Texas Frightmare...Horror-ific Fun!

Another year of Texas Frightmare fun and mayhem has come and gone. I'm already thinking about next year and making plans. My husband and I missed last years event (opting to head to the coast instead), and we were amazed at how much bigger and better the event is now. Wow! The organizers did a great job and it was a lot of fun.

I used to attend Frightmare with a friend of mine who sells awesome t shirts. Her biggest hit is "I'm a zombie girl in a zombie world" and a onsie for babies that reads "Zombie Bait. Throw As Needed." The hubby and I used to help her and her daughter man her tables for quite a few years. We'd get autographs and see the horror films premiering at the event. We'd hang out and generally have fun. I have always loved attending cons and this is the FIRST Texas Frightmare I have attended as a vendor selling my books. It was a lot of fun sitting next to Dr. Pus and the crew from Pittsburgh (Rich and Michelle, the peeps behind Horror Realm) and hanging out with all the good Librarians from the Library of the Living Dead (Podcast and Press).

One of the things I love about Texas Frightmare is that it is always a great excuse to drag out my fancier goth clothes and shoes to dress up. One year I wore a Victorian vampire bride costume and carried around a vampire baby (with teddy bear and bottle of blood). People were constantly stopping me and my friend (also dressed up) for pictures. This year I decided to avoid the fancier costumes, but still wore some of my new goth clothes I bought recently at secret-oktober.com here in Austin, Texas. My friend Helen had found some great hair accessories for me while we were out shopping, so I had fun wearing those as well. Frankly, its like an alternative fashion show with women of all shapes, sizes and ages coming out in all their finery. I saw some really great outfits this year.

When I arrived Friday to set up, I got an enormous hug and kiss from good ol Dr. Pus that made me feel so good. Traffic in Dallas was horrible and I felt a bit frazzled. I haven't been feeling really well due to a recurring health issue I've had all my life. I felt really out of sorts at certain points during the event Friday and Saturday. Still it was amazing fun talking to friends and hanging out. I took a walk around the venue and saw my friend selling her t shirts and I instantly started to feel better. I set up my table and we went to lunch with my mother. We had terrible luck in traffic and I ended up getting back to the show late. I still had a great time talking to everyone and was thrilled when I got a text message from deadmama aka Michelle McCrary (editor and writer) that she was in line to see George A. Romero. I rushed over to see her and give her a hug, then returned to my table where Doc and I drank over-salted margaritas. By the end of the show, we were all exhausted.

My Mom tagged along for the Saturday show and loved pitching my books to people who dropped by the table. She bought that fabulous zombie that is standing on my table. We call him Ike. The little kids loved him and tons of people took photos of him. I think he was the hit
of the event.




All day Saturday people were snapping photos. I'm terrible at remembering to take pictures, but here is one with me and deadmama (aka Michelle). You can see my super bright red hair in this picture. I love it!



Steve, the producer that optioned As The World Dies arrived with his wife, Shaela. While he visited with the Texas Film Commission peeps, we headed off to shop. Shaela bought a killer hat and I bought a cute red bag with a big spider on it. The woman who handmade the items was wearing a Lilly Munster gown she had made and I'm seriously considering asking her to make me one for Horror Realm. It was AWESOME!!

Shaela and I stood in line to see Elvira and were very excited to see how absolutely gorgeous she still is. She must be drinking the blood of virgins on a regular basis!

(Picture: Elvira and Shaela wearing her hat)



I handed Elvira a copy of my novel The Tale of the Vampire Bride and inscribed it with a "thank you" for all the inspiration she has given me over the years. She took it, held it over her head, and yelled at her assistant, "I got swag!!" Her assistant took it, started looking it over, opened it and saw the inscription and said, "Hey, this is yours!" "Yeah! Vampires!" Elvira answered. I told them the basic story and said something like "It's bloody and sexy. It has some good sex scenes." "We're all about the sex," Elvira grinned. She signed a photo for me and I got to take one with her. She's so beautiful! When I glanced over at her assistant, she was still looking at the book. "We got something to read. Awesome," she told me. I won't lie! It made me feel really good that they appreciated the gift.


I was sitting at my table, when my friend Lori appeared clutching her camera. "We're going to go get Julian Sands autograph," she informed me.

"He's here?" I had totally forgotten he was at the event. "Everyone says he should play The Summoner!" I grabbed a copy of Pretty When She Dies, wrote a dedication, and rushed off with my friend.

When we met him at his table, I handed him the book and said, "I want you to have this. It's my vampire novel and my fandom keeps telling me that you should be The Summoner in the movie. A lot of them imagined you in the role when they read it."

He took the book and said, "Really?" He looked it over then looked up at me, cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Has it been optioned?"

"Yes, it has," I answered. "The script is done and being shopped around."

We briefly discussed the plot and The Summoner and Julian was intrigued. He autographed a photo for me and posed for a picture with me. I love how he inscribed the photo.



Yep! He signed it The Summoner! And he added "You have been summoned." Isn't that awesome?

He asked me to relay to the producer that optioned Pretty When She Dies that he was interested in the role. Julian continued to say that John Carpenter had wanted him to play a vampire in "John Carpenter's Vampires" but it hadn't worked out. Ironically, the producer behind that movie is working on a film adaptation of my movie.

My last big moment of the day was meeting George A. Romero. Sadly, just as I got into line with Shaela, I felt horribly sick. The malady I had been dealing with for over a week came back with a vengeance. I felt so ill, I could barely stand in line. My husband came over to check on me and I told him the second I had Romero's autograph I had to go. He was instantly worried and stayed nearby. I grabbed the Italian version of the Night of the Living Dead poster and as we got nearer, I just prayed I could keep it together long enough to meet Mr. Romero. Well, he was a doll. So very nice, and I remember absolutely nothing about our conversation. I was THAT sick. BAH. Oh, well. There is always next time.



Here is a picture of us snapped on my cellphone by my mom. As you can tell, I was fading fast.

He looks AMAZING, of course. He was so nice! I wish I could remember the details of our conversation, but I do remember his kindness.



Sadly, I had to go home early that evening and did not attend on Sunday. We went by long enough to pick up my stuff and speak briefly with Julian Sands. I got his agent information for the producer and Julian told me he was looking forward to reading my book. He had it up in his room and was planning to read it on the way to LA.

My husband packed up our rental car and we drove home to Austin. By the time we reached our house, I was exhausted, yet happy. I got some really nice items at Frightmare and a slew of good memories.

The rest of this week hasn't been particularly productive as I deal with illness and medical tests. It's an annoyance, but it will all be okay. As usual, my husband is my rock.

I did have one bit of awesome news this week. On Wednesday, I heard back from the producer. He had sent Julian Sands' agent the script and Julian read it. He liked it a lot and if the movie moves forward and he is available, he is very interested in doing the part of The Summoner. That definitely perked me up!

Julian Sands liked MY story.

Woot!!

So all in all, Texas Frightmare was fabulous fun.

I can't wait until next year.