Bad Egg by Sumiko Saulson Susan Dunphy sniffed and frowned as she crossed the foyer. A putrid stench oozed into the room. It was the unmistakable stench of a rotten egg. She began to…
Source: Bad Egg by Sumiko Saulson
Adventures of a Goblin Princess at StokerCon
•May 22, 2016 • 6 Comments
“Scholarship from Hell” winner Sumiko Saulson, runner-up Hillary Raque-Dodge
As many of you already know, I was the proud winner of the Scholarship from Hell for StokerCon 2016. I, along with runner up Hillary Raque Dodge (also a horror blogger, she is the wicked mind behind The Horror Librarian) , was given free entry to the four day convention in Las Vegas at the historic Flamingo Hotel, and an all-access pass to a series of exclusive educational workshops. As the first place winner, I also received a hotel room, airfare, and a limo ride two and from the airport, which as I posted on Facebook, made me feel like “a goblin princess.”
While I was at the convention, I had a book signing with four-time Bram Stoker Award Winner Linda Addison. If you are familiar with 60 Black Women in Horror, you probably know Linda as the first African American to win the coveted horror award. We were also on a diversity panel, which is listed on the StokerCon events schedule online this way:
11:30pm – 1pm Diversity & the HWA – Red Rock 4 Introduction: Lisa Morton / Moderator: Lucy A. Snyder / Panelists: Ellen Datlow * Guest of Honor, Shane McKenzie, Sumiko Saulson *Horror University Scholarship Winner, Linda Addison, Greg Herren, Angela Yuriko Smith
HWA Diversity Panel – Angela Yuriko Smith, Linda Addison, Greg Herren, Lucy A. Snyder, Ellen Datlow and Sumiko Saulson shown.
Gunnar Norskog wrote a very comprehensive blog post about the panel, which addressed diversity both from the point of view of how to reach out to diverse populations of writers, and from the view of how to populate works of fiction with diverse characters. I was extremely honored to be included in the panel. As a scholarship winner, I had no idea I would be invited to speak on such a subject which you, as a reader of my blog, already know is near and dear to my hear.
As you can see, they made a very big fuss about me. They showed runner up Hillary Raque Dodge a lot of love, too. I am not being falsely modest when I say this: I am still at the bottom rungs of the ladder. I am a support level member of the HWA, and although I’m sure I will be an associate member before summer is over, it may be years before I attain the highest, voting level: active membership. I am still relatively, early in my career, and the encouragement and support meant a lot to me. It also seems very much in the spirit of the educational, outreach and mentoring focus that the HWA has embraced to encourage new writers.
Ace Antonio Hall, Suzanne Paul, Steven Van Patten, Linda Addison and Sumiko Saulson at the Stoker Awards After Party.
I learned a lot while at StokerCon, and just only from the fabulous and comprehensive workshop series for which I was awarded the scholarship. The readings I attended taught me a great deal about how authors can work together and entertain. I also learned that being easy to work with is a plus in the business. All of the actually famous people were super easy going. The few people I met who copped any kind an attitude didn’t have anything published (or even self-published). I guess when you’re really busy you don’t have time for high-school shenanigans or a chip on your shoulder.
Guest of Honor Jack Ketchum was at a signing table next to me and Linda Addison and was so low-key I didn’t even notice him there until Linda introduced us. Guest of Honor Ellen Datlow, who paneled with us earlier, let Linda and I bogart her table when she wasn’t there. I tabled with Ellen and we had a heated discussion with a young man, a fan of hers who stopped by the booth, about Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and the Democratic Party primary which was going on in Las Vegas pretty much while we were in town for StokerCon.
Speaking of Linda Addison, I was really very fortunate that she looked out for me the whole time I was there. She introduced me to a lot of cool people who were present, and I was happy to get to spend time with her, and Ace Antonio Hall who she introduced me to.
Linda Addison, Ace Antonia Hall and Sumiko Saulson
In case you are noting a theme here: I got a lot of support from other writers, especially other women. Although the HWA still has work to do on ethnic diversity, women were very present and prominent at StokerCon, discrediting the outdated myth that women do not write horror.
I received a lot of moral support from women I already knew through Women in Horror Month, via social media, and through this blog, including Guest of Honor Marge Simon. I was introduced to Marge and Linda by Rain Graves. She’s one of the writers who is a part of the Bram Stoker Award Winning Four Elements. Rain is a local author here in the Bay Area, and we met through longtime mutual friend Serena Toxicat. I also met Elizabeth Black, who like me is currently working a short story for Killion Slade’s The Market Place anthology, in person for the first time. Our stories in The Market Place involve a lot of character crossover.
Marge Simon and Sumiko Saulson
One of the subjects we touched on during the diversity panel was how people naturally reach out to people they know. Women who know about anthologies and post to their women in horror groups make other women aware then there are more submissions from women. The same holds true with people of color reaching out to other people of color. 60 Black Women in Horror was written as a part of a blog series I did as an ambassador for Women in Horror Month, but I have as a result of it, come in touch with a lot of other black writers, not just women.
Women are starting to close the gap. Three women won Stoker Awards in 2016, as did one minority (Latino) and one non-English speaking (Italian) author.
During closing statements for the event, President Lisa Morton reported that of the 79 applicants for the Scholarship from Hell, fifty were women. The fact that two women; Hillary Raque Dodge and myself, is less surprising, but not any less amazing in this context. The closing panelists attributed this in part to the Horror Writers Association’s mentorship programs and the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship.
LIVE TWEET Tonight! @horroraddicts13
•May 20, 2016 • Leave a CommentJoin us tonight for the live tweet, and see us next weekend at BayCon!
Join us
TONIGHT!
Friday, May 20th, 2016
7pm-9pm PST
on Twitter for a LIVE Tweet event!
To celebrate the release of Once Upon a Scream, we’ll be watching our favorite fairy tale movie and live tweeting during it. Join us by watching your favorite fairy tale and including @horroraddicts13 and #OnceUponScream.
Don’t miss a minute of the fun, follow us now:
New Print Edition of Say Uncle Now Available
•May 20, 2016 • Leave a CommentNot horror, but I loved this touching story…
Get the new print edition of my first novel Say Uncle today at: http://thedinnerpartyshow.com/albums/say-uncle/
And, don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Prince’s Psalm, coming June 7! http://thedinnerpartyshow.com/albums/the-princes-psalm/
Sumiko Saulson’s Black Women in Horror Writing #11: Helen Oyeyemi
•May 4, 2016 • Leave a CommentI love that Bryan Cebulski is doing this – he is reading and reviewing various selections by authors profiled in “60 Black Women in Horror” check out his blog.
Press Release: Once Upon a Scream
•May 4, 2016 • Leave a CommentCheck out this exciting new HorrorAddicts anthology!
HorrorAddicts.net Press is proud to announce that we have just released our 4th anthology entitled Once Upon a Scream. This book is edited by Dan Shaurette and it takes the classic fairy tales that you grew up with and gives them a horror twist.
Once Upon a Scream
…there was a tradition of telling tales with elements of the fantastic along with the frightful. Adults and children alike took heed not to go into the deep, dark woods, treat a stranger poorly, or make a deal with someone-or something-without regard for the consequences. Be careful of what you wish for, you just might get it.
From wish-granting trolls, to plague curses, and evil enchantresses, these tales will have you hiding under the covers in hopes they don’t find you. So lock your doors, shutter your windows, and get ready to SCREAM.
A return to darker foreboding fairy tales not…
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My BayCon Schedule
•May 3, 2016 • 5 CommentsTerror in Outerspace: At the Intersection of Horror and Science Fiction
Friday 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm, Connect 4 (San Mateo Marriott)
Maybe in space nobody can hear you scream, but our panelists will sure give it a try! Come join them as they discuss their favorite sci-fi horror.
Sumiko Saulson (M), Colin Fisk, Jacquelyn Bartel, Megan O’Keefe, Kay Pannell
The New Adult Coloring Fad
Saturday 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Connect 4 (San Mateo Marriott)
Artists who have created coloring books discuss how to go about creating and producing them.
Emerian Rich (M), Beth Barany, Beckett Gladney, Sumiko Saulson
Magical Mystery Panel
Saturday 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Convene (San Mateo Marriott)
Mystery: A thing which we do not tell you until you get there, but for which we blame M. Todd.
M. Todd Gallowglas (M), Kathleen Bartholomew, Jenni Brush (M), Dario Ciriello, J. L. Doty, Ms Sandra Durbin, Margaret McGaffey Fisk, Bonnie Gordon, Taunya Gren, Xander Jeanneret, Wanda Kurtcu, Jacquelyn Bartel, Steven Mix, John O’Halloran, Cody Parcell (M), Tory Parker, Tom Saidak, Sumiko Saulson, Elnath D. Shanks, Douglas Shepard, JC Arkham, Fred Wiehe
Horroraddicts.net
Saturday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, Connect 1 (San Mateo Marriott)
The most horrible people we love come together to get spooky! Join us as we explore the darkness of fairy tales and our book release Once Upon a Scream. Come to win door prizes, favors, and goodies!
Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Emerian Rich (M), Sumiko Saulson, Jason Malcolm Stewart, Dan Shaurette
Publishing Wishlists
Saturday 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm, Connect 6 (San Mateo Marriott)
What editors of magazines, blogs, and indie publishers are looking for or NOT looking for. How to wow us and get your story/article published.
Emerian Rich (M), Sumiko Saulson, M Christian
Autograph Session: Sumik0 Saulson
Sunday 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Convene Lobby (San Mateo Marriott)
Sumiko Saulson autograph session, books available for purchase.
Fan Art
Sunday 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm, Connect 6 (San Mateo Marriott)
Is fan inspired art (the art equivalent of FanFic) actually creating your own art? Discussion of how artists do it and make it their own!
Mr. Chris Butler, Amy-Elyse Neer, Sumiko Saulson (M), Anastasia Hunter
Disability representations (or lack thereof) in comics, genre literature, film and television.
Monday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, Connect 6 (San Mateo Marriott)
Where are the disabled in media and why can’t we have more?
Sumiko Saulson, Pat MacEwen (M), Jennifer Nestojko
Kinky and Geeky
Monday 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm, Connect 1 (San Mateo Marriott)
18 AND OVER ONLY, PLEASE!
Why do these seem to go together? Is it just a myth? Panel talk about the myths & truths of exploring our geeky & kinky sides in Sci Fi and the real world.
Jean Batt (M), Sumiko Saulson
Scholarship From Hell Recipient Announced
•April 1, 2016 • Leave a CommentThe HWA would like to congratulate Sumiko Saulson, winner of Horror University’s Scholarship From Hell! The scholarship includes roundtrip domestic travel to Las Vegas, accommodations at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, registration to StokerCon 2016, and as many workshops as she can attend! Additionally, the HWA awarded a runner-up mini-scholarship (registration & […]
Interview with Crystal Connor
•March 13, 2016 • Leave a CommentAbout Author
Master Imaginationist and Instagram photographer Crystal Connor is a Washington State native who loves anything to do with monsters, bad guys (as in evil-geniuses & super-villains. Not ‘those’ kind her mother warned her about), rogue scientific experiments, jewelry, sky-high high-heeled shoes & unreasonably priced handbags.
When she’s not terrorizing readers she reviews indie horror and science fiction films for both her personal blog and HorrorAddicts.net
She is also considering changing her professional title to dramatization specialist because it so much more theatrical than being a mere drama queen. The End is Now is the 5th book that has been unleashed by Connor’s awarding winning imagination.
Download your free copy of …And They All Lived Happily Ever After! audiobook from Podiobooks.com and see why the name Crystal Connor has become “A Trusted Name in Terror!”
http://podiobooks.com/title/and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after
Interview
Q. I understand you are working on the third book in the Spectrum Trilogy. What’s it all about, and what are you calling it, and when can we expect to see it?
A. Lol, actually the third book in The Spectrum Trilogy, In The Valley of Shadows, was published in 2013 =) and it’s the epic conclusion of the of the story that was built upon books I and II
Q. “The Darkness,” the first book in the Spectrum Trilogy, was an International Book Award finalist. How did you feel about the honor?
A. I burst into tears. I fought so hard to keep the lead characters, both of whom are black women, and the tone of the story the way I envisioned it, to tell the type of story I meant to tell. But the lead editor had never read a science fiction like mine. She told me she didn’t like it and kept trying to change it, because I refused to back down she told me that my book The Darkness was the only project in all of her career that she wasn’t proud to be a part of. She even removed her editorial credits from the final draft of the book before it was shipped off to printing.
So when I got that award two months after being published, when no one knew who I was, it was such an affirmation that I had done the right thing by fighting tooth and nail to ensure the story I wrote was the one that got published.
Q. “The Darkness” and its sequel “Artificial Light” included elements of both science-fiction and horror, mixing mad scientists with powerful witches. How did you feel about blending the two genres, and will this pattern continue in the third book?
A. Yes, the theme of science vs magic rides through The Spectrum Trilogy until the very last page. And until the awards were announced. I placed in two categories: best multi-cultural and best cross-genre. Until the awards and the critic reviews came in I didn’t even know there was such a thing as cross or crossover genre. For me when something is scary it’s just scary I don’t separate them. I think that’s up to the reader to decide how to box up a story.
I consider myself a horror writer. My goal was to write really terrifying stories, which I have done and hopefully will continue to do for a very long time, but I am not going to say that I wasn’t surprised to see reviewers calling the trilogy a medical thriller, a suspenseful mystery, and even a younger reader suggested it was a coming of age story. You just never know what a reader will take from or read into your story and I think that’s my favorite part of reading my reviews … is seeing a fan taken it to a place I never imagined it would go.
Q. Speaking of horror, you’re involved with the Black Horror History Month blog series over at HorrorAddicts.net. What can you tell us about that, and any other work you have done with HorrorAddicts?
A. OMG, becoming a staff writer HorrorAddicts.net has been a dream come true. When I was first involved I was just writing movie reviews. I was already writing them for my own personal blog (which I haven’t updated in hella) but writing them for HA gave me a bigger platform. And way back in the day the largest part of my fan base wasn’t for my books it was for my movie reviews.
When I drifted over to HA I was asked to do music and book reviews and I also had films assigned to me to review. I’m actually glad that I had assignments because it I’ve watched films that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen because they were outside my viewing preference. I didn’t like all of them but having to review books and films I didn’t really enjoy has forced me to really hone in on the way I write reviews. I really don’t not like writing reviews that aren’t glowing but it has to been done when someone sincerely hoping and waiting to hear your opinion.
Overtime I made it to being a full-fledged staff writer and if you could have seen my Facebook and Twitter feed that day you would have sworn I had won the damn ass powerball.
Q. Did you doing anything special for Women in Horror Month this February?
A. Granting and writing interview and trying to get my life together. LOL I’m just kidding, but not about the first part though. I am pretty ambitious so I kinda just point myself in the direction I want to go and allow myself to be highly adaptable to any situation that might come up. I want to control everything, and I mean everything, but of course I can’t so I have to be like water. Fluid enough to flow around obstacles or being strong enough to move the things that are blocking my path. Even if that means leaving a huge path in my wake.
Q. I understand you are hosting your own speculative fiction convention in Seattle next summer in 2017 CrystalCon. What can you tell us about that?
A. Well the one thing that separates CrystalCon from other fan conventions is that CrystalCon is for both STEM professionals (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and SFF writers (Science Fiction and Fantasy) and all of our fans. CrystalCon is a celebration of all things science both factual and fictional!
The hardest part, at first, was getting all of the scientist in real life on board. I even had one doctor tell me that he wasn’t dressing up like Star Trek. I was starting to get really nervous CrystalCon cannot exist without actual scientist. The very 1st rock star scientist I booked was Dr. Peter Ward. He is a paleontologist from the University of Washington and he also a commentator on the History Channel’s The Universe. And the very next day Dr. B. Melina Cimler Senior Vice President from Adaptive Biotechnologies said yes! After that getting scientist in real life to be guest speakers got way easier.
Q. One of the highlights of your presence on social media is reading your hilarious indictments of modern horror movie tropes. What are some of the movie clichés that get on your nerves the most, and why do they irritate you?
A. Oh my gosh, where in the world do I start…lol. The biggest one for sure in the falling down in the woods because you’re not watching were you’re going. I think the biggest reasons this spins me out of control is because once they fall, even if only a nail is chipped it affects their ability to stand, walk, and/or run.
Q. If someone said they wanted to turn “The Darkness” into a movie tomorrow, and they had a multimillion dollar budget to do it with, what would be your dream cast for the movie?
A. A multimillion dollar budget would be required just for the vivid visuals. As far as casting I would want it to be a cast of up and coming actors so that people would focus on the story and not the expectation of big name actors.
If I had any control over the process at all I would champion for the Kenyan super model Ajuma Nasenyama to play Inanna, plus writer/director Jim Chuchu and his entire visionary team that put together the short film called To Catch a Dream, a stunning short in which Ajuma stars in.
For the role of Artemisia it would have to be someone who could unapologetically command the screen, someone like Alfre Woodard. The way she portrayed of Mavis Heller from My Own Worst Enemy was stunning. Only someone as strong as Viola Davis, Alfre Woodard, or Angela Bassett would be able to pull of that character.
Q. If you found out magic was real, would you mess with it?
A. One thing I knew from a very early age without having to be told is that magic is very well real indeed. What I did need to learn, a lesson that I needed to be reminded of time and time again by the elders in my family, especially my grandmother was this: You don’t play games with the Devil and if you do you damn sure don’t get to make the rules. I was just nine when my grandma told me that. And the message was loud and crystal clear…
Leave. This. Shit. Alone
Book Trailer
David’s Haunted Library: Two From Sumiko Saulson
•February 24, 2016 • Leave a CommentIn honor of Black History month I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about two books by Sumiko Saulson. The first one is 60 Black Women in Horror Fiction. This book is a compilation of intervie…
