Last weekend, I attended World Horror Convention 2005 in NYC, where I sat on a panel, performed readings, did a few interviews, and generally had a lot of fun. I can’t possibly write a “con report” because it would go on forever, but I met a lot of friends old and new, talked to numerous readers and editors, and enjoyed every waking moment.
One highlight for me, though, was getting the chance to see the “model” for the sculpture-bound, special edition (a.k.a. “Grim Grimoire“) edition of my novel, Play Dead, pictured above. The resemblance is uncanny…hah! The book, if you can’t see it well, is shaped like an evil Ace of Spades, with ruby red eyes that follow you everywhere, and a realistic maw with real teeth in its little snapping mouth. 54 copies of this book will be manufactured for the collector’s market by my publisher, Raw Dog Screaming Press this Fall.
RDSP also sponsored the very fun “Play Dead Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Event” which pitted author against author in a showdown of cards, moderated by Matt Schwartz at shocklines.com, complete with professional dealers, tables, and chips. I played in the game for the literacy charity, in2books, and though I didn’t win, I held my own, and over $1575 was raised for various charitable organizations. F. Paul Olsen, Valerie Thorpe, Jeremy Robert Johnson and Tom Monteleone were top four players in the game. Afterwards, every author signed dozens of decks of playing cards to create a unique collectable artifact which will be given to sponsors and players.
Play Dead is now available for preorder in hardback; the “Grim Grimoire” has yet to be priced, but is expected to sell out upon announcement. An excerpt from Play Dead was recently posted at the Horror Fiction News Network. Review copies are circulating, and I’ll link to reviews here as they appear.