Archive for April, 2011

Pictures from the World Horror Convention in Austin, Saturday, April 30, 2011

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

It looked like my Kodak Digital camera had died, but it seems to be working again after fiddling with it, removing the battery a few times, and plugging it in. Still, I’ll probably need to get a new camera before Apollocon in June, since the automatic shutter isn’t retracting all the way any more…

William F. Nolan and Rocky Wood, both of whom were with me on the “Horror Without Stephen King,” along with someone who wasn’t.


Bill Crider


Bill & Judy Crider.

Bill Spencer. A lot of Bills today, mainly because none of them had yet been signed into law.

Now THAT’s a HAT.

SF Signal’s John DeNardo, AKA “Mr. Saturday Night.”

Don Webb, in the one photo I took on my iPhone that didn’t completely suck.

Pictures from the World Horror Convention in Austin, Friday, April 29, 2011: Part 2

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

The front of Kasey Lansdale’s head.

Stina Leicht, Mikal Trimm and Guest of Honor Joe Hill. This was right before Hill discussed that most important of philosophical question: If you have a cloth spiderman mask in your pocket (and really, who doesn’t?), and two guys rush into the store you’re in with shotguns, do you instantly put on the mask and start wailing on then? I pointed out that since this is Texas, and we’re all armed, the issue was probably less pressing here than in Maine.

Chris Roberson, Joe Hill and John Picacio doing some serious comic geeking.

Three women, six different hair colors.

Jessica Reisman.

Sanford Allen, showing Scott Cupp the ticket that doesn’t let him into Willie Wonka’s factory, but does let him on Captain Morgan’s ship.

Scott Cupp, and people I don’t know who seemed to be discussing adultery among TSR employees.

F. Paul Wilson in the center.

John Skipp, just before he went trekking off to a lost city in the jungles of Peru.

The art show reception. Even though this is Austin, in real life the room was not that shade of burnt orange.

Pictures from the World Horror Convention in Austin, Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday, April 29th, 2011

A few pictures I took at the World Horror Convention in Austin on Friday afternoon:

Multi-Hugo-nominated artist John Picacio, who says that between Elric and A Game of Thrones, he’s having a great year, as long as it doesn’t kill him.

Stina Leicht and John Picacio.

Peter Straub, shortly after we had discussed our mutual admiration for the Joe Hill story “Pop Art.”

“Dealer’s Room 2.” Yes, that’s actually what the sign on the door says.

In case you couldn’t tell from the backdrop, this is Jack Ketchum.

Meanwhile, in Dealer’s Room 1: Chuck Siros, Mikal Trimm, Stina Leicht, the back of Kasey Lansdale’s head, John Picacio, Willie Siros.

How I Spent Last Weekend

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

I’ll let Dwight do the blow-by-blow. I was too busy running around greeting people and refilling the food bowl to offer up too many additional impressions. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Given enough time, I might put up a few impressions of Mean Streets and Get Carter, especially if I can do some screen shots of those 70s fashions…

More Alabama Tornado Footage

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Birmingham:

Here’s one from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Dude, great video, but get away from the freaking window!

Another one from Tuscaloosa:

From Cullman County (north of Birmingham):

Rose Hill:

Here’s the official NOAA page.

Edited to add: Someone just posted a link to the following video on this Fark thread:

Alabama Tornado: Holy Moly, That’s Big (with video)

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Incredibly big tornado slamming Birmingham, Alabama right now. Here’s some footage I found on YouTube:

Instapundit reports his area (Knoxville, TN) is also under a tornado warning. There seems to be a huge belt of severe weather for several hundred miles.

If you’re in the area, you might want to get to the storm cellar, basement, or center of your house.

Library Acquisitions: Robert A. Heinlein’s Assignment in Eternity

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

I picked the following up at a Heritage Auction:

Heinlein, Robert A. Assignment in Eternity. Fantasy Press, 1953. First edition hardback, first state Currey A binding (brick red cloth, with six gilt bands on spine, and with “Heinlein” 3mm high), a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket.

I started fairly late to acquire a complete collection of Robert A. Heinlein in first edition, but I’m working on it…

Baby Showers Are Usually Pretty Dull

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

At least until the knife fight breaks out.

In Which I Disappoint a Google Searcher

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

One of the things the WordPress stats package shows you is which Google search terms people use to reach your site. It is my suspicion that whoever was searching for “pictures of a person’s dick” was most likely bitterly disappointed at these scans of my Philip K. Dick first editions…

World Horror in Austin

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Blogging has been a bit light as of late because I was finishing up my taxes and then cleaning my house in advance of a party, the two of which have eaten up almost all my previously spare time.

I will be attending the World Horror Convention here in Austin next week. In fact, I’ll be moderating a panel:

Horror Without Stephen King

1:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

Jack Ketchum, Lawrence Person (M), Del Howison, William Nolan, Rocky Wood, Bev Vincent

Stephen King is the undisputed grandmaster of modern horror. But what if he had never lived, or went right to publishing literary fiction without ever writing a single scary story. What would the field look like today without the man from Maine? Would there even be a horror genre as we know it?

William F. Nolan has been writing since before I was born. He was also good friends with Chad Oliver, the late, great dean of Austin science fiction writers. I”m sure he has many an interesting story to tell.

I’ll also be part of the big group book signing at 7:30 PM on Saturday, though I’m sure I’ll get more signatures than I give…