Friday, March 2, 2012

March Madness

The end of the month holds World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah from the 29th to the 1st of April, along with the Stoker Awards Banquet on the night of the 31st. I'm looking forward to seeing all of my old friends and making some new ones. My first published short story will also be making its debut there in the book, Horror For Good: A Charitable Anthology. I'm very excited and honored to be among the fantastic authors in the TOC including Jack Ketchum, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeff Strand, Wrath James White, and so many more from the horror genre. It will make this convention even more special for me.

I recently finished The German, by Lee Thomas. It's by far the best book I've read this year. There are many layers to it that build slowly, then come together for a well told and beautifully written story. It's about a German man who fled to the United States after nearly being gunned down in WWII. He moves to a small town in Texas, keeps to himself mostly, and makes furniture. Brutal murders begin to occur and there is no evidence except for a note taunting the law, scribbled in German. With the war in full swing and many men abroad, it doesn't take long before the townspeople begin to segregrate and torment the German population. The main character included. I think what I enjoyed so much about this book was that The German (main character,) knew who he was, wasn't ashamed of it, and never backed down. He had a simple philosophy and that was how he lived his life, yet he couldn't get away from discrimination and hate. I thought the story ended well. Overall, I was very pleased.

I am currently reading, Empire of Salt, by Weston Ochse. Review to come soon.

On a fashion note, I've been trying to lean my bad habit of designer bags that are made from leather. Not that I'm completely against leather now, but I am no longer buying any items using real fur, and have never purchased anything made from exotic skins. Particularly when there are designers such as Stella McCartney who makes cool bags from anything but leather and fur. I may also start following the example from her website http://www.stellamccartney.com, and opt for "Meat Free Mondays." Being that I grew up partly on a farm, this will be very difficult, but I'm going to try. One day a week couldn't hurt. We'll see.




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