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Upcoming Appearances: I’ll be attending Mo*Con II: The Intersection of Faith, Race, and Art on July 28. It will feature discussions on faith perspectives, writers discussing their craft, and a book launch party for Dark Dreams III (that, coincidently, I’m in). You can also find me at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, on August 31 through September 3. Then, I’ll be heading off to WFC in November. If you’re attending any of these, look me up. I’ll be happy to meet ‘cha. In 2008 you can find me at BEA, Dragon*Con and WFC, again. See ya there.
World Horror Convention 2006 I participated in several panels, and did a reading at WHC this year. The reading went well. I read from my chapbook collection Chocolate Park. I think everyone enjoyed it, and applauded appropriately. In fact, this is what Brian Keene had to say about it. The first panel I was on was about Folklore. Now if anyone has ever read my writing or knows anything about me, then you know that I…just make things up. In fact, if I can get by without researching at all, then I will. That said, I have had to research folklore (it's inevitable, I think), and I usually enjoy it. However, I sat on the panel with fellow writers Steven Shrewsbury, who had witty stories about his family and the Josephine legends, and with Jersey Devil expert, Robert Dunbar, and with Alice Henderson, who has a degree in folklore and did her thesis on American folklore. Now, did I fail to mention that I was the moderator of this panel? Me. I gotta tell you, I looked around the room and decided right away that I was in the wrong place. However, I think the panel turned out pretty well. And everyone—even me—seemed to enjoy it, and later I was told that it was the best panel of the convention. Here's a pic.
My second panel was with Persephone women writers, and was about the women writers who have come before us. I spoke about Octavia Butler. Now, I'm at home when I'm talking about Octavia. I think she may have been one of the best writers of all time. I've read everything I can find by her—almost all of her novels. I would give my right arm to have half the skills that she did. When the panel was over, I had a few people commend me on it. All in all it was a good con. I also attended BEA. I stayed with my friend Lawanna Holland-Moore. We had a great time talking and just hanging out at her house watching Haunted House shows—America's Most Haunted. The convention itself was huge. You can't fathom how large it is until to step onto one of the football sized rooms full of (free) books and publishers. Chesya on top of the world:
I'll be attending the infamous Mo*Con this weekend. Yes, I named it this—and yes, Maurice hates me for it. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be hanging out with fellow writers Maurice Broaddus and Brian Keene. I'll also be attending Sci Fi Summer Con, Dragon*Con, and maybe I'll finally get to WFC this year. If you're attending any or these conventions, look me up. We'll
have a blast. World Horror Convention 2005 Let me start off by saying that sometime between leaving my home on Wednesday morning and arriving at the hotel on Wednesday evening, I got sick. Where in the hell the damn little bug came from, I don't know, but it hit fast and hard. By Thursday at 4:30 pm, I was horse. And need I even tell you when my reading was scheduled? Right! Thursday at 4:30. I got through the reading with the help of the microphone that gave out half-way through, but I make it out unscaved. Not sure if the crowd felt the same way, but no one booed or threw rotten fruit at me. And they applauded at the end, which is a good thing. Saturday, I had a panel on African Americans in horror fiction
that went well. By this point, my voice was all but gone and I was
convinced that I had flown all the way to New York to die. Of course
the panel went on, they just make me promise to live until it was
over. I did them one better, I had a pitch meeting that evening,
and I vowed to make it that long. I can't say that I was particularly nervous about my pitch meeting. I don't really know why, but I didn't really see a need to get all worked up over it; after all, they would either like it, or not, right? Of course it could have had something to do with my throat, which had caught afire and was slowly burning its way to my brain; nothing really mattered after that. I did practice a bit with my roomies Maurice Broaddus and Simon Wood, though. They helped me a lot-thanks guys. (Oh, and don't listen to anything they tell you about me-I AM NOT A LITERARY DIVA!-not really anyway.) Anyhoo, the meeting seemed to go well, and while I don't want to jinx myself, I will say that I am very please at what came about. I also meet with two more editors, both wanting to see a novel from me. And an anthology editor, wanting a story. Not bad, all and all. Sunday, I received a call from my sister who told me that my mother had rushed my daughter, Trinity, to the hospital. Let me explain. At about 4 am on Wednesday the 6th, my daughter got up and her eyes had swollen the size of golf balls. I put hot compresses on them and rushed to Wal-mart to get her some Benadril. This is allergy season, after all. Well, it must not have worked because it just kept getting worse and worse every time I called home, something different had happened. Her eyes were red and draining and swollen completely shut. Her cheeks had plumped up and were hot to the touch. She had began to break out in a rash. Well, it all became too much from my mother who took her to the emergency room. As you can imagine, I was freaking out. All my sister could tell me was the doctor had taken her right back, after taking one look at her and that her allergy break out had became infected and that they thought that the infection had spread to her bones. I'm doing all I can to keep from breaking down at this point. I should be home. I should be home! Was all I could think about. My mother finally calls, and her news isn't much better. I talked to the doctor, who says that he's doing a CT scan on her so that he can make sure that it hasn't spread. Great! Just what I wanted to hear. I should be home! I rushed to find a flight home. Of course there were none. Not only where were they completely booked (and over booked it seems) for the next flight out, but they had three more flights for the day and not a single seat left on any of them. Finally I get a call from my mother who told me that they've sent Trinity home and that she's doing much better. She also tells me that my other daughter, Essence, has stopped eating and is complaining of a sore throat. Great! I got home Monday to the house of the sick. Not only were two of my four daughters sick, but I was as well. When I set eyes on my baby girl I almost broke down and cried. The only thing that stopped me was that she was straight me, with this big fat smile on her face, happy to see me. Her eyes were huge, her nose was lost somewhere in the mass on her face. Dark, crusty film surrounded her eyes, nose and mouth. She was not the baby girl I had left. I rushed her to her own doctor, who was as heart broken to see her like that as I had been. I also took Essence, and promptly found out that she had Strep. They did me a favor and gave her a shot for it. I went to the emergency room that night when the pain got too bad.
Yep, you guessed it. I had severe Strep. The doctor said that it
had swollen to that point that there was only a small whole that
I was breathing out of. It's a wonder I made it through the weekend.
Told you, I'd gone to New York to die, didn't I. I hadn't eaten
or drank anything in three days, so they gave me an IV with fluids
and some kick ass pain killers. Don't know the name, but all I can
all them is HEAVENLY. They kept me for several hours to monitor
my vitals. I survived--barely. *** *** As for the rest of the year, I will be attending the Dragon*Con convention. I love this one (I sale a lot of books) and they have a great writer's track and most of the panels are standing room only. If you're going, look me up, or drop me an email. I'm also considering attending the SF&F convention this year. Soon, April 11 though 18th I attended the World Horror Convention. This is one of my favorite conventions of the year. Go here to read more about my adventures at last year's con and here to see pictures of WHC 2003. WHC is a convention of horror professionals and those wishing to be horror professionals. It's great for networking and every want-to-be horror writer and artist should attend if possible. In attendance this year was Mort Castle, Douglas Clegg and many more. I was a participant this year for the first time. I had a reading
and a panel. The reading went well. At the reading, I read a portion
of the chap collection and people seemed to really enjoy it. The
panel, however, was a disaster. The panel was "Love and Horror"
or something like that. The general consensus of the panelist was
that "yes, it's good". So we all sat there for an hour
just shootin' the shit, as my grandmother would say. I honestly
think it was one of A highlight of the convention was that CHOCOLATE PARK, my chapbook collection, debuted there, and I had a book release party, which had a wonderful turn out. Go here to see pictures of the party. I wanted to attend the Stoker Awards this year. I haven't been since '02, in Seattle when it was in conjunction with WHC (my first con ever). I've opted instead, however, to attend NECON, July 15th- 18th. NECON is a convention held in Rhode Island for the last twenty five or so years. It's called a "summer camp" for horror writers, perhaps because it's held at a college campus, perhaps not. I'm not sure. But it does sound exciting and I'm really looking forward to it. Guests this year are Tamara Thorne, Simon Clark and Tom Piccirilli. Others in attendance are Peter Straub and Tom Monteleone, among others. Hope to see you there. After NECON, a few of us (horror writers) are planning to stay at the Lizzie Borden house. For those who don't know, Lizzie Borden was put on trial during the early 1900s for killing her step mother and father. She was acquitted, however, speculation remains, even now, that she was guilty and the house is said to be haunted by her parents ghosts. It is said to be one of the most haunted houses in America. OK, I'll be honest, I'm scared to death. What, really, am I thinking about taking my black ass to this place? Don't know. But it is exciting, don't ya think? I'll let you know what happened, IF I make it out alive... Horrorfind IV will be held August 12th - 15th. I will be a guest again this year and have been invited to do a panel about "black writers within the horror genre." Of course there are very few of us, and we'll all be actually on the panel, so who will be in the audience? Inquiring minds wanna know. Horrorfind is my favorite horror convention of the year. Most of my horror friends attend this convention (even if they don't go to some of the others) and we tend to have a really good time. At Horrorfind you're able to let your hair down, and the atmosphere is not as business orientated, as it's not really a writers convention. Though a lot of business still gets done. Go here for more information. Dragon*Con is held in Atlanta every year in September and has an attendance of over twenty thousand; yes that was twenty thousand, people every year. It is the largest convention of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. I also hope to be added as a guest this year, as I was rejected last year. I do live within twenty miles of the location hotels, so they would do well to have me as a guest. Hell, I'm already here. But really, guests of Dragon*Con have included in the past, such stars as James Marsters, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lou Ferrigno, from The Incredible Hulk, and Luke Perry (need I say more?). Yes, I purposely named all males here. What can I say? Writing guests have included, Caitlin R. Kiernan, James A. Moore, Garrett Peck, dgk goldberg and Harlan Ellison. As of this writing, they have yet to invite me… I also have several signings coming up in 2004. I have two collections
being published and signings are a necessary evil. So, keep coming
back for an undated Appearances listing.
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the
worst panels I've ever attended. And it was my first time actually
being ON one. ARH! If you were one of the few people who attended
it, do me a favor, don't ever let me know just how bad it was. |