News:

Nothing this week.

Works in Progress:

Writing work this week looks like binge-watching the Hannibal series, which is the worst thing I can think of to spend my time on, really. Not having any fun at all.

No, but honestly, it’s been a little bit of a roller coaster, because I’ll think my essay concept is overthought, overwrought, too contrived, making something out of nothing, nothing but threads pulled out of nowhere, but then I’ll reach an episode where the evidence is overwhelming, and then the excitement reaches a fever pitch while I jot down my notes and take pics of relevant scenes.

I’m on S2 now, and a majority of the evidence and relevance is in S1, but I’m going to keep going in case I missed something. I already found something relevant that I didn’t notice the first time around.

Even if all I’m doing is rewatching Hannibal, it’s lower-stakes work, a good break.

I am starting to crave something more substantial, though. After this essay, everything else doesn’t require this level of research (although my Saw essay might come close, if I decide I need another full rewatch after just doing one recreationally). I can knock out a few more a little faster than this. Once I get all the essays that have been weighing on me off my chest, maybe I’ll find something chewier. I haven’t written much long-form, except Tooth & Claw (Meridian Book 7) and Never & Forever (Meridian Book 8), and that because of contract. I was fully committed to the stories and I’m really proud of them, but the 2024 election killed my muse quite a bit.

Even in the midst of worse horrors, I might be ready. I think I’ll work on We Follow You in the Dark rewrites first, though, because jumping into The Twelfth Wife kind of terrifies me.

Books I’m Reading:

It was All a Dream 2: Another Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes edited by Brandon Applegate
Cosmic Dyke Patrol by Lor Gislason

Things I’m Listening To:

Let’s Hear It for the Girls playlist
Drift playlist

Things I’m Watching:

Hannibal series
The Closer series
9-1-1 series (finished)
9-1-1: Nashville series
Hawaii Five-O series
Will Trent series
NCIS series (finished)

Poem of the Week: (throwback to June 2022)

rocks fall
everyone dies
talk tall
everyone lies
the lava flow eats all
regardless of retort
there’s no acquittal
in this krakatoa court