The Fear County Chronicle #20
What happens when you put a bunch of mass market and indie horror writers together for an entire weekend and add a legion of dedicated readers, all for a worthwhile cause? Why, AuthorCon 2, of course!
“Where the heck have you been?”
That’s probably what you’ve been asking, considering that the last edition of The Fear County Chronicle came out nearly an entire month ago. Well, to tell the truth, I’ve been pretty danged busy. Multiple books read for blurbs, a couple of book forewords completed, a non-fiction article written and submitted for the StokerCon souvenir book, and finishing the final stories and interior art for a new Southern-Fried story collection.
And then there was that weekend in Virgina at the end of March…
AUTHORCON 2!!
Considering how long I’ve been writing horror fiction (nearly 38 years now), you’d think I’ve attended dozens upon dozens of conventions. Believe it or not, that’s not actually the case. During the first phase of my writing career (1986-1996) I attended the first two World Horror Conventions in Nashville, Tennessee. When I came back to the genre in 2006 after a ten-year hiatus, I made appearances at Hypericon (also in Nashville) three or four times. After that, I didn’t really have the opportunity (or motivation) to go to any more for the next 13 years. Then, in 2021, Joe Ripple and Brian Keene invited me to be a guest author at Scares that Care Charity Weekend. Despite my initial apprehension (I was scared half to death!), I accepted and attended… and absolutely loved it. I returned again in 2022 as a guest, and this year attended AuthorCon 2 as an author vendor.
For most of my life I’ve been a quiet and introverted type of guy, but in my old age I seem to be moving past that; getting out and meeting folks and spreading the gospel of Southern-Fried Horror. I still experience bouts of anxiety and flat-out fear just before making a public appearance, though. Am I going to make a good impression? Am I going to say the wrong thing? Am I going to be charming and friendly, or come across in a bad way? Am I going to get tongue-tied during a reading or discussion panel? I reckon writers and the ones who go to conventions to meet them have the same doubts and fears, so maybe I’m not alone in feeling this way. So, although the 621-mile drive from Brush Creek, Tennessee to Williamsburg, Virginia was pleasant and full of anticipation, those last few miles had me sweating and wondering “Is this going to be wonderful or disastrous?”
As it turned out, AuthorCon 2 ended up being the best convention I’ve ever had the pleasure to attend. It was great congregating with writer friends that I’ve previously or hadn’t yet met, as well as readers and fans who I’ve known for years on social media and got to meet for the very first time. Truth be told, I hadn’t planned on coming to AuthorCon 2 at all this year but decided to make the trip and rent a vendor table at the last moment. So, when I got there, I discovered that my table was located on the lower Conference Level in a back corridor room near the auditorium. Friday night turned out to be a slow and quiet one, with very few visitors at our table. Turns out that the crowd was so busy meeting authors and buying books in the grand ballroom upstairs that they neglected to visit those of use holed up in the catacombs downstairs (or had no knowledge of us being down there at all). The next morning, around 7:30 am, I got a text from Brian Keene saying, “We’re moving you upstairs to the ballroom.” So, for the next couple of hours, Mrs. Joyce and some recruited helpers moved the Southern-Fried Horror table, banners, and boxes upon boxes of books upstairs (considering how heavy my books are and how many I brought with me, it was a daunting task!). When he finally got settled in, it was like we were finally home. My fellow authors were happy to see me, and my table remained busy for the next two days. As it turned out, most of the authors assigned to downstairs or on the second floor were moved out of the rooms and into the open in the lobby and corridors, where fans had greater access to them and what they had to offer. A big thanks to Brian and the rest of the STC/AuthorCon team for making that happen.
It was wonderful finally meeting authors that I’ve known through social media and private messages for years, as well as loyal readers from the Facebook Books of Horror group, Twitter, and Instagram. On Saturday, I was a panelist on the “Golden Years” panel, where we discussed the rise and fall of Zebra Books, the small press horror boom of the 80s and 90s, and Leisure Books, as well as the present state of the horror genre and the potential threat of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the effects it might have on horror writing and publishing. I also shared a reading with Stephen Mark Rainey (former editor of Deathrealm magazine) and read my story “Embrace” from the forthcoming Tales From the Southern-Fried Crypt.
AUTHORCON 2 PHOTO GALLERY
A BLAST FROM THE PAST IN A BIG WHITE BOX!
A few weeks before AuthorCon 2, Brian Keene posted images on Twitter of some vintage comic books that he’d just purchased to fill in holes in his comic collection. I commented that every time he posted comic book photos, I harkened back to the time when I had to sell my entire comic book collection in my early 20’s. Almost, immediately he texted me and said, “Save some space in your trunk when you come to AuthorCon, because I have something for you to take home with you.”
I really thought little more about it until the first night of the convention, when Brian lugged a big white box to my table. Much to my surprise and delight, it was a treasure trove of vintage Silver Age comics! DC, Marvel, Classics Illustrated… a variety of comics that I’d had back during the 70s and early 80s, as well as quite a few that I was unfamiliar with. It seems that a local comic store in Pennsylvania was liquidating its stock and Brian bought a few for Ol’ Ron. Much thanks to Brian from me and my son, Ryan, for gifting me a nostalgic chunk of my childhood back. We’ve had a blast with this box of comics! This act of kindness was very much appreciated.
UPCOMING RK BOOKS!
TALES FROM THE SOUTHERN FRIED CRYPT
I just finished edits and corrections on the ebook and print editions of Tales From the Southern-Fried Crypt, Book Two of my Southern-Fried EC Horror-inspired story collection series. In this volume, the Old Storyteller takes you on a trip to the dark swamps and crypt-filled cemeteries way down in Louisiana. Tales includes ten stories of bayou and voodoo horror and a wonderfully creepy retro comic book cover by artist Alex McVey, as well as interior artwork throughout by Ol’ Ron himself. I’ve also added a couple of pages of fun, nostalgic comic advertisements in the back. Crossroad Press is at work to have it available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover by the end of the month, and I should have it available to order in the RKHORROR Bookstore a couple of weeks after that, for those interested in personally inscribed copies remarqued with my hand drawn artwork.
THE SHROUDED TOME: TEN FORGOTTEN FABLES
In June, D&T Publishing will be releasing The Shrouded Tome: Ten Forgotten Fables. This collection will feature ten of my short stories and novellas that have rarely been read by today’s readers. Some were published in the small press magazines of the 1980s and 1990s, while some appeared in limited editions that are no longer available to the reading public. The Shrouded Tome will be available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
PITFALL
I’m hoping to release Pitfall around August of 2023. Pitfall was my second published novel with Zebra Books. It was released in a limited-edition hardcover by Thunderstorm Books in 2014 as one of the volumes in the Essential Ronald Kelly Collection, but since then it has only been available in ebook format. The Crossroad Press release in August of this year will make it available in paperback once again (the first time in paperback in 33 years). Pitfall was the only one of my novels that was set outside of the state of Tennessee, taking place in Texas instead. It is about a pack of ravenous Tasmanian devils (imported to the United States for pit fighting) that terrorize a small West Texas town.
HORROR ON MAIN!
A little more than a month from now, I’ll be heading up to Hunt Valley, Maryland for the First Annual Horror On Main. The date is Memorial Day Weekend, May 26th through 28th. I’ll be a guest at the event along with fellow authors like Tim Lebbon, Mercedes Yardley, Jeff Strand, and Clay McLeod Chapman, as well as actors, FX masters, composers, and other professionals in the horror business. Me and Mrs. Joyce (and the young’uns) will have the Southern-Fried Horror table set up and ready for you. I should also have fresh copies of Tales From the Southern-Fried Crypt on hand. If you attend, be sure stop by and say “Howdy!”
20% OFF THIS WEEK AT RKHORROR!
Head on over to the RKHORROR Online Bookstore from now until Monday, April 24th and get 20% off all books, RK art prints, and t-shirts. Just enter the code DARKDEALS at checkout time. Just a heads up: we’re getting mighty low on the hardcover of Fear: Author’s Preferred Edition and the now out-of-print Silver Shamrock edition of The Essential Sick Stuff, so you might want to grab a copy or two while they’re still available!
Well, that’s all we have for this edition of The Fear County Chronicle. Join us in a couple of weeks for more RK news and Southern-Fried features, including a long-forgotten story from 1988. Y’all take care and Many Happy Nightmares!
Love my zebra copy of Pitfall. New books to look forward too.