DragonCon 2026! Celebrating 40 Years of Fandom

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

Happy to be an Attending Professional again at DragonCon, in Atlanta September 3rd through 7th, 2026! This will be my 15th DragonCon! You can find me on the Horror, Urban Fantasy, and Writers Tracks, and this year for the first time on the BritTrack. Here is where I’ll be (and as always, this schedule is subject to change at any time):

Friday 10:00 am, Chastain F Westin (Urban Fantasy Track)
Remarkably Bright Creatures Discussion: Book & Movie
A moderated panel discussion over the book and its movie adaptation on Netflix, with audience involvement.
Panelists: Anna Puerta (M), Darrell Z. Grizzle, Lauren Thoman, Margaret Robbins, William Brown

Friday 8:30 pm, Embassy EF Hyatt (Writers Track)
Write What You (Don’t) Know
Most books require some form of research, whether historical, scientific, psychological or sociological. How do you start? Where do you go? And how do you organize all that stuff? Join our authors who will answer your questions about how to fit research into your book.
Panelists: Walter H Hunt, Darrell Z. Grizzle, ML Spencer, Bethanne Kim (M), Madaug Hishinuma, Greg Keyes

Saturday 7:00 pm, Chastain 1-2 Westin (Urban Fantasy Track)
Across the Veil: Ghosts & Spirits
Ghosts & spirits in Urban Fantasy take many forms & have a variety of characteristics, as well as goals & purposes. Our panel will discuss the types they employ in their work, as well as others they admire.
Panelists: Carol Malcolm (M), Clay McLeod Chapman, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ashley Poston, Diana Peterfreund, Darrell Z. Grizzle

Sunday 11:30 am, Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Horror Track)
The Humanity of Monsters: Writing Creatures We Care About
Does an inhuman creature deserve love? What drives their actions? Do they have souls? Our panel of authors will discuss how to craft monsters that blur the lines between sympathetic and horrific, love and hate, and peace and mayhem.
Panelists: Jessi Ann York, Kevin Grevioux, Karen Bembry (M), Theresa Glover, Clay Gilbert, Darrell Z. Grizzle

Sunday 1:00 pm, Galleria 5 Hilton (BritTrack)
Classic British Horror: From Gothic Ink to 2026 Screens
Explore Classic British Horror icons: Frankenstein, Dracula, and Jekyll & Hyde. From Shelley, Stoker, and Stevenson’s prose to Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and the 2026 “Dracula” and “Hyde” releases, we trace how these immortal terrors continue to haunt our modern screens.
Panelists: Mark Heffernan(M), Darrell Z. Grizzle, Trey Lawson, Timothy Kelly, Bill Price

Sunday 7:00 pm, Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Horror Track)
Dark Hearts: Romance in Horror Literature
Love and terror have always shared a close connection, from Gothic classics to modern supernatural romances. We’ll explore how horror literature uses romance to deepen emotional stakes, blur the lines between passion and peril, and reveal the darker side of desire, devotion, and heartbreak.
Panelists: Delilah S Dawson, Clay McLeod Chapman, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Jessi Ann York (M), Clay Gilbert, Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sunday 10:00 pm, Chastain 1-2 Westin (Urban Fantasy Track)
Spooky Tales: Author Readings
Authors will read spooky passages from their own work.
Panelists: Leanna Renee Hieber, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Beth Dolgner, Clay McLeod Chapman

Monday 11:30 am, Embassy EF Hyatt (Writers Track)
Fiction as Activism
From William Faulkner to Maya Angelou to Audre Lorde to Margaret Atwood to bell hooks, fiction has been used as protest and a vehicle of change for generations. Let’s look at how to effectively use your stories to change the world.
Panelists: S. M. Stirling, Sarah J. Sover (M), Elizabeth Donald, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Isabelle Hardesty, KD Edwards


See you at DragonCon!

The Year of 7 Anthologies!

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment


I was honored to be published in 7 anthologies over the past 12 months! Six short stories and one poem. Here they are, along with links on how to buy them:

“Knock Five Times,” a ghost story (based on true-life experiences), in Yay! All Queer (in paperback) (in ebook)

“Monsieur Marais at the Puppet Museum,” my story of waking dreams, a talking cat, and a creepy lighthouse, in Effigies and Incantations: An Anthology of Supernatural Terror, edited by D.C. Phillips (in paperback) (on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited)

“Need to Know,” my first werewolf story (also with ghosts!), in Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell: An LGBTQ+ Horror Anthology (in paperback) (on Kindle)

“Ephriam,” my Appalachian zombie story, in We Bite Back: A Queer Charity Anthology benefitting the Human Rights Campaign (in paperback) (in ebook)

“A Very Lovely Murder,” my light-hearted story of graverobbing and murder, in Appalachian Strong, a Charity Anthology for Hurricane Helene Relief, from Falstaff Press (in hardcover) (in paperback and Kindle ebook)

“The Pink Revolver,” a crime story featuring two gay hit men, in Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors: Dying for an Answer (in paperback) (in ebook) (this story is a sequel to “Squatch and Behr: Not a Love Story” which appeared in the previous anthology Pink Triangle Rhapsody)

“The Visitor,” my macabre poem in Gathered Here Today: An Open Casket of Art and Poetry (in hardcover and paperback) (in ebook)

And I will be an Attending Professional again at DragonCon, September 3-7, 2026, in Atlanta! Looking forward to what 2026 will bring!


One True Sentence

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All writing advice should be taken with a grain of salt, because what works for one person may not work for another. But I do like what Hemingway says about writing “one true sentence.” (I also like what Joyce Carol Oates says, that Hemingway was only able to sit in the cafes of Paris drinking wine and writing because his wife was back in the apartment taking care of the baby.) Here’s the quote from Hemingway:

Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they made. I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, “Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written.

~ Ernest Hemingway, in A Moveable Feast

7 Tips From Ernest Hemingway on How to Write Fiction

2025 DragonCon Schedule: Where I’ll Be

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

Hope to see you at DragonCon! August 28 through September 1, 2025, in Atlanta! This is my TENTATIVE schedule (everything is tentative at DragonCon until 5 minutes after it happens). I will be updating this post throughout the con itself. I am very proud to be on panels and events this year on the Horror, Urban Fantasy, and Writer’s Tracks.


2025 DragonCon Schedule:

Thursday 7:00 pm: Dark Academia, Chastain 1-2 Westin
Our panel will take a deep dive into this fascinating and very popular literary subgenre, where magic practitioners of various types with often differing goals operate within schools, libraries, and other academic institutions. Panelists: K.A. Linde, Diana Peterfreund, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Mari Mancusi, Carol Malcolm(M), Ingrid Seymour.

Three of my favorite Dark Academia novels

Friday 11:30 pm: Scary Tales and Spooky Music, Chastain 1-2 Westin
Our popular event returns: authors reading scary stories with musical underplaying by Charming Disaster, who will then play a short concert afterwards. Panelists: Charming Disaster, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Leanna Renee Hieber, Beth Dolgner.
RESOURCE: My 99%-true ghost story “Knock Five Times” is in YAY! ALL QUEER, an anthology of queer fantasy and urban fantasy.

Saturday 2:30 pm: A Cozy Conversation About Cozy Horror, Peachtree 1-2 Westin
The term “cozy horror” has gained traction in literary circles in recent years. But what is cozy horror? Let’s find out as we explore the emerging genre’s quiet menace.
Panelists: Darrell Z. Grizzle, Jessi Ann York(M), Clay Gilbert, T. Kingfisher, Leanna Renee Hieber, Bill Bridges.
RESOURCE: My cozy horror story “Monsieur Marais at the Puppet Museum” is in the new anthology EFFIGIES AND INCANTATIONS, edited by D.C. Phillips.

Saturday 4:00 pm: She’s Alive! The Bride of Frankenstein at 90, Peachtree 1-2 Westin
Director James Whale’s “The Bride of Frankenstein” turned 90 years old in 2025. We’ll celebrate this milestone for the classic Universal Monsters film.
Panelists: Crystal Cleveland(M), Cash the Composer, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Bill Bridges, Mark Muncy.

Saturday 10:00 pm: The Other Side of the Veil: Ghosts & Spirits in UF, Chastain 1-2 Westin
Ghosts and spirits in Urban Fantasy take many forms and have a variety of goals and purposes. Our panel will discuss those they employ in their work, as well as others they admire.
Panelists: Delilah S Dawson, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Beth Dolgner, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ashley Poston, Carol Malcolm(M).

Sunday 10:00 am: The Haunted Mind: Mental Health Through the Lens of Horror, Peachtree 1-2 Westin
Our panelists will look at how mental health is portrayed in horror literature: the good, the bad, and the scary.
Panelists: Brent Abell, Nat Cassidy, Jessi Ann York, Erika Lance, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Bill Bridges(M).
RESOURCE: How Horror Movies Taught Me Empathy, a TEDx Talk by Mark Gunnells

Sunday 11:30 am: Out of the Ashes: Queer Stories in the Apocalypse,
Chastain G Westin
Explore the vibrant presence of queer representation in apocalyptic media! This panel celebrates uplifting LGBTQ+ narratives, authentic characters, and the resilience of love and identity amidst chaos. Dive into the stories that prove hope and humanity shine brightest in the darkest times.
Panelists: Birma Gainor (M), Laura Smith-Brese, Deborah Ulmer, Daniel Alexander Lyman, Darrell Z. Grizzle.
RESOURCE: My queer Appalachian apocalypse story “Ephriam” is in WE BITE BACK: A Queer Charity Anthology to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Sunday 1:00 pm: Bringing the Scary: Crafting Monsters, Embassy EF Hyatt
What makes a good monster? Our panelists will delve into this topic and discuss the types of monsters, whether human, animal, or supernatural – how to create them, and how to make them scary.
Panelists: Trisha J. Wooldridge(M), Darrell Z. Grizzle, Tony Sarrecchia, Tamsin L. Silver, Jason Cordova, Madaug Hishinuma.
RESOURCE: My werewolf story “Need to Know” is in DON’T ASK, GHOSTS TELL: An LGBTQ+ Horror Anthology.

See you at DragonCon!

Rest in Peace, Edmund White

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Edmund White’s death is hitting me hard. I never met him, but his novels and memoirs were a constant presence during my coming-out years and thereafter. I remember buying his books back in the 1990’s at Charis Books & More and at Outwrite, the LGBTQ bookstore that used to be in Atlanta. The main character in my short story “Time After Time” (which will be published in an upcoming anthology on August 1st) is looking at an Edmund White book when he meets his partner in a bookstore. I have an autographed copy of Edmund White’s recent novel The Humble Lover, which reads very much like a gay John Updike novel (and I say that as a fan of the late John Updike). The world of modern-day queer literature has lost one of its founding lights. Rest in Peace, Edmund White.

Edmund White’s Obituary:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/edmund-white-novelist-dies

The Lavender Bookshop

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Here are some words I never thought I’d be able to say: There is a queer bookstore in Cobb County, Georgia.

It’s called The Lavender Bookshop, and it’s at 1289 Roswell Road, Suite 700, Marietta GA 30062, just under half a mile from the Big Chicken (if you’re from Cobb County, you know what that is).

It’s an indie bookstore with a warm and inviting atmosphere, a full calendar of monthly book clubs and other events, a comprehensive Young Adult section, and a very good selection of contemporary as well as classic queer books. These are the first three books I bought, two of them new and one of them a classic:

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap (2025). Victorian-era graverobbers? Dark Academia? How could I not buy this?

Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper (2022), a gay romcom novel from Carina Adores, the LGBTQ+ imprint of Harlequin.

The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal, first published in 1948. I know about Gore Vidal mainly from his very public, sometimes raucous literary feuds with Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, and William F. Buckley. This will be the first novel I’ve read by him.

You can support The Lavender Bookshop by ordering books and ebooks from Bookshop.org and by ordering audiobooks from Libro.fm and linking your accounts to the store. I’ve provided direct links to both in my Linktree (as well as in this paragraph).

I have switched from Audible to Libro.fm for my audiobooks going forward, and I have switched over from Amazon Kindle to the easy-to-use Bookshop e-reader on my phone and iPad. The first two ebooks I downloaded from Bookshop were Burn to Strike, the new Joe Ledger novel by Jonathan Maberry, and The Get Off, the new Hard Case Crime novel from Christa Faust (both Jonathan and Christa are allies, and I’ve met both at literary conventions and they are both cool as hell).

The first time I visited The Lavender Bookshop, I actually had to leave quickly because I got emotional. I never thought I’d ever see a queer bookstore in Cobb County. But there it is. It’s totally queer and it’s totally awesome. Check it out.

Rest in Peace, Guy the Cat

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Guy Varnum Grizzle, my sweet little murdercat, is gone. I took him to the vet yesterday afternoon because for the last week he had been acting disoriented, bumping into things, acting confused. It turns out Guy was in third stage kidney failure, had a heart murmur and a tumor on his thyroid, and he was partially blind, with blood in his retinas. His prognosis was not good, especially considering his age (15), and Michael and I decided not to prolong his suffering. When the doctor gave him the first shot to relax him, he fell asleep in my arms, snoring. Before that, he got to enjoy a Sunny Spot one last time, as the afternoon sunlight was coming through the vet’s window. He snuggled up against my arms and legs repeatedly, covering my shirt and pants legs in cat hair.

Guy was a very opinionated and vocal cat. He took his anarchism seriously. He alternated between trying to assassinate me and being very loving and cuddly. When people came to visit, he would usually run and hide, except for a very small number of humans he would tolerate or even like: my partner Michael Varnum, of course, and Guy’s backup staff human Charles Rutledge, and also Jessica Nettles, Adam Volle, and Donnie Ray. That’s it. That was quite enough humans for Guy. (I think Guy thought Donnie was a very tall cat, not a human.)

We lost Guy’s older brother Leonidas (Lenny) last year. It feels strange and unnatural, being in an apartment with no cats. I miss them both deeply. My heart feels like an empty cardboard box with no cats in it.

Yay! More Short Stories for 2025!

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

UPDATED JANUARY 27, 2025:
I’m very proud to announce that my Appalachian zombie story “Ephriam” has been published in We Bite Back, edited by Sage Moon, a charity anthology from Pride With a Bite to benefit the Human Rights Campaign. Click here to buy it in ebook, paperback, or hardcover. APPALACHIAN ZOMBIES FOR THE WIN!


Also, my queer ghost story “Knock Five Times” is in the new anthology, Yay! all queer, from Inkd Publishing! Here’s a link to buy the ebook and here’s a link to buy the paperback or Nook ebook from Barnes & Noble.


I will also have a queer ghost story (this one is set in the Wild West) in the upcoming anthology, Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell, from Tundra Swan Press. Expected publication date is June 2025. And I’ll have a humorous crime fiction story “The Pink Revolver” in yet another anthology, with an expected publication date of April 2025. More details soon!


And here is my most recent online publication: “Judgment Call,” a “grit lit” noir story set in Georgia in 1987, during the AIDS epidemic. Based on a true story. Here’s the link to the story.

See you online! Here are all my links to social media and other online places I haunt: 
https://linktr.ee/dzgrizzle

DragonCon 2024 and Two New Queer Ghost Stories Coming Soon!

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment


Two new short stories by me, both of them queer ghost stories, have been accepted for publication in upcoming anthologies, one with an expected publication date of December 2024 and one in the Summer of 2025. More details coming soon!

Here are all my links to social media and other online places I haunt: https://linktr.ee/dzgrizzle

Here is my most recent publication, a “grit lit” noir story set in Georgia in 1987, during the AIDS epidemic. Based on a true story. Here’s the link to the story.

And here is where I’ll be at DragonCon, August 29 through September 2, 2024, in Atlanta. Hope to see you at the con!

THURSDAY 8/29/24 at 8:30 pm
Horror vs. Terror: Which Approach Works Best For You?
Authors tackle the eternal question: which is more effective: horror or terror? Shock and awe or creeping dread? The panelists will share their approaches, exploring the benefits and challenges of each method.
Panelists: Cherie M. Priest, Alexander G. R. Gideon (M), Brent Abell, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Jessi Ann York
Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

FRIDAY 8/30/24 at 10:00 am
Igniting the Horror Muse
Authors are always asked where they get their ideas from. Join us as we pick the brains of our horror author panelists to learn how they get in the right mind to craft their fiction and unleash their chilling tales.
Panelists: Jessi Ann York (M), Darrell Z. Grizzle, Elizabeth Donald, L. Marie Wood, Trisha J. Wooldridge, J. E. Schleicher
Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

FRIDAY 8/30/24 at 4:00 pm
Children of Dorian Gray: LGBTQIA+ Themes in Horror
A celebration of LGBTQIA+ contributions to the horror genre.
Panelists: Jessi Ann York, Jarvis Hammer, Darrell Z. Grizzle (M), Dusty Gannon (Vision Video), Daniel Alexander Lyman
Location: Centennial I Hyatt (1 Hour)

FRIDAY 8/30/24 at 10:00 pm
The Disembodied: Spirits & Ghosts in UF
Ghosts & spirits in Urban Fantasy take many forms & have a variety of goals & purposes. Our panel will discuss those they employ in their work, as well as others they admire.
Panelists: Todd J McCaffrey, Cherie M. Priest, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Leanna Renee Hieber, Carol Malcolm (M), Beth Dolgner
Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

SATURDAY 8/31/24 in the morning I’ll be donating blood at the annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” Blood Drive

SATURDAY 8/31/24 at 2:30 pm
100 Years of Ed Wood
Celebrate the centennial of the iconic filmmaker Ed Wood, known for his passionate and eccentric approach to cinema. Our panelists will discuss his cult classics like Plan 9 from Outer Space and explore his legacy.
Panelists: Bill Mulligan (M), Daniel Griffith, Laurie Norris, Thomas Mariani, Darrell Z. Grizzle, R. E. Carr
Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

SATURDAY 8/31/24 at 10:00 pm
101 Fascinating Ways to Kill off a Character
Readers love a good killin’ – if it’s done in an interesting way. Panelists discuss some not-so-common ways they’ve killed characters or favorite authors have killed characters.
Panelists: John Robinson (M), L. Marie Wood, Darin Kennedy, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Bob McGough, Elizabeth Donald
Location: Embassy EF Hyatt (1 Hour)

SUNDAY 9/1/24 at 11:30 am
Unearthing Your Literary Horror Niche
Embark on a frightful journey to uncover the intersection of your deepest, darkest fears and find your writing voice. Explore different dark corners in horror fiction with our panel while you face your fears and learn to unleash your inner darkness on the page.
Panelists: Jessi Ann York (M), Darrell Z. Grizzle, L. Marie Wood, Tony Sarrecchia, Anya Martin, Tom Vandermolen
Time: Sun 11:30 am  Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

SUNDAY 9/1/24 at 4:00 pm
AUTHOR READING SESSION
I will be reading with special guests Jessica Nettles and Jessi Ann York
Location: Hyatt Learning Center, Atrium Tower, Ballroom Level (1 Hour)

MONDAY 9/2/24 at 1:00 pm
A Heady Mix: Magic & Academia in Books & Media
Our panel will take a close look at the fascinating & very popular Dark Academia literary subgenre, focusing on those examples that feature magic practitioners of various types operating within schools, libraries, & other academic institutions.
Panelists: Valerie Dawn Hampton, Darrell Z. Grizzle, JM Paquette, K. N. Lee, Carol Malcolm (M), John Hartness
Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (1 Hour)

Judgment Call

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

I’m very proud to have a “grit lit” story in Reckon Review, the online journal of Southern literature and culture (“Dirt Road Driving, Jelly Jar Sipping, Dollar General Shopping”). Previous authors published by Reckon Review include Brian Panowich, S.A. Cosby, and Gabino Iglesias. My story, “Judgment Call,” is set in Georgia in 1987, during the AIDS epidemic. Based on a true story. Here’s the link to the story.