I’ll be attending three conventions over the next two months—Escape Velocity, Readercon, and Worldcon—but before those roll around, I have a couple of things to share with you about the two most recent conventions in the rear view mirror.

First—I already shared pics of the remarkable suit I wore when the Horror Writers Association handed out its Bram Stoker Awards in Las Vegas last month. But would’t you like to see that suit in action?

Here I am with Weston Ochse, handing out the award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel … and immediately becoming a punchline for one of Jeff Strand’s jokes. Wait for it!

In another video recorded last month, I was captured wearing clothes of a decidedly darker hue. Check me out as I read the opening to my story in the latest issue of PostScripts, “The Man Without the Blue Balloon and the Woman Who Had Smiles Only for Him.”

And if you happen to be at Readercon next month, you might hear me read the entire thing!

Are you up for lunch at a spot in Las Vegas once once dubbed “the best Thai restaurant in America” by Gourmet magazine? Then pull up a chair to the table at Lotus of Siam, where Mary Turzillo and I snuck away to during StokerCon for some great food—and great conversation. You can eavesdrop on the latter, but as for the former, the photos below will have to suffice.

I had the great honor of publishing Mary’s story “Mars is No Place for Children” when I was the editor of Science Fiction Age, and then the additional honor of being Toastmaster at the Nebula Awards banquet the year she walked away with a trophy for that very story.

We talked about whether there’s a Venn Diagram overlap between her horror and science fiction readership, how her Cajun Sushi Hamsters from Hell writers workshop got its name, why she won’t be self-publishing her unpublished novels, what Gene Wolfe taught her about revising her fiction, and much more.

Here’s how you can pull up a seat to the table— (more…)

During the recent StokerCon in Las Vegas, I did what I always do during conventions—slip away as often as possible to chow down and catch up with friends. One of those meals took place in old-timey ice cream parlor Serendipity 3, and was recorded (as so many convention meals will be from now on) as an episode of Eating the Fantastic.

My dinner companion this time around was Maria Alexander, whose debut novel, Mr. Wicker, won the 2014 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. But in addition to being a novelist, Maria’s also a poet, screenwriter, games writer, swordswoman, and so much more—and I attempted to explore all those facets in this episode.

So join us as we discuss Mr. Wicker‘s transformation from a short story to a screenplay to a Stoker Award-winning novel, how she convinced Clive Barker to be her mentor, what’s wrong with most of the swordswomen we see on book covers and TV, and much more.

Here’s how you can pull up a seat to the table— (more…)

From the moment I arrived at the recent StokerCon in Las Vegas, I proudly wore a 5-Time Stoker Award Loser button which I’d made up proclaiming my 5-0 finalist status, as can be seen in this photo with Jennifer Brozek.

But everything changed the night of the awards banquet … (more…)

Remember when I told you I’d been honored with a sixth Stoker Award nomination, and that whatever ended up happening, win or lose, I’d win?

Well, I did win Saturday.

No, not that way. The other way.

The trophy for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction was taken home by co-finalist Mercedes Yardley, with whom I got into a brawl when I’d spotted her inside a candy store earlier that afternoon. (more…)

I got together with Lynne Hansen and Jeff Strand for lunch earlier today at the Carnegie Deli inside The Mirage for the first of what I hope will be five episodes of Eating the Fantastic recorded during the inaugural StokerCon in Las Vegas.

Lynne is a horror novelist turned filmmaker whose recent short, Chomp, received 21 nominations at a variety of film festivals, winning 7 times, including the Fright Meter Awards Best Short Horror Film of 2015, and Jeff Strand is not only the author of the wonderfully titled horror novels I Have a Bad Feeling About This and The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever (and many others)—he’ll also be the emcee Saturday for the Stoker Awards banquet.

Over sandwiches which were —unexpectedly for a deli like the Carnegie—not quite as big as a baby, we chatted about how the horror supercouple came together after the 1995 World Horror Convention, why she’s moved on from novels to movies while he’s gone in exactly the opposite direction, what writers must keep in mind when creating YA horror, how she’s turning one of his novellas into a full-length movie titled Cold Dead Hands, and much more.

Here’s how you can have a seat at the table with us— (more…)