Starstruck: Author Grady Hendrix “Exile in Bookville”

So last week I was privileged to see the phenomenal Grady Hendrix at Exile in Bookville in Chicago to promote his new book How to Sell a Haunted House. Exile in Bookville serves up  the coolest authors they can get a hold of in their Authors on Tap series. Also they give you booze!  Exile in Bookville is housed on the second floor of the majestic Fine Arts Building at 410 S Michigan. You should go check them out, if you haven’t already, because they’re super nice and their recommendations are fantastic. When I was at Exile in Bookville for a different signing, I thought that I had left my wallet there and was in a panic. I called the store during a busy period to ask and was told by the voice at the other end that he would call me back when he got a chance to run upstairs and look. I hung up, confident that I’d never hear from him again, when two hours later to my shock, my phone rang and the owner actually called me back to let me know that he had not found my wallet. You guys, how cool is that?

First things first, if you haven’t heard of Grady Hendrix, you’re about to. Hendrix is the bestselling author of Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, We Sold Our Souls, Badasstronauts, and The Final Girl Support Group (listed in no particular order) as well as a whole bunch of wildly entertaining non-fiction books, which if I listed in toto here,  I would quickly bore you and you’d stop reading.  My Best Friend’s Exorcism was made into a movie and is available to watch on Amazon Prime and The Final Girl Support Group and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires are currently being adapted for television.

Grady Hendrix writes the funniest, most heartfelt horror you’ll ever encounter. His horror features a respect for the genre bordering on religious. And does this guy know his stuff? Well, yes, I’m glad you asked. Grady could teach a class, and he frequently does, in the form of his book signings. This is the second time I’ve seen Grady Hendrix and both of his signings involved a slide show educating  the wide-eyed student in the twisted lore of whatever baddie haunts his latest book. In this case,  ghosts. Ghosts are haunting the book. 

Grady conducted the entire presentation as though it was a real estate seminar. The slideshow led you on a concise but thorough history of haunted house lore starting with the Greek philosopher, Pliny the Younger and spanning all the way to the Amityville series. Grady finished his presentation with a  deeply touching story about receiving a call from an extremely upset woman, who believed she saw her deceased grandmother lurking near her infant’s crib. Grady’s lesson is that the ghost is grief and we are all a little haunted. And it’s okay.

After the reading we stood in line to get our shiny new books signed by Grady. I nearly chickened out because I was so starstruck and I couldn’t imagine a single worthwhile thing that I, lame dork that I am, could possibly have to say to such a clever, knowledgeable author. I was about to duck and run, mumbling something about how lame it is to  stand in line just  to get a person to sign their name on a piece of paper. But, my boyfriend Laszlo, The Prince Charming of Darkness, talked me into staying. When I approached the table, clutching my book in my sweaty hand, Grady complimented my Camp Crystal Lake Tee-shirt, which made it easy to engage in a brief conversation. Grady Hendrix was every inch the  gracious, southern gentleman (I mean, I guess, I really wouldn’t know, I’m from Chicago). And I can’t wait to read How to Sell A Haunted House. 

For a review of Grady Hendrix’s new novel How to Sell a Haunted House, please see… How to Sell a Haunted House (a completely biased and totally glowing review.