Bondage

So, I've been on an intense 007 binge over the past few months, mainly by way of several audio books about James Bond and/or Ian Fleming, as well as a few documentaries on YouTube devoted to the author, books, and movies. I've been a James Bond fan since 7th grade, when I saw my first Bond film (Diamonds Are Forever) and read my first Bond novel (You Only Live Twice). These days, now and again, I get that urge to jump back into the world of 007, like an itch that needs scratching.

I suppose it's a given that, when someone goes on such a tear as I have, there will be lists, so I'm posting a handful right here. Mind you, these are "Favorite" lists, NOT "Best of" lists. I have certain favorites that are objectively of lower quality than others that are not my favorites. For example, in the movie department, Skyfall is certainly a better film than Diamonds Are Forever, yet for personal reasons, I prefer the latter. In book department, I'm rating only those I've read that follow Ian Fleming's continuity, not the later novels by John Gardener, Raymond Benson, Christopher Wood, et. al. I've read many of those, and for the post part, I don't care for them. Also, being a huge fan of soundtrack music, I had to include my favorite opening themes. Also — the movie/music selections are limited to the official Eon Productions films; the 1967 Casino Royale doesn't even count, and you can throw 1983's Never Say Never Again somewhere in the middle of the rankings, and the score near the bottom.

Again... all of these constitute my favorites. Somewhere back in the history of this blog, I did post a "Best" list of James Bond films, but that's now out of date, and perhaps one day, when I'm feeling mad enough, I might create an updated "Best" list. Today is not that day. I'm not posting my reasons for these selections, either; I have neither the time nor the energy. Let it be known that at no time do I demean anyone else's favorites however they might diverge from mine, and I appreciate the same courtesy. Just take it on faith that, to credit Peter Gabriel, I know what I like, and I like what I know... as do you. So, lucky bloody you, here we go.

James Bond 007 Books Rated Favorite to Least Favorite
  1)  From Russia With Love (Ian Fleming)
  2)  On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Ian Fleming)
  3)  Casino Royale (Ian Fleming)

  4)  Thunderball (Ian Fleming)
  5)  Moonraker (Ian Fleming)
  6)  Live and Let Die (Ian Fleming)
  7)  Diamonds Are Forever (Ian Fleming)
  8)  Goldfinger (Ian Fleming)
  9)  Doctor No (Ian Fleming)
10)  You Only Live Twice (Ian Fleming)
11)  Colonel Sun (Kingsley Amis)
12)  For Your Eyes Only (Ian Fleming)
13)  Octopussy/The Living Daylights (Ian Fleming)
14)  Forever and a Day (Anthony Horowitz)
15)  With a Mind to Kill (Anthony Horowitz)
16)  Trigger Mortis (Anthony Horowitz)
17)  The Man With the Golden Gun (Ian Fleming)
18)  Solo (William Boyd)
19)  Devil May Care (Sebastian Faulks)
20)  The Spy Who Loved Me (Ian Fleming)

 James Bond 007 Movies Rated Favorite to Least Favorite
  1)  On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  2)  Goldfinger
  3)  From Russia With Love
  4)  Casino Royale
  5)  Diamonds Are Forever
  6)  Thunderball
  7)  For Your Eyes Only
  8)  You Only Live Twice
  9)  Live and Let Die
10)  The Spy Who Loved Me
11)  Doctor No
12)  Tomorrow Never Dies
13)  The Living Daylights
14)  Licence to Kill
15)  Goldeneye
16)  Octopussy
17)  The World Is Not Enough
18)  Quantum of Solace
19)  Skyfall
20)  No Time to Die
21)  The Man With the Golden Gun
22)  A View to a Kill
23)  Moonraker
24)  Die Another Day

James Bond 007 Actor Rated Favorite to Least Favorite
  1)  Sean Connery
  2)  Pierce Brosnan
  3)  Daniel Craig
  4)  Timothy Dalton
  5)  Roger Moore
  6)  George Lazenby

 James Bond 007 Movie Themes Rated Favorite to Least Favorite
  1)  On Her Majesty's Secret Service (instrumental opening)
  2)  Goldfinger
  3)  Diamonds Are Forever
  4)  Thunderball
  5)  Casino Royale ("You Know My Name")
  6)  Live and Let Die
  7)  From Russia With Love (instrumental opening)
  8)  You Only Live Twice
  9) The Living Daylights
10)  A View to a Kill
11)  Tomorrow Never Dies ("Surrender," ending title)
12)  The World Is Not Enough
13)  Licence to Kill
14)  Doctor No (James Bond Theme)
15)  Goldeneye
16)  Moonraker
17)  The Man with the Golden Gun
18)  No Time to Die
19)  Skyfall
20)  The Spy Who Loved Me ("Nobody Does It Better")
21)  Octopussy ("All-Time High")
22)  Spectre ("The Writing's on the Wall")
23)  Quantum of Solace ("Another Way to Die")
24)  Die Another Day

This Saturday: TRIANGLE TERROR CON in Durham, NC

THIS SATURDAY, September 26 — I'll be at Triangle Terror Con in Durham, NC, as a vendor, with plenty of my books to sell and sign to unwitting victims. More info at this link:

TRIANGLE TERROR CON
Saturday, September 26, 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Millennium Hotel
2800 Campus Walk Ave.
Durham, NC 27705

Guests Include:

Nathan Baesel (Behind the Mask) • Ak & Laura (The Chainsaw Girls) • Michael Hargrove (Candyman) • Carl Craig (Gamera vs. Viras) • Linda Miller (King Kong  Escapes)

 

I'll have copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond, Deathrealm: Spirits, Fugue Devil: Resurgence, Gods of Moab, Blue Devil Island, The Lebo Coven, Balak, and more.

 

Come on out — I'd love to see you! 

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Another Distant Early Warning: TRIANGLE TERROR CON

Saturday, September 26, I'll be at Triangle Terror Con in Durham, NC, as a vendor, with plenty of my books to sell and sign to unwitting victims. This is a single-day, outdoor event. More info at this link:

TRIANGLE TERROR CON
Saturday, September 26, 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Millennium Hotel
2800 Campus Walk Ave.
Durham, NC 27705

Guests Include:

Nathan Baesel (Behind the Mask) • Ak & Laura (The Chainsaw Girls) • Michael Hargrove (Candyman) • Carl Craig (Gamera vs. Viras) • Linda Miller (King Kong  Escapes)

 

I'll have copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond, Deathrealm: Spirits, Fugue Devil: Resurgence, Gods of Moab, Blue Devil Island, The Lebo Coven, Balak, and more.

 

I'd love to see you!

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Scares That Care Presents AuthorCon VI, Williamsburg

Thursday, February 26, 2026
Obviously, these pics aren't from AuthorCon, but they were taken at a cool geocaching stop between Martinsville and Williamsburg—a cache called "Rock Out #2" (GCAA7W3), to be precise—along the Chickahominy River. It was a somewhat dreary drive, with a good bit of rain and fog, but I didn't let that interfere with the caching. Sadly, though, Brugger is unable to attend, due to her mom falling and breaking her hip and a leg, so she is having to go to Michigan to help both her mom and her dad get along. Thus, on this trip, I ended up going after more caches than usual, since I had no worries about taxing her patience while I hunted, heh heh.

I stopped for lunch at Indian Fields Tavern in Charles City, a few miles this side of Williamsburg. It's one of our favorite dining destinations, along with the nearby Cul's Courthouse Grill, which we usually visit on alternate trips. Both restaurants have some of the best burgers I've ever tasted, but through no fault of my own, I might have had one too many burgers this week (I didn't mean to, really!), So, I tried their "Barn Bird" chicken sandwich, which was quite good, though not in the same league as their "Charles City Burger."

At Angler's Park, Danville, VA

Once in Williamsburg, I stopped for provisions at a handy grocery store and then made my way to the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Williamsburg, where I settled into my room, took a much-needed shower, and relaxed for a bit. Eventually, I made my way down to the bar to see if I might run into any familiar faces. I did indeed, and I'm looking forward to seeing several others of my acquaintance who will be arriving later this evening or tomorrow morning.

For dinner, I ordered some Thai food from nearby Thai Tara—a Crying Tiger appetizer and tofu fried rice. Once done, I headed back to the bar and hung out with several old writer friends, which was quite pleasant. The bartender makes a damned good Bloody Mary, and damn if these people don't feature some kind of vodka concoction in a bag. I did not have one of those, and I almost certainly will not.

 

Tomorrow, I'll be setting up in the ballroom as early as I can manage, and I'll be on the Cosmic Horror panel in the evening.

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Friday, February 27, 2026

Coffee! Lord, did I need coffee this morning. There's a coffeemaker in the room that comes with some of that not-so-good stuff, and there's a coffee shop in the convention area that has the not-so-cheap good stuff. So I compromised and got some not-so-cheap coffee and then drank some not-so-good coffee. It almost woke me up, but I may need to return to the coffee shop for the better brew. And soon.

 

I was right there when registration opened up, so I checked in and then went about the task of setting up my table in the ballroom. Having Brugger along to do the heavy lifting would have helped a lot, but, well, nope. (She has reached Michigan and is currently at the hospital with her mom.) For most of the morning, I socialized with some incoming authors/artists/friends and circumnavigated the hotel a number of times to get my mileage in for the day. I plagued a lot of people with my existence—folks like Bridgette & Mike Brenmark, Rebecca Cuthbert, Richard Dansky, Larry Hinkle, Justin Holley, Brian Keene, Todd Kiesling, Red Lagoe, Tom Lucas, Bryan Nowak, Stephen & Sharon Provost, J. Dennison Reed, Mark Sieber, Dave Simms, Sidney Williams, Valerie Williams, and others. I guarantee there will be considerably more plaguing before this weekend is over.

 

At 4:00 p.m., the opening ceremonies officially kicked off the weekend. Then the dealer's room opened up. I manned my table, shot shit with many people, grabbed tacos from the hotel's taco bar, and sold a few books. At 7:30, I went forth to participate in the Cosmic Horror panel, which also included Ben Farthing, Amanda Headlee, Thomas R. Clark, Todd Keisling, Mary SanGiovanni, and Tommy B. Smith. It was very well attended and most enjoyable. When I returned to my table, several people came by and bought books. There is happiness.

Finally, I made my way to Rich Dansky's room for his traditional Scotch & Cheese Party™, which included lots of scotch, lots of cheese, and lots of people. We drank and made merry for a good while, and then... it was time to crash. Tomorrow, I have a reading (with Rich), a panel on Folk Horror, and a long day in the dealer's room. Hopefully, it will be a profitable day.

The opening ceremonies, with Joe Ripple extolling the virtues of Uranus

L: Old Dude; R: Sidney Williams, looking uncustomarily happy

Sasquatch...er...Richard Dansky in a rare, non-blurry photo

Old Dude and Grand Llama Bryan Nowak

An insidiously happy-looking Bridgette Brenmark

Stephen & Sharon Provost discovering that they accidentally super-glued their hands together

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Saturday, February 28, 2026
As with so many mornings lately, I woke up to a miserable allergy attack, so I reluctantly took a Benadryl, which works reasonably well on the allergy but turns me into a drugged-up zombie. To help compensate, I drank a couple of extra doses of coffee, but it failed to kill the zombie. I had a less-than-satisfying breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet, and then kerplunked into my chair at the dealer's table. I sold a couple of books before my 11:00 a.m. reading with Mr. Dansky. We ended up with a few folks in attendance, which is always better than no folks in attendance. Richard read a highly entertaining ghost tale, and then I read the first chapter of my sequel to The House at Black Tooth Pond, tentatively titled Broken Barriers. Neither of us suffered an onslaught of projectiles.

 

Immediately afterward, I was on the Folk Horror panel, which also featured Jonathan Gensler, Thomas R. Clark, Tony Evans, and Bitter Karella. This one was also very well attended, and the discussion was lively.

 

I snagged a late lunch from the coffee shop, which, much like breakfast, wasn't very appetizing—a re-warmed, overpriced, rather stale sandwich. Anyway, I spent the rest of the afternoon at my table, and—happily—sold a lot of books. Several folks who'd been to my reading and panels came to visit and showered me with money. In return, I devalued their books with my signature.

 

Things slowed down a bit late in the day, so I was pretty glad when six o'clock rolled around. That chair gets hard after a while. But afterward, I trucked around the place for a while and got my daily steps in.

Michael Deady and David Simms, scaring and caring

Somebody left their lipstick at my table. I hope it wasn't a gift because it's not my color.

L: Another photo of the inimitable Mark "Horror Drive-In" Sieber for my collection; R: Ruh-Roh

At 7:00 p.m., I joined a cavalcade of horror folk on a pilgrimage to The Whaling Company restaurant, which has been an AuthorCon tradition since the day I started AuthorConning. About 7:15 p.m., these fourteen devilish writers descended on the place and proceeded to drink, eat, and carry on with wild abandon. I killed a dozen oysters on the half shell, a cup of some of the best New England clam chowder I've ever had, and two very stiff gin martinis. The food and service here has always been better than exemplary, and so it was tonight. Sadly, though, this was almost certainly the last time any of us will be able to enjoy this particular experience, as, much to our chagrin, the restaurant is set to close this coming August. This feels like the passing of an old friend, for the memories of the people and good times here are many, and they are deep.

Once back at the hotel, I yakked with Brugger for a while on the phone. She and her folks are doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances. After we said our good-byes, I went round to the bar, where I met Mr. Dansky and some of his friends. We all sank another round of very potent drinks.

For tonight, this is all she wrote. Tomorrow is Last Day.

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Sunday, March 1, 2026

After dragging myself out of bed this morning, I got all my stuff packed up, took it out to the car, and checked out of my room. Then I settled myself at my table in the ballroom for a couple of hours. I sold several more books in that short spell. At noon, I had a final panel on vintage paperbacks, featuring Sidney Williams, Mark Sieber, Phrique, Jason Cavallaro, Craig Brownlie, and Bitter Karella, which turned out to be a lot of fun.

The Vintage Paperback panel, with Sidney Williams, Phrique, Old Dude, Jason Cavallaro, Mark Sieber, Craig Brownlie, Bitter Karella

Then it was time to hit the road. I was starving, so I zoomed straight to Cul's Courthouse Grill in Charles City, about a 40-minute drive. This time...yes, I did have that burger. An incredibly huge, indescribably good burger. It's hard to say whether Indian Fields or Cul's makes THE best burger, but they're both among my favorites in the world.

Cul's Courthouse Grill in Charles City

THE burger

Over many years of traveling to Williamsburg, I have found most of the geocaches anywhere near the highways between here and there, but a scant handful still appeared on my map. Not anymore, though, because I made a few stops and grabbed all the caches—at least those that don't require going some distance out of the way. These were all fun, and at one in Clarksville, I happened upon a couple of very sweet little kache kitties. They were friendly enough, though they didn't let me come too close, and I approve of this. A lot of humans are not as kindly disposed toward cats as I am.

Kache Kitties

By the time I reached South Boston, the sun was setting, and the view was pretty spectacular from the highway. I managed a couple of pictures, though as usual, they don't adequately capture the sheer vista and range of colors.

 

Sales-wise, this was one of the best AuthorCons I've had, and despite Kimberly's absence, I had an all-around excellent time. I got to hang with so many good friends, a few of whom I've not seen in a very long time, and I also met a bunch of great folks I didn't already know. It goes without saying that I plan to attend the next one, and I hope very much that, next time, Brugger will be along to do the heavy lifting.

 

Of course, AuthorCon is great for bookselling, networking, and having fun, though its true mission is to support the Scares That Care! volunteer charity. To date, the charity has raised and donated over a half-million dollars to organizations and families with a child affected by illness, burns, or women fighting breast cancer. So, supporting the con directly helps individuals in dire need. In fact, thanks to the generosity of so many creative individuals, Scares That Care! was able to present a check for $10,000 to this year's breast cancer survivor, Mindy Rhone, at the convention.

 

Till later, all my fiends and neighbors.

Scares That Care! presents a $10,000 check to the 2026 breast cancer nominee, Mindy Rhone

An Oktoberfest Weekend

October has been my favorite month for most of my life, certainly as an adult. It's the Halloween season, don't you know! Since I was a kid, going up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall has been a family tradition. Apart from colorful fall foliage, the primary attraction for many decades was breakfast at Mabry Mill; sadly, the restaurant is no longer open. The leaves haven't turned yet, but the Virginia mountains are always beautiful, so we didn't mind going a little early this season. On Friday, Brugger and I drove up to Villa Appalaccia, our favorite winery within traveling distance, where we enjoyed an excellent tasting, a partial bottle of their excellent Dolcetto, and some light nibbles that we brought along with us. Following that, we drove over to nearby Chateau Morrisette Winery & Restaurant, where we had another very good tasting, followed by dinner at the restaurant. I had Osso Buco, which was enjoyable enough, though I'm afraid it was hardly my best dinner here. The shanks weren't as tender as they should have been, and the sauce did not go well with the accompanying polenta. Still, the restaurant is beautiful, with traditionally excellent food, and consistently good service, so my enthusiasm for it is no way is in no way diminished.

Below: Ms. B. and Old Dude at Villa Appalaccia and a couple of sunset views from the terrace at Chateau Morrisette.

Yesterday—Saturday—Brugger and I hauled ourselves, my books, and bookselling accoutrements uptown for Martinsville's 44th Annual Oktoberfest. I've been a regular vendor here for many years, and predictably for an event like this, sales can be very much hit or miss. Happily, this one was not at all a miss. I sold a record number of copies (which put me well into the black) and met lots of avid readers. I also ran into several good friends, some of whom I've not seen in far too many years.

 

Happily, good friends (and frequent traveling companions) Terry & Beth came up from Kernersville both to wander about Oktoberfest and hang out with us poor miscreants. After the fest was over and we'd broken down and packed up all our stuff, we all retired to Ground Zero for drinks and dinner. Ms. B. made a fantastic Italian chicken with basil & Parmesan on pasta that made us all very, very full. And then... cheesecake. Woot!

 

Below: A couple of images of Church Street during Oktoberfest.

Today, Ms. B. spent some time fixing up the living room to usher in the Halloween season, and this evening, we watched Night (Curse) of the Demon, which means things are getting real.

Beyond our own little corner of the world, things are far less content and "normal," so who's to say how the rest of our October (and beyond) will fare? For us this weekend, the world turned out to be very nice. I sure wish we all could enjoy much more peace, tranquility, and fulfillment. That said, I desperately wish certain people and parties wouldn't make that so damned hard.

GOJIRA 1954: A 70th ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE by Peter H. Brothers

Gojira 1954 is in the house! Just received my contributor copy from long-time author, editor, and daikaiju enthusiast extraordinaire, Peter H. Brothers. His newest monster book is a collection of essays, articles, and interviews devoted to the original 1954 Toho classic, titled Gojira 1954: A 70th Anniversary Retrosective. This one features my little essay, "The Big Old Stomp That Rocked My World," which recounts the day I watched Godzilla - King of the Monsters and the earth literally shook. Other contributors include Mike Bogue, Bradford Grant Boyle, Mark Cerasini, Allen A. Debus & Elizabeth Russell Debus, Davide Di Giorgio, Bob Eggleton, William Tsutsui, Larry Tuczynski, and many others whose names will strike familiar chords among daikaiju aficionados. The book also features personal accounts and interviews with numerous individuals involved in the original film production, including Special Effects Director Sadamasa Arikawa, Director Ishiro Honda, Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, Art Director Akira Watanabe, and many more.

Doubtlessly because Toho is very restrictive about the use of Godzilla images, the book offers only a smattering of photos. To be sure, though, the superlative written content makes this book a true keeper.

Peter H. Brothers is a multi-Rondo Award nominee, author of Atomic Dreams and Nightmares, Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men, Sons of Godzilla, and many others. Gojira 1954: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective is available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook.

I find the autographed Raymond Burr photo pretty danged awesome.

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Order Gojira 1954: A 70th Anniversary Retrospective at Amazon.com

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This Saturday, May 17, 2025—Book Signing at Magnolia & Main Books, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Our little corner of southwest Virginia has a small but well-stocked and beautifully appointed bookshop called Magnolia & Main Books, which you can find—perhaps shockingly!—at the corner of Magnolia and Main Streets in Ridgeway, Virginia. The proprietor, Traci Morton, loves books, her business, and actively supporting local writers. Last year, she hosted a booksigning for me, which turned out to be well attended and profitable for both her business and me (see "Books, Brews, and Bashes," July 21, 2024). 

I'll be doing another signing at Magnolia & Main from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 17. A wide selection of my books will be available, including my latest novel, The House at Black Tooth Pond, the setting of which loosely based on the Martinsville/Henry County area.

If you're local, please pay Magnolia & Main Books a visit!

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“This is cosmic horror done right!”—Publishers Weekly's
starred review of The House at Black Tooth Pond

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Scares That Care—AuthorCon V Wrap-Up

Friday, March 28, 2025
This morning, Brugger and I rose with the sun (well, almost); clambered into the Rodan Mobile, which I had packed up last night; and set forth for Scares That Care—AuthorCon V in Williamsburg, VA. With stops for a few geocaches, pees, and lunch (at Indian Fields Tavern in Charles City, VA, which is one of my favorite taverns on Earth), the trip took about five and a half hours. Happily, traffic was relatively light, we encountered only a small amount of road construction, and the weather turned out nice. A generally stress-free drive, which doesn't happen often.

Old dude with Erica Wetzel-Fields

I had packed several boxes of books for my table, and once we disembarked at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Williamsburg, we had our work cut out for us setting things up. After a while, the table looked as you see it in the photo above, which I figure is pretty respectable.

 

Opening ceremonies began at 3:00 p.m., with the usual introduction of the Scares That Care board of directors and awards presentations. At 4:00, the vendor rooms opened up. My table occupied a very good, highly visible position in the promenade area, just outside the main ballroom/dealer's room doors. Business picked up almost at once, and I sold a passel of books in the first couple of hours. Come the dinner hour, things slowed down a bit. The hotel had a convenient food bar just outside the convention area, so rather than go out for foodz, I partook of some very expensive chicken wings, which I fear were fair at best.

 

Things stayed slow for a while, but not long before closing time—9 p.m.—business picked up, and books went flying off the table; mostly copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond and West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman. After the con closed for the night, Ms. B. and I made a supply run at the nearby Food Lion. And then...Scotch with Dansky. That's Richard Dansky, author and connoisseur of ye Scottish spirits. A veritable horde of thirsty souls descended upon his room at 11 p.m. to partake of Scotch and a variety of cheeses. I donated a partial bottle of Johnnie Walker Island Green, which I'd picked up at the duty-free shop on the Liberty of the Seas when we were on our Caribbean cruise a little while back. As you might guess, the spirits and company proved incredibly intoxicating.

With Tim Waggoner

With Maurice Broaddus

Valerie Williams and Ms. B. share
similar tastes in T-shirts

Saturday, March 29, 2025
It was nice that we had a coffeemaker in our room but hardly surprising that the hotel-supplied coffee didn't exactly hit on all cylinders. At 10:00 a.m., the dealer's area opened, so when I went down, I grabbed some honest-to-Yog coffee from the little shop on the main floor. Costly but good. I ended up revisiting the shop several times during the day because... coffee.
 

To be sure, there were numerous moments of hustle and bustle during the day, but many of us observed that the crowd appeared smaller than usual. Still, I sold several books and spent some quality time (at least for me) bending the ears of friends/authors Garrett Boatman, Maurice Broaddus, Rebecca Cuthbert, Mike Deady, Tom Deady, Christopher Golden, Scott Goudsward, Justin Holley, Tom Lucas, Sirrah Medeiros, Mark Sieber, David Simms, Rob Smales, Tim Waggoner, Sidney Williams, Valerie B. Williams, Trisha Wooldridge, and lots of other folks. When I took a walk around the hotel complex to get in my requisite daily step count, I noted that there was plenty of parking available. In the past, the lots stayed full day in and day out; today, the rear lot was largely empty, which again led me to conclude that attendance this year is down from the past couple.

At 3:30 p.m., I had a reading with Rich Dansky. I read a chapter from The House at Black Tooth Pond and Rich read one of his new, as-yet-unpublished cosmic horror tales. His was solid gold, I can assure you. The attendees threw nothing at either of us, so I call that a success.

For dinner, Ms. B. and I wandered over to The Whaling Company, a nearby seafood restaurant we'd visited last year. A couple of excellent martinis, a load of steamed clams, and platter of fried cod with cole slaw and potatoes about did me in (in the best way possible). Great service as well, so I give this place top marks.

 

We headed back to the hotel and settled at the bar, where we encountered numerous acquaintances and fiends. Had nice conversations with authors Kenzie Jennings and Valerie Williams and the convention's jack-of-all-trades, Jake Lerner. There might have been additional drink involved, but I can't be entirely sure, which would suggest—suggest, I assure you—that maybe there was.

And then... nighty night.

Sunday, March 30, 2025
I woke up early and realized that the suggestion that I might have over-imbibed last night had some merit. So, I immediately headed to the coffee shop downstairs and fueled up. The morning makeover took a while, but by the time the vendor area opened, I was back in top form (meaning I could walk and almost talk). Oftentimes at cons, Sundays are pretty dead but with occasional peaks as book buyers have a last hurrah with their remaining funds. That very thing happened this morning, and I moved a bunch more books—almost as many as all day yesterday. The room was open till 3:00 p.m., and I might have sold a few more, but Brugger and I wanted to hit the road before so we wouldn't be very late getting home. So, about noon, we packed ourselves up, offered fond farewells to so many of the world's best folks, and hit the road. We stopped again in Charles City for lunch, this time at Cul's Courthouse Grille, which is another of my favorite dining destinations when I'm out this way. I resolved to avoid alcohol today and for most of the coming week because the con setting definitely brought out the social drinker in me. So, reluctantly, I said no to the Sunday Bloody Mary specials. I do love me some Bloody Marys.

Of course, AuthorCon is great for bookselling, networking, and having fun, though its true mission is to support the Scares That Care volunteer charity. To date, the charity has raised and donated nearly a half-million dollars to organizations and families with a child affected by illness, burns, or women fighting breast cancer. So, supporting the con directly helps individuals in dire need.

 

AuthorCon VI will be held February 26 to March 1, 2026, in Williamsburg, at the same location as always (The DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Williamsburg). Hope to see you there.

Just One of the Bookhouse Boys...

I don't typically post much political stuff here on my blog; I tend to reserve that for my other social media accounts, where interaction is more immediate, if oftentimes mortifying. I prefer my blog to be a little more zen—books, movies, geocaching, personal news, local events, et. al. I am sure as hell not gonna break with that tradition today because, from the local to the national level, the endless, devastating waves of semi-literate noise erupting from the public brain trust has about pummeled me to the ground.

Therefore...

This weekend, March 28–30, I'll have a vendor table at Scares That Care AuthorCon V in Williamsburg, VA. I'll have copies of all the titles you see in the montage above, but I'll be showcasing my newest novel, The House at Black Tooth Pond; I'll also be doing a reading from it on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. EST (partnered with the inimitable Richard Dansky). More details here.

I've got a book signing scheduled for May 17 at our local bookstore, Magnolia & Main Books, Ridgeway, VA, so if you're within traveling distance, I'd love to see you! Owner Traci Morton did a nice little Q&A session with me at the shop a couple of weeks ago, and you can check that out here.

Many of y'all may be aware that I am a regular panelist on Mike Davis's Lovecraft Ezine Patreon Podcast on Sunday evenings, which usually includes a guest author. Mike also provides tons of other content, including a Friday night hangout, where we shoot a lot of cosmic horror shit and generally cut up. Recently, we've been having group "re-reads" of some of H.P. Lovecraft's fictions with discussions about the stories, the author, the historical contexts, and all such cool things. This week (tomorrow), we'll be discussing "The Call of Cthulhu." The Lovecraft Ezine is one of several projects I support by way of Patreon, and I highly recommend it for anyone who has even a passing interest in HPL or cosmic horror in general (visit the link above and go to the "Patreon" link to get more info).

 

I've read some very cool books lately, the most recent being Rebecca Cuthbert's fiction collection, Six o' Clock House & Other Strange Tales. It's a smorgasbord of the scary, the wacky, and the quirky, with several short tales that read more like vignettes—snapshots of memorable (if fictitious) people, places, and events, told in the author's unique and engaging voice.

 

For several months, I've been on an F. Paul Wilson binge, and if I haven't read everything he's ever written, I've surely gotten through a vast percentage of his body of work. I've been a fan of The Keep since I first read it in the 1980s, and a while back (thanks again to Mike Davis), I decided to continue with the entire Adversary/Repairman Jack cycle, including the "early years" and "young adult" entries about Repairman Jack. His latest that I've read is The Upwelling, and I have its follow-up volume, Lexie, in the TBR stack. I've known Paul for many years (he tuckerized my name in The Tomb, which I kinda love), and it's fair to say I've become more enamored of his work than almost any other living author.

I reckon that's about it. Maybe tomorrow, I'll feel more cantankerous. Bye bye for now!