Friday Night at the World Horror Con in New Orleans

The night is going fast, and we've been talking to many authors, editors and readers. Mandy DeGeit has just blown in like a tornado, looking for beer and meting friends. She's just gone through two panels, or they've gone through her. I'm quite charmed by the illustrations decorating her agile arms, reminding me of an excited Illustrated Woman from Ray Bradbury, though I doubt Ray Bradbury could ever dream up a thunderstorm like her. She's handing out her bookmarks, and a fellow just came up and she handed him one and said, "You need a f*cking bookmark."

Mandy DeGeit and Lori Michelle.

We've been talking tonight about the world of publishing and the changes that have happened as the internet changes this industry. Many authors here tonight are coming back to writing, and they will need to learn all the rules again and protocol. We've talked about professional publishers and the string of vanity publishers or publishers who start with good intentions then slowly lose their energy and devotion as they are hit by the slow long burn of promotion. Steady publishers are successful. They take their time, buy a few manuscripts every year, and they continue to promote those books over the years, keeping a steady fire burning.

The night is slowing down, but we'll be keeping you updated through the weekend. 

And to quote Mandy: "Bitches!"