Horror Realm is Coming!!!

Just a quick heads up about Horror Realm 2010 that will take place in Pittsburgh, PA on September 17-19. I will be appearing as a guest author at Horror Realm and sitting on an all female panel during the event. I will also be participating in some of the events leading up the convention during the preceding week.

I am very excited to be signing books and participating in discussion with Dr. Pus as Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Pittsburgh on Monday night, September 13, 2010. I think it will be a great night.

Here is the latest info on Horror Realm from the organizer herself, Miss Dee.

Get ready for Horror Realm week with events every night of the week leading up to the convention, including:

•A book signing event featuring Rhiannon Frater, author of As the World Dies, on Monday, September 13
•Pittsburgh Paranormal Society lecture/presentation on Tuesday, September 14
•Horror film program at The Oaks Theater on Wednesday, September 15
•Rock show at The Smiling Moose on Thursday, September 16

Details on each Horror Realm™ week event will be announced as they become available. All events will be scheduled in the evening (7 PM or later).

The following guests have just been confirmed to appear at Horror Realm™:
•John Saxon, a Golden Globe Award winning actor who has made hundreds of film and television appearances but is best known to horror fans for roles in the films Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas, to name but a few.
•Beverly Bonner, who appeared in films by director Frank Henenlotter including Frankenhooker, Brain Damage, the entire Basket Case series. She is the third Basket Case alum on the guest list, joining Kevin Van Hentenryck and Terri Susan Smith (Ahu).
•David Crawford, who played Dr. Foster in the original version of Dawn of the Dead. Crawford joins fellow Dawn cast members Ken Foree, Sharon Ceccatti-Hill, Joe Shelby, Tony Buba and director of photography Mike Gornick.

On Saturday, September 18 there will be a monster costume ball in the evening after the dealer room closes (time TBA). Admission is free with the purchase of a weekend or Friday/Saturday day pass ($5 cover at the door without a convention admission). Come as your favorite zombie, vampire, werewolf, mummy or other horror character – or just be yourself. The ball will feature a cash bar, DJ, costume contest and silent auction to benefit United Cerebral Palsy and The Epilepsy Foundation. Anyone wishing to donate items for the auction should contact Miss Dee at info@horrorrealmcon.com.

Love,

Miss Dee

Keep updated on the latest on Horror Realm by checking out the website.

100 Books Sold and Updates All Around!!!

One Milestone Passed In Book Sales
First off, as of early this morning, the sales for As The World Dies: The First Days, crossed the 100 books sold mark. This may not seem like a big number to some people, but it is huge for me. The book has only been out since August 15, 2008 (officially), so I am feeling very solid about the sales.

Considering that my promotion of the book has been minimal, I have to give big kudos to the fans who are spreading the word. I read somewhere that an Indie Author should not expect to sell 100 books. And that 200 book sales was even more rare. Well, that's one milestone down and another in sight. I have a lot of faith in this book and I feel it is a solid contribution to the zombie genre. I believe its going to keep going in its sales. That would definitely help out a lot toward getting the next books into the pipeline for publication.

FearFest 3 is BACK!
I got the word toward the end of this week that FearFest in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is back on! We have gone a head and shifted our reserved tables to this event and we're very excited! Wizard World has taken over the event and the lineup is looking really good! They have also moved it to a bigger venue and I think its just going to be awesome. If you can make it out to the event, please make sure to drop by my table and say hello.

The Doc Has Spoken
I have to thank Dr. Pus from Library of the Living Dead podcast for giving me 11 Severed Thumbs (out of a possible 1o) for As The World Dies: The First Days. I have agreed to let them do the entire novel on the podcast and I'm so excited about that!

Also, Dr. Pus wrote a review for Amazon.com that you can find here. My favorite part of the review is this quote: "Rhiannon sucks you in with the very first chapter. A chilling account of an entire family torn apart .... literally. When I began this book I actually stopped after the first chapter and went back and read it again. IT'S THAT GOOD!"

The Doc also gave me a big shout out in his newest podcast. I got a huge kick out of him trying to say my name correctly (ree on an freighter is correct). Check out Episode #63 for lots of zombie goodness along with news on the upcoming podcasts of As The World Dies: The First Days.

Spotlight On...
This month I also made the list of Spotlight On... for independent horror/suspense novels. I have to say, I really like the way my cover looks on that page and the amazon.com reviews always make me smile.


Anyway, that is enough of an update for now! Back to working on the novel!

Slightly Insane

Word is out that FearFest 3 is being canceled. Ugh! My first convention is going to be delayed until February. I'll wait until there is a formal announcement on the website before I take off the links and information. I'm kind of hoping that it still happens, though a delay until February would mean I would have more time to get promotional materials ready and the second book would be on sale.

Meanwhile, I'm working on untangling the mess I made in book two. I'm sorting it out slowly and it will be fine. I have a feeling someone reading the book as it is now, would not see the big ol' knot in the works that I do, but I know how it should have been written, so it makes me a little nuts. When I wrote this part in the story a lot of negative things were happening in my life and I think I rushed through this section. But it will be okay and better than ever when I get done. I promise.

I have other news as well. AngelLesa will be interviewing me on her blogtalkradio show on October 13, 2008. You can check out her myspace here. She has a great show were she interviews a variety of artists and showcases their latest works. You should check out her show (and not just when I'm being interviewed).

One more thing, I have received heads up that several fans of As The World Dies has been spreading the word about the book on different forums. I want to say THANK YOU!! Your support of the book means the world to me and its exciting to see the fans giving the novel a shout out. Thank you so much.

Some Cool News to Share

First off, I will be attending Fear Fest 3 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to promote my book. I will be sharing space with my good friends from Creepy Classic Videos. She has some truly awesome zombie t-shirts, caps, totes, and lots of good ol' horror movies. I've attended cons with her before, but this is my first time I'm actually vending my own stuff and not just helping with her table!

I'm so excited!

For details, click on the links in the sidebar of this blog. If you're in the area, please come and check it out, buy and book and chat.

Second good news is my short story Vengeance on Scribd has made the Hot List. I'm very excited about this. It was awesome to get that news today.

This is a very short update, but hopefully I'll have more in the future.

New Chapters! More Jenni! More Everything!!

The second book is well on its way. It starts just before the survivors in the fort make their move to claim the hotel. I was reading over the sections and realized something was missing. I wasn't sure what it was and laid the book aside to think about it.

That night I dreamt about the missing "part". It made perfect sense and opened the second book with chapters that capture the essence of the characters and fort itself. There is always the possibility of someone starting to read the series at the second novel As The World Dies: Struggling to Survive, so I wanted to make sure they knew who the characters were, but not have a massive info dump. The new chapters add to the character development, paint a clear portrait of what is happening in the fort and the risks at hand, and give the readers a new action sequence.

I really love the new chapters.

Plus, it was fun to revisit Katie and Jenni and the other characters. I miss writing for them and it felt good to hear their voices in my head once more.

Besides, Jenni+ax+zombies=a good time.

The final proof reader is making her way through the book. She has an excellent eye and I trust her to find the final little goofs that have missed the one billion read-throughs. There is always something you just don't see.

We're almost to publication and its getting so exciting. I'm looking into attending some horror conventions as a vendor so I can sell and sign my book and that means ordering signs, posters and banners.

I recently met an artist here in Austin who has made this truly creepy zombie baby. I'm thinking of buying it off of him.

That we are at this point in the process just amazes me. I never would have done this without the encouragement of my fans, family and friends. I don't feel alone in this process and that is a very good feeling.

The publication date is looming, but I'm not worried. I really believe you guys will love this book as much as I do when you hold it in your hands. It's truly gorgeous and the quality is terrific.

I wonder if ya'll are as excited as I am?