Boskone: Now with Vampires!

Because I'm me, I've agreed to do another panel for Boskone. This one will be on Saturday and it''s about vampires!

Nocturnal Narratives: Vampires Through the Ages, Marina III Sat 7pm

Elektra Hammond (moderator), Catherine Grant, Darrell Schweitzer, Gillian Daniels

Embark on a journey through the evolution of vampire lore, from the Gothic shadows of Bram Stoker's Dracula to the modern allure of contemporary cinema. This session shines a light on the transformation of these shadowy creatures, exploring their enduring appeal and the societal reflections they embody. Join us for a lively discussion filled with biting wit and intriguing insights into the ever-changing world of vampires.

Boskone 2025

Boskone is almost here! I'm happy to say here's where I'll be and what I'll be doing:

Freaky Friday Night! Marina IV Fri 8:30 PM 

Step into the strange and unsettling worlds of freaky speculative fiction, weird literature, and oddball speculative stories that defy easy categorization. These are the tales that crawl under your skin, blending deep character development with genre-defying twists. Our panel of freaky experts explores what makes these narratives so uniquely compelling and how they carve out a space where the bizarre meets the profound. Come embrace the weird world of freaky fiction!

Catherine Grant (mod), Paul Tremblay, Gillian Daniels, N. T. Swift, Elizabeth Bear

How to Survive a Horror Story Marina IV Sat 5:30 PM

Who knows better than a horror writer how to survive a horror story? Join he fun and "lively" conversation as our panelists discuss scenarios from horror novels and films as if they themselves were characters within the scenes. Will their special authorial insights keep them safe? Will they split up to look for the cat? What are they willing to do to survive (relatively) intact? Who dies first? Who lives to tell the tale?

N. T. Swift (mod), Adam Stemple, Cat Scully, Paul Tremblay, Gillian Daniels

Nocturnal Narratives: Vampires Through the Ages Marina III Sat 7pm

Embark on a journey through the evolution of vampire lore, from the Gothic shadows of Bram Stoker's Dracula to the modern allure of contemporary cinema. This session shines a light on the transformation of these shadowy creatures, exploring their enduring appeal and the societal reflections they embody. Join us for a lively discussion filled with biting wit and intriguing insights into the ever-changing world of vampires.

Elektra Hammond (mod), Catherine Grant, Darrell Schweitzer, Gillian Daniels

Badass Woman Characters and Keeping them Off the Mary Sue Scale Harbor II Sun 11:30 AM  

Badass women characters can be great, but characters intended as such are sometimes derided as being "Mary Sue" characters. What does that mean, and how can you avoid that pitfall?

 Gillian Daniels (mod), Darlene Marshall, Kelley Armstrong, Fonda Lee, N. T. Swift

I Have a Literary Agent!

After spending the last couple years querying agents, I was contacted in January by Jenna Satterthwaite, Associate Literary Agent at Storm Literary Agency! I signed a contract and am now over the moon to say I have an agent.

I’m incredibly honored to join her list of clients, some of whom I’ve already gotten to know online. Jenna has been nothing but supportive and encouraging. Storm Literary has been wonderful about holding my hand. I’m excited to see where my writing career goes next and I already deeply value my time working with them.

A big thank you to all the writers I’ve gotten to know over the years who have helped me develop my craft and art. Hitting this milestone has been a true joy.

More Arisia! Also, Movies!

The Wasp Woman (1959),
Directed by Roger Corman

I signed up for another panel at Arisia this coming weekend! I've updated my main post about Arisia 2025 to reflect the addition:

Final Girls: Then and Now

Porter Square B Saturday, January 18, 2025, 8:00 PM EST

Misty Pendragon (m), Agatha Astrid Luz, Gillian Daniels, Megan Kearns, N. T. Swift

Coined by Professor Carol J. Clover in 1987, a final girl refers to the female character who survives to the end of a horror film, one who typically abstains from sex and drugs. However, since the creation of the term, there has been an evolution to final girl trope. From Laurie Strode in Halloween to Jeryline in Demon Knight to Maxine Minx in X, our panel will examine the differences between the final girls of the ‘70s to today.

Considering three of the four panels I'm doing for this year's Arisia heavily concern film, I've also added another to my link to my blog: my Letterboxd account! I adore movies and have been enthusiastic about reading movie reviews since I was kid stealing sections of the newspaper and magazines from my parents to do just that. This year, I want to spend more time chronicling my thoughts on films, whether said reaction is serious or silly. Please enjoy!

Arisia '25 and Personal Update!

This year, Arisia is January 17-20, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge! I'm excited to see how the new venue plays out. This year, I'm on three different program items. Hope to see folks there!

Roger Corman: Weird, Cheap, and Wonderful
Kendall Square Friday, January 17, 2025, 8:00 PM EST

Marianna Martin PhD (m), Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, D.J. Toland, Gillian Daniels, Stephen R. Wilk 

May of 2024 sadly brought an end to the illustrious career of producer/director Roger Corman, who passed away at the age of 98. From black and white drive-in flicks to SyFy TV movies, Corman had a hand in hundreds of unique films. Our panel will discuss Corman, his films, and what made his work so important to the world of independent cinema.

I Myself Am Strange and Unusual: The Films of Tim Burton
Central Square Saturday, January 18, 2025, 4:15 PM EST

Daniel Neff (m), Cat Scully, Gillian Daniels, Randee Dawn, Reuben Baron

With last year's release of the long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel and 2025 marking the 40th anniversary of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, it feels like a good time to look back on the career of Tim Burton. From CalArts animation student to blockbuster director, panelists will explore how Burton has contributed to the pop culture landscape with his quirky, gothic takes on horror, sci-fi, superheroes, and even bio pics.

Final Girls: Then and Now
Porter Square B Saturday, January 18, 2025, 8:00 PM EST

Misty Pendragon (m), Agatha Astrid Luz, Gillian Daniels, Megan Kearns, N. T. Swift

Coined by Professor Carol J. Clover in 1987, a final girl refers to the female character who survives to the end of a horror film, one who typically abstains from sex and drugs. However, since the creation of the term, there has been an evolution to final girl trope. From Laurie Strode in Halloween to Jeryline in Demon Knight to Maxine Minx in X, our panel will examine the differences between the final girls of the ‘70s to today.

Mythology Revamped
Porter Square A Sunday, January 19, 2025, 1:45 PM EST

Gillian Daniels (m), Greg R. Fishbone, Liz Salazar, Morgan Crooks, Peter Nulton

Myths, legends, and fairy tales are wonderful fodder for speculative fiction, but the field has expanded far beyond The Golden Bough and other classics. Come discuss contemporary debates in folklore studies and how they can inform your fictional worlds.

***

So, my personal news is honestly pretty unexciting! I've gone ahead and deactivated my Twitter account. It was a hard decision, as I've used it to make and deepen many connections over the years particularly within the writing community. Now, the number of accounts willfully spreading conspiracy theories and reactionary extremism has made the site an exercise in frustration. 

Twitter has always been a flawed social media platform, but the decisions by corporate ownership and  to cater to the worst accounts isn't possible to ignore. Good luck to those who are still using it! Certainly, I bet it remains an intriguing source of gossip, but as the site has shifted over the years, I don't feel like I'm using Twitter, it feels like a Lovecraftian entity using me.

Instead, please find me here, Instagram, or GoodReads. It just makes more sense to kick around there these days!

NecronomiCon 2024!

In another convention first, and after a wonderful time at Camp NeCon, I'll be at NecronomiCon in Providence, RI, August 15-18, 2024. The convention happens once every two years and has grown to encompass horror and weird fiction of many flavors. I've deeply enjoyed attending in the past and am very excited to be on programming for the last day.

August 18, Sunday 9:30 – 10:45 AM
Super Weird

South County Room, Omni 3rd Floor

Superhero narrative in film, comics, and literature ranges from the very conventional to the deeply strange. Doom Patrol, The Swamp Thing, Sandman and many other mainstream titles are clearly part of the world of weird fiction. Panelists discuss the relationship of superheroes to weird fiction, with examples of those that fall most clearly into the canon of the strange, from mainstream and indie sources. Panelists: Gillian Daniels, Kenneth Hite, Errick Nunnally (M), David Quiroz


August 18, Sunday 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Angela Carter: Infernal Desires and Bloody Chambers 

Capital Ballroom, Graduate Hotel, 2nd Floor
Carter’s (English, 1940 – 1992) work was broad, including novels of desire and sexual awakening, non-fiction critique such as The Sadean Women and The Ideology of Pornography, and screenplays, such as The Company of Wolves, based on short stories published in her collection The Bloody Chamber. Whether writing post-apocalyptic fable, magical realism, or dark fantasy and horror, her work was unflinching, political, and often steeped in myth, fairytale, and sexuality. Our panelists discuss her work and legacy. Panelists: Victoria Dalpe, Gillian Daniels (M), Jack Haringa, Michelle Renee Lane, Sheree Renée Thomas, Jeff VanderMeer