See you at World Horror Convention 2016

This weekend, I will be reading and appearing on panels at World Horror Convention 2016 in Provo, Utah.If you are too, I’d love to meet you. Your best chances of finding me:

Thursday, 8:15 pm in the Cedar Room – Panel: Historical Horror

Friday, 4:30 pm in the Juniper Room – Reading my short story “Come Down, Ma Evenin’ Star”

Saturday, 10:15 am in the Birch Room – Panel: My Favorite Horror Film

Saturday, 8:45 pm in the Cedar Room – Panel: Using Music in Your Stories

Sunday, 12:45 pm in the Cedar Room – Panel: Why We Love Lovecraft

And of course, there’s always the bar. They do have hotel bars in Utah, don’t they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speculative San Antonio: Sanford Allen on the Public Axis Podcast

Shortly before the holidays, I participated in San Antonio comedy troupe Comedia A Go-Go’s Public Axis Podcast and the results are now live.

The discussion with my side-splitting hosts covered wrestling, writing, rock-n-roll, dueling holidays horror movies, superheroes, siblings and a whole slew of other topics. Be warned: it’s a loud, surreal and frequently funny ramble. Thanks to Regan Arevalos, Larry Garza and Jess Castro for a great time, some strange questions and many much-needed laughs.

Talking research this week with the San Antonio Writers Guild

It's a horror novel, but it's also historical fiction.

Alamo City friends, I’ll be speaking at the San Antonio Writers Guild’s next meeting, Thursday, Sept. 3.

My talk is titled “Lessons from an accidental historical writer: Getting the details right when you’re a scribe, not a scholar.” I’ll describe the research that went into my horror novel Deadly Passage, which is set on a slave ship shortly after the Revolutionary War.

During the talk, I’ll share tips for other writers on how to use research to bring authenticity to historical works — even when historical writing isn’t your primary focus. Additionally, we’ll discuss ways to ensure dialogue and language fit the period, how to know when particular inventions and technology came into existence and when to know you’ve done enough research to actually start writing your book.

The meeting gets underway at 7 p.m. at Bethany Congregational Church at 500 Pilgrim Drive in San Antonio. The talk will last about half an hour with time afterward for a Q&A session.

And you can bet I’ll have books to sell and sign. Hope to see you there.

They’re gonna put me in the movies

Morpheus Tales #11

My short story “Bramblevines” is heading from page to screen.

Filmmaker Jaime Chavez is making a short animated film based on my story of a sociopathic kid and his good buddy, a blood-drinking tree. Storyboards are supposed to be done early next year and the animation some time after.

Jaime, an old Texas friend now living in San Francisco, wants to enter the animation in a variety of festivals, and I’d certainly like to see that happen as well. He’s already shared a script, a shot planner and composition studies — all of which look great.

I’ll keep you posted here as the project unfolds.

Incidentally, “Bramblevines” first appeared in Morpheus Tales #11 with wonderful art by Ian Welsh.

“Kali Yuga” lands in Innsmouth Free Press

Don't mess with Kali Maa

Don't mess with Kali Maa

I just got word that my short story “Kali Yuga” will be appearing in the upcoming “Multiethnic Issue” of Innsmouth Free Press.

IFP is an online publication that features both short fiction inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and fictional newspaper reports set in the author’s universe. My story is the former: a classic weird tale with a shot of Hindu mythology. With protagonists who happen to be recent U.S. immigrants (and bad guys who happen not to be), it also flies in the face of some of the xenophobic tendencies of Lovecraft’s fiction.

Look for Innsmouth Free Press’ Multiethnic Issue in June.