Both of these cons happened a while back but I thought I would write down what I remember about them before it fades into oblivion. It is hard to express what these events meant to me. I've spent a considerable portion of my adulthood in Utah where it is nothing short of a miracle to find someone who cares about Horror as much as I do. Of course when I found out that World Horror was coming to Utah I had to get in. To my experience, the best way to get into a convention or conference is to volunteer. For a pittance and some of my time, I could afford World Horror.
2012: I had a few goals for my first WHC and I accomplished them all. I made some friends, bought lots of books, and even pitched some of my fiction to a few editors.
I met Michaelbrent Collings earlier but I got to hang out with him a few times. He's a great writer and a good guy. I don't pass up the chance to talk with him whenever I attend an event. Very down to earth. I recall meeting William F Nolan at the UCLA Book Fair several years back but that was before I found out what a giant he was. Equipped with more knowledge, I met him again at WHC and we talked at length about Charles Beaumont and other friends of his. He obliged me by signing my copy of Nightworlds and drawing a cartoon monster on it. I became Facebook friends with Jason Brock a year or two before (upon watching his documentary on Charles Beaumont) but met him in person for the first time. He's an opinionated person and he gets flack from some circles of people but he has always been a kind and supportive friend to me.
I saw Rick Hautala speak on a panel (only to learn later in the year that he died]. I also saw Mort Castle there and kicked later on myself for not meeting him. His collection Moon on the Water is a remarkable book.
Probably the biggest thing for me at this event was meeting Joe Lansdale and Mike Mignola. I was afraid of meeting both men but my anxieties were groundless. Joe appeared taciturn at first but found him to be kind and agreeable as well as his wife Karen. We had some pleasant chats and discussed Robert Bloch, who we both admire. I bought several books from him and he ended up giving me one Hell of a deal. Mike Mignola was incredibly nice.He signed some of my Hellboy graphic novels and regaled me with a story or two about Ron Perlman during the making of the Hellboy movie. A real class act and I won't stop saying nice things about him.
I was never more in my element than being there among other horror fans. I put in a lot of work and remember being dead-tired and malnourished at the end but I had the time of my life.
2016: not as fun as my previous experience but still memorable. I reconnected with Jason and listened to his reading of his story "Kafkaesque." I still treasure the moment that he read Kafka's parts with a mock Chech accent. Michael Arnzen took notice of my decorated notebook before a panel, asked to read some of it, and commented on how he liked one of my ideas. I remember meeting the poet Linda Addison (super nice lady) and talking movies with Darren Shan. I ran into Kevin J Anderson and Nathan Shumate (an old pal). I talked with John L Campbell and was pleased with reading his collection of short stories Red Circus which I bought from him. I also saw a presentation on Vincent Price put on by his daughter Victoria.
The most memorable part of this event was meeting Jack Ketchum. He came across as quiet but gentle and pleasant man. I started re-reading his work this year and I find myself appreciating his work again and again. I was grateful to have met him since he died last year. I had the privilege of speaking on a panel about horror movies with him and Jason. I was probably the least qualified person there but my claim to fame was the one to elicit enthusiastic "oh yeahs" from the rest of the panel when I chipped in a couple of remarks. One of them in which I said my favorite Dracula was Christopher Lee and one of my favorite monster movies was John Carpenter's The Thing.
This convention was fun but I had less money and wasn't able to spend as much time there as I wanted to. Nevertheless, it was World Horror and the experience was priceless.
Written by Nicholas Montelongo
2012: I had a few goals for my first WHC and I accomplished them all. I made some friends, bought lots of books, and even pitched some of my fiction to a few editors.
I met Michaelbrent Collings earlier but I got to hang out with him a few times. He's a great writer and a good guy. I don't pass up the chance to talk with him whenever I attend an event. Very down to earth. I recall meeting William F Nolan at the UCLA Book Fair several years back but that was before I found out what a giant he was. Equipped with more knowledge, I met him again at WHC and we talked at length about Charles Beaumont and other friends of his. He obliged me by signing my copy of Nightworlds and drawing a cartoon monster on it. I became Facebook friends with Jason Brock a year or two before (upon watching his documentary on Charles Beaumont) but met him in person for the first time. He's an opinionated person and he gets flack from some circles of people but he has always been a kind and supportive friend to me.
I saw Rick Hautala speak on a panel (only to learn later in the year that he died]. I also saw Mort Castle there and kicked later on myself for not meeting him. His collection Moon on the Water is a remarkable book.
Probably the biggest thing for me at this event was meeting Joe Lansdale and Mike Mignola. I was afraid of meeting both men but my anxieties were groundless. Joe appeared taciturn at first but found him to be kind and agreeable as well as his wife Karen. We had some pleasant chats and discussed Robert Bloch, who we both admire. I bought several books from him and he ended up giving me one Hell of a deal. Mike Mignola was incredibly nice.He signed some of my Hellboy graphic novels and regaled me with a story or two about Ron Perlman during the making of the Hellboy movie. A real class act and I won't stop saying nice things about him.
I was never more in my element than being there among other horror fans. I put in a lot of work and remember being dead-tired and malnourished at the end but I had the time of my life.
2016: not as fun as my previous experience but still memorable. I reconnected with Jason and listened to his reading of his story "Kafkaesque." I still treasure the moment that he read Kafka's parts with a mock Chech accent. Michael Arnzen took notice of my decorated notebook before a panel, asked to read some of it, and commented on how he liked one of my ideas. I remember meeting the poet Linda Addison (super nice lady) and talking movies with Darren Shan. I ran into Kevin J Anderson and Nathan Shumate (an old pal). I talked with John L Campbell and was pleased with reading his collection of short stories Red Circus which I bought from him. I also saw a presentation on Vincent Price put on by his daughter Victoria.
The most memorable part of this event was meeting Jack Ketchum. He came across as quiet but gentle and pleasant man. I started re-reading his work this year and I find myself appreciating his work again and again. I was grateful to have met him since he died last year. I had the privilege of speaking on a panel about horror movies with him and Jason. I was probably the least qualified person there but my claim to fame was the one to elicit enthusiastic "oh yeahs" from the rest of the panel when I chipped in a couple of remarks. One of them in which I said my favorite Dracula was Christopher Lee and one of my favorite monster movies was John Carpenter's The Thing.
This convention was fun but I had less money and wasn't able to spend as much time there as I wanted to. Nevertheless, it was World Horror and the experience was priceless.
Written by Nicholas Montelongo
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