The second day of World Fantasy proved to be just as full of pleasant surprises and meetings as the first.<\/p>\n
Among the highlights:<\/p>\n
Attending Jay Lake’s Guerilla Cheese Party, at which everyone was treated to the musical stylings of Ken Scholes<\/a> with his guitar and harmonica.\u00a0 Who says writers can’t be multitalented?\u00a0 I think the pinnacle of that performance was likely Ken’s rendition of U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” sang as if in duet by Queen Elizabeth II and Bob Dylan.\u00a0 When someone asked him how he had worked out whose voice sings which lines, he replied, “The voices just take over when they think they should.”<\/p>\n Attending a panel on the canonical works of American Fantastic Literature, chaired by Peter Straub<\/a> (one of my all-time favorite authors) and also including S. T. Joshi, the <\/em>premier Lovecraft scholar and a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge on literature of the weird.\u00a0 I was delighted to meet Peter Straub at the book launch party for Library of America’s omnibus anthology American Fantastic Tales. <\/em>At the same party, I also encountered British author Tony Richards, and New York author Ellen Kushner<\/a>.<\/p>\n Taking part in the mass book signing Friday evening, whereat I shared a table with James Van Pel<\/a>t, Gail Carriger,<\/a> and Ken Scholes.\u00a0 I had some great conversations with some fascinating people, and I even sold a copy of my book.\u00a0 Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n The air is thick with authors that I have read and loved. Upon meeting Peter Straub, I could not restrain the fanboy in me. I read Ghost Story <\/em>back when I was in high school, and it totally blew me away.\u00a0 Even authors further down the path than I am can’t turn off the fan in them.\u00a0 And thank god for that.<\/p>\n What will Saturday and Sunday bring, one can only wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n