KillerCon?

You may have heard all the buzz about this year's KillerCon and might be asking yourself, "What's the big deal? It's just another convention." But KillerCon is more than just another horror convention. KillerCon is a celebration. It's Christmas for writers of disturbing fiction. It's where writers and would-be-writers come to feel like the 80s never ended and horror is still the most popular genre of all. At KillerCon, horror, thriller, science fiction, and paranormal romance authors are literary rockstars! No pretentious B-movie cult stars or aging scream queens hogging the limelight and charging fans for autographs. No video game or role-playing game creators or voice-over actors. Here, writers take center stage.

In addition to the readings, author Q&As and the mass-signing, at KillerCon we present informative panels and workshops on the business and craft of writing. From Matt Schwartz's workshop on self-marketing at the first KillerCon to Mort Castle's writing workshop at KillerCon 3, we are committed to making this convention an opportunity to learn and grow as well as a chance to meet your favorite authors. Next year, we are planning a workshop on self-editing and a "Grammar Workshop for Writers" from "Grammar Girl" Mignon Fogharty.

Then there's the location. No dingy hotel in the middle of nowhere. KillerCon takes place in the world's playground, Sin City, the Las Vegas Fucking Strip! The hotel, the world famous Stratosphere hotel and casino, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in a city of landmarks. The staff is friendly, cooperative, and accommodating. They really do treat you like royalty. I'm sure we've all been to conventions where you've paid between a hundred and two hundred dollars a night for a room only to have the hotel staff treat us like annoyances rather than honored guests of their establishment. Not here. The staff at The Stratosphere could not be more gracious and hospitable and most people paid roughly a hundred and sixty dollars for the entire weekend!

Though most people stuck close to the hotel, within walking distance from the convention, there are more than a dozen casinos, bars, strip-clubs, four and five star restaurants, and outrageous danceclubs and Vegas-style stageshows. Once back at the hotel, there is a party every night during the convention with alcohol flowing non-stop unto the wee hours of the morning. But that's not what makes the event so special. It's the people.

From our volunteer staff to our guests of honor to our attendees, everyone at KillerCon is treated like family. I know you've heard that before, but here it is true. It is something you can feel the moment you enter the hospitality suite for our traditional Thursday night welcome party. It is a reunion of friends. KillerCon is your safe place. It's where you can get falling down drunk and can trust that someone will get you safely back to your hotel room (though I wouldn't recommend it.) As one of our guests of honor said this year: "I feel okay leaving my books unattended here because I know that no one's going to take them. Everyone here's a friend." And that is probably the best summation I can give of the atmosphere at KillerCon; "...everyone here's a friend." Ray Garton put it best in his convention recap when he said, "In some ways, it was like attending a reunion ... The great thing about KillerCon — the thing that struck me repeatedly throughout the weekend — was that even though Dawn and I had never attended before, we were made to feel a part of the reunion."

That's what KillerCon is and that's why you should be a part of it. www.killercon.com

Like Porno For Psychos

When I first started writing short stories again, after more than a decade of only writing poetry, my first efforts were in the realm of pornography. It was pornography with a strong supernatural or thriller element, but pornography nonetheless. Its sole purpose was to arouse unto the point of orgasm. I even sold a couple to Hustler Magazine. Later, I rewrote many of these short stories, pumping up the speculative fiction elements, and removing much of the sex (or so I thought.) I then resold these stories to horror magazines. I was quickly labeled an "Erotic Horror Author". Years later, when I reread these tales, I realized that I had not removed nearly as much of the sex as I had thought. A couple of these stories, like Fly, about a guy who tosses women off balconies after having sex with them, ended up in The Book Of A Thousand Sins. The rest of them have been collected here, in my latest short story collection available now from Deadite Books.

Like Porno For Psychos includes some of my most lascivious writings. These stories drip with body fluids. There is a story about a cure for AIDS that spawns a world-wide orgy resulting in the erosion of society, a story about a woman with a fetish for lions, a story about a pimp who sees the power of creation in the vaginas of his whore's, a story about a prostitute from hell and the right-wing conservative politician who can't get enough of him. There are less salacious fare as well. A story about the neighbor who owns the dog that is really the thousand-year-old demon that once commanded David Berkowitz to kill, a story about a woman so obsessed with losing weight that she will go to any lengths. There are even a couple of erotic poems.

After reading this short collection of pornographic terrors, you might be left with the impression that Wrath really likes sex. This impression would be correct. There are few things I enjoy that I can't either fuck, fight, or eat. If you don't also like sex, violence, death, and horror then this is not the read for you. As the title implies, this is not a book for prudes. This is erotic horror with a strong emphasis on the erotic. Ever read a horror book with one hand? Well, this would be the one to start with. Enjoy.

You can order this little book of horror porn here:
http://deaditepress.com/2011/09/12/like-porno-for-psychos-by-wrath-james-white/