I’ll be a guest at the first annual SHOCKTOBER CON this October 18th. It’ll be an all day event at the Evansville Coliseum (click on the ‘Appearances’ Page for the address), from 10:00 am to 7 pm, with special events going on after hours into the early morning. I’ll have most of my current work there for sale, including a brand new chapbook I’ll be debuting just for the occasion. Hope to see everyone there!
No, I’m not dead. I’m still here…sort of. As of right now I’m on a much needed vacation with my girlfriend, visiting with friends and family in Pennsylvania. You have no idea how bad I need this break from my home life. Work has been completely insane, the heat for the past two weeks has been over 105 degrees, and my general will to write has been nearly non-existent. I love to write, but the fact that I haven’t been able to produce much of anything in some time has nearly driven me insane. Which is the very reason I’m on this vacation. A mental and spiritual recharge is just what the doctor ordered. I realize that the rest of the year could be total shit lime the first half, but I plan to hit it with vengeance. I also plan to begin blogging more starting next week. I’ll be the first to admit I’m lazy as hell when it comes to blogging, but in order to keep interest in my writing, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to continue building a fan base and keep myself sane in the year of non-stop work.
But to tide you over, here are some pictures of my Indianapolis trip to the Days of the Dead con on the way to PA, where I finally got to meet Tom Savini, Traci Lords, and my guitar idol, Ace Frehley (unfortunately the website that uploaded my Ace picture is having trouble loading a full-sized shot, but I will post it as soon I can get it working). Enjoy!
Unfortunately, I’m not able to get out much to conventions as I’d like (blame the lack of vacation days at my day job), but when the opportunity strikes to not only leave town and road trip to somewhere I’ve never been to for a con, but see my friends who I only get to hang out with two, maybe three, times a year, I’m jumping at the chance.
I’ll admit I’ve only been to a couple of cons. In previous years I’ve only been able to make it to Indianapolis for Mo*Con (which I’m pissed that I’m missing this year), and last year I was fortunate enough to be an author guest at Horrorfind Weekend in Gettysburg, but I’ve yet to make it to Horrorhound.
Myself and three of my best friends from Pennsylvania drove out to Columbus, Ohio to spend the weekend catching up, having fun, and over-the-phone fighting with a pizza guy who decided to deliver our food to a hotel on the other side of town. I’ve never been the big picture taker, but here are the few I did manage to snap off:
The room before the rest of the group arrive.
Susan and Michele tasting the local flavor from my hometown.
The “Day of the Dead” cast reunion panel.
The “Creepshow” ashtray. (Watch the movie and try to spot it in every separate story.)
The lovely and super cool Lori Cardille. (Sarah from “Day of the Dead”)
And, of course, the highlight of the weekend: the legendary Pam Grier.
I had a great time at the Columbus Horrorhound, and I plan on trying to attend at least one of the days of Horrorhound Indianapolis in September.
I realize I haven’t posted in some time, but I hope to change that from this point on. As the last post suggests, I’ve been in a bit of a funk from what was supposed to be my first big publishing venture, which from what you’ve read turned out horribly. But I’m ready to move past that and start fresh, and Horrorfind weekend was just what I needed to exorcise those shit demons.
Other than Mo*Con, I’ve never been to what’s considered a “big” convention. The week prior to HF was spent worrying about how I was going to react around a massive crowd, being pushed around, shoulder to shoulder, no room to breathe. I’ll be damned if I was wrong. Horrorfind was not what I expected. I’ve never felt more comfortable, being around so many like-mined people–never felt overwhelmed by the crowds or unable to move. In fact, I was quite comfortable the entire weekend. Everyone was there for a purpose: To have fun, get drunk, and make some memories.
And that’s what we did.
Another weekend in Pennsylvania, another reason to want to move to the east coast.
Over the course of the weekend, I got to meet one of my favorite actors, Ken Foree.
And the great Sid Haig.
Finally got to meet and hang out with one of my all time favorite writers, Tim Lebbon, and was lucky to meet the great Christopher Golden.
I was also very fortunate to hang out with and recieve some really great advice about the world of writing and publishing with the amazing James A. Moore.
And to top it off, my Sunday afternoon reading of “By The Throat”.
Also got to meet some great new writers, like Kevin Lucia, Jacob Haddon, Lesley Conner, and Charles Cloyott. Overall, one of the best weekends ever. And as for next year…
…You can bet your ass I’ll be there again!
P.S. I should have some publishing news coming within the next week or so, so keep your eyes open on this page for more details on my “real” first short story publication in an anthology.
Wesley Southard 