Pippin's Journal : Or, Rosemary Is for Remembrance

Canadian author June Skinner published four novels under the pen name Rohan O'Grady, and a fifth as Ann Carleon, between 1961 and 1981. After falling out of the public eye in the early 80s, her career saw an upswing in 2010 after her third book, Let’s Kill Uncle (1963), was republished. (The book was previously adapted to film in 1966, directed by William Castle.)

She's been on my to-read list for quite some time. I decided to start with her second book, Pippin's Journal : Or, Rosemary Is for Remembrance (1962), primarily because it includes a number of illustrations by Edward Gorey--and his art is perfectly suited to Skinner's story, which is a macabre, Gothic tale that is darkly humorous at times.

CFP: EuroMedia2017

Fancy a visit to England this summer? Then why not head to the picturesque town of Brighton, which is hosting EuroMedia2017, The European Conference on Media, Communication and Film 2017, from July 11-12, 2017.

Note that the initial abstract submission deadline is February 28, 2017, and early bird registration is open until the end of March 30, 2017.

Hogtown Horror, Vol. 1

The city of Toronto, Canada is known by many nicknames, including The Big Smoke, The Centre of the Universe, Hollywood North, and Hogtown--the latter of which lends itself to a new collection of ghoulish comics called Hogtown Horror.

Each of the 17 stories, produced by Canadian artists and writers, chiefly take place in and around Toronto. Obviously those who live here, or are familiar with the city, will get a kick out of the stories--but they're universal enough to please any horror fan.

That Time When Hamill, Fisher & Ford Hung Out At Bakka

It's been a long time between blog posts, as I've been focused these past few months on researching and writing my new book, The Great Fright North. However, since I've uncovered many interesting examples of Canadian supernatural tales (and other horrors), I hope to blog more this summer in order to hint at the kind of things you'll read about in the new book!

In the meantime, I thought I'd post about that time when Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford hung out at Bakka books in Toronto, for an up-close-and-personal autograph session in June, 1977 promoting their new independent feature, Star Wars.

Alienation by Clark Ashton Smith

As part of researching Canadian fanzines for my upcoming book The Great Fright North, I've been delving into Supramundane Stories, which was Canada's first SF fanzine created by this country's first true genre fan, Nils Helmer Frome. He only published two issues, which primarily contained science fiction content; yet some of the work bled into the realm of weird fiction, the supernatural, and the macabre.

The second issue (Spring 1938) includes "Alienation," a 12-stanza poem by Clark Ashton Smith. Smith was a contemporary of H.P. Lovecraft, and is well-known for his short stories and poems that ran the gamut of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

CFP: The 'Slayage' Conference on the Whedonverses

Courtesy beakernet.net

In 2004, the first Slayage Conference on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was held in Nashville, Tennessee, an event organized by David Lavery and Rhonda V. Wilcox. Interest in meeting again was so high that the conference became a biennial gathering of scholars and other enthusiasts. Today, the Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses has convened in Georgia (2006), Arkansas (2008), Florida (2010), British Columbia (2012), and California (2014).

In 2016, the conference celebrates the 12th anniversary of its first gathering by convening at Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, England, UK, 7-10 July 2016.