Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have joined in the past month! Happy New Year!
First up - THE RED SKY. It’s been out just over two months, and so far the reviews trickling in have been very positive. I’m so appreciative that people are enjoying the book. Woo!
Secondly - Like a lot of people, we were caught up in the holiday storm that hit the U.S. and wreaked havoc on Southwest Airlines. If you’re interested in hearing the tale about how, after days of cancellations, we finally made it home, I made a TikTok video detailing our experience.
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And third - for Christmas, my daughter (with the help of my wife) bought us a pair of tickets to see my college hockey team! She and I drove up to Bowling Green State University to see the Falcons take on the R.P.I. Engineers. It was her first ever hockey game, so she had a lot of questions, and didn’t much care for the horn that blasted after each goal. Like all kids, she liked watching the Zamboni go around the rink in-between periods. We also hit up a favorite dinner spot from college that is still there: Campus Pollyeyes, which makes amazing stuffed breadsticks.
RECENT READS
EXIT STRATEGY (THE MURDERBOT DIARIES #4) by Martha Wells
This is the fourth but not final installment in the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Really, what more can I say? I enjoyed all of Murderbots adventures, the twists and turns, the sarcasm, and the dark, dystopian future Wells builds over the course of the first four novellas. Luckily, there is still more to read, as Wells wrote a prequel novella (FUGITIVE TELEMETRY) and a full-length novel (NETWORK EFFECT) with another novella on the way.
WORKBOOK by Walter Biggins and Daniel Couch
Another book in the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 series, this is written as a back-and-forth conversation via letters by the two authors. All the essential personnel involved are interviewed, and much is spent on interpreting not only Mould’s lyrics and reasons for his change in musical approach, but also where Workbook as an album fits into his discography as well as the overall evolution of a hardcore/punk trailblazer who turned in his Flying V electric guitar for a twelve-string acoustic. After a while, the format got stale, and I would have liked a little bit more nuts and bolts of the recording process rather than personal observations.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
THE WHITE LOTUS (S.2, HBOMax) - Great second season, even more intriguing and weirdly funny.
ANDOR (S.1, Disney+) - Excellent first season, riveting Rogue One prequel with heavy cold war influence. Hope there is another season.
LEGO MASTERS (S.3, Hulu) - Another fun season, always amazed at the builds.
BULLET TRAIN (Netflix) - Fun and quippy in the moment but not much to remember.
GLASS ONION (Netflix) - Another Rian Johnson joint that hits the mark. More Benoit Blanc mysteries please!
MUSIC
Jerry Only - Anti-Hero (2022)
Prince - 3121 (2003)
Swervedriver - Raise (1991)
Love Battery - Dayglo (1992)
Flogging Molly - Anthem (2022)
A few reminders before you go:
READER REVIEWS! If you read and enjoyed any of my books, I would be grateful if you left a positive review or a rating at Amazon or GoodReads. Reviews help other people find the book!
All previous newsletters are archived. Lots of stuff to check out including a link to the original 2011 screenplay of THE BLACK SKY, hints and helps to get started on the real work easter egg hunt teased at the back of the book, and more
Spotify Playlists! I made them for when I was writing THE BLACK SKY, THE RED SKY, and there is also a special one for “The Dank” bar that is in THE BLACK SKY.
If you like instrumental electronic music, I have soundtracks for THE BLACK SKY and THE RED SKY available at most streaming services, along with several other releases.
Stay Safe!
Tim
Listen to my 90s music podcast: Dig Me Out