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Reflections On WHC

June 21, 2013 by Craig DiLouie 1 Comment

I recently joined the Horror Writers Association as an Active Member, and made it a point to attend the organization’s annual conference, the World Horror Convention, in New Orleans this year. Man, am I glad I did!

I’d never been to New Orleans before and found the town offering the entertainment of Las Vegas but with real old-world charm and without the severe loathing that inevitably sets in after a few days in Vegas. The hotel, which was a great facility, is smack dab in the French Quarter on Royal Street, with Bourbon Street only a block away. I ate a lot of great food, heard a lot of great music–including some amazing street bands–and soaked up the atmosphere, loose and easy vibe, and the architecture.

Regarding the conference itself, I had the pleasure of talking shop and partying with some of the best authors in the business, great anthology editors and publishers. It was a great event for learning, networking and making new friends including the awesome John Dixon, Dana Fredsti, Kilt Kilpatrick and others.

If you’re a horror writer, you have to go. You’ll get a lot out of it. The 2014 event is in Portland.

Dana Fredsti and Kilt Kilpatrick were extremely warm and welcoming to this new HWA member and a ton of fun to chat with. Kilt is one of the nicest people I've ever met.
Me and the awesome Joe McKinney. One of the most powerful networking tools for writers is social media like Facebook. I've known Joe for years through FB and correspondence, and it was a pleasure to finally hang out with him in person. I was struck by how enormously respected he is in the horror community, and he deserves it.
If I believed in reincarnation, I would swear John Dixon was my brother in a past life. We became fast friends over brews and headbanger classics blasting from a jukebox at The Dungeon, a bar that became the con's unofficial watering hole. I love this guy.
I had a chance to lunch with the prolific Jeff Strand, co-author of one of my favorite survival horror stories DRACULAS, and his lovely wife Lynne Hansen, a YA author.
The food in New Orleans was amazing. This is a plate of fried everything.
Jonathan Maberry is an author who gives back. He's very generous with his time and support for authors working hard toward the amazing level of success he's achieved.
Rocky Wood is president of the HWA and they're lucky to have him. I basically joined because he reached out to me personally.
The lovely Dana Fredsti, author of the Ashley Parker zombie series. She's a real sweetheart.
Drinks and foosball in a bar off Bourbon Street before heading to The Dungeon for dancing until the wee hours.
Joe McKinney did a powerful reading of "Bury My Heart in Marvin Gardens," a zombie short story. Joe really gets it when it comes to the importance of writing stories about people with zombies, not the other way around.
John Dixon and Random House's Matt Schwartz. Matt is an incredibly nice guy who knows pretty much everything about how the publishing industry works, how authors need to work with publishers, and how publishers need to adapt to changing technology.

Filed Under: Craig at Work

Comments

  1. Dana says

    June 22, 2013 at 10:44 pm

    Craig, meeting you was definitely one of the highpoints for me and Kilt (otherwise known as David Fitzgerald) . Thanks for sharing this post and all the great pics!!!

    Reply

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