Day three of Stokercon was a little more relaxed. I went to a couple of panels, but the highlight of the day was the interview session with George R.R. Martin. During his interview, he said a few things that really stuck out. One, was fortune is great! Fortune improves your quality of life. However, he said fame was a double-edged sword. Before his Song of Ice and Fire series really took off and became a television show, he said he could go to a convention, put on his name tag, and people would recognize his name. But after the convention he could take off the name tag and go across the street to McDonald's and eat his Big Mac in peace. He said nowadays, he can't eat out in public in peace or go anywhere without being bothered (price to pay for all the fortune I suppose). Another interesting thing he said, was that he doesn't outline. That kind of blew my mind given out large and complex his Song of Ice and Fire series is. His advice to aspiring writers was, if you find yourself stuck on a scene, just push forward, or skip it and save it for later. He mentioned he couldn't write the Red Wedding scene, so he skipped it and finished the book. Then he was like, well I finished this damn thing, now I guess I have to go back and kill everyone.

Other highlights of the day included meeting Chuck Wendig who seemed super nice, and seeing S.T. Joshi give a talk. Joshi is considered one of the leading academics with regards to Lovecraft and Weird Fiction. I also sat on a panel to offer insight on how to form a regional HWA chapter (learned some great things to bring back to the Utah Chapter as well), and had a book signing. The signing was kind of a bust, but you can't win them all. Finally, I got to watch my good friend K. Scott Forman read his short story, "Lost at Sea."

Overall, Stokercon was a great experience. Next year they plan on having it in Providence, RI and I hope I can make it. I might even get banquet tickets to the Stoker awards. I wasn't able to attend this time around, and I feel like perhaps I missed out. Next time for sure. Here's to new friends made at Stokercon, and to old friends reacquainted. 

 My second day at Stokercon was even better than the first. I attended a few panels, one by Michelle Belanger on the Occult in Writing was fan-freakin-tastic. She's appeared on numerous television shows, including Paranormal State, but what was even more impressive, was the the extensive knowledge into ancient religions, the occult, and the paranormal. It was more than obvious that she has studied up on all those things, and had a detailed, well-educated answer for any question that arose. 

Another highlight of the day, was ghost tours. I took a one-hour tour during the day that explored some of the history of the ship, as well as some of the urban legends surrounding the hauntings. The tour guide was amazing and I learned a lot. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know much about the Queen Mary before coming here. During its heyday, it was the largest fastest ship of its time. It carried English Royalty as well as many celebrities before being converted into a troop transport during the war. During normal operation, it carried 2000 passengers and 1200 crew members; however, during its military service, it carried many more, and at one point it carried over 16k troops in preparation for D-Day.

It was so infamous and fast, that Hitler had put out a 250k bounty for any submarine captain that could sink her. The Queen Mary was under orders to not stop for anything, and that was put to the test when it collided with the HMS Curacoa in 1942. The Queen Mary cut the other ship in half and didn't stop due to fears of German ships in the area. 337 crew members of the Curacoa died while only 101 survived. During the ghost tour, the tour guide stated sometimes people could see ghosts of Curacoa crew members walking around the bow area and the propeller area. 

I didn't get to see the propeller area during the day tour, but I did get to see it when I took the two-hour long night tour, which was just as awesome. Below you'll see the bow area that still shows damage from the collision as well as the massive propeller. Didn't see any ghosts on my tour though.

Another story brought up during both tours, was the crew member who was crushed to death when when of the water tight seals closed. Throughout the ship, they had a series of doors that were steam operated and meant to close and seal off sections of the ship. Apparently during one of the closings, a young man got trapped in the doorway and was killed. His ghost is said to roam the area from time to time. Here is a picture of the door that killed him.

Finally, what's a ghost tour without some creepy hallway shots?

I have to say, so far, Stokercon 2017 has been great. For those of you who don’t know what Stokercon is, it’s the annual convention of the Horror Writers Association. This year, it’s located in Long Beach, CA at the historic Queen Mary.

The trip out wasn’t too great. My flight was in the afternoon, and security at the airport was sloooooow. I gave myself plenty of time, so there wasn’t a rush, but it’s never fun to stand in line for a long time. Plus, and I knew this was coming, they had to inspect my bag. I suppose when you have 30 books in your bag and it goes through the scanner, it looks a little weird.

The plane was packed as well; however, Jet Blue Airlines is great. Even the cheap seats had enough room to make them comfortable, plus they had free WiFi.

The real horror began with the cab ride from the airport to the Queen Mary itself. The ride gave me flashbacks of public transportation in Ecuador, the only difference being the car was nicer. The cabbie pushed that Prius as fast as it would go, but was constantly hitting the brakes, then speeding back up, weaving in and out of traffic. We about hit another Prius in front of us that was almost hit by a truck (California is the land of the Prius by the way). Yet, I survived!

After checking in and getting my books to the vendor here for consignment, I finally got to wander around. Meeting up with old friends from Seton Hill, and friends from my local HWA chapter was great. Socializing and networking is really what these conventions are about in my mind. The panels and other activities are secondary. I’ve already made some new friends and I’m sure before the convention is over, I’ll have made some more contacts.
​
The ship is great as well. There is so much history packed into these walls. I’m going to go on a haunted ghost tour of the ship, but check out some of these pics. 

​The opening ceremonies were fun. Mainly because I got to hang out with friends and meet this dude! George R.R. Martin! He’s such a nice guy too. I went up there to get my picture taken with him and he engaged me in conversation and seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I do. 

​I haven’t seen any ghosts yet, but I plan on delving into that aspect a little more seriously tonight or tomorrow. Now it’s time to finish my overpriced (but delicious) breakfast, and get back to stoking the Stokercon fires. 

My newest short story, "All Aboard" is available now on Amazon Kindle. It's the second installment in the Tales from the Storm series. The story originally debuted in Horror the Odd and Bizarre published by Sirens Call.

"All Aboard" takes place in a sleepy Utah town where the residents wake one day to find a set of railroad tracks have appeared out of nowhere. Some townsfolk mysteriously begin to disappear while others find themselves unable to leave the town at all. To make matters worse, those left behind start to receive tickets to a train that is scheduled to depart soon. 

​You can get your copy of "All Aboard" here.

I recently watched a film called, Savageland directed by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, and David Whelan. The synopsis is: A small border town on the Arizona-Mexico border is wiped out, and suspicion falls on the lone survivor. It’s only 1 hour and 20 minutes long and is filmed to play out like it’s a documentary on the event.
 
It starts out kind of slow and in the typical fashion of a documentary. Overnight, all the residents of the small town are killed or end up missing. The only survivor is an illegal immigrant who is found on the highway alone and covered in the blood several of the townspeople. In the beginning, it seems like a fairly cut-and-dry case; however, the person who “made” the documentary and did the investigating didn’t think so and starts to dig deeper. It’s through this investigation that we find out more, and things start to get creepy, especially when they show the photos the lone survivor had taken.
  
During the investigation, the journalist and his associate, a retired Border Patrol agent, breakdown the crime scene and activity as it occurred according to evidence, police reports, and what they found on a roll of camera film from the survivor. The police story starts to unravel and the photos show some very chilling scenes. Whoever they had taking the pictures and manipulating them for this movie is really talented. They are raw, well-done, and creepy as hell.
 
I’m not going to spoil the movie for anyone, but I highly suggest you go watch it if you like horror movies. There is a great subplot happening throughout, explaining why the survivor went through the town as he did instead of just running away. Just keep in mind that this isn’t a typical movie. You have to watch it with the mindset that it is a documentary or a mockumentary. Overall, I give it 3/5 stars.
 
Pros: The movie is unique with a fun twist and a great use of film. The photos add so much to the story that it’s worth it just for the pictures alone. Couple it with the sub-plot, and some of the other evidence introduced, and it’s a wonderful spectacle to watch.
 
Cons: The conclusion that the journalist comes to at the end as to what he thinks is really happening is kind of lame and unbelievable. With that much evidence put forward, I just can’t get behind his half-assed explanation. Also, I can’t believe the police would be so quick to pin it all on the survivor, there was just too much evidence even without the photos to pass anyone’s giggle check.
 
Overall: Check this movie out and enjoy the ride. 

Time for a little cross-promotion for friends and fellow Seton Hill alumni. Check it out!

CRAZY LITTLE SPRING CALLED LOVE
Eight Magical Stories of Fantasy Romance
Stars and Stone Books
 
Featuring: Heather Bythesea, Elsa Carruthers, M.T. DeSantis, Traci Douglass, L.J. Longo, Cara McKinnon, Sheri Queen, and Mary Rogers

Traci Douglass - "When Hermes Met Eos"
One night. Two star-crossed immortals. Will their vibrant connection survive beyond sunrise?
 
Sheri Queen - "The Girl with a Broken Wing"
A story of courage and sacrifice--and finding love where you never thought to look.
 
Cara McKinnon - "Love at Dawn"
Sometimes mortals need a little push from a god and goddess to fall in love…
 
M.T. DeSantis - "A Hunt for Love"
Can a djinn and a clueless guy beat the clock, avoid the curse, and maybe even find true love?
 
L.J. Longo – “Seaweed and Silk”
A mermaid: hundreds of miles from her home on the ice, on a ship with a troll, a goblin wizard, and a pack of wolves. What else can go wrong? Oh, right. A flippin’ sea monster.
 
Mary Rogers – “Spring Fling”
A druid’s bargain gives Carson revenge against his former lover Carrie–at the price of her memories of them together. But did she truly steal his magic all those years ago? Or was the real theft his heart?
 
 
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR AUTHORS
 
STARS AND STONE BOOKS: http://starsandstonebooks.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34686292-crazy-little-spring-called-love
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