World Horror Con 2008 Wrap Up

Unfortunately I had some health problems that kept me away from the convention Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. I'm very disappointed because I was having a blast getting to know a lot of writers, editors and attendees.

I want to thank Charlie Harmon for putting together a wonderful convention. I know that its a pretty big deal to host an international event. I also want to thank everyone who volunteered for the WHC.

I'm a sucker for a good book and there were plenty of those at WHC. Here are the ones I walked away with:

(These books are linked through my Amazon affiliate. If you would prefer not to click through please search for the author or title.)

I also picked up a couple of convention only books; a short story called Little Boy Blue by James A. Moore, a convention only anthology called Desolate Souls, and an anthology called Love and Sacrifice. I also picked up a convention shirt; kind of like going to a rock and roll concert and getting a T.

I want to thank nightshadebooks.com for the excellent FREE T-shirt; can't wait to see the pics.

There were also some pretty interesting publishers in attendance like Bloodletting Press and Bones and Casket Press. I also saw some pretty interesting book titles which I would not share with anyone, even in a dark alley.

Some of my final thoughts

• There were plenty of panels and there seemed to be a good mix of topics
• The Hotel was very nice and had FREE WiFi, which is very cool, no code needed
• The dealer room was exceptional
• The art gallery was terrific; lots of great paintings, photos and drawings
• There were plenty of volunteer staff and they were easily spotted
• There were so many guest authors I felt overwhelmed
• Registration was a snap, and they had my pre-registration information

Things that weren't a big deal but a tiny bit annoying

• Some of the panelists were a little obnoxious and detracted from the topics
• It would have been nice to see someone shooting video of the sessions and the crowd
• There were too many Stoker and HWA events in the middle of the time blocks, making
  it difficult for those not attending the Stoker awards or not an HWA member to stay engaged. At least that's how I saw it
• I know the conference volunteers have no control over travel issues with guest speakers, but there were times when the speaker didn't know he or she was supposed to be presenting. Frustrating for the audience

I guess you could say I had a really good time. I know this is a once in a very long time event in Salt Lake City, and while I'm not a huge Horror fan, I think WHC 2008 was a great success.