KillerCon4 Interview—Founders of KillerCon

KillerCon4 Interview—Founders of KillerCon:

Wrath James White and Monica O'Rourke

Wrath James White is a former World Class Heavyweight Kickboxer, a professional Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts trainer, distance runner, performance artist, and former street brawler, who is now known for creating some of the most disturbing works of fiction in print. 

Wrath's two most recent novels are The Resurrectionist and Yaccub's Curse. He is also the author of Succulent Prey, Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, The Book of a Thousand Sins, His Pain, and Population Zero. He is the co-author of Teratologist (with Edward Lee), co-author of Orgy of Souls (with Maurice Broaddus), co-author of Hero (with J.F. Gonzales), and co-author of Poisoning Eros (with KillerCon co-founder Monica J. O'Rourke). 

Wrath lives and works in Austin, Texas with his two daughters, Isis and Nala, his son Sultan, and his wife Christie.  

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Monica O'Rourke has published more than one hundred short stories in magazines such as Postscripts, Nasty Piece of Work, Fangoria, Nemonymous, and Brutarian and anthologies including The Mammoth Book of the Kama Sutra and These Guns for Hire. She is the author of Poisoning Eros I and II with Wrath James White, Suffer the Flesh, and the collection Experiments in Human Nature. She works as a freelance editor, proofreader, and book coach. 

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KC: How did the first KillerCon come about? 

WJW: We were both attending the Northeastern Writer’s Conference (or NECON, as it is more popularly known). It was a great time. For me, however, it’s pretty far to travel. I was speaking to a group of people one night during the convention, I believe it was actually on my birthday, and I was lamenting that there wasn’t a writer’s conference like this on the West Coast. I started telling everyone how I’d been trying to talk someone into bringing World Horror to Vegas, but that no one was interested because they thought everyone would get lost in the strip clubs and casinos and no one would go to the readings and panels. Then everyone asked me why I didn’t just start my own convention. Monica offered to help me if I did and thus KillerCon was born.

MO: Wrath made me do it.

KC: It must have involved quite a lot of work spreading the word about the con and getting people to attend the first time. How did you let people know about KillerCon? 

WJW: We posted on message boards like Shocklines and Bloody Disgusting. We bought ads on Horror World and Horror Mall. We even bought Facebook ads. Then we went to other conventions and handed out fliers. It was a lot of work.

KC: How did you two first meet? 

WJW: Monica and I met at the very first Horrorfind. I was a new writer still trying to make a name for myself and so was Monica, but she seemed to know everyone, so Monica, Teri Jacobs, and Brian Keene sort of took me under their wing. A couple years later we collaborated on Poisoning Eros and shocked the hell out of everyone.

MO: Wrath and I met in 1957 while working as missionaries in Cambodia. It was harrowing! We decided to collaborate and wrote Harrowing Missionary Work in Cambodia. Poisoning Eros was better received in 2004. It was also less disgusting.

KC: Poisoning Eros received many accolades. Did you bring some elements of this writing collaboration to working together with organizing KillerCon, or was it completely different experience? 

WJW: Organizing a convention and writing have few parallels. As writers we were equals, but Monica clearly knew more about organizing a convention then I did at that time. She was only a few years removed from organizing World Horror NY in 2005, which, in my opinion, was the last truly great World Horror until they brought it to Austin in 2011. So I picked her brain a lot for the small details that are essential to a successful convention.  

MO: What is this “KillerCon” you keep asking about?

KC: Why was it so important for you to establish KillerCon?  

WJW: Because there was nothing close to a horror writer’s convention on the West Coast. All the conventions in the west focused on film, which is fine, but I’m not really interested in getting an autograph from the guy who did the voice for "Chucky" or some aging scream-queen charging twenty dollars for an autographed picture. That’s just not my idea of fun. I’m a writer and I want to be around other writers, editors, and publishers. I was sure there were others like me who were sick of the literary representatives of horror being pushed aside in favor of B-movie stars. 

MO: I wanted to make buckets of money.

WJW: If that’s the case, it was a dismal failure. I like to think of Killercon as a non-profit venture. Otherwise, I’d cry.

KC: KillerCon is known for its unique and daring events, including Forensic Blood Splatter with Pat MacEwan, writing contests, and being held at the famous Las Vegas Stratosphere, which is almost like an amusement park of a hotel that boasts death-defying roller coasters, but the first and second KillerCon conventions were held at the Palace Station Hotel. How did you go about securing the Stratosphere starting with KillerCon 2? 

WJW: My wife suggested it. We were having problems with our original venue. I was having a meltdown over it, and my wife sort of took the reins, called the hotel, and set the whole thing up. She saved KillerCon, truth be told.

KC: What’s the best part about every KillerCon convention for both of you? What has been your favorite part about every KillerCon convention so far? Any famous moments or great anecdotes? 

WJW: Pat MacEwan’s blood spatter demo last year was a highlight. Seeing a bunch of horror authors playing with green blood, bashing a stuffed rabbit with a hammer; that was amazing. Deadite’s Gross-Out contest was probably one of the best contests ever. They really know how to host an event. 

MO: Winning $500 in the casino was a highlight. Watching Ed Lee and Pat MacEwan fistfight in the lobby was a plus. 

KC: Can you talk a bit about who the first guests of honor were for the first KillerCon and how you went about getting them? 

WJW: We made a list of our top ten “Most Wanted” and just started tracking down emails. That was the hardest part. It was not easy getting contact info for some of the people on our list and others we had to go through agents. We didn’t do so well dealing with agents and I just avoid them now. If I can’t speak to the author directly, I move on. In the end, we wound up with Heather Graham, L. A. Banks, Brian Keene, Edward Lee, and Joe Lansdale. It was a great representation of the genre in all facets. We were quite pleased.

MO: Stephen King was unavailable.

KC: There are plenty of “fan conventions” on the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror circuits, but KillerCon seems to be designed exclusively for writers. Was this always the plan from the beginning, or did it generally evolve into a horror writers’ convention? 

WJW: It was always meant to be a convention for writers and readers. Fans are definitely welcome. We just never wanted it to be Horrorfind West or Fangoria Las Vegas. Those conventions are great and there’s no need for us to imitate them. We wanted to do something unique and treat the authors, who make many of those movies possible, like rock stars. Usually, writer’s conventions are in dingy little hotels in the middle of nowhere with hotel staff that treat the convention-goers like an inconvenience. It’s so common we’ve all grown accustomed to it and it’s even a bit of a cliché. We joke about the terrible hotels we’ve attended conventions in. But we knew it didn’t have to be that way. Monica and I wanted to throw a convention at a world-class hotel, in a fun, vibrant city, with an attentive staff that was happy to have us there. We had some bumps that first year, but the Stratosphere was the perfect fit.

MO: What Wrath said.

KC: Besides fan favorites like the Deadite Books Gross-out contest, what can attendees expect from KillerCon this year? 

WJW: We’ve got Pat MacEwan back with an alien autopsy. We’re organizing a zip-lining event on Fremont Street for people who get in early on Thursday night. We’ve got parties every night sponsored by Samhain Books, Shock Totem, Cutting Block Press, and Deadite Press. On Sunday, we have a former psychologist for the Utah State Prison giving a talk on the Psychology of Serial Killers. The Creative Fiction Contest is back, sponsored by Sinister Grin Press along with the Erotic Horror Flash Fiction Contest. And then we have an amazing group of special guests: F. Paul Wilson, Jack Ketchum, William Nolan, “Grammar Girl” Mignon Fogarty, Editor Guest of Honor, Don D’Auria, and Special Guests Brian Keene and Eric Red. This is going to be one amazing year.

MO: I have no idea. They fired me.

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KillerConLV would like to thank Wrath and Monica for taking the time out of their jam-packed schedules to stop by for this interview! :-)

For more information on panels and events during KillerCon4, please visit the Schedule/Events page.

-KillerConLV

KillerCon 4 Interview: Kelley Armstrong

KillerCon 4 Guest of Honor Interview - Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets. 

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~To order your copy of Thirteen, 

releasing today, July 24, 2012, click here!~

KC: KillerCon, now in its fourth year, is a horror convention rising in popularity, and it's certainly gaining ground in the genre community as one of the "must attend" cons. When you were first approached about being a Guest of Honor, what made you accept? The other conventions you do focus more on paranormal romance and urban fantasy, as do the cross-promotional tours you do with your contemporaries like Rachel Mead, Kim Harrison, Marjorie M. Liu, Jeanine Frost, etc. Why say yes to a horror convention? 

KA: My roots are actually in horror. Most of what I wrote up until my twenties would be classified as that. It was only after reading Anne Rice’s work that I saw a more fantasy-based possibility for the supernatural and switched. The Horror Writers Association was still the first professional organization I joined and I jump at the chance to write short horror fiction.

KC: There seems to be a slippery slope in definitions of genre fiction, with some people being staunchly defiant about what they consider horror—while they may concede that urban fantasy and paranormal romance contain elements of horror fiction, they aren't "pure" or "traditional" horror—what's your response to that? Do you consider what you write to be horror fiction, or just that your work has elements of horror fiction?

KA: I actually got myself into some trouble when Bitten (Book One of the Otherworld series) came out because I wrote something saying it wasn’t horror. It was misconstrued by a few people as an attempt to distance myself from the genre or “rise above it.” That was definitely not the case. To me, horror should horrify and if that expectation isn’t met by a so-called horror novel, it’s false advertising. For the same reason, I say my work isn’t romance—because that means romance should be the central plot and there must be a happily-ever-after ending. However, I do incorporate elements of both horror and romance in my work…along with elements of mystery, action and fantasy. I’m quite happy to be “adopted” by any of those genres :-) Just as long as the label doesn’t set up reader expectations that I can’t meet!

KC: You've mentioned in other interviews that in your childhood, you enjoyed anything that involved ghosts, vampires, and werewolves, and that informed your work as an adult, when you became a writer, and that you view Stephen King and Anne Rice, two of the biggest horror writers of all time, as your inspirations for different reasons. What was your relationship like with the supernatural growing up? Was there ever a time when you believed in monsters? What made you decide to humanize monsters to a certain degree, as you did with your werewolves in your first book, Bitten?  

KA: I can’t say that I remember ever believing in monsters, even as a child. I call myself a reluctant skeptic. I love "true” tales of the paranormal, but I’ve never found anything I can't explain away.  Still, that doesn't stop me from looking for that story that seems like it could be true.

As for what made me decide to humanize werewolves, I saw an "X-Files" werewolf episode and it reminded me of how much I hate the “wolfman” depiction.  I'd always preferred the old werewolf stories where someone actually turns into a wolf and displays wolf-like behaviour even in human form, so that’s what I wanted to do with Bitten.

KC: You've been compared in the past to Laurell K. Hamilton, while others have said you take more of a Joss Whedon approach to your supernatural fiction, injecting humor between the drama. Do you agree with that assessment? 

KA: Like Hamilton and Whedon, I write about various supernatural types—vampires, werewolves, demons etc—with thriller-type plots, where the protagonists are trying to solve a mystery or overcome a threat. When I started Bitten in the early nineties, neither series had started, but I’m sure they both had an influence on later books. When I’m trying to explain what I write, I often use Buffy and Anita Blake as comparisons. I always specify early Anita Blake, though, because otherwise, I set up another expectation that I definitely can’t meet :-)

KC: Thirteen is said to be the last final book in the Otherworld series—did you always know you would end it with Savannah leading the way? Was that the plan from the beginning, or did it gradually evolve and become apparent to you that this would be the way to go? 

KA: I’d always hoped to end the series with Savannah, though I had no idea if the series would be successful enough to see her through to adulthood! I wanted to finish with her because she’s grown up in the Otherworld and is the most connected to all the other narrators. For the past six books I’ve been laying the framework for the big end-game that’s unfolding now.

KC: Many fantasy authors and indeed your contemporaries, some of whom you've collaborated with like Melissa Marr on Loki's Wolves (Book One of The Blackwell Pages), have made a greatly successful shift to YA—why did you decide to make the leap while then continuing the Otherworld series? And who conceived of the idea for the Blackwell Pages series—you, Melissa, or both? 

KA: For the Darkest Powers books, I had an idea inspired by a subplot in my second Otherworld novel, Stolen, but it would work best with supernaturals just coming into their powers, which made it a much better YA idea. I held onto that idea until my daughter was hitting her teens, which seemed an excellent time to start. I definitely wanted to continue the Otherworld, though. This was just a spinoff for a younger audience.

As for the Blackwell Pages, Melissa and I had discussed writing a joint book for a while before she suggested Norse-myth-based middle-grade. We both had preteen sons and we were keen to write something “for them.” 

KC: How did you enjoy the co-writing process? What were some of the challenges involved?

KA: I’m really enjoying the co-writing. I think the biggest challenge is figuring out how to share and divide the work.  We split the writing by chapters and narrative point-of-view. I’m taking the male protagonist and she’s taking the two secondary characters (a boy and a girl) We alternate chapters—I do one for “my” character, then she writes a chapter for one of hers.

KC: You've spoken in the past about writing strong female characters in both your adult and YA series, and said that it's more about making them capable characters, and you've spoken to why you write paranormal fiction, but when you were just starting out, did you think you would be as successful as you've turned out to be?

KA: Not at all.  My initial goal was to be able to work part-time and write part-time. Being successful enough to make that switch to full-time writing was amazing…and being able to continue doing it really has been a dream come true.

KC: You've also written a crime series, the first book of which, Exit Strategy, came out in 2007. How did that come about, and would you like to return to doing non-supernatural fiction, and if so, would it still be within the realm of crime, or would it be outside of that? 

KA: I love reading thrillers, so when I was worried about early Otherworld sales, my agent asked what else I’d write if it didn’t work out.  I said crime and she suggested I start one, just to calm my fears.  Then the Otherworld took off and a few years later, I returned to finish and sell Exit Strategy. I loved those books—I’m finally writing the third and final one now—but I think my heart really does belong to fantasy and I prefer to have some element of that in my stories. My next adult series is more mystery, but still has supernatural elements. It’s like a mix of the Nadia books and the Otherworld.

KC: You've also done work for the Buffyverse with Angel: Aftermath, the comic book—how did that come about, and which part of it did you enjoy the most? Do you think you'll write other comic book adaptations or is this kind of it for you?

KA: It was one of those lucky "networking" things.  Someone who knew I was a big Buffy/Angel fan found out that IDW was looking for writers to continue the Angel comics . I loved the opportunity to write in that universe, but it was terrifying, too. I felt a huge responsibility to “get it right” and I never felt I quite managed it. I suspect I’ll stick with my own worlds from now on. 

KC: Returning to your YA fiction, you've mentioned that it's very difficult to get into the minds of teens to be able to convey them as characters convincingly, but that your own teenage daughter is a great help with this. What other things help you get into the mindset of a teen when you're writing the Darkest Powers books?

KA: It actually wasn’t nearly as hard to get into the mindset as I feared. My daughter did help, mostly by pointing out words or phrasing or dialogue patterns that teens wouldn’t use. But I found I could get back into that mindset myself by immersing myself in reminders of my own teen years—listening to the music, looking through yearbooks and so on.

KC: What's next for you? More YA? A new adult series? 

KA: As much as I love writing YA, I started in adult, so my focus remains there, even if I’m ending the Otherworld. I’ve sold a new adult trilogy that I wouldn’t call urban fantasy—there are none of the classic supernatural types like werewolves and vampires in it. It’s definitely got a paranormal angle, though. The first book, Cainsville, comes out next summer.

KC: Your summer and fall are shaping up to be busy with lots of promotional events and book signings and convention appearances—what are some of the highlights for you? Some of the ones you're really looking forward to going to? 

KA: KillerCon of course :-) I was very excited when I was invited for 2011…and then very disappointed when I realized I was already booked for that weekend. I’m also looking forward to the 3rd and final Smart Chicks Kick It tour—a YA group tour that I organize with Melissa Marr. And I’m heading to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories in November, which will be my first visit to the true Canadian north.

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KillerConLV would like to thank Kelley for taking the time out of her jam-packed schedule to stop by for this interview! :-)

Just a reminder that Kelley will be participating in a live Goodreads chat on July 31, 2012! For more information or to take part in "Ask Kelley Armstrong," click here to join the Goodreads group. 

Kelley will be involved in various panels and events during KillerCon4. For more information, please visit the Schedule/Events page.

-KillerConLV

KillerCon 4 Interview: Mignon Fogarty

KillerCon 4 Guest of Honor Interview - Mignon Fogarty

Mignon Fogarty, the creator of Grammar Girl and the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, is also the author of the New York Times bestselling GRAMMAR GIRL'S QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING and THE GRAMMAR DEVOTIONAL.  Her straightforward, bite-sized tips on grammar have led to features in the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and an appearance on Oprah. She lives in Reno, Nevada. 

Author Facebook | Author Twitter | YouTube | Goodreads

KC: How did you first find out about the KillerCon Convention and what were your initial thoughts about a horror convention held in Las Vegas?  

MF: I first found out about KillerCon when I was invited to speak at the convention. I didn’t have any unusual thoughts about it being in Las Vegas since so many conferences are held in Las Vegas. It seemed normal to me!

KC: What made you say yes to being a guest of honor at KillerCon 4? Most people don’t usually expect a grammar expert at a horror convention ;-) 

MF: It sounded like a conference full of writers. Just because they’re writing horror doesn’t mean they don’t care about good grammar ;-) 

KC: Are you a regular on the writer convention circuit? If so, what are some of the things you like and dislike most about conventions?  

MF: I’m not a regular on the writer convention circuit. I went to WorldCon last year, and it was my first convention. I had a blast there, and it was soon after that you invited me to KillerCon, so I thought it would be fun to attend another Con. My favorite part of the WorldCon was the costumes--both the high-level competition and the costumes people wore during the day. I’m curious to see whether people wear costumes at KillerCon, and if so, what they will be like.

KC: What are you looking forward to most at KillerCon 4?

MF: I’m looking forward to finding out what it’s all about. I have no preconceived notions or expectations. It will all be new and wonderful.

KC: What can readers expect from you next? 

MF: Well, I just released the last Grammar Girl book I’ll be writing for a while: 101 Troublesome Words You’ll Master in No Time. I still have to record the audiobooks for the four books in the 101 Words series, and I’m also working on Grammar Girl iPad games. I like to find ways to make it fun for people to learn about language, so games seemed like a natural way to go. Along with keeping all the regular Grammar Girl stuff going (podcast, newsletter, website, speaking, Twitter, Facebook), I expect the games will keep me busy for at least the next year.

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KillerConLV would like to thank Mignon for taking the time out of her jam-packed schedule to stop by for this interview! :-)

Her workshop at KillerCon 4, Quick and Dirty Tips for Fiction Writers, takes place on Friday, September 21. For more information, please visit the Schedule/Events page.

-KillerConLV

Don't Stand So Close by Eric Red

Praise for Don't Stand So Close

"Eric Red brings his considerable talent as a screenwriter to bear on this powerful tale of sexual adventure and teenage turmoil. Erotic and suspenseful, breathlessly narrated, incisively characterised, Don't Stand So Close had me in its grip until I finished it at a single sitting."

—Ramsey Campbell, author of The Grin of the Dark

"Don't Stand So Close is a riveting coming-of-age thriller. Heartbreaking, nail-biting, compelling and deeply insightful. Highly recommended for any teen who stands with one foot in the shadows."

—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay

Don't Stand So Close 

by Eric Red 
ISBN: 9780954252342
Short Scary Tales
July 2012, 278 pp. 
$14.00 (Bad Moon Books)  |  Amazon | SST (UK)

Acclaimed horror director and writer Eric Red has released his first novel, Don't Stand So Close, with Short Scary Tales, and the book has already been getting positive attention. Dread Central did this write-up, while JoBlo raved, "carnally charged, wildly unforeseen and addictive page-turner about a teenager's torrid affair with his dangerously perverted new English teacher. Equal parts humorous, sordidly sexy and ever suspenseful, DON'T STAND SO CLOSE is a must read for not just horny teens, but for aficionados of well written horror fiction as well!" We expect Eric will continue to generate more fantastic coverage for  his novel.

About the Book: 
When handsome 17-year-old Matt Poe moves to a rural town in Iowa, he is the new kid in school. An outsider who can't fit in, his only friend is his beautiful and sympathetic teacher, Linda Hayden. The older woman is the first to take an interest in him, helping him adjust to the community and keep his grades up. Matt can't help falling hard for Linda and what begins with a kiss becomes a torrid, secret affair. But his teacher is a lot more than he bargained for and the kid's wildest dream becomes his worst nightmare. The only people who can save Matt are his two classmates, Grace McCormack and Rusty Shaw. But the three of them are in way over their heads against an evil adult trying to make sure they stay after class permanently.

About the Author: 
Eric Red is a Los Angeles based motion picture screenwriter, director and author. His original scripts include The Hitcher for Tri Star, Near Dark for DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, Blue Steel for MGM and the western The Last Outlaw for HBO. He directed and wrote the crime film Cohen and Tate for Hemdale, Body Parts for Paramount, Undertow for Showtime, Bad Moon for Warner Bros. and the ghost story 100 Feetfor Grand Illusions Entertainment. He created and wrote the Sci-Fi/Horror comic series and graphic novel Containment for IDW Publishing. Eric's recent published horror and suspense short stories include "The Buzzard" in Weird Tales magazine, "Little Nasties" in Shroud magazine, "In the Mix" in Dark Delicacies III: Haunted anthology and "Past Due" in Mulholland Books' Popcorn Fiction. His short stories "Colorblind" and "Curfew" will be appear, respectively, in an upcoming issue of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Peep Show, Volume 2 anthology.

This Saturday, July 7 at 1pm, Eric will do a signing at Mystery Ink in Huntington Beach, CA, and just did one over at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA. We look forward to his special appearance at KillerCon IV and know many of you will be anxious to meet him, as well :-) 

-Killerconlv