Category Archives: Conventions

Post AuthorCon, Pre Cruise

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Just a quick check-in and a hello to folks who’ve just discovered this place!

I’ve recently returned from AuthorCon, which was delightful and let me chat with friends new and old about all sorts of things writing related, as well as several obscure 1970s baseball players (don’t ask). Tomorrow I’m off to get my prog rock on as I journey to Miami for Cruise to the Edge. And when I get back, I am going to bury myself in writing because I have an avalanche of deadlines, self-imposed and otherwise, waiting for me.

Sadly, I don’t update this place as often as I would like, but I do churn out a steady stream of writing (I hate the word “content”. Wood pulp is content. Oatmeal is content. I deal in writing.) over at my Patreon, and twice a week at LinkedIn.

In other news, my ninth novel, Ghosts of Smoke and Flame is now available at amazon and my online store. It’s Good Omens meets The Amityville Horror, and I swear, the cat lives.

And my airport taxi arrives at 6AM, so I’m going to get myself some sleep. See you on the other side!

 

PhilCon!

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I am off to the land of my upbringing, which is to say the greater Philadelphia area, to participate in PhilCon! I’m doing a reading, a signing, and 6 panels evenly split between horror writing and games. Hope to see you there!

 

Necon 2025

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Just got back from my annual trip to New England for Necon, which was, as ever, a delight. This year I had the privilege of serving as Toastmaster, and was thus tasked with delivering the opening toast to the convention, as well as hosting the welcoming dinner for the Guests of Honor and interviewing the Writer Guests of Honor (Cynthia Pelayo, Errick Nunnally, and Eric LaRocca) onstage. I also moderated a panel on writing local horror, MCed the improvisational humorous writing competition Write Club (where I was gloriously sandbagged onstage by my girlfriend), co-hosted Necon Update (a humorous look at the con and various campers), and hosted a new event where first-time Necon attendees got to give a reading. Oh, and Ellen and I also hosted a late night unofficial Scotch and Cheese party, which was by all accounts a smashing success.

And there was some other stuff that went on that I will talk about later.

But it was great, I promise. Already planning for next year!

 

AuthorCon V and Cruise to the Edge

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Last weekend I was at Scares That Cares AuthorCon V, a charity horror writers’ convention in Williamsburg, VA. I go every year and it’s a great time. Lots of horror fans, lots of horror authors, and apart from my inflatable Sasquatch costume trying to kill me during a charity event Saturday night, it went great. Always lovely seeing folks there, catching up with old friends and making new ones, and I told the True Story of the Zombie Frog many, many times.

Tomorrow I take off for Cruise to the Edge, a 5-day journey….someplace. I mean, honestly, I don’t care. There are going to be bands I love that I never thought I would ever see live on that ship, and so I’m staying on board the whole time. The real issue, apart from the fact that I haven’t been on a cruise in something like 20 years and have no idea what I am doing, is that I need to figure out which prog rock concert t-shirts I’m bringing. Too obscure might seem like a flex. Too common might seem like I’m a poser. Decisions, decisions….

 

Nevermore 2025

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Last week was the fun-filled Ret-Con, where I shared a table with my friend Holly Morris of Conjured Concepts art, hosted the rambunctious Thomas R. Clark, and got to hang out with folks like the delightful Michael Williams and Nicole Givens Kurtz. I also got to take an elevator ride with Lou Ferrigno, who was in town to do a signing at a local comics shop and who had unfortunately been booked into the one hotel in the area hosting a nerd-fest where he was recognized instantly.

For the record, I directed Mr. Ferrigno to the elevator, rode up to the fourth floor along with him, and wished him a pleasant evening. Absolutely no fanboying whatsoever.

But this weekend, Friday and Saturday, I will be holding down a table at the legendary Nevermore Film Festival at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it’s a 3 day long extravaganza of independent horror films from all over, including short films and feature length ones as well. Last year’s slate included the Zom-Rom-Com All You Need Is Blood, which is possibly the funniest movie I have seen in the last ten years. This year, I once again have no idea about any of these films, but it looks like a great lineup once again.

Hope to see you there!


 

 

Appearance Schedule 2025

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Looking ahead, it’s going to be a busy year. With that in mind, here’s my rough schedule of convention and other appearances going forward:

Ret-Con – February 21-23 – Durham, NC – Guest/Vendor

Game Writing Workshop – March 9 – Hillsborough, NC – Lecturer

Game Developers Conference/Game Narrative Summit – March 17-21 – San Francisco, CA – Advisor and speaker

Scares That Care AuthorCon V – March 28-30 – Williamsburg, VA – Vendor

RavenCon – April 25-27 – Richmond, VA – Guest

Mo*Con – Indianapolis, IN – Special Guest Game Designer

StokerCon – June 12-15 – Stamford, CT – Attendee

Necon – July 17-20 – Goffstown, NH – Toastmaster

 

There are a couple of other possibilities in the works, as well as my first-ever time doing the legendary Cruise to the Edge, but I think this is a pretty good start…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mo*Con News

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I am thrilled to announce that I will be a Special Guest at this year’s Mo*Con, the annual gathering of talented and mighty folks hosted by writer, Afrofuturist, and general man about town Maurice Broaddus. Details of the show can be found here, if you’re interested in attending!

 

 

As October Crashes To A Close….

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…things remain busy as all heck.

Sunday you can find me at the Triangle Terror Con in downtown Durham in the Armory building. I’ll be there slinging books and telling stories about real-life zombie frogs and the like. Come on out and explore the ghoulish festivities!

Tuesday night the 29th, the North Carolina Chapter of the HWA presents, in conjunction with the Durham Public Library and Moon Dog Meadery, MORBID TALES II: A NIGHT OF HORROR AND HEAVY METAL. I won’t be reading, but a lot of great North Carolina authors will be, and I will be there cheering them on. Check it out – come on in, the mead is fine and the metal is finer!

And November 9th, the HWA Chapter will be at the Orange County Library doing a combination lecture and workshop series on writing horror. I’ll be a part of that line up. Hope to see you there!

A Big Thank-You To Pop! Con

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I had a great time yesterday at Pop! Con in Sanford, NC. The show is put on annually by the Lee County Public Libraries and it’s a great time, with everything from cosplay to raptor shows to food trucks to little old me with my books sitting there telling the true story of the zombie frogs, Satchel and Nancy.

Bonus points if you can ID the reference.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that as much fun as the big cons are, I highly encourage folks to go out and support their local shows, too. You might not get the rock star guests, but you’ll probably get exposed to folks in your community who are doing cool stuff, and that’s worth a whole lot in and of itself.