Yesterday was my first time at the Ghoultastic Book Fair, hosted/organized by the delightful folks from Delco Horror Haven–and it was so much fun! While I know there are some really great horror writers who live in the Philly area, I’ve never really thought of Delaware County (the county where I live) as a place that embraces horror (as a genre, I mean–we’re all living through horrifying political times, but that’s beside the point). I started to suspect this might not be the case last year when Diana Rodriguez Wallach and I did an event at the Lansdowne Farmers Market and were met with enthusiasm, but yesterday really solidified the idea I’ve been wrong all along.
It’s not just that I sold a bunch of books yesterday–and it’s not just that the book fair was well-attended. It’s that the folks who came were just so excited to talk horror. I often say that horror people are the best people. You put horror writers in a room together, and you’re going to have a good time. Yesterday was a total joy because the people who came are so clearly fans of the genre, and they are fun!
I was also reminded how small the world really is. While talking to someone about A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, I mentioned that it’s set in my hometown (a version of, anyway–but definitely geographically set there)–and included the name of a slightly larger town that’s nearby as a point of reference. Two women passing my table immediately stopped… and it turns out they are both from my hometown. One still lives there! And, I mean, it’s not like my hometown is across the country, but it’s small and rural and a good three-hour drive from where I live now. It’s not super likely that I’ll run into anyone who knows my town, let alone grew up there. Oh, and even weirder: one of the women is a distant relative of mine. I confirmed it with my mother on the way home from the fair, just to be sure. I’m still gobsmacked.
I also had an opportunity to read at Ghoultastic, which is always fun (and often funny). Before I went out to read, a writerly friend warned me that it was a little loud (the readers were held outside) and I might need to yell. It took all of my willpower not to laugh–my voice does tend to carry; just ask my teammates on the dragon boat team. I always get very nervous when there’s a microphone involved because I’m naturally loud, at least in public speaking situations. Luckily, there were no microphones involved in this one! I’ve been thinking about prepping a new reading other than from A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, but that gets tough–I mean, you want to read something that might spark someone to visit your author table later, but I don’t have copies of most of the anthologies or magazine in which my work has appeared to sell.
Ah, well.
Still, Ghoultastic was a blast–it’s always good to be reminded of how fun these events can really be!
