Vampire and horror literature enthusiasts, unite! Undead Con enters its second year on October 28, 2011, in New Orleans. This 2-day horror writers convention will feature intimate panels with a focus on vampires in an open forum where fans can interact with their favorite authors.
The event is the brainchild of Anne Rice’s Vampire Lestat Fan Club (ARVLFC) President Sue Quiroz. This charming blonde was Anne’s personal assistant for a decade and a half. She even lived with Mrs. Rice for a while. Sue has been the driving force behind the famous annual Anne Rice coven balls in New Orleans, and she is beloved by horror authors and fans alike.
Sue, or ‘Suzie Q.’ as she is known worldwide by Anne’s fans, took some time to answer some questions for Examiner.com readers. First, she explained why she created the Undead Con in 2010.
“When Anne Rice finished The Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches Series and moved on to writing about different subjects,” shared Sue, “I thought it was a good time to explore other writers of the supernatural genre that I saw in book stores so I created the Undead Con to have a place for us to gather and get to know them.“
Next, she detailed how her time with Rice inspired her to surround herself with authors.
“I worked for Anne Rice for 15 years," Quiroz continued. "I learned a lot working for an author of her stature. Besides the normal secretarial duties I went on book tours with her for Memnoch the Devil and Servant of the Bones (the bus tour). I have to admit, the bus tour was so much easier than flying every other day to a different city and checking into a new hotel, having to look at your schedule a dozen times to figure out where you were, what time you were supposed to leave for the bookstore, come back, order dinner and prepare to leave the next day. Our bus driver was a veteran with rock stars, so he was our savior in getting to the next city on our list on time and out the next day...he even drove us home to New Orleans and parked the bus at St. Elizabeth's, a miracle with the size of the bus and the gate being so close! I was present for several books as they came out the printer and were sent off to the publisher - through the correction process (including some proofreading :) (that's a smilie face there!) and back to the publisher, to the reader's uncorrected proof phase to the finished hardcover process. I went to New York to the offices of Knopf, met the publicity staff, traveled with the publicity staff, sat beside Anne while she signed the books, passed books, talked with the fans, so I know the ropes, the process and the pain of traveling the book signing road."
"All these processes prepared me for what I do now. I know how hard it is to make that move to writing, then letting it go to the publisher, feeling it is still not quite finished but needing to make that deadline...then having to make the corrections and add or subtract this or that, and sending it off again, till it comes back as the bound uncorrected copy, and then off it goes to be published in hard cover. The process is long and drawn out. I appreciate the effort involved to bring a book to life and have others read it and enjoy it. And then the process begins again, back to researching the next book. I believe Anne taught me to appreciate the process, I saw it all first hand. So I am amazed at the number of writers out there now. I have not had the time to expore all their books, or know them personally, so why not invite them to New Orleans to tell us their stories of how they began, what they write about, how they shape their characters, and how the characters solve the problems they encounter. Writers are some of the most interesting people because they take us away into a different world, different situations and hopefully hold our interest till the last page.”
On Thursday, October 29, 2011, ball-goers and con attendees meet up to revel and kick off the fangtastic weekend. The 6th Annual Spirit of Avante Garde Wine Tasting officially starts the festivities at 7 pm. Special tickets can be purchased for this event here.
Undead Con 2 Schedule
Friday, October 28, 2011
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Producers/Screenwriters/Authors Forum
Asif Ahmed, Organizer of the Vampire Film Festival
V.M.K. Fewings
Brad Keene, Screenwriter
Rachel Caine
Kimberly Adkins12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Vampire film shorts hosted by Asif Ahmed
2:00 pm – 3:30pm Seminar on Werewolves by Jezabel deLuna
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm Vampire film shorts and feature films hosted by Asif Ahmed
The 20th annual Anne Rice coven ball, The Theatre of the Vampires Ball, will take place as a separate event Saturday night at 9 pm. See ticket info below.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Authors/Comic Book Forum
David Campiti of Glass House Graphics
Kelley Armstrong
Jude Stephens
C. Michael Forsyth
Kurt Amacker12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Vampire film shorts hosted by Asif Ahmed
1:30pm – 3:00pm Authors Forum
Cynthia Arsuaga
Mike Arsuaga
Lewis Aleman
Charles Gramlich
Robert Crutchfield Jr.
Stella Mayfair's Season of the Witch Cocktail Party will take place as a separate event on Saturday evening from 5:00pm – 7:00pm, and will include an art exhibit and silent auction.
Tickets for Undead Con 2 are $35 for ARVLFC members and $40 for non-members. Tickets for the cocktail party are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Combo tickets can be purchased which also include admission to the Theatre of the Vampires Ball on Friday night and/or cocktail party on Sunday night. All tickets can be purchased online at ARVLFC.com until October 20. Tickets can also be purchased at the door during each event with no upcharge.
The Undead Con 2 Schedule may be subject to change due to circumstanced beyond the control of the ARVLFC.
All events will take place at the Chateau Bourbon Hotel, 800 Iberville Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. For venue details, please call (504) 586 – 0800.
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