Halloween has always been bittersweet for me.  I love scary stories, costumes, and the joy of giving candy.  I love everything about the holiday except for the date.

My father was murdered in a store robbery over pumpkins. I was semi-present at the scene, sleeping in the car waiting to go trick or treating.  He was the manager of a Quick Stop.  Some of my family theorize that this incident was a catalyst for my interest in horror.  I was so young that I barely remember him, much less that night.  I am now over ten years older than my father when he was murdered.

I traditionally turtle on this day as I tend to be a little melancholy.  When I was twenty-three, I had just graduated from college and had a family of my own to support.  I worked the overnight shift at a convenience store and that Halloween was the most frightening experience of my life.  Somehow I expected history to repeat itself.

It became a tradition of mine to be mellow on Halloween and to take stock of my life and see if I had earned the extra time in the world.  This year I feel blessed and undeservedly lucky.

Lisa as Minnie Mouse!

• I live a happy life with my loving wife Lisa, our pug, and a close circle of friends.  I celebrated my 40^th birthday at NWRE in Portland surrounded by almost all of the people I love in the world.

My darling Otter Pug!

• I became an Active Member of the Horror Writer’s Association.  This is a rite of passage for writers in the horror field.  I am one of the initial judges for the Non-Fiction Category for the Stoker Awards from the HWA.  This has led to a great deal of reading every morning on the bus.

• I scored the position as the Developer for Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade under By Night Studios.  I work with amazing and talented people and I am constantly awed by their genius.  To use a comic book metaphor, I feel like Hawkeye fighting along Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk.
• My very first Vampire The Masquerade book was published this year.  You can check out Hunters Hunted 2 here.
• A number of my short stories have been published in 2013.  I’ve been contracted for additional fiction.  I have stories come out from a couple of my favorite franchises.  My novel was turned down by the publishing house that held it for almost sixteen months, but I have hope for the future.
• I’ve attended a number of fun conventions and learned a great deal from amazing people.  In the next couple of months, I’ll be a guest for the following conventions: Orycon 35, Midwinter Gaming Convention, and Norwescon.

• I am the co-editor of an anthology that will include David Gerrold (The Trouble with Tribbles) and William Nolan (Logan’s Run).  What world does this seem possible?

Life is pretty good overall.  I hope if there is some aspect of my father still conscious out in the ether that he approves and is proud of me.