For example, most book signings either have an author behind a table you walk up to, or have the author behind a podium doing a reading, then maybe some Q and A. 

The Tailgate is, of course, at a bar, so it’s a totally different atmosphere. It’s like you’re just hanging out with your friends, having an awesome time. Basically, that’s what the Tailgate is. You get to meet Scott, have a few drinks with him and the other fans (or junkies as Scott calls us) and just hang out. We got to hear a great teaser for Scott’s book Pandemic, his plans for The Rookie series (the next book is The Starter and the whole series is now YA – so get The Rookie for a teenager near you!) and more about his awesome podcasting series The Crypt .

On a more personal level, he regaled us with stories about snowmobiles, drunken KKK members, past jobs (garbage man, tech support, he’s done it all) and other great stuff.   We laughed, we drank, we took pictures, I got my iPod signed.  It was really cool.

Seriously, if you just want to have a great time with cool people, go to one of these Tailgate tours. The next two are in bookstores, but I’m sure they’ll still rock the house.  You can check it out, but I think they both end with a pub crawl, so if you go you’ll probably end up with a similar experience.  

PS: As usual, no one pays me to announce these things, I’m just extremely excited about seeing Scott Sigler in LA!

Horror
For those friends and family members who like the thrill of fear crawling up their spines when they read:

- Salem’s Lot or The Shining or really anything by Stephen King
Salem’s Lot is a classic vampire novel (they don’t glitter) in which few survive and evil vampires overrun the town of Salem. The Shining is a freaky book that is WAY better than the movie and will send shivers up your spines. It’s a horror must read.

Because I’m such a King fan, I’ll recommend a few other books by him for your friends who love horror:
- It (I’m reading it right now and it’s scaring the crap out of me).
- Duma Key which I reviewed.
- Carrie which is an extremely disturbing story about a telekinetic misfit who kills most of her high school.
- Cujo – a tragic story about a rabid dog, a child and a mother.
Obviously Stephen King has written a ton, so just dive in.

- Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Works
This is a great compilation of Poe works. My favorite is The Masque of the Red Death. Extremely scary.

- Tales of H. P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft is the king of weird horror. It’s a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories. I wouldn’t say his stuff scares me, but it’s pretty creepy.

- Infected by Scott Sigler
I’ve reviewed Infected previously and I still absolutely love it. The sequel is Contagious, which also absolutely rocks. I reviewed that one too. They are awesome books, horrific, extremely bloody and macabre.

- Crescent by Phil Rossi
I haven’t reviewed this one yet, but Crescent is a Sci Fi/Horror novel about a haunted space station which wants to consume every living inhabitant. It’s definitely rated R, so don’t get it for any young folk.

- Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
This is a graphic novel series about the Locke family who, because of the father’s horrific murder, have moved to the family home “Keyhouse”. They think they’ve gotten away from their past, but the ghost haunting the well of Keyhouse proves them wrong in a macabre and bloody scene.

I’ve reviewed the first Locke and Key novel and am in the process of reading the rest of them. Book 2 – Locke & Key: Head Games is a great extension to the story. I can’t wait to read more.

- Pseudopod CDs
No Horror fan’s collection of books would be complete without a subscription to Pseudopod(which is free). Barring that, get them one of the cds of this fantastic podcast of short fiction. I happen to love all three of the podcasts in the Escape Pod/Pseudopod/Pod Castle network, but Pseudopod is what any horror fan needs to accompany them through their journey through short fiction. (I don’t get paid to recommend these guys, I just love them and the short stories they provide really are awesome.)

I’m not here to tout the man and his accomplishments – I’m obviously an avid fan of his writing.  I simply see in Bradbury’s work something that is taking hold in many “modern” circles (can I say that?  Ray Bradbury’s still alive…)  What I see is that many writers are mixing and matching genres.  You can see it in the Sci Fi/Horror Novel Infected by Scott Sigler.  Stephen King writes Horror stories that are also Fantastic – as seen in The Shining or The Talisman.  Stephen King should probably be on my classic horror novelist list, since he pretty much redefined horror as we know it, but he’s not as old as Ray Bradbury and isn’t dead like the other authors on my list, so let me suffice it to say that I deeply admire Mr. King’s prolific writing career and will be reviewing his latest novel later in the month.

Back to Ray Bradbury.  Here is an author who helped redefine the genre when Horror was not a genre at all, and I thank him for that. 

What are your thoughts?  Any comments on Ray Bradbury, his work?  What’s your favorite Ray Bradbury book and why?  I expect your reports tomorrow morning, bright and early. LOL.

As always, please remember that this blog is a labor of love – but is something I’d eventually like to make me some money, so if you want to buy a book at Amazon.com , please use the links provided on my blog, or use the Amazon.com link provided right here.

Book: Infected: A Novel

Genre: Horror/Sci Fi/Thriller

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Scott Sigler is one of those “new” authors who has actually been kicking around on independent channels for years. His newest book (the first he’s released with a major publisher) is Infected.  This is the story of a terrible infection contracted by normal Americans which uses their bodies natural hormones to turn them into raving psychotics.  The cause of the infection is unknown, and a super-secret team of CIA and CDC members are trying to find out what it is and how to stop it, before it’s too late. 

What I liked about Sigler’s work was that he uses hard science to back up his thriller/horror/science fiction story.  It makes everything that much more realistic and allows the reader to jump right in with minimal suspension of disbelief.  He also keeps the pace of the novel up at a thriller-like rate, which makes it that much more riveting.

Scott Sigler has been podcasting his books over the years, so I recommend buying the audio version of Infected over reading it via a traditional paper book.  Sigler himself reads the audio version, does voices and special effects much like the old radio shows of the forties and fifties, which makes the listening experience that much more fun.

10/07/08: Check out this interview with Scott Sigler about his novel, Infected.

Week 1 – New Books: October 1st – 11th
- Infected: A Novel by Scott Sigler
- Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (not a new book – but a new HBO tv show: TrueBlood is based upon this book.
- In the Woods by Tana French

Week 2 – Classics: October 12th – 18th
This is not a book review week, but a discussion of classic horror writers
- Ray Bradbury
- H.G. Wells
- Bram Stoker
- Edgar Allen Poe
- H.P. Lovecraft

Week 3 – Odds & Ends: October 19th – 25th
- The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
- Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook

Week 4 – Supernatural/Very Creepy: October 26th – 31st
- Duma Key by Stephen King
- Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks*
- Deadly Night by Heather Graham (as yet unreleased)

*Just so you know how far I’m going for you, you must know that zombies terrify me. The rest of these novels will give me a little zing – a bit of suspense, maybe a sick feeling in my stomach, World War Z will most likely make me paranoid all month.

**Another “just so you know”, I will put links to the posts in this post as I go, so if someone stumbles upon this mid horror month, they can track.

9/24/08: Revision to book list: I changed from The Shack: Special Edition by William P. Young to Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. This is because as I read The Shack, I find that it’s more theological than anything else.  Sorry about the mix up.

10/31/08: I ran out of time in reading Deadly Night by Heather Graham, so I read and reviewed The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.