Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback and suggestions last month about setting up a table at a writer's con. I officially got a table at the Indie Lit Market on November 21st, so I will be putting that advice to good use!
Any other tips and suggestions are still welcome. I did go to a couple of events in October to check out how other authors are setting up. Can*Con here in Ottawa was a lot of fun, and next year I need to sign up earlier so I can actually participate in some of the talks and seminars. I did get to see the vendor's hall, but really it was intended for writers to meet and learn. The only thing I learned is that people like to buy stickers, nicknacks and bookmarks more than books! lol
November question
As a writer, do you have favorite themes that you like to explore in your stories? If so, what are they?
As a primarily horror/comedy writer, my themes generally veer toward absurd things that make you uncomfortable. I love the dichotomy of taking something funny and amusing, and then undercutting it with something horrific. It makes the tragedy all the more scary. I'm not sure if that's really a theme so much as a style or genre though, so I had to go back and think a little harder, and I realized I do have a couple of recurring themes.
All of my books are about normal, usually awkward people with no particular skills or talents, thrust into horrifying, monstrous situations they are not equipped to deal with. Isaac in Ten Thousand Days, a hapless guy who works in a copy shop, losing his wife and travelling to a nightmare world trying to get her back. Fitz the comic book store manager in Hell Comes to Hogtown, blamed for a crime he didn't commit and stalked by an unkillable demon. And the kids in the Gale Harbour series, nerds and losers who are the only people standing between their town and an alien invasion. Definitely some recurring themes there.
Another one I realized is that love never works out nice and clean in the end. None of my books ever has a happily-ever-after, definitely not in the love department (bittersweet is about the best I can manage). Which is weird coming from someone who has been with the same partner for nearly 30 years, but I just prefer stories were the relationships end up tangled and messy. Even in a happy marriage, love is sometimes tangled and messy, and I'm just not fond of stories ending happy and tidy with a neat little bow. (Unless it's a Hallmark Christmas movie, those are okay)
Hope everyone had a good Halloween, and their love stories are ending better than my books do! Wish me luck with my first author table on the 21st.
Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com
