Category Archives: Conventions

CraftFest: Where Writers Learn From The Best

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Last week I attended ThrillerFest IX in New York City. This annual event is held by the terrific organization International Thriller Writers, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. While at ThrillerFest IX, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the best in the business. Two days were dedicated to CraftFest, which was comprised of seminars dedicated to helping writers improve their craft. Below are photos and highlights from some of the sessions.

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When I Met William Shatner & Scott Bakula

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Earlier in the year I attended my first Philadelphia Comic Con. Once I heard that all five Star Trek captains, including William Shatner and Scott Bakula, were going to be there, I knew I had to go. I grew up watching Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap and loved William Shatner as Denny Crane on Boston Legal.

As evidenced by the image above, I jumped at the opportunity to get a photo with these two legendary thespians, and it turned out great. After having our photo taken, Scott Bakula turned to me, shook my hand and thanked me. This caught me off guard because I was about to thank him. He was as nice as could be, and Shatner was his usual charming self. Once the hard copy of the photo was printed, Bakula and Shatner autographed it for me.

Meeting a celebrity is an unpredictable experience. You never know if the person you’re going to meet will live up to your expectations or let you down. Thankfully, I left this event with greater respect for these two men.

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, who did you meet and how did it go?

Monster-Mania: A Horror Fan’s Dream

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Me being attacked by Freddy & Jason.

For nearly 10 years, Dave Hagan has been hosting a semi-annual horror film and memorabilia convention in Cherry Hill, NJ and Hunt Valley, MD. It’s called Monster-Mania, and yesterday was my first time attending. I met Doug Bradley, Nancy Allen, Claire Higgins, and Craig Sheffer, among others. I even ran into Freddy and Jason. In addition to meeting horror icons and getting autographs, I got to enjoy horror films I’d never seen before: Dressed to Kill, Night of the Living Dead and Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut. Needless to say, I had a blast and plan on attending future shows. Below are additional photos from my fabulous time at this stellar convention.

Me and the lovely Nancy Allen, whose starred in such films as Robocop, Dressed to Kill, Carrie, and Blow Out.

Meeting my favorite star from Hellraiser, Claire Higgins (Julia). She’s a tremendous actress and has a delightful personality too.

Meeting the incomparable Doug Bradley, best known for his role as Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise.

Hanging out with Craig Sheffer following a screening of Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut.