A Mighty Fine 3rd Annual MHC Is for Book Lovers Fall Festival

I had been cautiously optimistic about setting up space at today's 3rd Annual MHC Is for Book Lovers Fall Festival, a local book fest held at the Spencer-Penn Centre, about 20 minutes west of Martinsville. My recent booksignings have been very successful, and I was hoping this would NOT be that fateful one where no one shows up at my table. After all, Martinsville is far from a big town, and I did wonder whether everyone in the area who cared to pick up any of my books might have already done so.

Well, no worries on that count. The show was well-attended, and I sold a big bunch! In fact, I need to reorder author copies of a few titles if I want to have any for the Martinsville Oktoberfest, coming up on October 5th.

It's very gratifying how many folks come out for the local book-related events — especially when they pick up the scary ones (it's fair to say that I am pretty much the local horror-writing community). Quite a few authors attended the festival, and it looked like most did decent business. Ms. B. spent much of the time wowing folks with her artwork, and she even found herself a young protegé, who took the initiative to seek her guidance in his artistic endeavors. He even recreated the cover art from the Ameri-Scares: Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior, which I found rather touching.

Martinsville Oktoberfest is in a couple of weeks, and I may yet end up participating in an event or two between that and Scares That Care—AuthorCon V in Williamsburg, VA, at the end of March. I will, of course, holler about these as the times draw nigh.

That's all for now, so sayonara and peace.

L) The young artist, and R) the original cover of Ameri-Scares: Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior

This Saturday: 3rd Annual MHC Is for Book Lovers Festival

This Saturday, September 21, I'll be participating in the 3rd Annual MHC Is for Book Lovers Festival, a multi-author event, hosted by Martinsville/Henry County Is for Book Lovers at the Spencer-Penn Centre, in Spencer, VA, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. There will food and craft vendors as well, so there's plenty of fun even for folks who might be too scared to visit with the scary author. Ha-HA!

I'll have copies of the brand-new paperback edition of The Lebo Coven, which is set in Aiken Mill, VA, my fictional version of Martinsville, as well as The Gods of Moab (also set in the same fictional region), Fugue Devil: Resurgence, Deathrealm: Spirits, West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, and others.

If you're in traveling distance, please come visit!

A Busy Season

It's been a busy — and very successful — summer and early fall for promoting and selling my scary books. Some big venues and some not-so-big, but this year in particular, my book sales in what I'd call non-traditional outlets, such as local breweries, specialty shops, and festivals, have been healthy indeed. I've got a few more coming up for the fall season. This weekend, I'll be in Elizabeth City, NC, for a four-author booksigning event at Seven Sounds Brewing Company (see yesterday's post for details). On Saturday, September 21, I'm attending another multi-author event, hosted by Martinsville/Henry County Is for Book Lovers at the Spencer-Penn Centre, in Spencer, VA, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be lots of food and craft vendors as well, so there's plenty of fun even for folks who might be too scared to visit with the scary author. Ha-ha!

Next month — Saturday, October 5 — come visit my vendor booth at the 43rd Annual Martinsville Uptown Oktoberfest, in Uptown Martinsville, VA. I'll have plenty of scary books on hand — Fugue Devil: Resurgence, Deathrealm: Spirits, Gods of Moab, Blue Devil Island, West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman, and several others. Ms. B. may bring along some of her art journals, watercolor paintings, and other nice items for sale as well. Oktoberfest features a passel of vendors with artsy-craftsy things, foodz, a beer garden, and other goodies of all sorts. It runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is free.

In November, Ms. B. and I will be attending a somewhat belated Dark Shadows–themed Halloween event at Seaview Terrace (a.k.a. the Carey Mansion) in Newport, RI, which served as the exterior of Collinwood in the original Dark Shadows series. I've been to numerous Dark Shadows events, and I've visited Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY, and the Lockwood-Mathews mansion in Norwalk, CT, both of which appeared in House of Dark Shadows way back when, but I've never been to Seaview Terrace, so this will be a first. Ms. B. and I are both very much looking forward to it.

Books, Brews, and Bashes

I'd like to express my thanks to Traci Morton, owner of Magnolia & Main Books, for hosting what turned out to be an excellent book signing event yesterday. We had a good crowd, and I sold a slew of books — which I gleefully devalued with my signature. Magnolia & Main is a charming little store with lots of books, both new and used, plus other assorted goodies. Local folks — please stop in and check it out! And thanks to all who came out for the event, particularly those who braved a torrential downpour early in the day. I really do appreciate it. Several old friends that I haven't seen in ages popped in, which meant a lot to me.

Magnolia & Main is located at 810 Main Street, Ridgeway, VA 24148.

After the event, friends Terry, Beth, Bob, and Yvonne all headed with Brugger and me over to Renewal Brewing in Uptown Martinsville for a variety of refreshing beverages. We had earlier determined we should all have dinner together, and as we were debating a suitable destination, Bob & Yvonne up and invited us to their place. So, we paraded over to their house and enjoyed an incredible dinner, plus good drinks, and lots of good music and other entertainment. It would have difficult to ask for a better day. Well, that big old rainstorm during the morning damn near drowned us, but at least we all survived.

Except maybe Ms. B. there. She's looking a little rough after diving into The Monarchs. I worry for her soul.

Upcoming events where you may find me raising hell and wreaking havoc include NecronomiCon, Providence, RI (August 15–18, 2024); MHC Is for Book Lovers, Spencer, VA (September 20, 2024); and Martinsville Oktoberfest, Martinsville, VA (October 5, 2024).

39 Ghosts!

Tomorrow night (Saturday, October 1) is the Martinsville, VA, premiere of local moviemaker Myron Smith's latest spookfest, titled 39 Ghosts, loosely based on William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960). Like most of Smith's movies, this one promises lots of chuckles as well as a few chills. In it, I play the ghost of Dr. Abroz (based on—guess who—Dr. Zorba from the original film.

The movie plays at the Spencer-Penn Center in Spencer, VA, just west of Martinsville, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at the door.

When I was a wee lad, 13 Ghosts scared the devil out of me, resulting in more than one sleepless night. And shortly afterward, one or more of those ghosts apparently migrated to our house because the number 13 mysteriously appeared on the living room wall behind the television, scrawled in pencil. My brother was way to young to do any such thing, and I would never, ever have dreamed of writing anything on the wall. Not me, no. So, it had to be ghosts. Probably Dr. Abroz.

Seeing the old dude as a ghost on the screen is bound to be a hoot. Perhaps I'll see you there.