Philcon 2022

 Philcon is a fantastic con. The first, oldest SF con boasts some of the best writers, editors, and publishers in the field. 

I sat on two panels, both of which discussed the nature of horror. I found myself at odds with my distinguished panelists ~ Teel James Glenn, Hildy Silverman, Gordon Linzner, Barna Donovan, Gary Frank, to name a few ~ in that they all agreed that horror was a mood, a feeling, a flavor, a seasoning that could be an element of any genre. I disagreed.

I see horror as a genre that evokes a feeling of unredeemed dread. It may be set in outer space, in a 17th century castle, a fairy wonderland, or a NY apartment, but if at the end the unexplainable horror is left unresolved, the genre is horror, not SF, historical drama, fantasy, or urban.

Nor does "grisly" define horror, something Guillermo del Toro doesn't quite understand. His Cabinet of Curiosities may as well be a Quentin Tarantino flick.

We discussed the nature of the horrific. A werewolf isn't a horror element if it's just all about the werewolf doing what werewolves do, and you can kill them with silver bullets if you avoid their predation. A swarm of insects, giant bugs without purpose or tiny mites carrying disease, impervious to understanding, is horror because you don't know what they want or what they can do, and there's no way to overcome them.

Anyway, it was great discussion both times.

It was (I humbly say) a weekend for me to shine as well. I had an official reading spot, where I presented my horror conspiracy piece Passing Thoughts coming out soon in Conspiracy and Cryptids Volume I. The audience loved it, and some went down to buy Esprit de Corpse on the strength of the writing. That afternoon I presented the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading to great success, with Roberta Rogow, Sally Wiener Grotta, Randee Dawn, Carol Gyzander, Roxanne Bland, and Kathryn Sullivan reading for us.

That night from 8-10 was the eSpec Book launch, my first official reading from Esprit de Corpse to a very crowded and appreciative house. We sold out of books set aside for the weekend!

Needless to say, without my 3 daily naps, I was exhausted and in a lot of pain all weekend, but it was heartening to hear people tell me they enjoyed or are enjoying the book. That's the main reason I wrote it!

And Book 2 is now in the hands of the publisher.

And just for fun, here's a little video moodboard to tease the novel for you!