April blog! There are lambs in the pasture across the road, the days are longer, and the sun has finally come to Ireland.
I started a new side gig which I’m really enjoying: judging short stories for NYC Midnight. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to flex my editing skills, so this is exactly what I needed. Sometimes, if I’m being honest, I think I’m a better editor than a writer. I can tweak something someone gives me into shape a lot more easily than I can generate my own words sometimes.
In a similar vein, I’ve done no work on the vampire book (yes, it has a title but no, I’m not telling anyone yet). Fair Winds is getting queried when I have half a chance, but no bites so far. I did, however, write one poem, which makes me think I’m 19 again.
I had to break my “no new clothes all year” back in March with 5 euro Penney’s leggings…because my penney’s linen pants (that I had fixed once!) tore at work. There’s a whole lot to be said about how this is the way fast fashion gets you: low quality items that need constant replacing, but I don’t feel like moralizing. We’ll get back on track this month.
I took Twitter (or X or whatever) off my phone and I don’t miss it. I’m considering deleting my account entirely, as people are leaving the platform in droves, and I never liked it much anyway. I should also probably quit kidding myself that I’m on TikTok for promo, admit I’m mostly just watching cleaning videos, and delete that one too. Facebook stays for family, and I do actually like Instagram.
My screentime resolutions are going okay. They were built to incorporate imperfection, so I won’t beat myself up about breaking them a few times a month. The one I enjoy most is my weekly 24-hour social media/news detox.
The attempt to do a plank every day (which does not mean I do one every day, but does mean I do one more often than I used to) has, regrettably, cleared up my back pain, so I need to keep it up. The world is truly unfair. (Also, the cat/cow tilts I usually do after probably help. Been meaning to get back to yoga or doing laps, but since my day (from leaving the house to getting back) is typically 11 hours long, it just hasn’t been happening.
I’ll be done teaching up at the college on April 26, which can’t come soon enough, and then hopefully writing will happen a little more often.
Spring really does help my brain function a little better, despite my love for winter and autumn. Like a plant, I need the sun, even though I grouse when I’m too warm and love rainy days. Still, sometimes, on a sunny day in April or May, I realize I haven’t been 100% alive for months, but now I am again.
Currently reading:
As always, I’m a huge Paul Tremblay fan, and I recently got around to Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, which was gorgeous. Interestingly, I got Ash Child of God for his 30th, and the main villain in Devil’s Rock is inspired by Lester from Child of God. Despite my cowardice around Cormac McCarthy (his books make me sad!) I might have to pick that one up. Side note, I love Tremblay’s notes at the end of all his books – he shares a loving thoroughness to cite his genre influences with Stephen Graham Jones, who I’m also in awe of.
Which of course means…I need to talk about The Angel of Indian Lake. I am so, so grateful for the Lake Witch Trilogy. For how it began, for how it ended, for every character in it but especially my final girl, Jade Daniels. Jade, who never broke, no matter how hard life hit her. Jade who believed in magic, except it was the dark kind of magic, the kind that usually has a better chance of being real. The way this book delved into the pain (generational and enduring) that Christianity has caused so many of us…exquisite. Sermon’s over. And I know we’ve said goodbye to Jade, but after spending the last few years looking forward to her exploits, I need to mourn the end of this century’s best horror trilogy.
I also (finally!) got around to What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher. Super good – I will always love Alex Easton and the Scenarios, Situations, and Escapades ka seems to get into on the regular.
Other titles I’ve read include, The Wicked Sister which was a mid-range thriller, and Dallergut’s Dream Department Store, which was originally a Korean novel. It’s one of those books that has less of an overarching plot and more of an episodic nature, which I LOVE and find really relaxing, even though literally every agent/book on the craft/writing teacher/etc says it’s a terrible idea and every single thing should drive the plot. More character-driven wanders through weird places, please!
Currently listening to:
I’m caught up on Desert Skies podcast and Haunted House Flippers! I am also SUFFERING waiting for the next Magnus Protocol episode. Hello From the Magic Tavern is back, baybee, and I couldn’t be happier! Every Monday I take the bus, shut off all my socials and news apps, and listen to Arnie, Chunt, and Usidore goof around – it means I might be the only 9-5 M-F worker who doesn’t hate Mondays.
This: (TY to an old college pal turned instagram friend who shared it).
Currently watching:
Somehow, Dune had passed me by – I read the book in college but just sort of forgot about it. Ashley and I watched the original and then say Dune: Part 2 in theaters and we were stunned. It’s a visually gorgeous movie and a phenomenal story. I bought Ashley a nice copy of the first one so he can read it, and I’ll be doing a reread once he’s through.
Eve Taft 