Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have joined in the past month!
First off, based on the newsletter from last month, you might be asking - how’s that new pup Honey doing? Well, here you go.
That’s Dusty on the left, Honey on the right, hanging out in the chair together. They do this almost everyday now, especially after they’ve eaten dinner and they watch us eat at the kitchen table.
Honey is still getting comfortable. Nobody can approach within six or so feet, but she will get close to us on our own. She’s also found her voice. She gets very excited when someone comes home. Or upset. It’s hard to tell because her “welcome home” bark is the same as her “feed me breakfast” bark and “the big dog moved to fast” bark.
Still, it’s progress. The foster who had her before us dealt with all this. It took Honey nearly ten months to sit on a blanket on a person and take scratches under her chin. It’s only been four months for us, and all we have is time.
READING AND WRITING LULL
I’m in a bit of the mid-winter doldrums. I have two book ideas started and two books I’m reading. Except when I pick them up, or start to write, my mind immediately goes BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
It’s a concentration issue. It’s also a weather issue.
Being teased with occasional 70 degree days here in Central Ohio and then back down in the 30s and 40s is messing with the heads of many. Sometimes going out into the backyard in the spring or summer when the sun is out is enough to reset my brain and get motivated.
I’ve got some short stories out for consideration at various sites, and if they don’t end up getting picked this round, I might start including them here for people to check out.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (Season 2, Hulu) - This show doesn’t miss any opportunity to mine every nook and cranny of vampire lore for humor.
TWILIGHT & 50 SHADES OF GREY - I paired these two together because I learned the 50 SHADES OF GREY is TWILIGHT fan fiction. My wife and I watched TWILIGHT because, well, we were bored and I had never watched the movie or read the book. It’s bad, but bad in a way that makes it oddly watchable. 50 SHADES is, to put it mildly, pretty bad. Not in just the rather wooden characters, but the backstory of Christian Grey paints his kink and fetishes as borne out of trauma (being groomed by an older woman), when plenty of people can enjoy role play, BDSM, etc. without this unfortunate stereotype.
CUNK ON EARTH (Netflix) - A true laugh out loud funny show, the deadpan delivery with equal parts ignorant dismissiveness and wide-eyed wonder is gold. If you have not watched this show, do it Here’s the trailer.
RECENT MUSIC
Orbital - Optical Delusion (2023)
In Flames - Foregone (2023)
The Distillers - Coral Fang (2003)
Lowcraft - Manticore (1999)
Fu Manchu - Fu30, Pt. 3 (2023)
The Distillers - Coral Fang (2003)
A few reminders before you go:
Help spread the word - leave a book review at Amazon or GoodReads!
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
March 2023
I wrote something similar about the weather messing with my creativity in my own newsletter today. You are not alone!
Have you watched True Blood? Definitely recommend it if you haven't, plus it fits with your vampire deep dive haha. Congrats on Honey's progress!