After three conventions in four weekends, I finally catch my breath to celebrate several important personal comic book anniversaries, sort through Marie Severin’s classic covers, realize my discovery of horror comics was topsy-turvy, fail to answer a question about how to break into comics, remember Stan Lee’s fear of the word “horror,” appreciate the increased respect professional writing organizations are now paying comics, look back at the day Jim Shooter stopped sharing original art with writers, wrestle with the morality of my original art collection, and more.

You can eavesdrop on all those memories via the embed below or download them at the site of your choice.

Here are several images to illuminate the topics I touched on during the episode —

Chatting with Joyce Carol Oates at Stokercon

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It’s time for you to take a seat at the table for the second of three episodes of Eating the Fantastic recorded during last month’s Balticon. You’ve already had lunch with Compton Crook Award-winning writer Kemi Ashing-Giwa — and now it’s time for breakfast with Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Moreno-Garcia is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including Gods of Jade and Shadow (winner of the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic and the Ignyte Award), Mexican Gothic (which won the Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, and Goodreads Award), and Velvet Was the Night (a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Macavity Award), plus many others. She writes in a variety of genres including fantasy, horror, noir and historical. 

Her short stories have appeared in such magazines as Uncanny, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Giganotosaurus, and Shimmer, and in such anthologies as The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu: New Lovecraftian Fiction, New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, Gods, Memes and Monsters: A 21st Century Bestiary, and others. She has edited several anthologies, including She Walks in Shadows (a World Fantasy Award winner, published in the USA as Cthulhu’s Daughters). Her most recently published novel is The Seventh Veil of Salome, set in 1950s Hollywood, and a new novel, the multigenerational horror saga The Bewitching, is due out next month.

We discussed how short stories helped her find her voice, the way a gross dream combined with a teen cemetery trip led to Mexican Gothic, her love for abandoned places, why she found Madame Bovary startling when she read it in high school, how to successfully write genres in which the reader is more aware of the tropes than the protagonist, the beauty to be found in flawed characters, how to make sure parallel storylines are equally interesting, one technique she admits doing which makes multiple types of reader angry, the difficulty of resisting branding, the reason the term magic realism is overused, and much more.

Here’s how you can join us for lunch at Baltimore’s Papermoon Diner — (more…)

StokerCon kicks off tomorrow in Stamford, Connecticut, and — what’s this? I’m one of the Guests of Honor?

How did that happen?

If you’ll also be attending, here’s where you’ll be able to find me —

Horror Podcasts: Conversations That Feed the Genre
Friday June 13, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Aspen 1
Join Guest of Horror Scott Edelman, host of Eating the Fantastic, and fellow panelists for a conversation on the power of podcasting to build community, preserve genre history, and spark meaningful dialogue. From one-on-one interviews to roundtable discussions and narrative formats, panelists will share their experiences creating and appearing on podcasts that deepen connections between horror creators and fans.
with Alex Hofelich, Tamika Thompson, David Cummings, and Stephanie Gagnon

The Myth of Making It
Friday June 13, 2025 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Grove 2
Surviving life as a creative. How we make ends meet. What we sacrifice and what we gain. Join our group of panelists as we talk day jobs, work/life balance, career shifts, and the many unconventional paths we walk as writers. The audience will have a look behind the curtain at some of their favorite writers while being invited to share their own experiences, as we collectively dispel the myth of making it, in a casual and candid conversation with lots of back-and-forth.
with Jamie Flanagan, Denise Tapscott, Meg Ripley, Mercedes M. Yardley, and Matthew Bartlett

What Horror Means to Me
Friday June 13, 2025 1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Grand Ballroom 1
Join StokerCon 2025’s Guests of Honor for a lively discussion about why readers of all ages enjoy a good scare, from fictional frights to all-too-true terrors.
with Lila Denning, Tim Waggoner, Gaby Triana, Adam Nevill, and Paula Guran

Perspectives in the Writing Life: From Rookie to Veteran
Saturday June 14, 2025 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Grove 2
This panel brings together StokerCon’s Guests of Honor—writers at different stages of their careers—to explore how the writing life evolves over time. From first publications to award wins, from chasing deadlines to mentoring the next generation, panelists will reflect on how their creative process, career goals, and relationship to the industry have changed over the years. How has the horror genre shifted? What challenges remain the same? What advice would they give to their younger selves—and to those just starting out today? Whether you’re a new writer looking for inspiration or a seasoned author reflecting on your journey, this conversation offers candid insights from those who’ve seen the industry grow and transform.
with John Langan, Joyce Carol Oates,Tim Waggoner, Gaby Triana, Adam Nevill, and Paula Guran

Chilling Comics
Saturday June 14, 2025 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Grove 2
A discussion of horror comics, what makes them special and influential, how to break into comics writing, historical highlights of horror comics, and why some stories can only be told in the comics medium. This will look at key horror comics through history from the EC Comics of the 1950s to the Marvel horror comics of the 1970s, the Vertigo comics of the 1980s and 90s, to current horror manga by Junji Ito and Gou Tanabe. The emphasis will be on the unique storytelling aspects of the comic book format.
with Shawn Hainsworth, Alys Arden, Raymonde Chira, and Justina Ireland

You’ll also be able find me at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the Breakfast with the Guests of Honor event … as well as in the dealers room and simply wandering the halls schmoozing.

If you do, please say hi!