NeCon, Butt & Ball Trees, and a Giveaway

My favorite convention and my favorite literary journal

This weekend I attended NeCon, the NorthEast Writer’s Conference, and had a gay old time. Artist Kim Parkhurst, who attended for the first time, said it best: It’s so wholesome and friendly in comparison to other conventions that when you talk about it, it sounds like a cult.

And maybe, being primarily a horror convention set in the bailiwick of H.P. Lovecraft, that is difficult to avoid. This was my second year, the last being in 2019. The way “Camp NeCon” does it is by renting a space at a college when the students are away, so the dorm rooms are empty and the cafeteria is still operating for employees. This way, you can stay on-site, share rooms (or not), and get free grub without having to leave the convention. It also helps that NeCon has stayed small, so there are no conflicting panels. You never have to choose between your pal and the headliner.

And while there were many guests of honor this year, they were all guests like us. That’s the real beauty of it, that NeCon has managed to keep the small, friendly, “we’re all just fans of this stuff” feel for 40 years. Of course, people who’ve been coming for four decades are going to be more knowledgeable of the history than a newcomer, but they have a panel for reminiscing, and you can get caught up on the “legendary happenings” if you want. Or not. That’s cool, too. There’s an Authors Meet & Greet one night, and an Artist one the next, so you can meet everyone if you feel uncomfortable approaching them at the Saugy Roast (a wiener roast standby) or as they wander around the dealer’s room. Unlike many cons—where it feels like there’s an hierarchy or cliques or that fans are “minions” of creators, and agents and editors are to be treated like feudal lords—everyone here is just-folks. If that sounds lovely to you, please try to attend.

me and Bracken MacLeod in Hawaiian shirt regalia.

This year, author Bracken MacLeod was tasked with editing a 40th anniversary anthology, and I am honored to have a story in it. With a few writers you may know, such as Neil Gaiman, Joe Lansdale, Paul Tremblay, Cassandra Khaw, Peter Straub, and Grady Hendrix. I don’t see it available for order from Haverhill House yet, but I believe there will be a nonexclusive edition; this one was for congoers only, and includes a transcription of Donald M. Grant’s roast of Stephen King, which I look forward to reading. I already spilled coffee on my copy, so it’s now an art piece.

I got to see Joe Lansdale, who if you recall, said my novel The Boy from County Hell is “as wild as a night in a cage with an amorous monkey,” and we talked a while, which with Joe, is always an illuminating experience. He introduced me to fellow martial artist Mike Casto, and we talked dojo dirt and mat rat memories, which was nice, because I haven’t trained since the BeforeTimes. Mike wrote Annie Oakley and the Beast of Chicago, which I’ll have to read, because sure shot Annie lived in my hometown of Nutley for a spell. Kim’s first art show there went very well, stunning people with her lifelike sculpture of a two-headed crow, and this piece where David Bowie and Oscar Wilde fight their way through a Hieronymous Bosch landscape, with its sculpted frame:

toadbriar (@toadbriar) • Instagram photos and videos

I mean, wow. You can check out Kim’s ‘80s-inspired horror art at Grisly Discovery and her animal-themed art at ToadBriar. We also met author Timothy G. Huguenin and had a nice chat about all sorts of things. We ate yummy cassoulet and awful pizza in the cafeteria—and good pizza can be had in Massachusetts, look no further than the Neapolitan and Tuscan masterpieces made at Two Foxes Farm Pizza in Winchendon. Nearby Mill No. 5 has art collectives, great food, and so many stairs! But I bought a delightful sticker for the car and all sorta whatnot. You’re also close enough to visit the Quabbin area where “The Dunwich Horror” is set, and see the Buttonball Tree¹ in Sunderland, one of the oldest and largest sycamores on the east coast. So, fun times.

What else is new?

My newest published story, “Blue Canaries,” is in the latest issue of Vautrin, which happens to be my favorite fiction journal. I’m alongside writers such as Zach Vasquez and Dennis Tafoya; editor Todd Robins always puts together a fine selection. You’ll be able to buy it soon, and it looks just lovely:

So, what’s this about a giveaway? I have an extra contributor’s copy, for the next person to get a paid subscription to this newsletter. That’s it, no random numbers; just subscribe below and if you’re the first, you get a signed copy and some other goodies that I’ll shove in the mail. Plus, you’ll get access to my online story archive, early access to the Pine Bairn explorations, and the warm feeling that you contributed to Tommy’s Pine Barrens Tow Truck Fund.

1. Pronounced butt and ball.