Book Review- The Devil's Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier edited by Jason V Brock and William F. Nolan

I first want to say that this book is absolutely gorgeous.  It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned or co-owned I should say.  The artwork in these pages are just stunning and really add to the stories and horror that go along with them.  Also the signature pages with the zodiac signs is also an awesome touch to the book.

Overall I enjoyed the book very much.  There were very few stories I did not much care for but the majority of the stories were truly gems.  A few favorites of mine include Ramsey Campbell's the Moon, Marc Scott Zicree's Knife Through the Veil, W. H. Pugmire's and Maryanne K. Snyder's the Hidden Realm, and If You Love Me by Paul G. Bens, Jr.  This is an excellent collection of stories from remarkable authors.

 
  

Book Review- Fatal Women by Kevin Nicholas Roberts

Kyle gifted me this book and when I got it in the mail, I could not put it down.  I read the introduction and the first poem and then the next and s it went until I finished the entire book at work.  Well it is only around 80 pages and it is poetry but I did not expect to be entranced by it as I was, especially from someone I've never heard of before.

The poetry in this book is romantic and enchanting.  The language is rich and elegant and lures you into a whole magical and deadly world.  The poetry itself is a siren's call which beckons you to read on and immerse yourself in its verse.  Highly fantastical and lovely and, of course, fatal.  I highly recommend this collection of verse.

 

    

36th Annual Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Show

Kyle and I had a BLAST at this show yesterday!  We have never been to this show before and was thrilled at all the wonderful books and authors that were there.  When we got there, we were almost immediately spotted by Chris, who told me via facebook, that he wanted me to sign his copy of Weird Fiction Review #5.  I was flattered and so I officially gave my first autograph.

My handwriting is horrible, I will have to remedy that.

We then headed to look at some books before Cody Goodfellow arrived.  Then we spotted him sporting an awesome Robin Hood hat, complete with feather, and I asked him how is Helmet of Winning was doing.  He said he hasn't used all the trophy people I gave him yet and was hard pressed finding a baseball helmet that wouldn't crack when drilled into.  And also a drill that works for this job.  He signed my A Darke Phantastique and then pointed out he knew about my 2 star review on his Electric Eye that I gave him to sign.  Whoops!  I then pointed out that I really liked his story in A Season in Carcosa though!  :D  He's a really cool guy and I was ecstatic that he a) remembered who I was and b) remembered my name!

 

 

Next up at 11pm, was William F. Nolan, George Clayton Johnson, Jason V Brock, Sunni Brock, and Joe R. Landsdale!

Nolan went on about the beauty of the Centipede Press reprint of Logan's Run and I had to agree with him.  The book is a beauty and he drew a lovely little picture inside of it for me.  George Clayton Johnson and Jason V Brock signed it as well.

 

When I got to Jason and gave him my contributor's copies of Spectral Realms No. 2, he wanted to play a little game with Nolan.  He wrote a little note in it and then showed it to Nolan and then Nolan wrote another note and passed it back.  They were trying to see who could write in the smallest handwriting.  Sunni ended up winning.

 

Nolan's other signatures-

 

                                                     (Landsdale dedicated this story to Nolan so I had Nolan sign it too.)

 

Jason's other signatures-

 

 

 

 

 

Sunni's signature-

 

Next up was Joe R. Landsdale.  I wasn't really familiar with a lot of his work, I read some of his work on the Horror Zine, and it wasn't until recently that I realized that I had a bunch of anthologies that he was in.  My dad is a fan though and he gave me an anthology with him in it that he wanted me to get signed for him so I decided to bring what I had with him in it as well because why not?  Might as well and who knows if I'll ever get that chance again.  So we got up to him and he commented on my King in Yellow shirt.  Asked if I was promoting it and I just said I was wearing it because it fit with the atmosphere a bit.  Kyle then mentioned that we've been in the Horror Zine with him before and he looked at me and asked my name.  I told him and he knew that I wrote poetry.  Can you believe the shock I was in!?  From my name he knew that I have written poetry for the Horror Zine.  He lit up and shook my hand exuberantly and said it was nice to meet me.  I was blown away by that.  I wasn't even going to mention the Horror Zine, figuring he probably wouldn't know/remember me in it.  And then Jason V Brock, who was sitting next to him, told him I was a trouble maker lol.    

 

 

 

 

Next up was Peter Atkins, who I would get to speak more with after the show.

 

Richard Lupoff was a sweetie and commented on my King in Yellow shirt as I gave him my A Season in Carcosa to sign.  He also liked my pentacle which he called a medallion.

 

('To Ashley, fellow devotee of the master!')

David J. Schow was next and I gave him my copy of Fangs, which he didn't even know he was in.  He looked over it, looked at his story, and told me he has never seen this before.  He never got a copy of it from the editor!  He was glad I brought it and got to see it for the first time.

 

 

 

Denni Etchison was so sweet.  I told him I was in WFR5 with him and he remembered that I told him that through facebook.  He then told us that there was an after party being held in a hotel about a mile away at 4pm and that since I was in WFR, I was entitled to go.  How badass was that?!  Another moment I was completely blown away.

 

 

 

I also met R.C. Matheson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle to get some things signed for my dad but I didn't have anything personally from me for them to sign.

After that, Kyle and I ate and then shopped around a bit and we both picked up some good books.  I got a Penguin book with Dunsany stories and Sword Woman by R.E.H. and Kyle got CAS letters to Sterling and Justine by Sade.

The after party was fun when we finally found the right hotel and hotel room number.  We metsome new people, ate pizza, had drinks.  We then joined Dennis Etchison and Peter Atkins downstairs by the pool and spoke for a few hours on various things.  It was the best part of the night.