. Smales reading his story, “Photo Finish,” in the anthology The Ghost is the Machine. Photo by Jason Harris.
Rachael, an audience member, tells a scary ghost story. Photo by Jason Harris.
Author Rob Watts talking with reporter Angie Orenstein. Photo by Jason Harris.
NEHW members talking. Photo by Jason Harris.
Another shot of the NEHW table. Photo by Jason Harris.
Two Authors to Appear at Marlborough Shop this Saturday
Two Authors to Appear at Marlborough Shop this Saturday
By Jason Harris
This Saturday, authors Stacey Longo and Catherine Grant will be appearing at The Shops at the Marlborough Barn in Marlborough, which is located in Marlborough, Connecticut. They will be reading and signing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Longo will read from her story, “Private Beach,” which is in Epitaphs, the first anthology created by the NEHW. This collection will be on sale at the event. Longo is the Co-chair of the NEHW, a former columnist for the Block Island Times and the co-owner of Books and Boos, a bookstore.
Grant will read from her story, “Three Fat Guy Soap.” Along with being a NEHW member and writing fiction, she also runs a writing critique group, Central Connecticut Writers Group.
The Shops at the Marlborough Barn is located at 45 North Main Street in Marlborough.
Jason Harris Promotions 