Dear Reader Fade to Black is about to hit the stands—physical and digital stands! It’s a book I loved working on—one that started out at a comic con. I love cons. The first picture is of amazing actor Doug Jones and myself at a comic con in New Orleans. He was promoting a movie while I was at a wonderful booth with Sue Quiroz, once long-time assistant to Anne Rice and creator of some of the most amazing vampire balls ever!

I consider myself incredibly privileged to know Doug (and, of course, Susie!)—anyone who does know Doug knows that as well as being an incredible actor, he’s just about the nicest man in the world. If you don’t know him by name, he’s the creature in the Best Picture Award winner, The Shape of Water. He has also appeared as a zillion beings—including himself—in a zillion movies. I personally fell in love with him when he played Billie Bones in Hocus Pocus. So, back to comic cons in general! Actors go for many reasons—they’re touting a new movie, they have friends going, or they, like all of us, need to make ends meet! There are, of course, comic cons all around the country now. And, more cons, along the same line, and incredibly fascinating. Monsterpalooza! Son of Monsterpalooza! Fantastic cons where fabricators and artists of all kinds show their movie wares. Vampires, werewolves, aliens, oh, my! Of course, daughter Chynna Skye is living and working out in L.A. and often models for cons. Another reason for me to head out!

And, of course, for all of us, such cons are places to let our minds run wild! Superheroes, movie creatures, wondrous things . . .  But, what happens when a monster proves to be real—a very human killer beneath the mask of an imaginary monstrous being? Sometimes, monsters can be real.

But . . . As I write this, I’m home, though—using all the wonderful things I’ve seen and done at cons to keep the imagination going. Staying close to work out with a new wonder—River Rose Hunton, born May 15th. Daughter Bryee-Annon and baby doing fine—dad Joey moving like a bat out of hell to keep up with work, home, and all! River will probably wind up at a con soon enough. Our family loves them! Youngest Chynna attended her first—a booklover’s event—when she was six months old. They can be informative, they can send the imagination soaring—and they can just be so much fun!             I hope, if you read Fade to Black, that you enjoy it.             And that, hm, somewhere, sometime, we bump into one another at a con! Thanks so much, Heather Graham

For information on Writers for New Orleans go to www.theoriginalheathergraham.com

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Heather Graham New York Times Bestselling Author