Tag Archives: Stacey Longo

Nov 2 2011

New England Horror Writers at the SouthCoast Toy and Comic Show This Sunday

Meet these New England Horror Writers at the SouthCoast Toy and Comic Show on Sunday! by Kristi Petersen Schoonover

If you’re up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts this Sunday, Nov. 6, you’ll have the opportunity to meet a few New England Horror Writers—and pick up a few of their books, as well as copies of my Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from Haunted Disney World—at the SouthCoast Toy and Comic Show. The following writers will be on hand:

David Goudsward

Goudsward is co-author of Shadows Over New England and Shadows Over Florida, but has a myriad of titles in horror, archaeology, and short fiction out there. You can learn more about him at http://goudsward.com/dave/

Kasey Shoemaker

Shoemaker is the author of Silver Vengeance, an urban fantasy novel featuring werewolves, witches, romance and bloodshed. You can learn more about Kasey at http://kaseyshoemaker.com/

Rob Watts

Watts paranormal thriller, Huldufólk , was released just in time for Halloween! Find out more about Rob at http://www.robwattsonline.com/.

Stacey Longo

Longo has had several short stories published in various popular anthologies including the all-female-written zombie collection Hell Hath No Fury. Read more about Stacey’s work at http://www.staceylongo.com/

Writer Nathan Wrann (Dark Matter Heart) and I will not be at the show, but our books will be available. You can learn more about Wrann here: www.daltongang-productions.com, and, of course, you can find out about me on my own website (www.kristipetersenschoonover.com). In addition to Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from Haunted Disney World, copies of In Poe’s Shadow — a Poe tribute in which my short story “Vanity” appears — will be available.

The SouthCoast Toy and Comic Show will run this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Seaport Inn and Marina in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. For more information and complete details, visit www.southcoasttoyandcomic.com.

Oct 27 2011

NEHW’s First Anthology Now Available and the Planned Book Release Party

The first NEHW anthology, Epitaphs, is now available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982727593/ref=ox_ya_os_product). The price is $12.99 plus $3.99 for shipping and handling.

The cover of NEHW

Amazon states, “the New England Horror Writers Association, in partnership with Shroud Publishing, are proud to debut its inaugural anthology, Epitaphs. The anthology is a compilation of some of the best dark fiction from both best-selling authors and up-and- coming writers throughout New England. Contributors include Christopher Golden, Rick Hautala, Holly Newstein & Glenn Chadbourne, LL Soares, Trisha Wooldridge, Kurt Newton, and more. The anthology features 26 stories and poems from the delightfully scary to the deeply macabre.

Epitaphs was edited by author Tracy L. Carbone and includes an introduction by award-winning author and publisher Peter Crowther, as well as a cover by Danny Evarts.

The table of contents in this chilling anthology is as follows:

Jeffrey C. Pettengill “To Sleep, Perchance to Die”
Paul McMahon “The Christopher Chair”
Kurt Newton “A Case of the Quiets”
Scott T. Goudsward “Build-a-Zombie”
John Goodrich “Not an Ulcer”
B. Adrian White “The Possesor Worm”
John M. McIlveen “Make a Choice”
Michael Allen Todd “The Death Room”
Rick Hautala “Perfect Witness”
Holly Newstein and Glenn Chadbourne “Stoney’s Boneyard”
Trisha J. Wooldridge “Kali’s Promise”
David Bernard “The Sequel”
David North-Martino “Malfeasance”
Stacey Longo “Private Beach”
Christopher Golden “All Aboard”
L.L. Soares “Holiday House”
Steven Withrow “Lines at a Wake”
K. Allen Wood “A Deeper kind of Cold”
P. Gardner Goldsmith “Alone”
Roxanne Dent “Pandora’s Box”
Michael Arruda “Chuck the Magic Man Says I Can”
T.T. Zuma “Burial Board”
John Grover “Windblown Shutter”
Stephen Dorato “Cheryl Takes a Trip”
Philip Roberts “The Legend of Wormley Farm”
Peter N. Dudar “Church of Thunder and Lightning”

Carbone, a New England native, has published several horror and literary short stories in magazines and anthologies in the U.S. and Canada. Her YA horror novel, The Soul Collector, will be released by Shadowfall Publications in late fall 2011. She is Co-Chair of the New England Horror Writers (NEHW) and a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA).

There will be a book release party for Epitaphs and a panel with a few of the authors from the anthology at AnthoCon, Nov. 11 through 13. There will be a special table for the anthology at the convention as well. Throughout the weekend, most of the authors in Epitaphs will be available to sign copies.

Presented by Shroud Publishing, The Anthology 2011 Conference will “showcase the imaginative talent in speculative fiction and art, with an additional focus on the convergence of images and literature,” according to the AnthoCon website (http://anthocon.com/).

The NEHW will also have a table where members can sell their books and other items at the convention.

The cover of Shroud issue #11

Like other cons, well-known writers will be on hand, among them Christopher Golden (Of Saints and Shadows), who will offer a reading and signing; Jonathan Maberry, who read from one of his new novels; and Jennifer Pelland, who will read from her debut novel, Machine. There will be an extensive dealer area which will feature books, films, artwork, comics, and more. There will also be a Juried Art Exhibit to include such shelf familiars as Ogmios (The Witches’ Almanac), Morbideus Goodell (Apex Digest, Maberry’s Vampire and Cryptopaedia), and Michael Bailey (who is also the editor of Pellucid Lunacy, an anthology of psychological horror and several novels).

“[AnthoCon] has some amazing authors, publishers and film people attending,” said Tracy L. Carbone, editor of Epitaphs, New England Horror Writers Association’s first official anthology. “It should prove to be the best new Con for horror folks out there.”

Jonathan Maberry (photo courtesy of the Anthocon website)

But what makes AnthoCon unique is its focus on the nine panels’ concentration on education for both writers and horror fans. For example, Reaching through the Veil will examine the channeling of myth, religion, spirituality and the collective unconscious in imaginative fiction; Getting Your Short Story Published with the Small Press will offer insight on finding, submitting, and selling your short story; Evil Jester Press Presents “Help! Wanted: Tales of On-The-Job Terror” will dissect the process of producing an anthology. Horror names Brian Keene, Rick Hautala, Cat Valente, Maberry, Joseph

Nassise, Pelland, and Golden will present I’ve Made It This Far, Now What?, using their paths to literary success to illumine what the process could be like for those in attendance.

Brian Keene (photo courtesy of Anthocon website)

Topics also go deeper with Writing Programs: from the MFA to Private Workshops. And Eric Red (The Hitcher, Near Dark) will present a lecture and workshop The Elements of Writing Horror and Thrillers for Films.

Aside from guests, vendors, and panelists, the event promises to draw a unique crowd to include film and book reviewers and magazine editors—like Peter Schwotzer, the man at the helm of Literary Mayhem (http://literarymayhem.com/) who also reviews anthologies, lit-zines and books for Famous Monsters of Filmland and IMDB.

“I’m going mainly to meet a lot of authors I’ve met over the past couple of years in person. We correspond by e-mails, phone, Twitter, Facebook, etc., but it will be nice to meet face to face,” Schwotzer said. “All of the authors have been so kind and generous to me, it still boggles my mind that I actually correspond with my literary heroes.”

With so much to offer that seems to be different from what’s offered at other cons, this promises to be a great inauguration with long-lasting recurring potential—writer or fan, artist or reviewer, don’t miss out.

AnthoCon 2011 will be held at the Best Western Wynwood Hotel & Suites at 580 US Route 1 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from Friday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 13. For complete information on AnthoCon, including schedules, costs, and who will be there, visit www.anthocon.com.

Oct 24 2011

Author Talks about the Writing Craft

Stacey Longo’s account of speaking to a high school class about writing.

Stacey Longo talking about writing to a class of students (photo courtesy of Kim Kane)

On October 24th, I had the opportunity to speak at the ACT Arts Magnet High School in Willimantic, CT. The topic was Writing as a Craft and an Industry. I opened with a little background about my own writing career and my roots as a humor columnist. After listing my credentials, I explained how hearing Shroud publisher Tim Deal present at a Poe Celebration two years ago inspired me to jump from humor to horror. I also admitted that while I sell short stories about zombies, decapitations, and carnivorous beach dunes, my blog focuses on the humor to be found in every day life, from the perils that come with trying to raise two cats to the agony of eliminating the fish smell in the house two days after you’ve cooked cod for dinner.

My advice to these kids was simple:

1. Write all the time, about anything that strikes your fancy.
2. Read more than you write.
3. Read On Writing by Stephen King.
4. Know your market and what’s selling.
5. Read submission guidelines and follow them.
6. Keep your day job to support your writing habit.
7. Never, ever mistake the Twilight series for quality writing.

We held a short Q&A session in which the students had several questions, such as “Have you really met Nathan Schoonover?” and “Where does Nathan Schoonover live?” followed by the more serious question, “How serious is Nathan Schoonover’s relationship with his significant other?” I had foolishly forgotten how popular this paranormal investigator is with the teenage female demographic before
including him in my ‘Look at all the Cool People You Will Meet’ portion of my PowerPoint.

I left the kids with a short story I’d written about them and a stress ball with my website (www.staceylongo.com). And at the very end of class, one shy girl named Sam asked me if she could send me a short story she’d written about a lonely disemboweled zombie for feedback.

It makes me proud to see the youth of America so inspired!

Sep 17 2011

Authors Stacey Longo and Dan Foley’s Write-up of the Hebron Harvest Fair

A humorous (and a little fictionalized) take of the Hebron Harvest Fair from Author Stacey Longo’s blog (www.staceylongo.com):

Stacey Longo posing over her books in the NEHW booth at the fair

“I couldn’t update the blog on Saturday because I spent Thursday through Sunday working at the Hebron Harvest Fair. As a board member of the New England Horror Writers, it was my duty to sweat my butt off, trying to pawn off free short stories to passerby who were quite frankly more interested in the fried dough than the literary gems I was handing out. After being ignored for most of the afternoon the first day, I decided to pull out the big guns. I dug through my closet to find the lowest-cut blouse I owned. Miraculously, my sales doubled (to two) the next day.

It was a hot weekend, and my sunscreen gave out about two hours in on Saturday. I wound up baking like a potato, and am now unable to breathe too deeply without my skin cracking. It was all for the sake of art, so I guess it was worth it. Plus, when my tomato red finally fades to a toasty brown, I expect to save a ton of money on foundation, so that’s a help.

Greeting the public as a horror writer was a little different than just hanging out at a convention debating small press versus self publishing with other writers (sure, you might find that boring, but to us, it can spawn hours of intellectual discussion. That and the debate about who is cooler: Gambit or Wolverine.) But with the general public, the questions I heard were a lot different: “Why did you decide to become a writer?” “Does your mother know you write this sicko stuff?” And, by far, the most popular question: “Have you ever met Stephen King?” (A question that I’m sure one Judie T. gets often simply because she lives in Maine. But I digress.)”

Dan Foley’s write up:

“A Day at the Hebron Fair”

The weather was great. Alright, maybe it was a tad on the hot side, especially in the sun, but at least it didn’t rain. There was no sign of the mud that plagued the fair-goers on Day 1. Best part of the day – I got to meet a lot of fellow NEHW’ers I hadn’t meet before. Worst part of the day – I didn’t win the raffle. Most fun – getting a full, skull face painting.
The skull got a lot of smiles and some stares from the older crowd and quite a few worried reactions from the youngsters. Most of them eventually came over and gave me a “high five” but a few never got up the courage. Next year I think it would be great if we all came “in costume”. Now that would draw some attention.
Kudos’s to all who came, but especially to Jason & Stacey for all the work they put in to set this up and make a success of it. It was also nice to do something “down here” in Connecticut. See you there next year!”

20110917-021339.jpg

Sep 5 2011

NEHW at the Hebron Harvest Fair

The Hebron Harvest Fair starts Thursday, which is only days away. The New England Horror Writers’ organization will have a booth there. The members manning the booth will be Jennifer Yarter-Polmatier, Stacey Longo, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Nathan Schoonover, T.J. May, Dan Keohane, Danny Evarts, Dan Foley, Kurt Newton, Nathan Wrann, Raven Starr, Ron Winter, Greg X. Graves, Scott Goudsward, and K. Allen Wood.

Check out the fair’s website, www.hebronharvestfair.org, for information on times, entertainment, vendors, and concessionaires.