Category Archives: Tribute

You Didn’t Come This Far Only to Come This Far

December 24, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

Despite recent bouts of COVID, depression, and elevated stress, I had occasion over this holiday season to reflect on everything for which I’m grateful, and the list is long.

Yes, 2023 was a challenging year. I struggled with severe anxiety attacks that began in September 2022 and continued until mid-August 2023. They left me debilitated for the first hour or two every morning and were often accompanied by bouts of depression, some lasting weeks. There were days when I thought they would end me, but I live by two mottos: “life might knock me down, but it can’t keep me down” and “you didn’t come this far only to come this far.”

I’ve been grappling with the demons of depression and anxiety for over 45 years. For most of that time, I’ve been alone in my fight, but on this occasion, I had the help of three amazing women—my wife, my therapist, and my favorite singer on the planet, Dido (never say music doesn’t heal a broken soul). They are all my heroes.

‌‌My wife planned and booked every step of our June trip to Niagara Falls and the Thousand Islands, culminating in a visit to Boldt Castle on my birthday. It was a fantastic week. Travel does wonders for mental health.

It was also in June when my detective tale, “Pearl of Great Price,” was published in Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin by Hawkshaw Press. That also helped loosen anxiety’s grip on me.

At the same time, plans to release the second edition of Testing the Prisoner were coming to fruition. By early June, the book was fully re-edited by yours truly and two months later, artist pal Scott Barnett produced a cover that not only popped but exploded.

The book was released on September 18th. What happened next was nothing short of amazing.

First, I ran an Early Reviewers giveaway on LibraryThing, which resulted in five stellar reviews from the happy winners.

In October, after purchasing a copy of Testing the Prisoner from my table at the Easton Book Festival, writer and publisher Angel Ackerman—current president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group—praised the book on her blog as well as Amazon and Goodreads. By this time, Testing the Prisoner had been named as one of five finalists in American Book Fest’s 2023 Best Book Awards (Horror Category). Wow!

I was then contacted by horror writer Carson Buckingham who offered to review the book for Hellnotes.com. I sent a paperback to her in mid-November and shortly after Thanksgiving, she posted her effusive review, giving Testing the Prisoner six out of five stars!

As of this writing, I’m on the final round of re-edits to By Your Side, the second edition of which is slated for release on February 5, 2024 with a new cover by the aforementioned brilliant artist, Scott Barnett. The official launch will happen at Farpoint SF Convention in Pikesville, MD.

As I sit here on December 23rd, the house decked out for Christmas, anticipating a glorious week off from work and all of the writing and editing ahead of me, I do indeed have plenty to be grateful for. I hope you do as well. If you’re struggling, remember that you didn’t come this far, only to come this far. Life will knock you down at times, but problems and setback are temporary. Please don’t let them keep you down.

I wish you peace, love, and joy this holiday season and throughout the new year!

Blog, Conventions, Events, Tribute

Farewell to a Home Away from Home

October 29, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

On Saturday, October 28th, a few hundred longtime attendees of Farpoint and Shore Leave SF conventions descended on the Marriott Delta in Hunt Valley, MD to bid the hotel goodbye. After 40+ years of hosting genre conventions, the hotel will close on October 31. According to the rumor mill, the building will be demolished and replaced by a Tesla dealership or condos or both.

My wife and I spent part of the day wandering the hotel and taking final pictures all while a dog show was in progress. Adorable pooches everywhere, which added an element of fun to an otherwise bittersweet occasion.

It was wonderful to spend time with so many old friends including Sharon VanBlarcom, Steve and Renee Wilson, June Swords, Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Cindy Shockey, Bob Greenberger, Royce Essig, Sashi German, Susanna Reilly, Rhonda Greene, Diane Baron, Blair Learn, Paul Balze, Lance and Cindy Woods, Inge Heyer, Jay and Pam Smith, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail, Ann Hande, Susan Staneslow Olesen, and more. Apologies if I’m forgetting anyone.

While at the farewell party, Farpoint announced their new home at the Hilton Doubletree in Pikesville, MD. Shore Leave will make a similar announcement in the coming weeks.

Blog, Tribute

Into That Good Night

June 13, 2021 philgiunta@ptd.net

It’s taken me a week to write this blog post. I could blame that on a few recent disruptions in my life, but the truth is that I needed time to gather my thoughts, which have been muddled in a torrent of emotions as of late.

In the first week of June, I lost two wonderful friends within days of each other.

On June 2, I received word that Sandy Zier-Teitler had died at the age of 67 after a series of health complications.

I met Sandy at the Farpoint SF convention over 20 years ago, but her history in fandom dates back much further. She was a legend in the Maryland convention scene, having worked for ClipperCon, OktoberTrek, and Farpoint. She was also a writer and editor for the Star Trek fanzine Mind Meld.

My friendship with Sandy solidified when I started publishing with Firebringer Press, owned by friend, fellow writer, and Farpoint co-founder, Steven H. Wilson. Sandy was the line editor on my novels and was always enthusiastic to read my next story. Hers was one of the most encouraging and effusive voices in my writing career. I’m grateful to have been her friend.

Jessica Headlee as the Shore Leave Rabbit

On June 6, one of the most adorable, intelligent, and vibrant young women I ever met lost her battle with a rare form of cancer at the age of 25.

My wife and I met Jessica Headlee through SF fandom and got to know her when she and our friend Ethan Wilson began dating around 2014 or so. Jess became a ubiquitous presence in the Maryland SF convention scene, volunteering at Balticon, Farpoint, and Shore Leave where she was often seen dressed as the Shore Leave mascot (the giant rabbit from the original Star Trek episode from which the con derives its name).

Jessica also joined us in Rehoboth Beach for our summer vacations with the Wilson family every July. She was a marine biologist with a passion for saving our environment. Jess and Ethan were married on the beach in Rehoboth in October 2019.

In June 2018, I drove down to Maryland to help the Wilsons with landscaping and yard cleanup at Steve’s parents’ house.

There was a point when I took a break and stepped into the kitchen. I was alone and my thoughts drifted to whatever problems were plaguing my life at the time and exacerbating my depression. At that moment, Jess happened to walk in and observe the despondent expression on my face. She said, “Oh my God, Phil! It can’t be that bad!”

She snapped me out of my dark reverie and for the rest of the day, I realized that it can never be that bad when you’re surrounded by friends who care. Of all the memories I have of Jessica, this is the one I will cherish the most.

Audio Books, Blog, New Releases, Tribute

“Burn After Writing” – A Tribute to Harlan Ellison

May 27, 2020 philgiunta@ptd.net

On what would have been Harlan Ellison’s 86th birthday (May 27), Episode #11 of Got a Story for Ya is LIVE with “Burn After Writing,” a short story dedicated to Harlan and soon to be published in SCARY STUFF, an anthology by Oddity Prodigy Productions.

Legendary writer Adrian Halka has died. Disobeying his mentor’s instructions to burn all incomplete manuscripts upon his death, struggling writer Shane Conrad pilfers one of Halka’s unreleased novels. After publishing it as his own, Conrad learns the blistering consequences of playing with fire.

“For a brief time, I was here, and for a brief time, I mattered.”

Harlan Ellison, 1934-2018

Blog, Tribute

Dorothy Catherine “D.C.” Fontana, 1939-2019

December 4, 2019 philgiunta@ptd.net

One of Gene Roddenberry’s most redoubtable storytellers from the original Star Trek series has died. Dorothy Catherine “D.C.” Fontana was a supremely talented screenwriter whose career spanned decades and included Bonanza, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Waltons, Kung Fu, Land of the Lost, The Streets of San Francisco, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and more.

As a writer and a Trekkie, I wish I’d had the opportunity to meet Ms. Fontana. She was a master of her craft and someone I consider a personal influence.