I’ve been to two professional conferences in my lifetime. The first – the American College Health Association’s annual conference, and PowerDMS’s Ignite conference. The first was in Washington D.C. in 2018 and the later was in Orlando in 2020 – yes, that 2020 when they were literally shutting things down as we were attending (story for another time). Anyway, I found out quite quickly that I was excited for the travel and, while initially excited about the conferences themselves, I hated them. Leaving Orlando I vowed to never go to one again. And now, in May of 2025, I’m three weeks away from attending my third conference and I couldn’t be more excited.

So what’s changed? You know other than half-a-decade, a global pandemic, an authoritarian shit show (and it’s no-one asked for sequel), and there are at least three or four super volcanoes causing the ground to vibrate the soles of our feet.

I’m kidding – none of those things have anything to do with attending conferences, I just had your attention and wanted to bitch.

What’s changed is I’m attending one that revolves around something I love: writing. Yup, I’m finally headed to a writing conference and I couldn’t be more excited to sit in the back and be the little quiet person who keeps to himself… Maybe. We’ll see how good the hotel bar is.

Jokes aside, I’m super thrilled to be attending StokerCon 2025 right here in my own backyard! Last I checked, there were thirty sessions I added to my two and a half day schedule – what do you want from me??? They all sound EPIC and I couldn’t say no. But the epicness doesn’t stop there.

Every year at StokerCon, a souvenir anthology is distributed to attendees. The collection features essays, stories, and other writings from Bram Stoker award winners and members of the Horror Writers Association. This year, in some serendipitous alignment of when I’m attending my first StokerCon, my story The Ghost Girl of Rocky Neck, originally published in Horror Over the Handlebars, will be one of them.

Talk about honored. Talk about humbled. Talk about sign me up for a good f’ing time. Now I just have to get through the next three weeks. If only I had writing to do…. Ah, guess I’ll play some video games instead.

Stay well friends.