A PIRATE'S PLEASURE THE DEAD ROOM THE DEATH DEALER
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eHeatherGraham.comDear Reader, It's the time of year that seems to go like a speeding bullet, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas and the holiday season. It seems like we're just suddenly here, and I'm sure, for me, that has to do with the fact that I've recently been all over. It started with Heather Graham's Writers for New Orleans Conference, end of September. It was our second year, and a wonderful time, with members of the Killer Thriller Band, F. Paul Wilson, Nathan Walpol, Dave Simms, Alex Sokoloff and Harley Jane Kozak (Alex came last year, too!) along with main stay friends, Lance Taubald, Rich Devin, Mary Stella, Beth Ciotta, and my family (featuring Chynna this year) for Hoo Do Voodoo You Do. Nicole Brandon and my daughter in-law, Zhenia, started us off with a spectacular dance performance. Wait--I need to backtrack to Friday. We began the workshop with with a band--a fabulous contribution from Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love--the Impalers, playing for our Friday welcome cocktail party. Rumor has it that the Impalers may be with us in Pennsylvania for the Romantic Times Convention, again, thanks to Kathy Love and Erin McCarthy. Helen Rosburg hosted a terrific evening of fun at the Cat's Meow, a karaoke club on Bourbon Street, and a super time was had by all. I love New Orleans, which is pretty obvious to anyone who knows us, and thanks to Kevin Beard helping out with baskets, we were able to raffle off amazing gifts from authors to benefit the New Orleans and region libraries. Connie Perry created the best looking banquet display I've ever seen, with the center pieces being the most incredible voodoo masks that people had to politely restrain themselves from fighting over. Some footage should be up on heathergraham.tv soon. I was home for a week, and then off to Boston and Salem for a seance for my newest novel,The Seance. Boston has long been a special city to me, as well as Salem, as I have an army of fun and wondeful in-laws in the Mass area. In Marlborough, I signed and spoke at a Barnes and Noble with a paranormal reading group, and they were filled with far more stories than I can ever tell. My thanks to them. Salem was gearing up for Halloween, their month of October and Haunted Happenings. But the history of the Salem Witch Trials is still the most haunting aspect of Salem, and I love being there, seeing the old burial ground, and the many places that so readily evoke the past. There is nothing of the ills and evil of man's own tormented mind remaining though; Salemites do not forget the past, but they study it to learn from it and move on to the future. In the past, we have to remember, the practice of witchcraft was a crime punishable by death--not that the condemned in Salem were practicing witchcraft. But society at the time was terrified of the very concept of the Devil. Now, we can look back and try to theorize what caused the panic and the craze, and how adults managed to believe the antics of the girls who perhaps forced themselves to believe in their righteousness at the time. We'll never really know. Onward to the Seance. We were at the House of the Seven Gables, made famous by Hawthorne (changed the spelling from Hathorne, the name of his ancestor who was a judge at those trials). Our medium was not dressed up in black, nor did she have a crystal ball. She met and mingled with people during a cocktail party, and when we all sat, she cast out descriptions of those spirits or entities who had passed by her, adding detail upon detail. Several of the folks attending, from Mira, from Truth Be Told, and the local news agencies, seemed to know those she spoke about. She was a kind and gentle person, and though I didn't get to meet with any of my family, I enjoyed her thoroughly! (Film from the Seance and Salem will be up soon, too, as well!) On to Lafayette! Deborah LeBlanc, thriller writer, was in charge. The Acadian Writer's Guild hosted their workshop, and the writers there were fun and informative and I had a great time. Cajun Country! Of course, the food was excellent. Met many new friends, and got to spend time with Connie and her family. Oh. And gamble! Up to Orlando. That's always great. My little great nephew, Graham Davant, made his very first trip to Disney World at the age of two months. I watched him while the group went on roller-coasters--not my favorite! His mom, Franci, is a great mother, and a super niece-in-law. My nephew is a great, hands-on dad as well. DJ is an only child, but he has my kids--Jason, Shayne, Derek, Bryee-Annon, and Chynna, and Derek's wife, Zhenia, his Davant family, and Franci's family as aunts and uncles. We all loved being part of the baby's first Disney experience. At night, went on to an all time family favorite, Horror Nights at Universal. Hm. That's kind of a scary thought in itself. But we do love it; we go every year. We are dial-a-party, as my brother-in-law always said. Besides the family, we had friends, Bobby and Alicia Rosello, recently married along with us, and expecting their first child very soon. We are dial-a-party, and growing. My friend--and superstar writer--Christine Feehan, has more children than I do, and more grands and greats. Between us, I think we could make up a small city. I've just now returned from Salt Lake City, Utah, for the first Bookwise convention. It was hosted by Richard Paul Evans, a truly remarkable man. He isn't just nice--he makes things happen. I was amazed to learn so much about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormons. I'm sad to say that my knowledge wasn't great--only that the church no longer accepted polygamy and that only offshoot sects were practicing any form of it. What I found were wonderful people who set great store in their families, and though they don't smoke, drink, or indulge in any kind of stimulants, they are fun-loving and tolerant of others. I have seldom felt quite so welcome anywhere, and I'm especially grateful to Christen and Bob Allen for sharing so much knowledge with me so kindly, and not at all looking down upon my rather ignorant questions! I was able to see Henry Winkler give a speech that was funny, informative, and uplifting--and it was easy to see why he is such a wonderful performer and, certainly, so popular as a lecturist! The highlight--a front of the stage position to see Smashmouth. Richard Paul Evans is not just a true philanthropist and just plain nice guy, he also knows how to throw a heck of a good party! And, oh! In the midst of all this, Josh Perry, Connie's son, who has Downs syndrome and is an amazing little actor, was cast in a movie with Peter Falk, Rip Torn, Diane Ladd and other experienced players. It was fun to talk to him from his own on-set trailer as we moved around the country. Home. Back to the crazy cat, the skunk, the dog, the messy house, and work. I love traveling, and I love being home. I'm not sure that I love looking at the messy house and trying to figure out how to clean it. Thank God I do love the work part. In fact, for me, it's a lie to call writing work. I'm so grateful to do it for a living. Please check in again, there will be pictures up soon, and new video on heathergraham.tv. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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