#StokerCon2018 pictures

StokerCon was great. It felt strange and encouraging to be around so many other horror  enthusiasts and creators, from beginners to veteran stalwarts of the genre. I made some new friends, and I learned a lot from the helpful panels. I also pitched a novel to a couple editors, and they both showed interest.
You know I’m not much for taking a lot of pictures, but I did bring back a few.
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Above is the first picture I took in Rhode Island. I took it at a rest stop, but the moon looked really cool.
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These two I took from the window on seventeenth or eighteenth floor of the Biltmore Hotel, where the conference was located. You see the center of downtown Providence below. I hate driving in and out of cities, but once I was in, I loved it. I didn’t take as much time to walk around the city as I would have liked, but as you’ll see, I did explore a few blocks from the hotel.
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This is an Episcopal church building not far from the Biltmore. I love the architecture. I don’t know if that’s Gothic or not, but it’s cool.
IMG_20180301_191633718The PPAC. Love the lights. This month they’ll be showing the Tony Award®-winning musical An American In Paris, and I really wish I could be there for that. But I don’t have the money or the desire to drive all the way back to Providence so soon after this trip!
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Here’s guest of honor Ramsey Campbell starting things off the first night. I am much shorter than this picture makes me seem. Thanks to Dan Rabarts of Raw Dog Screaming Press for taking this photo over everyone’s head.
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Not exactly part of the conference, I guess. I drove past these turkeys in Tiverton on the way from my friends’ house to Providence one morning. I figured Dad would like this one, then I forgot to text it to him.
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By the time I convinced myself that I would always regret it if I didn’t get a book signed by Ramsey Campbell, the table in the dealer’s room was sold out. So I ran around Providence with only hours left of the conference looking for a book. Finally found one! Took it back to the conference and got it signed. Mr. Campbell is super friendly!
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This is not where I found The Kind Folk, but it is a very cool little used bookstore stuffed full of all kinds of old paperbacks and hardcovers. Oddly enough, after going through this door, you have to walk up two sets of stairs before finding the bookstore.
IMG_20180304_171311990Huge thanks to David and Wendy Friend for letting me stay with them at their house in Tiverton, and for taking me to see the coast, which brought to mind Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth“.
Well that’s all I got. Really looking forward to continuing the relationships I made at StokerCon. Hope to come back again!
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Stoked for StokerCon

#STOKED
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(Do people still say that anymore?)
Tomorrow I drive from Bartow, WV, all the way to Providence, RI (H. P. Lovecraft’s hometown), to attend StokerCon 2018™. This will be my first time attending the conference, as well my only chance for the foreseeable future. HUGE thanks to my good friends, the Friends (haha), for letting me sleep at their place, helping me save money in a big way and make this trip doable. Also, I’m as excited to see you guys as I am to go to this conference.
Tons of learning to do! So many panels and talks they cram into a day. It was hard to pick between conflicting events sometimes. Also looking forward to meeting other horror writers and industry peeps. This will also be my first ever chance to pitch an agent and an editor in person. Kind of nerve-wracking, but I’m very excited about that opportunity. I just keep reminding myself that I’m the only current expert on my own book, so I’m the best person to tell them about it, and they put their pants on one leg at a time (whereas I have been practicing my unique superskill of putting on pants with both legs at once…jk).
Anybody else going? Looking forward to meeting new people!
PS: Happy birthday to my beautiful, amazing wife, Emily! I love you! <3 You are so old now!
 
 

Signing @ Counter Culture Concepts in Elkins, WV on January 27th

I’m stoked to announce that I’ll be at Counter Culture Concepts in Elkins, WV (114 3rd St) for a book signing! Come out on Saturday, January 27th around 4:00 pm to meet me and purchase a signed copy of Little One. For info on the address/location, click here.
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A huge thanks to owner Ben Simmons for helping me set this up. If any of you guys are near Elkins and don’t know about his shop, check it out. This is the place to go around here for enthusiasts of Magic: The Gathering, comic books, and other kinds of trading cards, and Ben is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

See us at Empire Books this Saturday

Happy Thanksgiving to you all in advance! I’m preparing a special traditional Thanksgiving dish that is a family recipe we call meat stuffing. My house smells like meat, potatoes, onions, and cloves. 🙂 Tomorrow I’ll take it with me to share with some friends my wife and I are staying with in Beckley.
Hey, if you’re in the Huntington area this weekend, stop by Empire Books & News on Saturday (Nov 25th). They are hosting their Annual Holiday Open House from 10 am to 10 pm as a part of Small Business Saturday. There will be a story time with Wonder Woman, music, tea, raffles, specials, and a bunch of West Virginia authors there to meet you and sign books! (So don’t spend all your money on Black Friday…) I’m scheduled to be there from 1pm to 4pm. Hope to see you there!
Click on the image below for more information on the event:
idvwjccl_400x400In other news, I’m preparing to write a Bigfoot novel, so if anyone out there has any sightings or stories, or knows of any Bigfoot expeditions coming up soon that I could join, email me: [email protected].

Flash #Halloween #Kindle #giveaway

Happy Halloween everybody! A few things:
First, today only I’m running a giveaway where you can enter to win a free ebook version of each of my books, Little One and When the Watcher Shakes. This is how you enter: Follow me on Twitter (if you already do, you’re halfway there!), then retweet the tweet below:

I will randomly select a winner from all those who have retweeted before 12:00 AM on November 1st 2017, and then I will send that person a direct message via twitter to work out emailing the ebooks. If you are a nook reader instead of Kindle, don’t worry, I can send you an epub instead.
Second, a big thanks to all those who sponsored and attended the West Virginia Book Festival last weekend. I had a blast, met some great people, and got to see some favorite writers speak. I also managed to sell a book or two! I didn’t take a lot of pictures, since my phone was kind of busy being used as a credit card swiper, but here are some photos from the event:

I forgot to bring my phone to Joe Hill’s talk/signing. I also forgot to bring my Joe Hill Special Issue of Cemetery Dance Magazine for him to sign. Kicking myself for both, but mostly the latter.
Anyways it was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Happy Halloween!
Oh and of course, here is this year’s Jack-O-Lantern from me and Emily to you!

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Happy Halloween!

Coming to the West Virginia Book Festival 2017

On October 26th and 27th, get on over to the Civic Center at Charleston, WV for the West Virginia Book Festival!
2010_Bookfest_LogoListen— this is going to be a great event. The author speaker lineup is huge, and it includes Joe Hill and R. L. Stine! I keep checking that author list over and over again, thinking I just imagined these guys are coming. Nope, it’s real!
Oh yeah—The Fonz is gonna be there, too (no, seriously, check out that link).
There are also some really great WV writers presenting, including Marc Harshman and Carter Taylor Seaton. And other awesomeness will be going on, like writer workshops and book selling. And admission to this thing is free.
I’ll be over in the Marketplace selling my books, so after you’re done meeting the rock stars, come over to my table and chat. I don’t even care if you didn’t come to the event because of me. (I have free bookmarks!)
Don’t miss this!!! And don’t forget about dropping by my table to say hi! Check out these links for more info on the event and to connect on social media:
wvbookfestival.org
WV Book Festival Facebook Page

 

See me in Williamsburg!

Hey, I’m back! In case you missed me, my wife and I spent most of September hiking the Allegheny Trail, a 330 mile route from the PA to the VA border of West Virginia. It was a challenging and unforgettable trip. Eventually Emily will put a trail report up on the internet, and I’ll link to it for anyone interested.
But now I’m having to readjust and get back to business. Coming soon (this Saturday!) is the Williamsburg Book Festival in Williamsburg, VA.
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It is October 7th from 10 am to 4 pm at The Stryker Center. And guess what—it’s free to attend!!! Come by my table and get your own personalized signed copies of Little One and When the Watcher Shakes.
Don’t miss it! Click the image below to view and download this year’s program.
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Keep up with news at the Williamsburg Book Festival Facebook Page

Literary festivities in America’s Coolest Small Town

Over the weekend I signed and sold my books at one of my favorite events, the Lewisburg Literary Festival. Lewisburg is up at the top of my favorite places in WV, and a big reason for that is their appreciation for books expressed in this fun annual event. (Re: the title of this post, Lewisburg was named America’s Coolest Small Town by Budget Travel in 2011). I took a few pics and thought those of you who weren’t there would want to see what you missed out on. Continue reading