World Horror Convention

I'm on the program. Hooray! I'll be signing books that Friday , March 30th, at 8pm, and on a panel April 1 at 11am: YOUNG BLOOD: NEW WRITERS TO LOOK OUT FOR.

Also, I came up with a list of must have horror/dark fiction at HFNN's Reading Room.
A few of the picks:

The Kingdom of This World by Alego Carpentier-The carnage of Haiti in the aftermath of French colonialism. Dogs eat slaves. Aborted fetuses are, "rejected from heaven, which wanted nothing to do with those who died, ignoring the gods." Bulls blood and kings are buried within fortresses. The place becomes hell on earth, and it’s described beautifully.

Confessions of a Crap Artist by Philip K Dick- A satire of the upper middle class, proving that people who play golf are crazier than cult members. By a mile.

The Lover by Margeurite Duras- A young woman learns her currency at an early age in this story about the violence women commit against each other.

Corregidora by Gayl Jones-The story of the great-granddaughter of a slave, who retraces her terrible family history, Chinatown style.

Ironweed by William Kennedy- A band of homeless friends in upstate New York shuffle through their days, unable to escape their haunting pasts.

The Shining by Stephen King- Best haunted house novel ever.

The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle- A first novel with teeth about an obese college dropout who moves home to recover from a nervous breakdown, only to discover that his family is crazier than he is.

I am Legend by Richard Matheson- Post apocalyptic zombie-vampires versus the last man on earth. Love it!

1984 by George Orwell- Read it. Love it. Read it again.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk-The villains are real estate agents and lawyers, of course.

Houses Without Doors by Peter Straub-Excruciating and terrifying. Probably the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. You corrupted me, Peter Straub!

Plays:

MacBeth by William Shakespeare-The horses eat each other! What could be better?

Our Town by Thorton Wilder-This play is creeeeepy.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams-If I could, I’d kick Stanley Kowalski in the head.

Collections:

Trailer Park by Russell Banks-Banks nails the despondent voice of people who’ve given up hope, but go on living. His sympathy for them, and his knowledge of their internal lives, makes everything he writes a page-turner.

Labyrinths by Luis Borges

The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka- My favorite is “A Hunger Artist”. Apparently, Kafka thought everything he wrote was gut-bustingly funny. He was bananas.

Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link- Wry, wise, and amazing.

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore- In “Terrific Mother,” a woman falls and accidentally kills her friend’s baby. A serious social gaffe.

Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates- Dark fiction with honesty and brains.