Posts Tagged ‘Tarot’

Building Excitement

Posted: May 24, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Lately, my life has been nothing but growing excitement. Well, that’s not entirely true: there’s a bunch of other stuff. But work has been getting better lately after several months of insanity, and I’ve been balancing my life very well, which has allowed me to notice the excitement more clearly than if life was too busy and I was super exhausted.

And it’s not surprising that life feels like it’s nothing but excitement. For one thing, StokerCon is fast approaching, and there’s plenty I’m looking forward to with that. For one thing, as you know, I’ll be pitching The Shape of Evil to agents and editors there, and I’ve done the majority of my prep in that respect (a friend of mine who will also be pitching, and we’ll be practicing our pitches together as we get closer). Not only that, but I’m involved with a couple of panels, which I wasn’t the last time I went.

One is a virtual panel, “Understanding Historical Horror,” which I was the moderator of. I say “was,” because we filmed the panel ahead of time. As I suggested the panel (I blame “Sinners” inspiring me), I was asked to moderate and film it. And it went well! We had some great panelists–Philip Fracassi, John Langan, Alma Katsu, and John Kachuba–and we had an enjoyable hour and a half of filming and talking about historical horror: what it was, how to go about writing it, and the ethics of writing it. It will premiere during StokerCon, and will be accessible for those attending virtually.

The second one is “Authentic Representation in Horror,” which will focus on including marginalized communities in the horror community and in horror stories. As you probably know, that’s a subject near and dear to my heart, so I’m eager to talk about it with some like-minded writers in front of an audience. We’ve already spent some time emailing each other, suggesting topics for discussion and what we need as individuals to be more comfortable. That panel will also be livestreamed, so we’ll hopefully get a lot of people tuning in online as well as attending in person.

(And hopefully the anti-woke police won’t show up and cause a problem, lol.)

Add in getting to see so many friends, and it’s no wonder I’m excited for StokerCon!

Pretty much how I feel these days.

But StokerCon aside, there are other reasons I’m excited. For example, Symphony for Walpurgis is doing well. It’s only been out a little over three weeks since my latest collection released, but it’s been selling well and a lot of people have been telling me they’ve been enjoying it or expressing interest in getting copies of their own. One person in the horror community I really admire actually reached out to me yesterday to ask if she could have a review copy, which made my day! I’ll be seeing her at StokerCon, so I’ll give her a copy then.

And then there’s so much more! For one thing, we’re in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, and I’m already enjoying all the things I’m planning on doing this weekend, including getting some much needed sleep and doing a lot of projects I’ve put off till now. In fact, I’ve already made some progress with those projects, and I’ll tell you more about them when the time is right.

My Tarot cards say that for June, all troubles will pass, and lots of good things will happen in time. I can’t wait to see if that comes true!

And my birthday is coming up, which is another reason to get excited. I’m already arranging to get a nice massage on the day of, eat ice cream, and hang out with friends (not necessarily in that order and definitely not at the same time). It’ll be a nice celebration of my life and my inevitable inching towards death before heading off to a certain convention I’ve mentioned a hundred times already.

And a hundred other things are happening or will happen that just get me excited and full of zest for life and so glad I’m at this point in my life. Hell, even my Tarot cards seem to have caught something, because lately the majority of my readings have been super-positive! And if there’s something more to the cards than just pure randomness, then that’s significant!

And I’m looking forward to seeing how all these things play out. Whether it’s StokerCon and what I plan to do there, or the Doctor Who season finale, or even just trying out a new recipe this weekend. It’s nice to not only have so much to look forward to, but also to experience it when it arrives.

Makes me wonder what else I’ll get excited about as the stuff I mentioned above happens. I guess we, and especially I, will find out soon enough!

The Communities That Keep Me Going

Posted: March 30, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections, Uncategorized
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Photo by Leah Newhouse on Pexels.com

You may have heard of BlueSky as an alternative to Twitter. What you may have not heard is that  there’s a weekly event on BlueSky for horror writers called “Horror Writers Chat.” It started on Twitter and then moved to BlueSky after Twitter became a hellscape. Every week, authors gather to discuss horror, writing and their work posed by Matt Mason and Eryn McConnell. We answer questions, and even get to share links to our works.

I’ve been doing it for quite some time, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. In fact, some weeks, I really need it.

During the past couple of months, life has been extremely rough. Yeah, there have been reasons to smile, but there’s also been a ton of stuff that just wears down my soul. Work, for one thing, has been absolutely insane since January, to the point where I come home a lot of days very exhausted. And with all the time I need after work to get ready for the next day, as well as get some sleep, my writing time has been cut down drastically.

Which sucks, because writing is one of my ways of de-stressing, as well as how I move forward this career I’m so devoted to.

In addition, recently I was in an accident. Don’t worry, I’m fine, but my car was totaled by the other driver. Thankfully, the other driver’s insurance company agreed to pay all the costs, but this whole experience has been very stressful.

In Tarot, the Ten of Wands represents being overburdened and weary. Matches me some days in so many ways.

Add in all the horrible things happening on the national and world stage (*cough* fascist wave sweeping America *cough*), and it’s enough that even with frequent therapy sessions and all the usual de-stressing methods aren’t enough!

That’s why I’m thankful for all the communities I happen to be a part of. They’re a soothing balm upon my soul.

Obviously, there’s the horror writing communities on social media, that’s been helpful. But there’s also been the horror and horror writing friends and communities I’ve formed IRL. These past few months, I’ve had a few opportunities to see and hang out with my colleagues, which is always a treat. In fact, we’re getting together near the end of April, and I’m super excited about that, as it’s going to be a big meeting and we’ll get to play board games while discussing cannibalism together.

And it’s not just the socializing, either. It’s the professional help. As many of you know, I’m hoping to pitch my novel The Shape of Evil to agents at StokerCon this summer. I was recently discussing this with another member of HWA, and he gave me some critical advice to keep in mind if I hoped to pitch and find someone willing to represent me. One of those pieces was to research each person taking pitches thoroughly to see if they were a good fit for me.

A few weeks later, when the agents and editors taking pitches were announced, I did my research, and reached out to authors who had worked with them, as my friend advised me. Some of these authors have become good friends of mine, so I was able to get some amazing feedback from them and make my choices about whom to pitch to from there.

Community saves me, in more ways than one.

And it’s not just the horror communities that have been helping me. My Jewish community, my family and friends community, and even my work community. Yeah, as tough as work has been, I’m surrounded by a team of people who know what we’re going through and are willing to help me when I ask for it. Not to mention, if we deal with a difficult customer (that happens, sadly), my leadership don’t mind going to bat for us. And when my car got hit, my workmates were among the most concerned about me.

So, despite all the hardships, I’m really happy to have all these people around me in the same situation. We’ve already gotten together once for some much-needed R&R, and have plans for the near future as well.

And guess what? The Followers of Fear community is a wonderful community, too. While engagement and growth changes over time, many of you still take the time to read every post, and provide helpful comments as well. Some of you even read my books and provide reviews, and one or two even created fan art of my work, which was a big honor! In addition, many of you have become dear friends of mine.

All that keeps me going, and holds the doubts that threaten my writing career at bay like no wall can.

So yeah, life’s been hard lately, and therapy and anime and writing can only do so much. But then, there are the people around me who give me encouragement and listen when I vent, or who go to see shows and movies or to grab dinner and drinks with me, or the ones without whom I would not be where I am today. They give me a much needed boost when I need it.

With that in mind, thank you, Followers of Fear. As I said, life’s been a chaotic rollercoaster lately, but you being there makes it somewhat more manageable. So, never forget: I am endlessly grateful for you.

Also, if you would like to take part in “Horror Writers Chat” on BlueSky, make an account and follow Matt Mason (username @chaoticauthor.online) and Eryn McConnell (@erynmcconnell.bsky.social). They switch off hosting every other week, so following both is a good idea. The actual event happens every Wednesday at 2 PM EST, with four questions posted every twenty minutes or so. You quote-post your answers from the post with the original question, and like and repost the ones you like from other participants. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #HorrorWritersChat.

(You can also find BlueSky my account here.)

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Hope to see some of you on BlueSky. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Putting in the Effort for Those Gains

Posted: January 11, 2025 in Reflections, Writing
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As many of you know, I read Tarot cards. In fact, I try to do one reading a day, with rare breaks (such as being out of town or just a very busy day). They offer great advice and are possibly capable of forecasting the future. Earlier this week, I asked the cards, “What do I need to know this year for my writing?” This is the result I got using a five card spread.

Now, for those of you who don’t read Tarot, here’s what the cards say: while there’s a potential I’ll face disappointment along the way, if I work hard, my efforts will lead to successful gains, ultimately leading to smooth sailing for the year. The reading also mentioned previous financial successes I’ve had (in 2024, I had a small but not insignificant profit on my writing business, which was welcome), further cementing the cards’ accuracy.

This reading really lit a fire under me, because it wasn’t a prediction. It was a reminder: that only if you put in an effort and work past any rejections, will you have the possibility of things working out for you. And that’s honestly true of trying to be a writer in general. You do face a ton of obstacles, and every writer will face rejection. Even the biggest names have gotten rejected numerous names (Stephen King famously impaled his rejection letters on a railroad spike). But by continuing to give it your all, you can achieve extraordinary things.

I’ve seen this play out in real life just in the days since I did that reading. Instead of waiting for good things to come to me, I’ve gone out to make my own luck, and it’s led to results. I’ve had a few new preorders of my next book, Symphony for Walpurgis (more on that later), added a whole lot to the story I’m working on, got accepted for the Big Ohio Book Con just a little while after applying for it, and just yesterday, I found two sensitivity readers from the trans community who can give me feedback on The Shape of Evil.

Effort pays off.

So, I’ll keep putting in that effort. So that Symphony for Walpurgis and, when it’s ready to be re-released, Hannah and Other Stories, are successful when they’re available. So that The Shape of Evil lands an agent or a publisher. So that all the events I attend are successful. So that any other stories I write and edit this year can find homes as well. And, at the end of 2025, I’ll be that much closer to being able to write full time.

And if you’re reading this, you put in that effort, too. We’re not competition, after all. Authors support other authors. And yes, you will feel frustration. You will suffer rejection and disappointment. But if you push past all that, you can achieve amazing things. Like having several books out and a dedicated fanbase with a fun nickname (whazzup, Followers of Fear?).

Who knows? Maybe if you keep going, things will be smooth sailing for you, too. I know I’m going to work hard so that can be the case for me. And I can’t wait to see what pans out.

Speaking of Symphony for Walpurgis, this new collection of mine contains cryptids, malevolent spirits, and a Jewish exorcism, among other things. It’s releasing May 1st, and it’s already available to preorder as an ebook from Amazon and Kobo, with paperback versions and more stores to be added later on. If you’re at all interested, why not preorder a copy? All you have to do is click the links below, and you’ll have bought your ticket for the Symphony.

Amazon
Kobo

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted: November 6, 2024 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Reflections
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(The following post is a rare political post from yours truly. If you disagree with me on my political beliefs, feel free to skip. I do welcome calm, friendly, and constructive dialogue, so if you want to talk, we can talk. But if anyone gets abusive in the comments, you will not only get deleted, but you may end up in a story. And not in a good way.
Not that I expect such a thing. After all, the Followers of Fear are not the type to be abusive online. Not by a long shot.)

I normally don’t get political on my blog. I used to, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve cut back on that. I haven’t even discussed the situation in the Middle East, even though that topic is very near and dear to me. But, as much as I would rather go down a YouTube rabbit hole or something, this is something we need to talk about. This is something I need to talk about.

Right now, many Americans are reeling from the election results, as are many people around the world who are aware of the effect the US (and its leadership) has on the world. Those, like myself, who were rooting for and voted for Kamala Harris are in shock, despair, depression, and yes, grief.

Not to mention we’re also afraid. We’re afraid that our democracy is going to weaken to the point of no return, that our rights are going to get stripped, and that a lot more awful stuff will happen.

And we’re wondering: where do we go from here?

First off, there’s something I want you to know: your feelings are valid and you have every right to feel them. So take your time. There’s still two and a half months till Inauguration Day. Take the time you need to wrap your head around this and accept it.

Because that’s what it means to live in a democratic nation. When we lose an election, we feel the pain, but then we accept and move on. And after we’ve moved on, we prepare for the work.

Yes, there are going to be tough times ahead, and possibly very horrible policies coming from America’s leadership. But that’s exactly why we have to keep fighting. When we see something we don’t like, we protest. We write our elected leaders. We march and campaign and let our voices be heard. If we roll over and let Trump do whatever he wants, then the full Project 2025 playbook goes into effect and everything we value as Americans and patriots is lost.

Again, take your time to process your feelings. Because afterwards, we have to fight to preserve the America we not only love, but want to see: one where everyone is accepted for who they are, where they all enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as citizens, and where those rights and responsibilities are respected and protected. So we may all have our shot at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And the fight is going to be tough, no doubt about that. And we won’t win every battle. But it’s better to fight and lose, than to never fight and regret doing nothing.

You know, when I got home today, I asked my Tarot cards what I needed to know in light of the election. Here’s the response I got:

Here’s my interpretation for the non-Tarot familiar out there: enjoy what has brought you happiness in the past (Six of Cups, Present Card). The past four years have been a time of hope and healing (The Star, Past Card). Obstacles that we will have to overcome have beset us in the past, they beset us now, and in the future (The Chariot, Cause Card). And yes, there will be strife and conflict for the next four years and maybe beyond, no doubt about that. (Five of Wands, Future Card). But there is still the chance that we will triumph over adversity and create the happy future we wish to see (The World, Potential Card). A new venture for us all awaits (Ace of Wands, Shadow Card).

Sounds a lot like what I’ve been saying above, doesn’t it?

So, one last time: take care of yourself. Allow yourself to feel your feelings and do what you need to do to heal, so long as it isn’t hurtful to your health. Because soon, we’ll have a new fight ahead of us. And while it may not be easy to stand up for what we believe in, it is necessary. And perhaps, someday, we’ll come out of this to a brighter future.

Take care of yourselves, my Followers of Fear. Good night and pleasant dreams.

“Natural Predators” is Now Available for Free!!!

Posted: March 3, 2024 in Novelette, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Surprise! I meant to let you all know this was coming, but time got away from me, and the next thing I knew, it was time to release this story!

So, if you’re unaware, I’ve been releasing stories for free every couple of months for free on this blog. I first released “Car Chasers” in November, followed by “Cressida” in January. The former is like a Fast & Furious story mixed with a ghost story, while the latter is a mermaid horror story. Now, I’m releasing “Natural Predators,” an apocalyptic pandemic story set at a summer camp.

Honestly, this story surprised me when it was first published in an anthology about two years ago. As you are no doubt aware, we were still smack-dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t sure anyone would want to print a pandemic story, let alone one taking place just a few years after and referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. But to my surprise, it found a home almost immediately, which showed me that there’s still an appetite for those sorts of stories.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. It’s available to download below. And if you like what you read, please check out the other free stories, as well as my other published works. And if you do read those books, I hope you’ll leave me a review so I know what you thought. I’ll leave a link to my Books page below the story.

Happy reading, my Followers of Fear, and pleasant nightmares!

natural-predatorsDownload
Book Links and Excerpts

One more thing, Followers of Fear: this coming weekend, I’ll be selling and signing books and maybe even sitting on panels at Cleveland Concoction in Cleveland, Ohio. If you can stop by, please do! I would love to see you, sign your books, and even give you a Tarot reading. Details can be found on the convention’s website.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, pleasant nightmares.

The Struggle is Real

Posted: February 7, 2024 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

I’ve always felt “the struggle is real” is a weird phrase. I mean, we all have jobs, bills, relationships, school, and a million things that are out to kill you. The struggle is always real.

Lately, I get why people say that. Because at my day job, the struggle is very real right now.

Now, I try not to talk about my day job on my blog. After all, this blog is about my writing. But I need to vent, and I feel like talking about it here. Helps that it’s been a week since I last posted, and that makes me itchy.

Still, I don’t want to go into details, so I’ll just say that it’s been crazy busy. Like, I’ve had to work a couple of late nights, and I probably will be working more of them in the near future. Maybe even a couple of hours on the weekend. I don’t know, it’s still being discussed.

But that’s just the kind of workload we’re dealing with, and it’s a small team doing what I’m doing. Plus, we’re facing pressure from all sides, as well as malarkey that’s only giving us more headaches. It’s enough that, sad to say, I finally get why people say “the struggle is real.”

Now, before you get yourself all worried, just know I am taking care of myself. Maybe I have indulged in a beer or sweets a bit more, guilty as charged, but I am monitoring my mental health, talking to people who are trained to listen to problems, and I am doing self-care. Earlier today, I watched a horror movie with dinner. It was a terrible horror movie, but it did help with the stress (and with not being able to write for two days due to the effects of stress).

And I have scheduled some vacation time in the near future. Not saying when in case stalkers or burglars read this blog, but it’s soon. I’ll take that time to simulate living like a full-time writer, with most of my day spent writing.

And possibly visiting my dad and stepmom. Hey, they live in another city and I don’t get to see them as often as I see my other close family. Also, I may have an appointment at a spa scheduled for that period. And you know I like to watch anime as soon as it’s available to stream.

According to my Tarot, things might be improving next week. I hope that’s true.

But other than that, I am spending the time working on stories and doing other things a full-time writer might do. Hopefully it’ll be good for me, it’ll help me get some good stories out, and help me in my quest to become a full-time writer. I’m really looking forward to that.

And wow, just writing this all out has made me feel better. The struggle is still very real, but it feels a bit less soul-grinding than it did when I got home earlier today. Maybe getting it out will be the start of changing how things are going. It would match up with my Tarot reading for next week. That would be nice.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If you would like to help me get through this period, just keep doing what you’re doing: supporting me. This could be as simple as reading this blog and leaving a comment, or even reading and reviewing my books (links to which can be found on my Book Links and Excerpts page).

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

The Balancing Act Between the Author and the Publisher

Posted: April 21, 2023 in Reflections, Writing
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In Tarot, the Two of Cups represents reconciliation and balance in a relationship. It’s a card I thought often of during these past few days while figuring things out with BSC.

The relationship between an author and a publisher is a collaboration. The author creates a work, and the publisher helps them get the work cleaned up enough to be published. Together, they release the book into the world and put in the work to make sure the book gets to as many readers as possible. That’s all known.

But, as I said above, the relationship between the author and their publisher is also a relationship. And a relationship is often about give and take, compromise, and balance.

I was reminded of this fact recently during a two-hour Zoom meeting with my editor at BSC Publishing Group. BSC, as you probably know by now, is releasing my new collection, Hannah and Other Stories, later this year. Part of the reason why I wanted to release this collection with a publisher is that I knew these stories would need help reaching their full potential, so I wanted a publisher with experience that could help me reach that potential. Plus, the people working for BSC know the industry well and are enthusiastic about helping their authors reach as wide an audience as possible.

This particular meeting was a content meeting. Simply put, we were looking over the individual stories and seeing what in the story’s content could be fixed in the next draft. This way, we could continue to improve the stories by identifying any story issues and maybe cutting out anything that would be too controversial or souldn’t help the stories. And my editor had plenty of suggestions for the stories, some of which I’d already hit upon. Most I didn’t have an issue with. They either made sense from the get-go or they made sense after a bit of explaining.

A few things that came up, I was glad to receive. I mean, if you haven’t already noticed, I’m a white male. And, try as I do, I don’t always see things from outside that perspective. It’s good that my editor and others at BSC are women and can see outside that perspective. They pointed out more than a few things I didn’t realize might come off as problematic. And now that I know, I can change and learn from these examples so (hopefully) I don’t make that mistake in the future.

Other suggestions, however…I had more than a bit of hesitation.

Look, I’m normally an amenable guy. I like getting along with people and I’m usually good with going along with someone else’s suggestion if it’s not a big deal. But without getting into details (spoilers, you know), some of the suggestions my editors made just didn’t sit right with me. And I pushed back, which resulted in a lot of emailing back and forth.

And that’s something you have to keep in mind when you work with publishers. While they do want to help you get your book out there and even further your career, they do have their own ideas, goals and needs. And sometimes, all that with conflict with your vision in some way or another. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way things are. And ultimately, the best you can hope for is either coming to an understanding, or a compromise.

Otherwise, the relationship between author and publisher could dissolve and the book go unpublished, or the relationship between author and publisher is extremely unbalanced and the two parties, as well as the resulting book, suffers.

Ultimately, BSC and I were able to talk it out, come to a few agreements, and reach a compromise. And now we have a direction for the next draft of this book. Soon, I’ll get the notes on the second draft from them, and we’ll go from there. What happens next…well, we’ll see. At the very least, we’re still able to get along and still committed to getting this book out. And that’s what’s important.

Updates on 2022 Events

Posted: June 14, 2022 in Living and Life
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You know, I’m only just realizing I forgot to give you guys a reminder about the Ohio Author Book Fair? I posted about it on Facebook and Twitter, but completely blanked on doing it here. Or was there just never a good opportunity? Whatever, I’m overdue for an update on what events I’ll be attending as an author and vendor later this year.

First, I’ll be at the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia on Saturday, August 13th for the West Virginia Penitentiary Paracon. This will be the second haunted prison I’ll have the pleasure visiting and selling at, so I’m looking forward to going on a tour and then doing Tarot readings and meeting new readers! I wonder if I’ll meet another Avenger lookalike (still half-convinced that was Chris Hemsworth I saw at ParaPsyCon). And if you’re in the area, please stop by. You can buy tickets from the prison’s website here.

The following month, I’ll be joining fellow members of HWA Ohio for a group table at Mystics and Marvels on September 10th and 11th, 2022. This is a cool convention of Tarot readers, fortune tellers, entertainers, musicians, and, of course, authors. We’ll be located at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard, Ohio, and we’ll be dressed in vintage clothing, so come by just to see that! You can find out more on their website.

And that’s all for now. Three are a few others in the works, but until they’ve gone from “in the works” to “official,” I’ll hold off on announcing them. And in order to avoid annoying you all, I’ll only post reminders for each event right before it occurs, rather than constantly doing so leading up to each event. Anyway, hope you can come to one of them! I would love to sign a copy of one of my books for you.*

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope to have some good news later this week, so keep an eye out for a new post one of these days. Now, if anyone needs me, I’ll be working out and editing (not at the same time, though). Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

*And if you can’t but still want to support me, my work is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers. Please make sure to check them out and let me, as well as your fellow readers, know what you think!

May 2022 Will Be a Month of Transformation

Posted: April 30, 2022 in Living and Life, Reflections
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As you are probably aware, I read Tarot. And in some of my recent readings, especially concerning the month of May, cards have been coming up relating to new cycles in life. Wheel of Fortune, Death, those kinds of cards. And after today’s reading, I had a bit of a revelation: tomorrow is May 1st. And it’s not just going to be a new month, but a month full of changes. And I don’t just mean the weather.*

First, there’s stuff at work. We’re getting ready to go back to the office soon now that the pandemic seems to be winding down (though cases of COVID are rising again in certain areas, including in Ohio, so who knows?). And though my particular section will be going in later and staggering days we’re in the office, and a lot still has to be finalized, it’s still a change after two years working from home.

Then there’s stuff in the writing career. As you all know, The Pure World Comes will release in paperback and ebook on the tenth, so I’m busy promoting the hell out of that. In fact, I think this time TPWC is going to appear on more blogs, websites, and podcasts than Rose did when it came out, so hopefully that, and the fact that I’ll be at ParaPsyCon selling copies at the end of the month, will lead to plenty of people reading and reviewing it.

Funnily enough, both Rose and TWPC involve transformation, so I guess it makes sense for the latter to come out in a month of change and transformation. Hopefully the transformations I deal with won’t be as dramatic or life-threatening. I wouldn’t mind if that transformation leads to the new book doing well.

There are a few other changes I know are happening, though they’re not big enough that I feel like talking about them here. But there might be other big changes on the horizon. I’m actually looking to move out of my current place, so for all I know, I might find where I’ll be living where my rent is up. Though with both the housing and the rental market in a crazy state, I may end up in this place for another year.** Whatever the case, this coming month could be a month where things change dramatically with that search.

Are other changes in my life around the corner? I don’t know. Nearly anything’s possible. I wouldn’t mind if I lost the weight I gained this past month (thanks Passover and home-searching stress!). Well, whatever the case, I’ll try to roll with whatever happens and adjust as necessary. Though if the Tarot cards are anything to go by, it’ll be a good month.

This is from my personal deck and from today’s reading. The center card, the Present card, is The Magician. It represents mastery and having all you need within you. The one on the left, the Past card, is the World. It represents triumph and success, happiness and achievement. Opposite is the Future card, which is The Emperor. It means authority and ambition, as well as achievement and even financial stability. Up top in the Cause position is The Knight of Swords, which represents swift and chaotic movement, or a serious-minded young man (I’m going with the latter this time around). And on bottom, in the Potential space, is The Knight of Pentacles, which represents eventual good news and/or a reliable young man.

The question I asked the cards was, “What do I need to know for the month of May?” Based on the answer, I think May will be a month of good transformations. I hope, anyway.

*Which, let’s face it, this is Ohio. Our weather is notorious for changing at a moment’s notice. In fact, it often does. We joke about it a lot.

**God, I could write a whole post about the state of the market and how mad I am at it. But I won’t, because it’s not that kind of blog.

BTW, Followers of Fear. The Pure World Comes is available for preorder on Amazon! Yeah, they basically lied to me when they said it wouldn’t be. So now, if you would prefer to purchase from there, you can use the link below. And if you decide to read it, let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback and it helps me as a writer, as well as help other readers decide to read the story.

Hope you enjoy the last couple of hours of April, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

The Pure World Comes: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo

“That Which Cannot Be Undone:” One Week Left in the Campaign!!!

Posted: January 20, 2022 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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I know I said I’m trying to cut back on this self-promoting stuff, but you have to admit this is a good enough reason to post.

So, as you all probably know by now, some writer friends of mine and I formed a publishing press, Cracked Skull Press, and are doing a Kickstarter campaign for our first anthology, “That Which Cannot Be Undone.” Every story within the anthology will be set in Ohio, written by Ohio horror writers, and center around the theme “that which cannot be undone.” If we make our funding goal, we plan to release it in October.

And guess what? As of today, seven days before the end of the campaign, we’re just $999 away from making our funding goal! I know! You cannot imagine how excited we are by reaching this milestone.

Of course, we need your help to reach the finish line, so we would be honored if you would pledge your support to the anthology. Folks who do will be listed in the Donors section at the end of the book, but you can also get an electronic and print copy of the anthology sent free of charge; signed copies of books by the contributing authors; amazing swag, including Ohio horror-themed Tarot cards (you’ll plotz when you see who’s on the Death and Devil cards); and for our highest pledges, you could come to our release party with a plus one! You can use the link here to contribute: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crackedskullproject1/that-which-cannot-be-undone-an-ohio-horror-anthology

And if you’ve already pledged and want to pledge more, you can use the “manage pledge” feature on Kickstarter to increase your pledge. Just saying.

Anyway, thank you all for pledging and sharing the Kickstarter campaign. Working on this anthology has been such a journey and we’re so glad to see that it looks like we might reach our funding goal. And we at Cracked Skull Press know we wouldn’t get this far without you. We can’t wait to show you your support and faith was well worth it.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I just wanted to log on and let you all know where the campaign stands. You’ll hear from me again about this on the results of the campaign. In the meantime, one more thing I want to mention:

A week from this Saturday, January 29th, 2022, I’ll be at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. It’s a convention full of ghost hunters, psychics, paranormal enthusiasts, and one or two authors like me, which you know is going to be fun! I’ll be there signing books and doing Tarot readings, so I hope to see you there!

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, pleasant nightmares!

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