Brain Matter

Well, it’s been a week now since the first StokerCon, and I’m finally caught up with work enough to get my own thoughts and reminiscences down for posterity. I have to begin by saying that this was one of the best—if not THE best—horror conventions I’ve been to. Kudos to the con team—Lisa Morton, John Palisano, Rena Mason, Brad Hodson, Kate Jonez, Erinn Kemper, and all the volunteers—for making it so special. My adventure in Sin City began when I arrived on Wed. evening and found some good friends (Rena Mason, Erin Kemper, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner) gathered by the firepit at the Garden Bar, which became the unofficial gathering place throughout the con. After a full day of work and a long flight, I retired early (midnight, which is early at a con!). Thursday found me, in the words of Billy Martin, tanned and rested and ready to go as I started my first stint at the registration desk. Working with James Chambers, Patrick Freivald. Kate Jonez, Brian Matthews, Erin Kemp

 Stuart R. West hails from Kansas, which he says is home to lots of cool and creepy things. You have to believe him, if his stories are indicative of his environment! But he doesn't just write horror - he does mysteries, thrillers, YA... you name it. His latest is a foray into comic horror, and today he's here to tell you all about the story behind his new novel, Demon with a Comb Over.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Demon with a Comb-Over: My Comedy of Terrors by Stuart R. West Sometimes I think there’s a thin line between comedy and horror. For me they can both induce dread, queasiness, even chills.  But I’m getting ahead of myself. Years ago, when I had lots more hair and lots more (unfounded) confidence, I thought I’d give stand-up comedy a shot. I figured, how hard could it be? Right? Yeah, right. Famous last words. At an open mike night at a local comedy club, I had my booster club with me. My fri

Jeyn Roberts is a best-selling YA author who hails from Canada. Her writing is fun and dark and quirky and realistic all at once, and even though it’s labeled as YA, adults can enjoy it just as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So You Wanna Write A YA Horror By Jeyn Roberts             If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ll know that YA is a popular market. And teenagers like to be scared. Although I’m going to be talking about YA horror specifically, with the exception of a few things, these rules actually do apply across the board.               Any author, editor, or agent will agree: horror is a tough sale. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that good horror is hard to write. And anyone who subscribes to Netflix will agree that there’s a lot of bad, not even remotely scary stuff out there.             So here are what I consider to be some of the do’s and don’ts