Justice for the Muse
A deep experience with the Justice card, a new short published at Bruiser Mag, Bullet Tooth II news, The Monkey review, Dark Nights: Metal inspo, writing updates, and more.
The muse has been speaking to me, whispering new ideas into my ear non-stop. There isn’t enough time in the day to write all of these ideas, but it feels good to know the creative stream isn’t ending anytime soon.
Many of you know I do a year-ahead reading for myself for myself annually. For April, I pulled the Justice card and it’s been working its magic. I’ve experienced many tarot cards deeply such as the Tower card, the Sun card, and the 3 of Swords, but I’ve never experienced the Justice card like this.
It represents truth, honesty, legal matters, fairness, balance, etc. So far, I’ve been hit with a lot of truth, which has given me much-needed clarity and insight. This has cleared some mental blocks and I was able to see a new path and new solutions to fix some long-standing problems.
Another cool thing that happened is I’m learning how to be more authentic. I’ve always had several people try to tell me what to do and how to do things and be controlling. Most of these people had good intentions while others…not so much. I realized I don’t have to spread all of these aspects of myself out, that I can integrate everything. It’s a relief, knowing I can do this.
Things are being healed within, and I’m excited to see what’s to come from this slow transformation.
Last Ditch Effort
Peep my newly published fashion horror short story at Bruiser Magazine. This has been one of my short story targets for 2025 so I’m hyped to see it find a good home. I love the artwork with the ostrich feathers above. Probably one of my favorite pieces involving exotic wallets, and a couple desperate to fix their romantic connection.
Read it here.
The Organization is Here to Support You
Charlene Elsby’s latest book reminds of Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Thomas Ligotti’s My Work is Not Yet Done with a dash of Severance. An absurd, dark, and cloying look at office life and how it consumes you.
This book is so well done and captures the woes of office culture perfectly. Office people are known as another “species” hinting at a hierarchy that treats people as other. A corporate caste system…
The way people can live rent-free in your head is accurately depicted here. People at work, the narrator’s ex Maurice, etc. take up a crazy amount of mental real estate. She’s never truly present at work and her daily tasks don’t seem to be that significant in the whole scheme of things either.
The Organization is Here to Support You is such a funny title because they don’t support anyone in any way. Quite the opposite. I didn’t think it was possible, but this has become my favorite Elsby book.
Current favorite Elsby books.
The Organization is Here to Support You
The Devil Thinks I’m Pretty
Violent Faculties
The Monkey
I mess with Longlegs, but The Monkey was such a disappointment. I love the short story, but the movie was merely okay. Too campy and comedic for my taste…I thought Osgood Perkins had the juice, but now I’m 50/50 on the writer/director. What other movies would y’all recommend from his catalog?
Dark Nights: Metal
I’ve been reading comic books here and there again. I think it’s important to mix up the media you consume as a writer. Dark Nights: Metal is one of those books that takes full advantage of the medium. Divine metals, Batman serves as a portal for a cosmic entity named Barbatos, Greg Capullo art (peep his artistic run on Spawn) and an introduction to the dark multiverse.
In the artwork above, you see dark versions of Batman who come from negative realities produced by the fears of the people inhabiting these spaces. The Batman Who Laughs who is a hybrid of Batman and Joker helped spark an idea for a character in Bullet Tooth II. So far, this series is a lot of fun and you see the Justice League getting the shit beat out of them.
Can’t wait to move on to The Batman Who Laughs graphic novel next.
Writing Updates
I finally hit 10k words on my extreme horror novel/novella Project Scarecrow Gaze. It’s pulpy, bloody, and intense. I’m channeling that same energy/approach I took to God’s Leftovers so you know you’re in for a good time. I am struggling to get the rest of the outline together, but I’ll continue wrestling it into shape.
The opening sequence for Bullet Tooth II came to me while I was working security earlier this week. It’s fun and different than a lot of my other books. Just think about the flashback montage sequence in the original Bullet Tooth where you get a snapshot of him doing his thing in the Dark Ages. Happy I have it written down and a rough concept brewing in my head.
Speaking of security, I had the entire plan for the rest of the God’s Leftovers series come to me at work the other day so expect God’s Leftovers Zero, two, and three in the future.
And the short story ideas keep coming. It feels good because I’ve been wanting to submit more shorts over the last few years. It’s a special feeling completing a full-length project, but whipping up a tightly written short gives me a different type of high.
Currently Reading: Only the Living Are Lost by Simon Strantzas & Cosmic Horror Monthly #3 & Crushing Snails by Emma E. Murray & Demons in My Bloodstream: Stories by Candace Nola & Salem’s Lot by Stephen King & Corpse Mountain by Andersen Prunty The Holy Bible
Currently Watching: Yellowjackets Season 3 & Secret Millionaire
Listening: Back from the Borderline, The Higherside Chats, Agitator, Victory Light
Jim Jones is having a helluva year. Old friends like Killa Cam and Ye have come at his head repeatedly and eveytime Dipset’s Capo comes back with responses in the form of music. There’s something alchemical and inspirational about this.
Dom Innarella aka the Camden Crooner is a young Italian Justin Beiber. It’s cool hearing a wholesome rnb love song even though I wish modern artists could make longer songs. It’s never enough.
Qari is probably Chicago’s best kept secret when it comes to quality rap. He explores his heritage in this lyrical audio exercise. Had my hyped to write after hearing this.
Until next time…
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