Upcoming Read-a-Long's and Readathon!

I found two great events for April! First up a read-along of Masquerade: 

MOSTLY REVIEWS and 3 other bloggers are hosting this readalong of Masquerade. Loking forward to it :)

 

 

 

 

 

CASTLE MACABRE is  hosting a readathon in late April! Of course I'm signing up :)

     

CON ON A BUDGET: How To Enjoy WONDERCON 2012

This Friday I leave for WONDERCON ! Wondercon is similar to San Diego Comic-Con but with a lot fewer attendees. Though I planned for the event , an unexpected lull in work in January and February has left me with a little less income them previously expected. This week however I've been thinking about my past Conventions and the lessons I've learned from them. So here are some tips for attending a Convention on a budget.


MEMORIES vs MERCHANDISE :

The exhibit floor of a big pop culture convention is full of shiny pretty things you just HAVE to possess! In the past few years at SDCC I've gotten cool action figures, t-shirts, tote bags, Variant comics, DVDs etc. Many of them however are stuffed in my closet. Every once and awhile I pull them out, mostly to dust :)

This year however my budget is forcing me to ignore those shiny pretty things and focus on personal connections. I will be spending the majority of my time getting books signed, maybe scoring a few complimentary sketches and meeting with some of my twitter and real world friends. I also want to focus on taking some pictures of my favorite artists and writers .


RAID Your Long Boxes!:

Very few booths at conventions require you purchase something for an autograph. DC comics and Marvel often provide free copies of comics that you can get defaced by your favorite creator. So today and tomorrow I'm taking the Wondercon guest list and pulling my books to take to the various signings.

PICK A ROOM AND STAY AWHILE:

One of the best things about conventions are the variety of panels and multimedia events available. Less time on the exhibit hall floor means more time to take in various panels and exclusive premiers. I plan on spending at least a few hours every day taking in the various panels and catching up on the latest Anime.

SNACK ATTACK:

Con food is expensive! I always make a Trader Joes run before hitting the road. So much cheaper to buy water, chips, energy bars and other munchies to keep your energy up for those long Con days. Also pick up some Vitamin C to avoid con crud :)


I love conventions and will always make time in my schedule to attend them. These tips make my Con experience easier. Hope they help

Review: The Gathering Anthology Issue 6

                                                                     

STATS:

PUBLISHER:

GRAYHAVEN

PRICE:

$3.00

The anthology format has always appealed to me. In the world of books I often discover new authors from collected fiction. In the Gathering books not only is the reader introduced to new and established talents, they also get to see stories grouped around a particular theme.

For issue six the theme is Horror, my favorite Genre!

This entire issue is solid from start to finish, but here are  some of my favorites :

Inflated Evil

Gary Hogan & Blake Sims

I love when horror can make you laugh! This short brutal little tale will make you think twice the next time a balloon comes your way



The Mistress

Sterling Gates & Cassandra James

The art on this story just blew me away! Look below for a sample. I've been a fan of Gates comic writing for awhile now , so I was looking forward to seeing a different type of story from him .  The Mistress is  the story of a neglected wife and her new lover. Not satisfied with living a luxurious life and a handsome lover, she decides to kill her husband. Nice twist ending :)

The Mistress by Gates & James

   

Jack Unblinking 

Travis M. Holyfield & Chris Page

From the first panel you will know who Jack is. That doesn't detract from the creepiness of this story. Jack lives in darkness , coiled and waiting, hoping for a glimpse of light and possibly salvation.

Really enjoyed this issue and I'm really impressed at what Grey Haven has produced and what' coming up from them in the future.