My second column for the Internet Review of Science Fiction, "The Genre on the Doorstep," is now live at the site. It's the second installment in a two-part discussion with preeminent horror literary critic mssrcrankypants , and this time we focus on trends in the genre and the issues we feel might be keeping horror in a rut. Check it out when you have a moment.

So mssrcrankypants , pgtremblay , my girlfriend and I walk into the Legal Seafoods in the Prudential Center in Boston Friday night... It was wonderful seeing my "we're not technically Bostonian" chums as my gf and I took a Labor Day weekend vacation--our only real vacation this summer, crammed into the last possible weekend--to Boston. Apparently our Legal Seafoods waiter also thought...

Welcome, readers, to the glorious return of the Straubathon! For those not in the know, back in 2005, upon realizing that I had never read anything by the author so many of my friends called the best modern-day writer of horror and suspense, I vowed to read all of p_straub55 's novels back to back and in chronological order. While the chronological approach remained, the back to back part didn't...

My friend Shade Rupe , who is without a doubt the luckiest man I know because he is always in the right place at the right time (his face can even be clearly seen in the City Hall crowd scene in Spider-Man 3 ), wound up on the show Cash Cab earlier this year. I only just found out about it recently during a conversation with mssrcrankypants , since I don't watch the show but Cranky's little...

My 25th High School Reunion is coming up in a few weeks, and I'm actually going, for once. Last night, I started looking through my old yearbooks to spark memories. 1981, Freshman year. Huh, that French teacher that I thought was so hot was named "Alicia". Not that she shares anything other than a first name with my eventual wife, but still, amusing. Little trace of me in this book. I do appear...

Mike Marano is teaching a writing class titled "Writing the Smart Page-Turner" at Grub Street in Boston http://www.grubstreet.org The price of the ten-week course seems to be $400 + but there are scholarships available. More here http://mssrcrankypants.livejournal.com/114674.html

I know because I saw him myself! The venerable mssrcrankypants came to New York City with his wife and son (who I swear is getting bigger by the second!) and I had the pleasure of seeing them last night. We met up for a delicious, authentic Japanese dinner at Village Yokocho , a great restaurant where he, lupa , the_black_radio and I hung out the last time Jack was in town...

Administration Happy belated birthday to saraphina_marie (have you pre-ordered her book yet?)! Hello to new readers mssrcrankypants and popelizbet ! Medical I took one of my hoarded Celebrex yesterday, so I was just fine for the concert. I wish feste_sylvain was a dancer! Today... fairly okay. Had a tense morning, which reflects in my shoulders and upper back...

Behind the cut are Boskone reports collected in the last day ( about ). mabfan : Daytripping Boskone 46 (tags: boskone46_2009 500+_words ) Popke - Blog : Boskone 2009 Workshop Panel (tags: boskone46_2009 500+_words ) nineweaving : Boskonic sections (tags: boskone46_2009 151-500_words ) farwing : Boskone:Was in a play. By all reports I ...

Behind the cut are Boskone reports collected in the last day ( about ). suelder : Boskone (tags: boskone46_2009 1-150_words ) mabfan : Daytripping Boskone 46 (tags: boskone46_2009 500+_words ) Popke - Blog: Boskone 2009 Workshop Panel (tags: boskone46_2009 500+_words ) nineweaving : Boskonic sections (tags: boskone46_2009 151-500_words...