Hey, friends. Been awhile since I’ve posted, but then again, well, you know. Your lives are crazy too.
Speaking of crazy (what an awful segue!), we are now in Williamsburg, Virginia for one of our favorite events of the year: the Scares That Care Weekend Convention. You can read all about it here.
What you also need to know is that this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever, which is saying a great deal when you take into account how amazing the first two conventions were. I’m gearing up to hang out with some of my favorite writers, including Brian Keene and Bryan Smith. The latter, by the way, will be getting married on Saturday, with the former conducting the ceremony.
Speaking of Brian Keene…
Not only is Brian a dear friend–and the reason why Scares That Care is now one of the premier writers’ conventions in America–he’s also one of the best horror writers the genre has ever seen. And he happens to have two new books for you to grab. One is called THE COMPLEX, which is harrowing and incredible; the other is a fantastically-received deep-sea thriller called PRESSURE, which is near the top of my TBR pile.
And if that weren’t reason enough to come, how about this? Mr. Joe R. Lansdale himself will be here this weekend. If any keystrokes in the above sentence went awry it’s because my fingers were trembling while I wrote it. Mr. Lansdale is one of my favorite writers of all time and a major influence on my work. In fact, I wrote the following about him in the Acknowledgments of THE NIGHTMARE GIRL:
The first person I want to thank is Mr. Joe R. Lansdale. He influenced this book, and his writing continues to influence me. He tells a story like nobody’s business, and he also happens to be an uncannily generous human being. If you enjoy this book, you’ll enjoy a Lansdale book. If you hate this book, you’ll enjoy a Lansdale book. He’s a national treasure who will be read a hundred years from now. So read him. And thank you, Joe, for doing what you do.
I’d say that about sums it up. If you want to hear further some further thoughts about Mr. Lansdale, here are a couple of links:
“Night They Missed the Horror Show”
Enough. Come to Scares That Care III. You’ll meet some of the best authors on the planet and see some of the coolest movie stars around. Plus, I’ll be reading from my newest novel CHILDREN OF THE DARK on Sunday and selling all my novels all weekend. So come.
I hope to see you there.
Jonathan Janz 