It took 8 1/2 hours to drive from Cleveland, OH to Nashville, TN, for a weekend filled of fun at Hypericon 5.
After the drive we checked out the hotel bar/grill, only to find that they had a limited selection of food. We ended up driving a short distance to Shoney’s. The fish n’ chips were great – the southern sweet tea was tasty. After dinner we returned to the hotel bar for a night cap.
I was on my second beer when it happened. A guy walked into the bar and asked the bartender if she was serving food. Naturally, I turned around to look who was talking – it was Brian Keene! After introducing myself and giving him a gift of appreciation for what he does as a horror author, we spent the next few hours drinking and talking. Good times! In fact, if I don’t meet anyone else during the convention, those few hours spent in the hotel bar were well worth the drive.
So that’s what happened yesterday. As for today, I am now dressed and getting ready to head down to the convention when it opens to the public in 30 minutes. As the weekend progresses, I’ll try to update you with what’s going on. Better yet, if you’re in the Nashville area, come down and enjoy the Con for yourself!
Update: Below are the panels I attended this afternoon and the authors who were involved. I highly suggest you check out each of their websites and decide which of their books are right for you. Please Note: If authors are part of more than one panel, the link to their website will only be provided once.
Panel: What Are We Reading?
Description: Authors discussed what they’re currently reading, as well as their favorite authors and literally influences
Authors: Brian Keene, P.S. Gifford, Steven Shrewsbury, Kimberly Raiser and Wrath James White
Panel: Writing Realistic (and unrealistic) Fight Scenes
Description: Authors discussed what makes a realistic fight scene as well as their pet peeves about common writing mistakes
Authors: Jonathan Maberry, Julianne Lee, Glen Cook and D.A. Adams
Panel (last one attended on Friday): Diversity In Horror
Description: Authors discussed the wide range and types of horror
Authors: Wrath James White, Ronald Kelly, Brian Keene and Maurice Broaddus
Saturday Update: Didn’t go to any panels or the art/dealer room this afternoon. Instead, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville, walked along the famous Broadway Street and looked in some shops and then finished our site seeing trip up with a visit to 132 acre Centennial Park near downtown Nashville. Overall, it was a nice afternoon seeing some of Nashville. I can definitely understand why people love it here. The people are great and there are tons of things to do during the day and night.
That’s all for now. There are a few panels I am going to this evening and possibly a film screening. I’ll update more later tonight.
Update: I was originally going to attend two panels this evening. Though, after attending the below panel, it seems that both topics were covered, so I don’t need to listen to the other one. Below is the panel I just got back from.
Panel: Writing For The Opposite Gender
Description: Writers spoke about how they approach writing about characters of a different gender or from the POV of the opposite sex. Also talked about, tips on how writers create interesting characters, and when the use of stereotypes are necessary.
Authors: Jonathan Maberry, Matthew Warner, Alicia Benson, John Everson, Scott Nicholson and Sara Harvey
Weekend Wrap-Up: Back home now in Cleveland, OH. There were a few panels on Sunday, but instead of going to them, I enjoyed a 8 1/2 hour drive home. The convention was a blast! I got to meet, talk to and party with several of my favorite authors and got to meet several authors that I had never heard of before, but will now be checking out their work. Overall, the trip to Nashville, TN, was well worth the long trek. In fact, I’ll probably do it again next year.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention something that I was informed about on Saturday while checking my email. I’m not going to tell you exactly what was in my email, yet, but there will be some big news (two-fold) coming up this week, so check back often!
Ty Schwamberger 
it was great meeting you!