Window display at Casa Bonampak

So another Litquake is over.  I didn’t get to see anything except the one event I performed at, because of this damn cold I’ve been fighting for the last 10 days.  I wanted to see the Being with Death reading and Taxidermy Gone Rogue and Science Fiction in the 21st Century.  Instead, I stayed home and coughed til my chest hurt and my throat felt like I’d swallowed glass.

Last night, though, was really fun.  Kim Richards and William Gilchrist of Damnation Books/Eternal Press took three of us out for dinner at Aslam’s Rasoi, where I had the best mattar paneer ever.

The lovely Rain Graves

Then we were off next door to Casa Bonampak for the Night of Eternal Damnation.

After a brief introduction from Kim, Rain Graves started off the evening by reading “Underneath the Ravens” from The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two.

I followed with excerpts of “A Curiosity of Shadows,” about horror writers and a seance/exorcism from The Haunted Mansion Project: Year One.  There was a moment, in the middle of my second piece, where the crowd fell so silent, I knew I had them.  That was really fun.

— photo by Kim_Richards (@Kim_Richards)

The lovely Dan Weidman

Then Dan Weidman read from his essay “My Possession” and his humorous poem “Hungry House” from The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two.

Myra Sherman read an excerpt from her upcoming science fiction novel, then Kim rounded out the evening with an excerpt of Catharine Bramkamp’s Future Girls.

We had a pretty good crowd, although like all Litcrawl crowds, people roamed in and out.  The venue had us set up with the clothing racks behind us, which meant for some weird photos.  The sugar skulls and skeletal figures, though, could not have been more appropriate.

A couple of people came up to chat afterward, which is the best part of doing any reading.  I love to hear what the audience thinks.

Next year, though, I am going to stay healthy for the whole month of October, so I can get out and support other readers more.