LICH Long Island Convention of Horror 2026

Great weekend at the second LICH, the Long Island Convention of Horror! Many of our HWA NY Chapter members participated in panels and readings, and we had multiple tables in the dealer’s room. Such a cool convention with multiple types of horror represented: film, TV, games, great merchandise of all flavors, as well as our books!

LICH 2026 radio play poster
LICH 2026 radio play poster

A pre-performance moment to prepare ourselves! Charles Barouch, Teel James Glenn and I did two radio plays: one based upon the “After the Occurence” short story by Teel, and the other a 1942 classic called Spawn of the Subhuman, by Scott Bishop.

Death likes Discontinue If Death Ensues
Death likes Discontinue If Death Ensues at LICH 2026

One of the best moments was when Death stopped by the table I was sharing with Ellen Datlow and snagged a copy of my anthology, Discontinue If Death Ensues!

Women’s Writing Symposium 2026

A fabulous two-day event on February 25-26, leading up to Scares That Care in Williamsburg, VA. Mary SanGiovanni and a terrific team hosted the first Women’s Writing Symposium, inspired by a terrific panel at Scares last year. Two days of terrific, inspiring panels and discussion about women writing in the horror genre.

Day 1 Panel 1 The Art of the Hustle - Mary SanGiovanni, Lisa Marie Wood, Melanie R. Anderson, Jennifer McMahon
Day 1 Panel 1 The Art of the Hustle – Mary SanGiovanni, Lisa Marie Wood, Melanie R. Anderson, Jennifer McMahon
Day 1 Panel 4 Confidence in the Workplace - Gemma Amor
Day 1 Panel 4 Confidence in the Workplace – Gemma Amor

Gemma Amor gave a dynamite presentation on Confidence in the Workplace.

Carol Gyzander and Epiphany Ferrell
Carol Gyzander and Epiphany Ferrell
Jennifer McMahon and Carol Gyzander
Jennifer McMahon and Carol Gyzander

Terrific to see old friends and make some new ones as well! I missed Scares this year as I headed home for the LICH convention in Long Island, but I am delighted to say that next year they are on different weekends!

Interested in next year’s event? One day, on March 4, 2027, leading right into Scares That Care 2027 in Williamsburg. From their website:

The 2027 Women’s Writing Symposium (presented by “Scares That Care!”) is a one-day event for women in the speculative fiction field. Attendees and panelists will discuss ways to protect, invest in, and build their careers. It will feature workshops and panels designed to educate women about the professional side of writing and provide an opportunity for brainstorming ways to reach a wider audience and secure various types of work. It is meant to illuminate women, to give them an opportunity for networking, fellowship and a safe space to be heard and exchange ideas. It is a place for women to celebrate and recognize each other’s accomplishments as well as their own. The goal of the symposium is not to identify problems women professionals face in the speculative fiction genres, but to discover practical, actionable and measurable solutions. 

Attendance is limited to all women and only women. Please respect these parameters and space. 

Check it out at https://scaresthatcare.org/womens-symposium

My Bloody Valentine book event

What a fabulous event! Over forty authors and other vendors met in a cool, industrial chic event space in Port Jervis, NY, for an afternoon sharing books and company — with a dedicated crowd of readers who came out in 1 degree weather with a minus 15 degree wind chill!

This was a first-time event featuring cool activities, including an author signature book and a cool charm quest, where attendees could visit each author to receive a charm relating to their work.

My author buddy Teel James Glenn shared a table with me. We had so much fun with a bunch of author friends, including a big group from our HWA NY Chapter, and I made new friends as well. Sponsored by This Chapter Bookshop, also in Port Jervis. Thanks to all the organizers and sponsors!

My Bloody Valentine tables
So many fabulous displays and attendees!

2022: My year in words

I stuffed a lot of words into 2022!

My year in 2022! (I’ll gently add that all the new works are eligible for Bram Stoker Award consideration)


I co-edited two anthologies:
– EVEN IN THE GRAVE with James Chambers – terrific ghost stories from a variety of places and times.
– A WOMAN UNBECOMING with Rachel A. Brune – a charity anthology containing horror and dark tales of women’s rage, power, and agency to benefit reproductive healthcare rights, assembled in two months after Roe v. Wade was reversed.

New stories:
– Sold two new stories & a poem, to be announced & published 2023
– FORGET ME NOT cryptid novella published in April – A monster is said to lurk beneath the waters of Lake Erie. Jane and her twin brother Rob are haunted by just that – as children, they lost half their family to a terrible boating accident. They haven’t left dry land since. Only, at the age of sixteen, they allow friends to lure them onto the lake.

But should they have held their ground? When something nearly swamps their boat, years of secrecy are swept away, and the children’s father shares their family history with the supposed Monster of Lake Erie.

Will the tale bring closure or just more tragedy?


– “The Tapping” – chosen by my co-editor to be in A WOMAN UNBECOMING – a domineering man and his wife move in with her aunt. He investigates the strange tapping sound he hears in the house, but the house is judging him at the same time.

Sold three reprints, two of which published this year:
– “Freshest Catch” in Weird House Magazine Volume 1
– “Under the Mistletoe” in Soul Scream Christmas Sneak-peek
– “AutomaTom” will appear next year in Soul Scream antholozine

And, I’ve almost finished a collection of stories to be completed next year. I mean, THIS YEAR! Wait, I mean this month!!

All in all, a good year of words!

So honored! Ellen Datlow’s Recommended for Best Horror #14–long list

A screen snip from Ellen Datlow’s list–but I added the frame for fun!

I am over the moon to learn that my short story, “The Yellow Crown,” is on Ellen Datlow’s long list of Recommendations for Best Horror #14. These are stories that were published in 2011. While it is, indeed, a long list–she made multiple posts on her site to be able to include them all–I am delighted! Thank you, Ellen!

Recommendations for Best Horror #14-long list

Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse is part of the BLACK FRIDAY BOOK SALE, Nov 25-28, 2022!


It’s time to turn the “man and his dog wandering through a dystopian world” trope on its head, and tell the stories about cats and their women – their badass women! Only $0.99 thru Monday, November 28, 2022.

Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse anthology is on Black Friday Sale - only $0.99 thru November 28!
Black Friday Sale – only $0.99 thru November 28!

Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse wanders through broken worlds with stories of survival, technology, magic, and sheer determination. But – like their cats – the authors frequently slipped out the upstairs window or knocked things off of countertops, and their stories are stronger for it.

In these pages, cats help their women find a better life, protect and defend and fight for the women who have sheltered and protected them – and vice-versa. Because these are not only stories about surviving troubled times, but of the relationships between the women and their cats, between the members of communities both small and large, and how they thrive, even in the face of catastrophic loss.

Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse – it’s time to take them seriously!

Contains stories by Mia Moss, Hannah Hulbert, L.C.W. Allingham, Audrey McLennan, Hannah Trusty, Annie Reed, Caryn Larrinaga, Karli Sullivan, Misha Herwin, Joy Kennedy-O’Neill, Leigh Saunders, J. Ivanel Johnson, Carol Gyzander, Joanna Z. Weston, Kathryn Carson, Meyari McFarland, Sidney Williams, Joe Borrelli, Virginia Elizabeth Hayes, Wayland Smith, and C.J. Erick. Edited by Lyn Worthen

Philcon 2022 – November 18-20

www.philcon.org

Coming to Philcon this weekend? I will be drinking lots of coffee – come find me!

TIME                ROOM     TITLE

Fri 6:00 pm      Plaza 2     Novellas are Hot                                

Fri 7:00 pm      Plaza 5     Octopi: The Ultimate Aliens?                     

Fri 9:00 pm      Plaza 3     Climate Fiction—Hopepunk or Dystopia?        

Fri 10:00 pm    Readings  Late Night Ghost Stories                        

Sat 12:00 pm   Crystal 3   Horror Without Gore                            

Sat 1:00 pm     Plaza 3     Science Fiction Disguised as Mainstream        

Sat 3:00 pm     Crystal 3   Why Join Professional Associations?            

Sat 4:00 pm     Readings   Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Readings              

Sat 8:00 pm     ConSuite   Book Launch Party by eSpec Books – We are launching Even in the Grave and my cryptid novella Forget Me Not, among other great books, to our Philcon audience.               

Sun 11:00 am  Plaza 2      Recent Trends in Horror                        

Sun 1:00 pm    Readings  Readings: Carol Gyzander (followed by my friend, Sally Weiner Grotta at 1:30 pm)                        

Sun 2:00 pm    Autograph Table: Carol Gyzander

And in between, I’ll likely be at the HWA NY table in the dealer room, where we can tell you more about HWA. I’ll have copies of A Woman Unbecoming!

I’m a ghost whisperer!

One of the movies from the Today.com article–we all know this one! Ghost (1999)

I was tickled to read this great article by Randee Dawn on Today.com–all about great ghost movies. She quoted me and James Chambers, my co-editor from the Even in the Grave ghost anthology that is releasing on July 1.

There are some great movies on here! Jim and I were pleased to see that some of our favorite movies made it onto the list.

https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/best-ghost-movies-rcna31491

If you’re looking for some ghostly words in addition to all those great movies, check out our Even in the Grave anthology! Here’s the beautiful cover by Lynne Hansen:

Even in the Grave ghost story anthology from Systema Paradoxa (July, 2022)

You can find it at a variety of booksellers:

Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/even-in-the-grave-gordon-linzner/1148827535

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1956463038

Direct from the publisher, the Systema Paradoxa imprint of eSpec Books https://buff.ly/3vPVLxp

More to come soon!

Reading your work aloud? (some notes from “Public Reading 101” presentation at In Your Write Mind conference)

Here I am, reading at HWA NY Summer Dark in 2019 – note the mic is set to the side so that I speak past it and not directly into it (don’t Pop those P’s!), I have my finger ready to turn the page, and I’m looking up at the audience! Plus, there is a raven coming out of my head. I know everyone has suspected this for a while.

Plan your word count

You’ll need to figure out how long your reading selection should be. Here are some notes for your initial estimate of word length:

  1. Consider the time available and estimate your reading speed. Rough guideline per minute is:
    • If you are a slow speaker: less than 120 words.
    • If you speak at an average speed: between 120 – 160 words.
    • If you are a fast speaker: between 160 – 200 words (but that is often too fast for some folks in your audience).
  2. Now do some tests with a timer to check your reading speed, but remember you’ll likely read too fast the first time due to nerves!
  3. So, using 150 wpm (because it’s kind of average AND easy for math, LOL), you can estimate about 6-7 minutes per 1000 words to read aloud (roughly 4 double-spaced pages).
  4. Common reading lengths:
    • Brief readings are just that short, 6-7 minutes (1,000 words, or about 4 pages)
    • Medium-length of 10-12 minutes (1500-1800 words, or 6-7 pages)
    • Longer can be 20-30 minutes (so you can likely read 3,000-4,500 words, or 12-18 pages).

NEVER go over time! It makes life difficult for your host/emcee, and you want to be a good guest so you are invited back!

Reminder list of what to bring with you:

  • Your reading selection on paper, plus an extra story or shorter version just in case
  • Copy of your bio on paper to give emcee/host for introduction
  • A small light if needed (ask about the setup ahead)
  • Charge cord if using an electronic device, plus paper backup
  • Glasses if needed, water, tissues, cough drops (cough and blow your nose BEFORE you get up there!)
  • Your business card, author swag
  • Signup sheet for your mailing list
  • Tickets for book raffle if allowed
  • Nice pen for signing books (practice one that doesn’t match your check signature!)
  • Copies of books to sell/raffle if allowed (change and a credit card device if you have one)
  • A buddy to help with book sales, pictures, and moral support!

Final thing to remember: when you’ve done enough preparation in advance, you’ll feel more comfortable and relaxed. Have fun and enjoy the event!

If you’re interested in our Galactic Terrors online reading series from the HWA NY Chapter, tune in to our YouTube channel every 2nd Thursday, 8pm EST at http://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q

And, sign up for our Galactic Terrors newsletter at http://eepurl.com/hdjz6z