Memorial Weekend marks the 49th annual ConQuesT, a science fiction and fantasy convention put on by the KC Science Fiction and Fantasy Society and you’ll find me slinging books and working the room as a panelist once again.
2017 was my first experience in the convention world and I have to say, it was a fantastic experience! I was on a panel with New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry talking about zombies. It was pretty sweet! So, I guess it kind of makes sense that I end up on the panel talking about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Plus, there’s also my background in Gothic literature. My other panel is all about my favorite Gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe!
Panels are a great way to meet other writers and enthusiasts, sell a few books, gain a few followers and maybe get a few more reviews on Amazon (fingers crossed). Plus, it gives me a chance to work on my skills talking in front of a crowd! I’m probably the worst extrovert ever. I can talk your ear off, but if you put me on stage, I tend to freeze up…or just quiver a lot. I’ve given my fair share of talks, but I think I need a lot more practice. Luckily, being on a panel is a lot easier. Somehow, being on stage with a group of people makes it less intimidating.
If you’re in Kansas City over Memorial Weekend, I hope you’ll stop by the convention and join me for some Gothic-inspired chatter!
Mary Shelley 200 Years Later
Saturday, May 26
12:00 – 12:50 p.m.
Sheraton Crown Center – Kansas City
Edgar Allan Poe
Saturday, May 26
2:00 – 2:50 p.m.
Sheraton Crown Center – Kansas City
Writer vs the World 
In regards to gothic, the imagery (from what I’ve seen) always tends to be black. It seems that’s the way it is whenever you see the costumes or the covers of books.
I would like to make a point of order: In the Japanese Anime Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the Blood Dutchess Carmilla’s castle is deep crimson red. It’s nearly bright, it’s so red. But it was the most gothic thing I’ve ever seen, due to the mood it set, thanks to its visual design.
My point is, I think gothic is a type of storytelling, but it gets into a rut when there’s a trend that lures everybody’s attention (like the outburst of teenage vampires from the Twilight series). There are different ways to present gothic stories, and for the people who enjoy it, I hope the people who pen the tales will not tire of new ideas to create the life that comes from the pages, and readers can experience new things in the genre.
I don’t have much experience with the gothic genre outside of the American and British Literature traditions (years 1764 – 1900) I think what you’ve identified are tropes of the genre which, I’ll agree, can be campy or seem trite after a time. I also appreciate writers who can twist these concepts and make them their own. Recently, with modern writers who embrace the original Gothic elements, they tend towards horror and the more gruesome in novels like Drood by Dan Simmons.
Colors are a whole different conversation. It’s interesting that red is the powerful color in the series you mention. In a Japanese inspired series I love Called The Lotus Wars by Jay Kristoff (not Gothic but steampunk and fantasy which are descendants of the Gothic) red is also the primary color. It is the color of power and pollution. This is a great way to mix things up.
Thanks for sharing your perspective!