A guide to some titles conference director Tea Krulos has on his shopping list
Hey, Tea here! One thing that really makes me happy about the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference is that it’s also a literary event. As an author myself, I love to geek out about books. We have a lot of talented writers in a variety of genres this year. There’s too many good titles available to even list them all, but I thought I’d give you a rundown of stuff I’d definitely like to see on my bookshelf. A lot of these titles have 2016 release dates and a few are hot off the press just in time for the con!
Remember, the holidays are happening very shortly after the con, so get some shopping done on our vendor floor– a signed book, original art, and the many other unique items on our vendor floor make great gifts! Check out the amazing vendor line up here: milwaukeeparacon.com/activities
Books I want to pick up from Guest Speakers (and all of these speakers will have a table on the vendor floor):
1. Neanderthal: the Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman, by Bernard Heuvelmans, afterword by Loren Coleman
Our guest speaker Loren Coleman has written dozens of books on cryptozoology and all of them are recommended. His reference book Cryptozoology A-Z was a huge help while I worked on my own book Monster Hunters. Loren will have copies of Neanderthal, written by pioneering Belgian cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans, recently translated and published with a new afterword by Coleman. It ties in directly with his Milwaukee Paranormal Conference presentation: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/07/11/guest-speaker-loren-coleman
2. Lake Monsters of Wisconsin, by Chad Lewis
Another brand new title that fits directly into an author talk. Chad Lewis is giving a presentation of Lake Monster sightings in Wisconsin, and what better way to supplement his talk than with this book!
More info on his presentation: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/05/04/guest-speaker-chad-lewis
3. Monster Among Us, by Linda S. Godfrey
This brand new book from Linda has an October release date. Linda has written a lot of paranormal classics, including ones of specific interest to Wisconsinites. American Monsters, Real Wolfman, Weird Wisconsin, and The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin’s Werewolf being just a few examples. We gave Linda the “Wisconsin Researcher of the Year” award last year based on her work as a writer, so obviously we’re always excited by a new book from her and her presentation ties directly into the book.
More info on her presentation: milwaukeeparacon.com/tag/linda-s-godfrey
4. Goatman: Flesh or Folklore? by J.Nathan Couch
I’ve already actually got this one on my shelf, but you might not. J. Nathan had a well received talk on Goatman last year, and for an encore we’ll talk about old Goaty on the “Wisconsin’s Wildest Urban Legends” panel.
Panel info here: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/07/15/panel-discussion-wisconsins-wildest-urban-legends
5. The Children of Roswell by Donald R. Schmitt and Thomas J. Carey
This new book by Donald R. Schmitt (and co-author Thomas Carey) came out earlier this year and is based on interviews with the children of Roswell witnesses, a follow up to the author’s previous titles like Witness to Roswell. Schmitt is participating in “The Roswell Debate” but we’re not showing favoritism here– his debate rival Mark O’Connell has a book coming out in 2017 that we’re also excited to see.
More on the Roswell Debate: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/06/03/the-roswell-debate
6. Admissible: The Field Manual for Investigating UFOs, Paranormal Activity, and Strange Creatures by Chase Kloetzke and Richard Dolan
This manual covers methods for investigating pretty much everything discussed at the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference and is co-authored by our guest speaker Chase Kloetzke. Hey, and a quick update on Chase– she is flying into Milwaukee directly from a case she is investigating in an undisclosed location in Peru!
More info on Chase: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/07/25/guest-speaker-chase-kloetzke
7. Haunted Bachelors Grove by Ursula Bielski
This brand new book by Ursula is part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Haunted America” series, and examines a location Ursula has been researching and investigating for decades– Bachelors Grove cemetery, located outside of Chicago. I’ve had a chance to visit that location during the Chicago Dark Shores Ghost Con, so I’m excited to see this.
More info on Ursula: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/08/31/guest-speaker-ursula-bielski
8. Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois by Kathi Kresol
We’re so glad to have Kathi, proprietor of Haunted Rockford, up here for our “Haunted Road Trip” panel and to check out her research into classic crime stories.
More info on the panel: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/08/08/panel-discussionhaunted-road-trip
9. Tales of the Night Watchman by Sanjay R. Singhal
Last but not least, our panel moderator Sanjay (“Searching for Wisconsin’s Sasquatch”) has a new book out collecting short stories of supernatural themed fiction! We know Sanjay has been on some real life hair raising expeditions, which we’re sure he must have tapped into for some of these stories.
More on Sanjay’s panel: milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/08/02/panel-discussion-searching-for-wisconsins-sasquatch/
And here’s some titles by authors you’ll find out on our vendor floor:
10. Black Bells by Dawn Napier
We’re glad to have Dawn on the floor (Sunday only). She writes fantasy/ horror and all her titles sound great, but this one caught my attention for some reason I can’t quite place my finger on. Books do that sometimes.
11. Monsters Around the Campfire by Donovan Scherer
We got to meet Donovan at the Milwaukee Comic Con at Serb Hall a couple months ago and he had a great set up! Donovan writes and illustrates books aimed mostly at children (most with a spooky theme, of course). I’m going to pick this one up for my nephew.
12. Adventures in Death and Romance: Vrykolakas Tales by Monette Bebow-Reinhard
We got a couple signed copies of this book here at MKE Paranormal Central Station, which will be given away as prizes during the con. The book follows the adventures of vampire Arabus Drake and his encounters with the Turk army, pirates, Tories, a vindictive lawman and a wily ghost who stands between him and a woman he thinks can finally love him.
13. First Contact by Kat Green
Written by authors Kat de Falla and Rachel Green (aka Kat Green) this book is about a real estate agent dealing with the paranormal. Put a SOLD sign on that!
14. The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil by Al Ridenour
This book is coming out shortly before the conference and it looks beautiful (in a hideous Krampus kind of way). I was going to say it would be a great Christmas gift, but of course St. Nick’s Day might be better.
Publisher Feral House is a sponsor of our appearance by Minnesota Krampus. Stop by their presentation for a chance to win a free copy of the book! Publisher Feral House also has a table on the vendor floor.
More Minnesota Krampus presentation info:
milwaukeeparacon.com/2016/06/26/guest-speaker-minnesota-krampus/
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