CONtraflow IX appearance and RIP Sid Haig

Apologies for the lack of updates.

First, Rest in Peace Sid Haig. I met Sid briefly at San Diego Comic Con in 2005 when I was working press for the now-defunct Mania.com. I was also trying to submit gallery copies of the earliest version of Dead Souls #1. I made an awkward, fumbling attempt to get a picture with my digital camera and ended up largely embarrassing myself. Ten years later, I served as master of ceremonies for Fear Fete 2015, in Biloxi. Sid was one of the guests there. I met him and told him I'd waited a decade to apologize for behaving like a blundering amateur. He laughed and we shared drinks. Later during the convention, I suggested meeting for dinner, along with my acting assistant, NOLA doll mistress Alicia Smith (of Quarter Kids). We had a long, leisurely meal at the Italian restaurant inside the Beau Rivage. Sid told us he wanted a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs. The plate came out with two dainty spheres atop a small, even daintier, mound of pasta. He laughed and said, "L.A. food!" before digging in. Alicia and I had a chance to ask whatever we wanted, which he gladly answered, even veering into art, politics, and wherever else the conversation turned. The next day, I gave him a copy of my first novel, "Bloody October," which he gladly accepted. I spoke to him intermittently over text in the years after, but I often thought that I shouldn't bother him. I thought that circumstances would allow us to meet again. As we can see now, there is never a guarantee of such a thing. Remember the people who are important to you. Keep in touch. Tell them they matter. You never know when a meeting may be your last.

Second, I'm coming out of my lair this weekend (Friday, November 15-Sunday, November 17) for a signing and appearance at CONtraflow 9 at the New Orleans Airport Hilton (actually in Kenner). As I've mentioned before, CONtraflow was the first show to book me as a named guest instead of a vendor, so I've always had a special place in my heart for them. If you want your Cradle of Filth or 69 Eyes comics signed, or want to pick up my vampire novel Bloody October or my other graphic novels, I'll be there this weekend. I'll even be on a few panels talking about horror, music, and whatever else people ask me about.

Panel Schedule:

What do I Read Next in Horror? Friday, 2pm, Panel Room 2

Horror Movie Reboots, Why, God, Why? Friday, 8pm, Panel Room 1

Staring Into the Abyss: The Psychological Gratification of Fear, Friday, 9pm, Panel Room 2

Scream, Run, Fall Down: Horror Tropes That Drive us Crazy, Saturday, 11am, Event Two

The Devil We Love, Saturday, 1pm, Panel Room 2

More information at the CONtraflow website or here.