The word for The Horrorfind Weekend 12 is awesome. Everything was awesome. Meeting Andy was awesome. The drive up was awesome. Gettysburg was awesome. The Wyndham Hotel was awesome. The employees there were awesome. The writers, the movie guests, the conventioneers were all awesome. Well, there were a very few exceptions, but for the most part, everyone was totally, thoroughly, epic-ly awesome.
I had not missed a Horrorfind since 2002, with the exception of the last two years. My life has been in turmoil, but things have evened out and I'm back. I won't be missing another one.
It was my idea for my Horror Drive-In partner, Andy Monge (Mong-E) to fly here to my house and road trip it to the con. I think it was a good idea and I hope he did too.
Haha, Andy. Mr. Abstinence. He said he wouldn't be drinking much. He said that he didn't drink hard liquor. He said that he hated Guinness Stout. Let me tell you, folks, this guy is a closet party monster. Gulping bourbon-and-Cokes in the morning, slugging down my Guinness's. And Andy is the guy to be with at a party. The man is a chick magnet. He admirably honored his marriage and his wife though, and I respect him for it. I wish I had his will power.
Seriously folks, Andy was, yes, awesome. He came out of his shell, all right. I don't think he knew he had it in him to party as hard as he did.
The convention was at a new hotel. After the first year, I only went when it was at the Hunt Valley Marriott. I liked it in Hunt Valley, but personally I hope that it will continue to be held in Gettysburg. For one, it's a beautiful area, and the hotel was splendid. The workers there seemed more gracious than those at the Marriott in Hunt Valley. And I give mad love and props to the talented and extra hard-working bartenders. Especially that blond with the long curly hair. She was awesome.
As usual I'll give call-outs to people I enjoyed hanging out with. As usual, I'll leave someone or someones out, so I'll apologize in advance.
My best Horrorfind pal is Mr. Tom Monteloene. Hanging out with him is always fun and extremely entertaining. He has an endless spring of uproarious stories from his illustrious (and sometimes preposterous) career. Publishing is a crazy business and Tom is one of its legends.
Joe R. Lansdale is a fantastic writer and a fantastic human being. It was great to see him again, as well as his beautiful wife. This is the first time I've met his stunning daughter, And how cool is this: I saw Joe walking from Dick Miller's table with the exact same signed still from none other than Hollywood Boulevard. Joe is also a fan of this classic!
Dick Miller is a god to those of us that grew up loving not only Roger Corman movies, but also movies in general. Short in stature, but long in personality, Miller is another legend. It was an unparralleled honor to make his acquaintance.
Oh God, Bill Carl. My brother. At least I think of him that way. I love the guy, and was thrilled to see him again. We closed the bar on Thursday, gossiping about the community and talking about Woody Allen movies. Then he had a devastating bomb dropped on him. Bill lost a loved one unexpectedly and had to leave the convention before it even started. I was sick for him and for his loss, and I hope he can be strong for his loved ones. We'll raise plenty of hell next year, old buddy.
Valarie and Vicky are the sunniest people I know. It's simply impossible to be in a bad mood or not to have a good time in their presence. I'm still sore from all the laughing we did. I love you guys.
I've liked a whole lot of horror writers in my day. Chet Williamson has always been special to me. And to other discerning readers. He is just about the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet, and his charming wife is just as wonderful as he is. It was fantastic talking to them.
Ronald Damien Malfi (or maybe it's just Ron Malfi now) is THE writer you should be reading. The guy is coming on like a ferocious storm, but he'll make more of a mark than Hurricane Earl did. No offense to the other writers and stories we've published at Horror Drive-In. I like 'em all, or we wouldn't have run them. Ron's The Dinner Party is my favorite of them all. I was honored that he chose it for his reading. And folks, Ron's latest is called The Ascent and you should buy it. I started it this morning and it's good. Very good. Plus Ron has a lot of nerve. He had to in order to go up to Gary Busey and call him Nick Nolte.
What would a Horrorfind be without Jimster57. Jim is the guy that gives out the books, and everyone loves him. But they would love him just as much if he arrived empty-handed. It was good to duck away with Jim for a while on Saturday and talk about things.
Matt and Deena Warner are two of the greatest friends of my life, and it's always good to see them. But the greatest honor was seeing little Owen Warner for the first time. Owen is a wonderful baby, and he has the obvious intelligence and happiness that only the best parents bring to their children.
Norman Prentiss, my boss at CD, and one of the freshest writers in the business. Plus he's a hell of a friend.
It was fun seeing Larry, his beautiful partner Melissa, and their companion A.J. for the con. I've been talking to Larry for years and I never remember his name. I won't forget it now. These are great people and I hope to party with them next year.
And oh! It was fantastic to finally meet the horror fiction community's Number One Wiseguy, Mr. Nick Cato. I've known this guy from the web for years, and he is just as cool as I knew he'd be. The guy needs to watch that addiction to shitty movies, though. I'm starting to worry about his sanity.
I briefly met Rio Youers, who I've never read before. Andy tells me that the guy is phenomenal, and I tend to trust his judgment. I bought a book by Rio called Mama Fish. If he is as good a writer as he is personable, I'll love it.
God, who else? I've been home for three days and I'm still fried. It was good seeing Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez, Ron Dickie, that Jonah Hill-looking kid that we talked to for a long time, Monica O'Rourke, Kelli-with-an-I, Jack Ketchum, the guys from Synapse Films.
I'm forgetting some. People I care about, too, I'm sure. It's all a blur in my mind. A good blur, but a jumbled mass of great memories. I mean, where else can I explain the plot of Basket Case to P.J. Soles? Where else do I get the dubious honor of seeing Gary Busey run amok? Get to say hello to George Romero? Talk to Ogre, from Skinny Puppy? Share an elevator with the cast of Dawn of the Dead, or Adrienne Barbeau, or Dee Wallace?
Oh, those that have known me a long time may remember me going on about an unpleasant experience I had with the Horrorfind management a while back. Through no fault of ours it appeared as if we were trying to scam a free membership, which I emphatically was not doing. It got pretty ugly, but that is in the past. I cleared the air this weekend, and I apologized for my own part. I'm sure I could have handled it better than by raising my voice and yelling at people. Peace was made and there are no hard feelings. Misunderstandings happen and none of us are perfect.
Soon, far sooner than I wished, it was Sunday and time to start thinking about leaving. But instead of going home, it felt like I was leaving home. At the beginning of the convention, most people were still carrying around their protective barriers. Little eye contact, not a lot of communication with those they didn't know. But by Sunday morning, there was a lot more friendliness. In the halls, the elevators, the parking lot, the local convenience store. So many smiles, so many handshakes, so many hugs, so much warmth. I'm sure I'm not the only Horrorfind attendee that has never really felt comfortable in normal society. It's hard to leave such a group of extraordinary individuals and return to a world of ordinary ones.
But there's always next year, and there's no chance I'll be missing out. I have a funny feeling that Andy Monge will be returning, too. And there's more than just The Horrorfind Convention. There is World Horror, NECON, and a lot of smaller conventions. If you're here reading this, chances are you should go to one. Life's short. Go have some fun.
I had not missed a Horrorfind since 2002, with the exception of the last two years. My life has been in turmoil, but things have evened out and I'm back. I won't be missing another one.
It was my idea for my Horror Drive-In partner, Andy Monge (Mong-E) to fly here to my house and road trip it to the con. I think it was a good idea and I hope he did too.
Haha, Andy. Mr. Abstinence. He said he wouldn't be drinking much. He said that he didn't drink hard liquor. He said that he hated Guinness Stout. Let me tell you, folks, this guy is a closet party monster. Gulping bourbon-and-Cokes in the morning, slugging down my Guinness's. And Andy is the guy to be with at a party. The man is a chick magnet. He admirably honored his marriage and his wife though, and I respect him for it. I wish I had his will power.
Seriously folks, Andy was, yes, awesome. He came out of his shell, all right. I don't think he knew he had it in him to party as hard as he did.
The convention was at a new hotel. After the first year, I only went when it was at the Hunt Valley Marriott. I liked it in Hunt Valley, but personally I hope that it will continue to be held in Gettysburg. For one, it's a beautiful area, and the hotel was splendid. The workers there seemed more gracious than those at the Marriott in Hunt Valley. And I give mad love and props to the talented and extra hard-working bartenders. Especially that blond with the long curly hair. She was awesome.
As usual I'll give call-outs to people I enjoyed hanging out with. As usual, I'll leave someone or someones out, so I'll apologize in advance.
My best Horrorfind pal is Mr. Tom Monteloene. Hanging out with him is always fun and extremely entertaining. He has an endless spring of uproarious stories from his illustrious (and sometimes preposterous) career. Publishing is a crazy business and Tom is one of its legends.
Joe R. Lansdale is a fantastic writer and a fantastic human being. It was great to see him again, as well as his beautiful wife. This is the first time I've met his stunning daughter, And how cool is this: I saw Joe walking from Dick Miller's table with the exact same signed still from none other than Hollywood Boulevard. Joe is also a fan of this classic!
Dick Miller is a god to those of us that grew up loving not only Roger Corman movies, but also movies in general. Short in stature, but long in personality, Miller is another legend. It was an unparralleled honor to make his acquaintance.
Oh God, Bill Carl. My brother. At least I think of him that way. I love the guy, and was thrilled to see him again. We closed the bar on Thursday, gossiping about the community and talking about Woody Allen movies. Then he had a devastating bomb dropped on him. Bill lost a loved one unexpectedly and had to leave the convention before it even started. I was sick for him and for his loss, and I hope he can be strong for his loved ones. We'll raise plenty of hell next year, old buddy.
Valarie and Vicky are the sunniest people I know. It's simply impossible to be in a bad mood or not to have a good time in their presence. I'm still sore from all the laughing we did. I love you guys.
I've liked a whole lot of horror writers in my day. Chet Williamson has always been special to me. And to other discerning readers. He is just about the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet, and his charming wife is just as wonderful as he is. It was fantastic talking to them.
Ronald Damien Malfi (or maybe it's just Ron Malfi now) is THE writer you should be reading. The guy is coming on like a ferocious storm, but he'll make more of a mark than Hurricane Earl did. No offense to the other writers and stories we've published at Horror Drive-In. I like 'em all, or we wouldn't have run them. Ron's The Dinner Party is my favorite of them all. I was honored that he chose it for his reading. And folks, Ron's latest is called The Ascent and you should buy it. I started it this morning and it's good. Very good. Plus Ron has a lot of nerve. He had to in order to go up to Gary Busey and call him Nick Nolte.
What would a Horrorfind be without Jimster57. Jim is the guy that gives out the books, and everyone loves him. But they would love him just as much if he arrived empty-handed. It was good to duck away with Jim for a while on Saturday and talk about things.
Matt and Deena Warner are two of the greatest friends of my life, and it's always good to see them. But the greatest honor was seeing little Owen Warner for the first time. Owen is a wonderful baby, and he has the obvious intelligence and happiness that only the best parents bring to their children.
Norman Prentiss, my boss at CD, and one of the freshest writers in the business. Plus he's a hell of a friend.
It was fun seeing Larry, his beautiful partner Melissa, and their companion A.J. for the con. I've been talking to Larry for years and I never remember his name. I won't forget it now. These are great people and I hope to party with them next year.
And oh! It was fantastic to finally meet the horror fiction community's Number One Wiseguy, Mr. Nick Cato. I've known this guy from the web for years, and he is just as cool as I knew he'd be. The guy needs to watch that addiction to shitty movies, though. I'm starting to worry about his sanity.
I briefly met Rio Youers, who I've never read before. Andy tells me that the guy is phenomenal, and I tend to trust his judgment. I bought a book by Rio called Mama Fish. If he is as good a writer as he is personable, I'll love it.
God, who else? I've been home for three days and I'm still fried. It was good seeing Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez, Ron Dickie, that Jonah Hill-looking kid that we talked to for a long time, Monica O'Rourke, Kelli-with-an-I, Jack Ketchum, the guys from Synapse Films.
I'm forgetting some. People I care about, too, I'm sure. It's all a blur in my mind. A good blur, but a jumbled mass of great memories. I mean, where else can I explain the plot of Basket Case to P.J. Soles? Where else do I get the dubious honor of seeing Gary Busey run amok? Get to say hello to George Romero? Talk to Ogre, from Skinny Puppy? Share an elevator with the cast of Dawn of the Dead, or Adrienne Barbeau, or Dee Wallace?
Oh, those that have known me a long time may remember me going on about an unpleasant experience I had with the Horrorfind management a while back. Through no fault of ours it appeared as if we were trying to scam a free membership, which I emphatically was not doing. It got pretty ugly, but that is in the past. I cleared the air this weekend, and I apologized for my own part. I'm sure I could have handled it better than by raising my voice and yelling at people. Peace was made and there are no hard feelings. Misunderstandings happen and none of us are perfect.
Soon, far sooner than I wished, it was Sunday and time to start thinking about leaving. But instead of going home, it felt like I was leaving home. At the beginning of the convention, most people were still carrying around their protective barriers. Little eye contact, not a lot of communication with those they didn't know. But by Sunday morning, there was a lot more friendliness. In the halls, the elevators, the parking lot, the local convenience store. So many smiles, so many handshakes, so many hugs, so much warmth. I'm sure I'm not the only Horrorfind attendee that has never really felt comfortable in normal society. It's hard to leave such a group of extraordinary individuals and return to a world of ordinary ones.
But there's always next year, and there's no chance I'll be missing out. I have a funny feeling that Andy Monge will be returning, too. And there's more than just The Horrorfind Convention. There is World Horror, NECON, and a lot of smaller conventions. If you're here reading this, chances are you should go to one. Life's short. Go have some fun.
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