So tomorrow is the official kickoff for the fully online StokerCon!

*cue lots of streamers and confetti and celebration*

Needless to say, I’m super eager to see everyone, albeit virtually, and I’m also incredibly excited to be featured on five panels as well as an author reading! Eeeeeee!!!

So without further adieu, here are the places I’ll be haunting this weekend!

Reinventing the Classics: How Modern Horror Is Transforming the Tropes
I not only pitched this panel, but I also got to be the moderator for it! Alongside panelists Christa Carmen, L. Marie Wood, Gordon B. White, Naching Kassa, Lee Murray, Rhonda Garcia, and Carina Bissett, we talk all about our favorite classic horror monsters as well as how those monsters are being reinvented in the 21st century. (On Demand)

American Female Gothic
The fabulous Christa Carmen moderated this awesome discussion of Gothic literature and how it reflects the female experience. From haunted houses to haunted bodies, this panel covered a wide range of gothic horror, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since, which is always a good sign. So come and see what we all had to say about spooky settings and spooky women! (On Demand)

Steel City Horror
Our HWA Pittsburgh Chapter got together and recorded this wonderful panel that should help give everyone some insight into what makes Pittsburgh among the major horror capitals of the world. We talk all about the history of the genre in the Steel City as well as how the Rust Belt surroundings and local lore influence our love of horror. (On Demand)

Horror as a Fairy Tale
Moderated by the amazing Cynthia Pelayo, we discuss the horrifying side of fairy tales and how the genre is still using these original bedtime stories to this day. Hear all about our favorite fairy tales and why they still resonate, especially with women’s experience in the horror genre. (On Demand)

History of the Gothic: Horror Folklore
And if you’re really eager to catch me live, then you’re in luck! I’ll be a panelist alongside Alma Katsu, Lisa Kroger, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Andy Davidson and moderator Kevin Wetmore. It’s such an excellent group of authors to be part of, so I can’t wait to hear what everyone’s got to say about horror folklore! (Saturday, 5/22 at 6pm)

Author Reading
Finally, I’m also doing a reading of my fiction! I chose excerpts from both The Invention of Ghosts and Boneset & Feathers, so expect baleful spirits, broken friendships, broken birds, and lots of witches. So you know, the usual from me! (On Demand)

And if that wasn’t enough, the Bram Stoker Awards will be held virtually on Saturday night! I’m incredibly honored to be nominated for a Stoker in the Long Fiction category for my limited edition novelette, The Invention of Ghosts, from Nightscape Press. This is my fifth (!) Stoker nomination, and even typing that sentence seems surreal. I don’t actually know quite how that happened, but I’m forever humbled and grateful for it. Good luck to everyone on Saturday, and seriously, what a year for horror!

So that’s my schedule for the weekend! I’ll probably also be hanging around the virtual bars, so if you see me there, definitely say hello! It will be good to interact with everyone this weekend!

Happy reading, and happy StokerCon!