Report from StokerCon 2025
Mysterious goo dripping from the ceiling. Flickering lights. A creepy voice in an elevator people called “the guillotine”. Abandoned hallways and mysterious empty spaces…
No, I’m not talking about my latest story. I’m talking about the hotel where the Horror Writers Association convention took place. To be honest, none of us expected such a rich atmosphere from the Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Meeting Center. Stamford, Connecticut is a bedroom community about an hour outside New York City and the hotel that hosted us is in the middle of a business park. But man, the atmosphere was there. One of the attendees said it best. “I appreciate the lengths to get a haunted hotel for StokerCon.”
So, six hundred horror writers descended on this place for four days of panels, readings, networking, and general mayhem. Here are some of the highlights.
Greeting my Facebook Friend Face-to-Face
Meeting other authors: StokerCon is an amazingly egalitarian convention. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting out or are a New York Times bestseller, this group loves to chat. And you are free to approach anyone. There are no gatekeepers barring access to the more famous authors. I met one of the people I admire, Adam Nevill, whose books The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive were made into movies by Netflix. Here is a man who is considered England’s Stephen King and the first words out of his mouth were “We’ve been Facebook friends forever!” We had a nice chat about the challenges of self-publishing. Because that’s the kind of convention StokerCon is.
The opportunity to promote your work: I participated in three events to promote my series, The Shadows of Miskatonic. The first was a mass author signing. One hundred and forty four writers gathered in the hotel’s largest space and set up shop to sell their books. It is the only event in StokerCon that is open to the public. I must admit, this part of the Con can be a little overwhelming. But I took a deep breath and dove in. And I’m glad I did because I sold a lot of books. Of course, it didn’t hurt that my table was close to literary legend Joyce Carol Oates. I got a lot of traffic and talked to some wonderful people.
I had a chance to preview the latest novel in my series, Shadow Zone. It was the first time I read the work in public, and it got a great response. And I did my reading with Teel James Glenn, author and former fight choreographer. I had a chance to thank him for the advice he gave me for writing action scenes (I took a seminar from him years ago). We traded our books, and I got a copy of Not Born of Woman, which features Frankenstein as a New York private investigator in the 1920’s. It’s good!
I also had a Sunday morning panel, Cosmic Horror: Beyond Lovecraft. To be honest, I didn’t expect many people to be there. But we played to a full house! I joined Darius Jones, John Langan and Ana Davila Cardinal as we chatted with moderator James Chambers about otherworldly creatures. Our conclusion? They’re still alive and well among us and just as nasty. And we don’t need to lean solely on H.P. Lovecraft to inspire us.
The Final Frame Film Competition: StokerCon isn’t just about the written word. Filmmakers also showcase their works. And this year’s lineup was truly international. Shorts were submitted from England, Ireland, Spain and for the first time, Iran. It was fascinating to see how horror differs between cultures. My favorite? Outside Noise, about a woman whose background relaxation music transports her to a strange (and very sinister) place.
Well, I could go on but I’m anxious to start the next book in my series. That’s another great thing about StokerCon. You come home exhausted, your voice hoarse from talking to so many people, but your batteries are fully charged. Hopefully, the jolt will last until StokerCon 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA…
See you next summer, Halloween people!
