The Stokers went pretty well, I think. It was a nice laid-back convention for me. I got to hang out with some cool people and enjoyed the nice weather. Didn't get to do much sightseeing, but I wasn't expecting to. The redeye flight back early Monday morning was hot and sticky and smelly and cramped, but I pretty much expected that and it was bearable.

The Saturday signing at Dark Delicacies was way too crowded for my tastes, but I'm glad it apparently generated a lot of good business for the store. Store owners Sue and Del Howison were very good hosts and gave us a lot of freebies when we went back to browse the next day.

I've heard some grumblings about the lack of catering and afterparty, but I thought the con went very well. IMO HWA treasurer Lisa Morton did an excellent job on fairly short notice; as an added bonus, she did it for $9,000 less than last year's convention.

( Stoker Weekend photos of Karen Taylor, Gary Braunbeck, Jonathan Reitan, Chuck Palahniuk, and Del Howison -- may take some time to load )