Part III: Personnel

I'm a busy guy, and I like it that way. But sometimes I pay the price for having too many irons in the fire. A three-part blog that was supposed to be Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday and became Monday-Wednesday-Friday is a good example. But I can't help it. I like to be busy. But recently, I've become overly "blessed".

I remember when I had all the time in the world to write. No one was waiting for anything, and if it took a week, a month, or six months it really didn't matter. Now, it seems I can't sit at the keyboard without hearing the ticking of the clock. Everything's on a deadline, but hey, isn't that what I wanted? Throw into the mix readings and book signings. Sure, I don't call myself a horror writer anymore, but Halloween is still the busy season. In fact, I have one coming up tomorrow at Taylor Books. I might have another reading coming up for Halloween, but we'll see.

If that isn't enough, I have my extracurricular activities. Wrestling shows, magic performances (have an appearance coming up this month), and maintaining not only my website but also the website of poet extraordinaire Brandy Schwan. Throw in a day job and the occasional trip, and there you have it: my filled-to-the-brim life.

So full, in fact, that life is beginning to run away from me. I've reached the point where I can't do it alone. I need help. I need a personal assistant. Brian Keene has Big Joe. Maurice Broaddus has his "con wives". Yeah, that's what I need. A helping hand. A partner in crime. A cross between My Girl Friday and Wednesday Addams. Someone who is, God help us all, crazier than I am. An impossible dream, you say? An unreachable goal? Au contraire. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Grace Welch:

Some of you have already met her. Expect to see more of her around as I travel to conventions and other gatherings. As well as being an exceptional historian, researcher and note-taking goddess, Grace is also an amazing artist. You can see samples of her work on her MySpace page. She and I are in the planning stages of a series of children's books. More details to come.

I did want to mention that the reading at the Book Exchange yesterday went swimmingly well. I had a great time, and had story time with 10-12 kids, and then more adult spooky stories with the adults toward the end of the evening. Music provided by Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen, a duo I first saw perform at Rudy Panucci's Radio Free Charleston celebration. They brought the acoustic funk.

By the way, the new Weird Tales is on newsstands, and you can find my poem "The Monster With the Shape of Me" on page 13 (how cool is that?). I couldn't have asked for a better layout, and the page is illustrated with a piece by omni-talented artist Steven Archer.

More projects on the way. Would you expect anything less?