Less Than Pulp, Issue 43
Discover more from Fiction for the Cosmically Disturbed
I started writing this Monday morning in my room at the Econo Lodge. This journey began at the Econo Lodge, so it’s appropriate that this is where it ends.
Hello, I’m Lucas Mangum. This is the 43rd issue of Less Than Pulp, a newsletter for family, friends, and readers. You can check out previous issues here.
This weekend, I was at Scares That Care Author Con. Max Booth III and I were supposed to drive together, but he unfortunately needed to back out due to him getting exposed to COVID. Rather than drive 23 hours by myself, I flew into Richmond, VA on Wednesday. Jean was a superstar, helping me find plane tickets. I would have had a hell of a time finding the best rates with the least amount of layover and other shenanigans on my own, so her help is deeply appreciated. I think she was motivated because she remembers how hard it was for me to drive by myself from East Texas to Pennsylvania over twelve years ago.
Virginia is really pretty! It’s got these large swaths of woodlands. The ground has patches of moss every foot or so, which must be due to sufficient rain/moisture in the air. It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t unpleasantly cold either. The air was crisp and genuinely nice to breathe. It reminds me of where I lived in the northeast before it got too built up.
I wasn’t booked at the convention center until Friday night, so I stayed at the Econo Lodge for two nights. Having time alone in a motel meant I could work on the new novel. I’ve got 7,000 words on it so far, and I like the way it’s paced. I’m still not quite ready to announce what it is yet. It feels special and I don’t want to jinx it. Creative types are superstitious; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
I also finished up reading Dead End House while I was here. I may save a full review for next week, as the Author Con recap is bound to be on the long side. For now, let’s just say I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s cruel as hell throughout its second act, showing that its author Bryan Smith can still do extreme with the best of them. But it never loses its sense of fun, which makes it stand out.
Thursday night, I had tacos with Aron Beauregard, Kristopher Rufty, and Daniel Volpe. We talked about Dead End House, when to expose our kids to the edgier horror media we all enjoy, and wrestling. I knew Aron was a fan like me, but I didn’t know Kristopher was. That was a nice surprise, and it was cool to talk about current storylines we like and our predictions for Wrestlemania. Daniel mentioned that, like many others, he stopped watching after WWE’s Attitude Era ended. I totally get that; until 2015, I was in the same boat. There was an energy to the product back then that definitely distinguishes it from the current show. Sure, there was raunchier content, but the main thread each week, with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin waging a one-man war against the establishment, made for must-see TV. If I ever teach a writing class, I can think of several clips I could point to as examples of great storytelling.
Friday morning, Carver Pike picked me up from the Lodge and drove me to the DoubleTree where the event was held. Upon checking me in, the lady at the front desk gave me a chocolate chip cookie with walnuts. I didn’t know what to say. I’d never been given a cookie upon checking into a hotel before, so I thanked the receptionist profusely and hid in my hotel room to eat the cookie.
As one does…
Before Opening Ceremonies, I caught up with Wile E. Young, Wesley Southard, and Bridgett Nelson. Wile E. remains one of the bright spots in this industry. He’s always got a cheerful energy about him and a great sense of humor. I apologized for taking so long on our collaboration and promised to work on it this month. We’ll see how the month plays out. There’s Ghoulish Book Festival on the weekend of the 14th, my birthday on the 19th, and a visit from critic/filmmaker Scout Tafoya on the following week. Still, it’s a promise I intend to keep.
Hell, everyone I mentioned so far is a bright spot in this industry. All talented folks, yes, but they’re also very kind. The sorts of people I wish I could be around more.
After Opening Ceremonies, I headed to the dealer’s room where things got off to a fast-paced start, but not before complimenting Bitter Karella on their awesome Ouija board-patterned bag.
The majority of the con seemed to blow by. It was by far the busiest convention I've ever been a part of. It got to the point where leaving the table meant missed opportunities to interact with readers and sell books. That's not a complaint, by the way. I've never sold so many books at an event before, and I met a crazy amount of people who just liked reading horror.
I did step away at 8:30 that evening to read with Wesley and John Wayne Comunale. The highlight of that was John Wayne's dog walking through the crowd as he read. The audience seemed genuinely engaged with each of our pieces. I read the “commercials” from Earth vs the Star Mummy.
That night, I hung out with Wes, Wile E., Stephen Kozenewski, Brian Keene, and Mike Lombardo. We ate pizza and talked about finding the best way to present ourselves online and at events. It was a rare few hours of chill, the highlight of which was getting Mike Lombardo's thoughts on George Romero. Afterwards, I immediately texted Jeff and said we had to have Lombardo on Make Your Own Damn Podcast. As the show is a celebration of DIY horror and grindhouse cinema, Mike is the ideal guest. He’s someone who’s lived that life and has well-articulated, enthusiastic thoughts about other creators in that sphere.
Saturday, it was back to the vendor’s room. Friday was busy, sure, but Saturday was even more so. People who heard me read from Earth vs the Star Mummy came to the table to grab the book. Other big sellers were Gods of the Dark Web and Saint Sadist. Those two books have been on my mind lately and not just because I’m working on the collaboration with Carver or because Christina Pfeiffer did that group read of Saint Sadist. I’m so grateful for those two books and the readers they’ve garnered. Even over four years later, they keep getting rediscovered. R.E. Shambrook even came by to tell me that because of Saint Sadist, he will forever buy whatever else I have on the table that he hasn’t already read. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot. People like to know they’re good at something, and this is something that’s true regardless of what level someone is at in the business. For example, I took the time to tell Ronald Malfi how much I appreciated The Night Parade, which I read earlier this year. We talked about how the book was written before the pandemic and how he never played The Last of Us, but those two things contributed heavily to the book’s continued success. He came across as very humble. He seemed appreciative of what I had to say, and he even wrote a nice message to me in the copy of Black Mouth that I purchased.
At 2:45 pm, I sat on a marketing panel with Aron, Daniel, Lucy Leitner, Kelly Anderson, and Red Lagoe. It was enlightening, but also a little intimidating. Aron and Daniel have really made a go at this indie author thing, while Lucy and Kelly have experience working with actual marketing firms. I hope I brought something to the table if only just advice on what not to do. Afterwards, moderator Red Lagoe gave each of the panelists a meteorite. Yes, a real one, which I, of course, gave to my son upon returning home.
After grabbing Italian food with Wile E., Wes, Kozenewski, Mike Lombardo, and a few others, I headed out to throw axes with Kenzie Jennings, Laurel Hightower, and Rowan Hill. In between chucks, we discussed bad experiences with publishers, finding out who our friends are, and our career strategies going forward. We also drank margaritas that we agreed tasted like popsicles but probably had no alcohol in them.
Sunday, after a few more hours in the vendor room, I went back to the Econo Lodge. It was a nice weekend, but I definitely needed to decompress, so I decompressed in the best way I knew how: I watched Wrestlemania! It was good this year, the standouts being the Intercontinental Title triple threat and the Hell in a Cell match. I liked the main events for each night, too, but the ending of Night 2 deflated me a bit.
We've got a new bonus episode of Make Your Own Damn Podcast up on the Patreon. This time we're talking about our favorite video game adaptations and our final thoughts on the Amazon Prime adaptation of Bentley Little's The Consultant. You can listen to it here for just a buck.
That's gonna do it for now. I'm sorry it's a little late. AuthorCon was great, but it definitely left me fried. Thanks to my subscribers old and new, and as always…
Books (I’m going to get a store up and running again soon so I can stop linking to Amazon all the damn time)