exlibrislarsen

THE LORD OF THE RINGS. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. They’re all sequels that are better than the original. It happens that way sometimes. And today is day two of Mighty Con Dupage at the Dupage Fairgrounds on Manchester Road in Wheaton. Mighty Con Dupage: the Sequel. I’m calling it right now … it’ll be better than the original.

The past won’t stay buried.

Yesterday was great. We had cosplay for kids and adults, a gaming tournament, artwork done by professionals (some even drawn while you wait), toys, jewelry, collectibles, pop culture tchotchkes, comic books, and of course, books. Authors Patrick Loper (NOVO CETUS) and Dawn Napier (BLACK BELLS) will both be signing their works today, and so will I.

I’ll be personalizing copies of my novels, THE BLACKENING OF FLESH and LOSING TOUCH, and anthologies like GOTHIC BLUE BOOK V, THE GHOST IS THE MACHINE, SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS, and QUALIA NOUS. I’ve got a story in each, and I’m flattered as hell to be in each and every one of those books with authors like Stephanie Wytovich, Joe Hill, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Unless you’re my mom, there’s no way you have all of them.

Book it to Mighty Con Dupage!

Heartland Blood Centers will also be here again today, so come well fed and give some blood. I gave blood yesterday, and I’ll show you my bruise. We can be bruise buddies! Its not much of an offer, I know, but you’ll feel great afterward—it’s such a great cause, and they give you chips, cookies, and juice. Everybody’s five when that’s in the offing.

Admission is just $8. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and don’t close until 5:00 p.m. If those bigger comic conventions scare you off with huge crowds and hefty price tags, and smaller shows fail to impress, Mighty Con Dupage is the “Goldilocks” of pop culture shows … it’s just right. Just keep and eye out for angry bears returning home. It’s might be cosplay. And it might not be.

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

This is it, Chicagoland. If you’re a pop culture fan … today’s the day. Mighty Con returns to Dupage, and if it’s anything like their events in Milwaukee or Madison, this comic book show is not to be missed. Just $12 for a two-day admission (or $8 for a single day) and you get more than 80 vendors, artists, and celebrities. I’ll be there signing books at the Burial Day Books table, one of the area’s premiere horror publishers.

Now available at Amazon.com.

For the last five years, Burial Day Books has published it’s highly-acclaimed series of Gothic Blue Books, featuring authors such as John Everson, K. Trap Jones, Die Booth, Edward J. McFadden, Jessica McHugh, Georgina Morales, Jay Wilburn, Jay Bonansinga, Bruce Boston, Kerry G.S. Lipp, and g. Elmer Munson, and in volume five my story, “Knitting Away Eternity”, features. I’d love to sign it for you, and while we’re at it … maybe one of my novels?

THE BLACKENING OF FLESH is about a high school graduate who’s house is haunted by five Prohibition-era gangsters, and they’re planning more than a heist or a haunting. I sold out of this title at Printer’s Row earlier this month, so I’ll be bringing a few extra copies … just in case, along with LOSING TOUCH, my debut novel featuring a foreword by NY Times bestselling author Piers Anthony. In it, a suburban family man finds out that he can walk through walls.

And today only, The Tiny Tyrant and a special cosplay guest will be hosting cosplay contests for people age sixteen and up with a chance to win as much as $150, so get in your best pop-culture costume and get ready to strut your stuff starting at 3:00. AND, there’s a special cosplay contest for kids starting at 12:30. I once saw a little kid in one of these who I think actually believed he was the Hulk because he was wearing green plastic fists and a green mask. You don’t want to miss this…

Mighty Con takes place at the Dupage Fairgrounds at 2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow in Building #1. It’s the big building with the white roof. Just follow the fun and you’re there!

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

Now available at Amazon.com.

Looking for a flight of gothic horror … the kind that would make Poe or Shelley proud? Look no further than Mighty Con in Wheaton this Saturday and Sunday, where Burial Day Books will have the fifth and latest in their Gothic Blue Book anthology series available, and if you don’t mind a little graffito, I’d be happy to sign it for free right above the title of my contribution, “Knitting Away Eternity”.

I’ll also be personalizing copies of my new ghosts and gangsters novel, THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, my super-hero origin story LOSING TOUCH, and anthologies like the steampunk-inspired THE GHOST IS THE MACHINE and QUALIA NOUS, featuring “The Jaunt” by Stephen King. Who knows what else I might bring with me to the Burial Day Books table? You’ll have to swing by to find out, but Mighty Con will absolutely make it worth your while.

In addition to the vendor area, where you’ll find art, comics, toys, games, figurines, t-shirts, and more, the special guests on hand will really make it … really … special. I’m talking folks like former Disney animator Philo Barnhardt. His work can be seen in THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and the Saturn Award-winning 1982 feature, THE SECRET OF NIMH. He’ll have some really interesting offerings at his table.

Shel Dorf Award-winning colorist Jeff Balke, creator of URBAN LEGENDS will be there, too, doing a thing he calls Sketch Coloring™. Bring him anything black-and-white, and he’ll custom color it while you wait. It could be a print, something you sketched, or even something you wear. Who knows what he’ll be working on, but one thing’s for sure … when Jeff’s is done with it, it’s guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

Darren Marlar who plays Professor Patrick Blake from THE MISKATONIC FILES and the doctor in the ongoing series M3NTAL STATE, will also be on hand sharing stories from his career as an actor and voice-over professional. You may not know it, but you’ve probably heard his work before. Well, Mighty Con in Wheaton is your chance to talk to one of the industry’s true professionals and pick up a few pointers to start your own voice career!

It’s all happening on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A full day pass is $8 and weekend passes are just $12. Head to the DuPage Fairgrounds at 2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton and look for the big building with the white roof. The fun is inside.

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR editor and Tor.com acquisitions editor Ellen Datlow has enumerated SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS FROM THE HORROR ZINE (Post Mortem Press) among the most noteworthy anthologies of 2015 in her latest compilation of the series, VOLUME 8, now available from Night Shade Books.

Now available at Amazon.com.

“SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS FROM THE HORROR ZINE edited by Jeani Rector (Post Mortem Press) features thirty-one tales of horror fiction by a variety of writers including Elizabeth Massie, P.D. Cacek, Lisa Morton, William F. Nolan, Ray Garton, and Tom Piccirilli,” says Datlow.

My story, “Center Stage Sideshow”, appears in this volume, along with short stories by Joe McKinney, Shaun Meeks, Bruce Memblatt, Tim Waggoner, Jason V. Brock, Dean H. Wild, Rena Mason, Eric J. Guignard, and more. “Center Stage Sideshow” is about three Depression-era tweens who visit a carnival freak show and find out that the freaks are not as freakish as the secrets they keep.

SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS FROM THE HORROR ZINE is now available in Kindle and trade paperback from Amazon.com, and if you see me at an event this summer, I might still have a copy or two in hardcover that I’d love to sign for you. And if you liked SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS, I bet you’ll also enjoy A FEAST OF FRIGHTS FROM THE HORROR ZINE, also edited by Jeani Rector.

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

Yesterday saw all kinds of coolness at Printer’s Row Lit Fest, with GOOSEBUMPS creator R.L. Stein and THE MISSING author Cynthia Pelayo both appearing and speaking at different engagements within the event, but today will be even cooler. Yesterday topped out at 92 degrees, and believe me, you could feel every single one of them, but today it’s only going to be 68. Cooler than that, and we’d be skipping summer right over for fall.

Remember George Clooney in this one?

Some of today’s highlights include a conversation with Chicago Tribune columnists Mary Schmich and Eric Zorn, WGN radio host Rick Kogan’s ticketed interview with THE PERFECT STORM author Sebastian Junger, cooking demos from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the food and dining stage, and stories, music, and activities at Lil’ Lit Park to keep the kids smiling all day long. That’s a lot of fun packed into a single day … and admission to the Printer’s Row Lit Fest is exactly zero dollars. Nice!

And don’t forget … I’ll be at the Post Mortem Press table, signing copies of my novels, THE BLACKENING OF FLESH and LOSING TOUCH, and popular anthologies like the steampunk-inspired THE GHOST IS THE MACHINE, SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS, and the flash-filled 44 LIES BY 22 LIARS. But here’s a truth you can bring to the bank: it’s Sunday at Printer’s Row Lit Fest. You still get more than 130 exhibitors and vendors. Just 20 degrees cooler.

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

Printer’s Row Lit Festival kicks off today in Chicago’s South Loop, and one of the key guests of honor is GOOSEBUMPS creator R.L. Stein. I was of the CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE generation, so missed out on the GOOSEBUMPS phenomena as a kid myself, but I subsequently discovered the series with my own kids, who have a stack of these books at the ready and stop whatever they’re doing when the TV show is on. For their money, it’s better than THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Last one in is a rotten … ghost!

Stein, author of WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE, THE SCARECROW WALKS AT MIDNIGHT, and THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP, will be speaking at a ticketed event today from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library. During the event, Stein will be receiving the Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Award for his part in encouraging a love of reading from an early age. So if you’re a fan of GOOSEBUMPS or just a fan of childhood literacy in general, you should go to this. But its not the only thing going on…

This afternoon, Cynthia Pelayo, author of SANTA MUERTE and the upcoming THE MISSING, will be moderating a discussion panel at the Mystery Writers of America tent. If you miss her there, look for her at the Post Mortem Press table, where she’ll be personalizing her paranormal thrillers. I’ll be there with her, signing LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH. The latter is about a high school graduate who’s house is haunted by mobsters from the Prohibition era, and they’re planning more than a heist or a haunting.

Admission is free and the weather’s supposed to be nice. A little warm today, maybe, but isn’t that what you waited all winter and spring for? Head out today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a book and a bite. Aim for the intersection of Polk and Dearborn and you’re bound to have a good time. Printer’s Row Lit Fest: it’s the perfect way to kick off summer in Chicago.

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.

The fine folks at the National Weather Service say it’s supposed to be sunny and 90° in Chicago this weekend, so it seems that locally, anyway, summer has finally … summed? But if you don’t believe the forecast, you still know it’s summer in the Windy City, because this weekend, Printer’s Row Lit Fest comes to Polk and Dearborn in Chicago, and admission to the main event is F-R-E-E.

Printer’s Row Lit Fest is the Midwest’s biggest book fair, bringing all manner of publishers, authors, and booksellers from around the country for two days of panel discussions, book signings and that perfect summer read. I’ll be at the Post Mortem Press table, personalizing copies of LOSING TOUCH and my new novel, THE BLACKENING OF FLESH. It’s about a freshly-minted high school graduate who’s house is haunted by five bootlegging diamond thieves.

The past won’t stay buried.

Cynthia Pelayo, International Latino Book Award-winning author of SANTA MUERTE, will also be on hand signing her first young adult dark fantasy novel, as well as it’s highly-anticipated sequel, THE MISSING, about a young woman’s choice between siding with the Mexican saint of death or letting her sister die. Josef Matulich, author of CAMP ARCANUM, continues his comedy about sex, magick, and power tools with POWER TOOLS IN THE SACRED GROVE, and he’ll be personalizing both books in the series this weekend at the Post Mortem Press table.

HE’S NO DUMMY!

GOOSEBUMPS creator R.L. Stine will also be speaking at Printer’s Row at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in a ticketed event at the Harold Washington Library, where he’ll be receiving the 2016 Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Award. Come hear the author of MONSTER BLOOD, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY, and THE HAUNTED MASK discuss his career as a prolific scarer of readers, young and old alike … and then head back to the street, where the “next R.L. Stine’s” new book may well be waiting for you.

And feel free to get lunch or dinner while you’re down there. Aside from the event vendors, there’s pizza at Gino’s East, barbecue at Pork Chop, sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Works, Chicago dogs and Maxwell Street Polish at Standing Room Only, Italian food and wine at Sofi Restaurant, a huge selection of drinks at Kasey’s Tavern, and burgers and drinks at Hackney’s Printer’s Row.

The fun happens this Saturday and Sunday on Dearborn from Congress to Polk, and getting there is really easy. Printer’s Row Lit Fest is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, rain or shine. But we already covered that, didn’t we?

Christian A. Larsen is the author of the novels LOSING TOUCH and THE BLACKENING OF FLESH, now available from Post Mortem Press.