Rising in Reno
Not too long ago, I traveled to Reno via Greyhound with my favorite person to watch Miss USA. I don’t know how I’ve managed to attend so many beauty pageants this year, but this was my third one.
Production value was high, the overall skill level of the competition was elevated, and it was a good show. Miss New Jersey was robbed, though, and should have won the crown.
Reno, known as the “Biggest Little City,” was cool. The streets are eerily quiet and it feels like you’re in the middle of a post-apocalyptic film, the kind where a city has been overrun with zombies.
The city had some cool art like this giant metal samurai pictured above.
Other than that, I whipped up a November updates post covering the Broken River Collective and what we’ve all been up to. Read that here.
Good Boy
I feel like there are so many cool horror flicks coming out this year. Good Boy felt like the cousin of A Violent Nature, the way it shifts traditional perspectives. The dog is a fantastic actor and really pulls you into the emotional center of gravity.
Solid haunted house movie with some creepy scenes. Nothing amazing, but it’s entertaining and worth a watch.
The Unseen 2
I’ve been devouring The Unseen series by Bryan Smith lately. It’s basically a love letter to slasher films in novel form. Allison Cook is a Friday the 13th superfan who manages to steal a Friday the 13th VHS tape from an alternate world. This put her on a collision course with a multi-dimensional being known as The Visitor who gifts people these tapes, and more, but it comes as at great cost.
I’ve been having so much fun reading this series and can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy. It’s pulpy, propulsive, bloody, and inventive. Bryan Smith really can’t miss when it comes to his horror novels.
Blurb City
I blurbed these two dope books. Carnalis by Tiffany Morris hasn’t dropped quite yet.
“Carnalis is a poetic feast, a lean yet satisfying contribution to the cannibal subgenre. This addictive novella hums with a primal energy that reminds you how animalistic and predatory society can be. Frightening, prescient, and vibrating with an all consuming intensity, Carnalis will be savored for years to come.” —Grant Wamack, author of God’s Leftovers
Thomas Sach’s new novel To Keep Silent is out and you can cop it here.
“Thomas Sachs debut novel is a dreadful descent into the occult and an unflinching look at the consequences. A tense mystery with hints of Barkesque body horror that keeps the pages turning. To Keep Silent is one book you don’t want to miss.” —Grant Wamack, author of The Frolicking
Speaking of blurbs, Joshua Chaplinsky gave me this one for The Scarecrows Will Watch Over Us recently.
“B-movie thrills and chills abound in this—disturbingly sensual? Sensually disturbing?—cryptid horror novel from Grant Wamack, who once again brings his unique sensibilities as a writer to bear on otherwise familiar territory, infusing it with new life.” - Joshua Chaplinsky, author of Letters to the Purple Satin Killer.
Writing Updates
Writing has been all over the place. I had random scenes in my phone for my fashion horror WIP Project Gothic Fashionista drifting down from ether. I have some short collaborative pieces I’m working on with the Chicago poet Ben Niespodziany. And of course, Project The Darkest Book I Ever Wrote has the vast majority of my focus and attention.
I banged out 1k on a cool scene that has to do with Antarctica and the public transportation in LA. This book is fun, dark, and different. It’s challenging me in a lot of ways, it’s written in 2nd person, and the vast majority of the narrative takes place on a ___.
It’s become somewhat comfortable writing 3rd person books with a decently sized cast of characters. I’m always searching for ways to stretch myself out of my comfort zone. So Project The Darkest Book I Ever Wrote, along with the fashion horror novel is exactly what I need for my creative system to thrive and grow.
Currently Reading: Disco Murder City by Caleb Bethea & The Unseen 3 & The Best Horror of the Year Volume One edited by Ellen Datlow & Only the Living Are Lost by Simon Strantzas & Cosmic Horror Monthly #3 & Salem’s Lot by Stephen King & The Holy Bible
Currently Watching: The cracks in the earth
Listening: Back from the Borderline, The Higherside Chats, Agitator, Victory Light
I feel like Miguel lost his passion for music a few years ago and he was just going through the motions. But something seems to have changed because the tracks on his new album feels like his regained something vital. The politically charged visuals feel timely and poignant.
So many rappers have stolen HoodRich Pablo Juan’s flow, it’s crazy. He recently got out of jail and immediately recorded and filmed a video for his customary “First Day Out.” Pablo hasn’t lost a single step here and I’m excited for what else he has in store for us.
Wale sounds renergized and reinvigorated on the new tracks he’s been dropping from his upcoming album. The DC native has something smooth and special on his hands with “Mirroronnabenz.”
Until next time…
Cop my books here or cop signed copies here.
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For business inquiries & blurb requests email grantwamack@gmail.com