Last weekend, we hit our first convention of the year, HorrorHound Weekend in Cincinnati. That has traditionally been our first show of the year, and our biggest. And this year was no different. A huge crowd of people came out, on all three days, and it seemed that everyone had a great time. We spent most of our time behind our tables, having plenty of time to chat with friends, both old and new, as well as selling a lot of books, which honestly just makes my heart swell. Sure, that is what we are there for, to make money, but with every book that I sell, it means that there is a fan out there that is willing to take the time to read and learn about something they love. With the age of the internet, with people reading on their phones and Kindles, I just love it when I see someone still doing it old school! Gives me hope, not only as a bookseller, but as a fan.

I did get a chance to meet fellow HorrorHound writer and Rondo Award winner, Ernie Rockelman, who was attending his first HorrorHound convention. While we only had a little time to chat, it was great to meet another one of the writers that makes the magazine worth being part of! His article Black Sabbath: 60 Years of Nightmares that was published in issue #99, is up for a Rondo Award. Of course, I’m up for the same award for my retrospective on Nosferatu, but I’m not telling you which one of us to vote for, but at least vote for HorrorHound! Head over to the Rondo Award site by clicking HERE. Everyone nominated has busted their butts for the genre, so take a few minutes and vote from your heart.

I think this was the first time I didn’t spend a dime in the dealer room. Maybe because I was too busy behind the table or was just trying to save money. I knew if I spent any more time at the Mondo artists row, it could have gotten expensive really quickly. So much cool stuff there. Although, this Creepshow ticket booth was freaking incredible. If I only had room to put stuff like this!

One thing I did come home with was some sort of con crud which was starting to hit me on Sunday. If you go to a lot of shows, you know what I mean when I say, “con crud”. It could be that our bodies are so worn out either due to lack of sleep, a lot of work in a very short time, or even stress, but it is not uncommon for someone to come back with a little something extra. This time, it was us! I thought at first my throat was just sore from staying up late on Saturday yakking with friends but turned into something else. By Monday, I had a full-blown cold with congestion, a ragging cough, and feeling pretty much like I had been run over by a truck. We’ve been trying to take it easy, one of the reasons for the lack of updates, and want to be back to 100% for next weekend’s trip to Strongsville, OH for Cinema Wasteland, one show that I cannot miss! I’ve been to every single one since they started in 2000, and I don’t plan to stop now! So much fun, with plenty of amazing people to chat with, tons of great dealers, and will take every bit of energy to make it through! But it’s what we do! You have to have those breaks from reality and recharge the batteries. I may not get a lot of sleep at Wasteland, but it is more than worth it.

No matter what is in the dealer room, or who the guests are, it is my friends, both old and new, that is the reason I still keep coming to shows. They really make it worth it. We had 2/3’s of our Discover the Horror Podcast team there, myself and Damien, so it was great to meet a few fans of the show and to see them supporting it as well with our new T-shirts (created by the wonderfully talented folks at Pallbearer Press). Next weekend, at Cinema Wasteland, all three of us, Damien, Aaron, and me, will all be attending that show. And will have T-shirts available if you just stop and ask us.

See you on the road this year!