Most of you readers may not realize how much work goes into trying to find interesting stories, websites, etc. to mention in this blog. It can be tiring work. But the research and digging doesn’t end there. Even when it comes to my book, finding reviews, booksellers, or anything else happening with it, that too requires a lot of research and digging. Yes… believe it or not, authors aren’t told everything!
In fact, one such bit I just stumbled across may be of interest to most of you. Edge (along with its different individual city websites) often gives away a variety of tickets , DVDs, books, etc. on its website. Now, it’s giving away a copy of Queer Hauntings to one lucky entrant! There isn’t a deadline listed, but I wouldn’t wait too long to enter. Click here to go to Edge Boston’s page for the book giveaway.
Sorry, everyone, but it’s not a signed copy. Although that can be arranged if you win…
I’ve done it again. I’ve neglected this blog. Of course, this month I haven’t been online as much as I normally am, so that’s part of the reason. It’s been another crazy few weeks for me, chock full of anxiety, stress, and my usual confusion. The temperatures here are slowly dropping down to autumn levels and Halloween will be here before we know it. That’s not such a bad thing, though. I’m ready for pumpkins, cider, and the sweet scent of burning wood mixed with foliage in the air. Besides, ’tis the season for people to suddenly regain interest in ghosts and hauntings…
Personal dramas aside, I have also been working (when possible) on research for a sequel to Queer Hauntings. It might sound premature considering the book isn’t even available everywhere yet (and I haven’t even seen my first copy of it yet), but this time around. the research will be more grueling. I have perhaps five places to research at this moment, which means I need at least another 35 stories before I will have another full manuscript. My goal is by next year to have it finished, along with another possible book I’m looking into… though writing two books at once might be a struggle.
On the bright side, I’m still looking forward to my great escape to Salem in October. I’ll be updating with details as soon as I know anything for certain. I’ll also be off to Dayton yet again for another adventure with friends and spooks, so it will be a busy time for me. I’m hoping to have a few books on hand before I begin my travels, but we shall see how things work out. Also, on October 4th, I’ll be on NRR Radio talking about my new book, as well as doing a bit of ghost hunting on the air. Apparently, the studio where DJ Kode and DJ Nyte are based has become a lot more active in the past month, so this could prove to be interesting. But don’t expect things to be too serious. We’re all going to have a little bit of fun… and during the program, I highly doubt the only spirits around will be those of the dead.
I’ve finally been updating my website a bit, so feel free to check things out. There are book excerpts posted and I’m slowly adding links as I find more booksellers offering Queer Hauntings. I’m still hoping to do book signings, lectures, and library events as time passes though it might take a little time. I know my local library might be interested in setting up something, though I’m hoping to break out of Ohio here and there too. Yet another thing for me to get going on: contacting places and trying to set up a few events as locations from the book. So much to do, so little time when you’re only one man. That’s where this blog suffers too. Perhaps Jeanne Barrack is right… I need a blogging team to help keep this thing going!
I’ll do my best to keep this thing alive, though. Hopefully I’ll find some nifty things to write about soon…
What if that world of “pure imagination” were really a sick, twisted, dark place filled not with candies and chocolates, but with gore, brutality, and horror? Well, for all of you who thought that Willy Wonka really was a few apples short of a bushel, writer Eric Appel brings you a strange twist on the old tale of Charlie Bucket. His movie trailer for Gobstopper mixes comedy with terror. And best of all, it stars one of my all-time favorite actors… Christopher Lloyd!!
Who else could pull off that uncomfortably-creepy character with just the right comedic timing? (Sorry, Gene Wilder… deal with it. lol)
Sadly, the film isn’t real. But what a shame! Here’s the “trailer’ for Gobstopper, via Funny or Die:
And now… I bit you all adieu for a few days as I take care of some offline affairs. Thanks, Fred, for telling me about this gem of a video. I’ll be doing my best to add a little humor in your life now, since you need it the most.
In light of the crazy week it’s been, I haven’t had the time yet to write about some of the interesting things I’ve run across. But it’s coming… never fear. Meanwhile, just a short personal update. The final cover is done for Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts, so here’s a sneak peek:
I’ll be posting more soon. And also, plans are going ahead with my Salem adventure in October. So in less than two months, I’ll be trekking across the witch capital. I’ve been wanting to go there for years… and what better time than the Halloween season?
I’ll be gone all weekend, but hopefully I’ll give you all a few amusing things to read about before I leave…
Thanks to my friend Buddy, I received this little clip in an email. It’s The Soup’s take on the season finale of Ghost Adventures. Just a little reminder to be careful what you say, especially on camera. It might come back to haunt you…
Another interesting week draws to a close. Keeping busy with a plethora of things, checking up on friends, and receiving my first onslaught of negativity from an unexpected (well, expected… but not expected) source. Shocking? Slightly. Crushing? Not at all. I know who I am and what I believe, and this year has been educational about the definition of friendship. If not marching to someone’s drum or telling people what they want to hear makes me a bad man, then hooray for being rotten!
But it’s an interesting world out there with plenty of views. And while a lot of the news is on the depressing side, there are some things that aren’t so dire and jaded.
Take, for example, Jose Alvarenga of Paraguay who opened his infant son’s coffin this week to find that he wasn’t dead, as doctors had told him. While it’s good news for the new father, it doesn’t bode well for doctors and staff at the unnamed hospital in Asuncion. If you can’t tell dead from living, perhaps medicine isn’t the proper field for you.
Then back to the United States, where in Florida sightings of what is described as a “baby Bigfoot” have been reported in the Baker County area. While it might be an orangutan, the mystery creature has an apparent sweet tooth. Among the witnesses was a bear hunter who lost a few jelly donuts too the furry caper. Subsequent attempts too lure the pint-sized furball out in the open with confectionery treats have failed.
That’s all for now when it comes to abnormal childlike behavior. Bear with me as I struggle with graphics, barrel ahead toward autumn and Halloween, and blaze a few trails in the world, as well as my own life…
When I finally let go of the stress… release the reins and said “que sera sera” about the coming month… it happened. I have word, thanks to the goddess Google. Here are the details of my upcoming book:
Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts
Yes. I have been way too serious lately on here when I have bothered to post. And I’ve been distracted too much by my worrying, acutely-emotional side (ok… overwhelmed by it) to the point of madness. But it that my sole reason for not posting? Well… not exactly.
For starters, I was hoping to start mentioning more about the new book. So far, I have no updates for you, unfortunately. Except for one: there has been a change of title. Queer Paranormal will not be titled Queer Hauntings. Why? Oh, silly issues with categorizatio
n. You would think “paranormal” would be the least troubling term of the two! Otherwise, nothing has changed. And as soon as I know about cover art, page count, pricing, etc. I’ll pass that information along to you all. You’re not the only ones getting anxious about it. Just over a month remains until the expected release date! If I weren’t keeping up on trimming my fingernails they would all be gnawed off by now.
Otherwise, my life has changed in some ways over the past few weeks. Feelings toward people have shifted forms, whether by nature or with some prodding from them. I hate to call one of these changes becoming “single” because in most ways, nothing has changed. I have a wonderful, funny, charming man in my life… we just aren’t sleeping together or picking out furniture for that little dream cottage. I took my time to mill over things, “turn emo” as some uncouth people might say, and come out on the other end content with the people who make my life enjoyable. The list isn’t long (and rarely consists of Ohioans) but it’s a good one.
And more changes… Spooked! is now brought to you via Vista! That’s right, after almost a decade, my old laptop was on its last legs so I made the leap and upgraded (frighteningly enough, the new one cost 1/3 the price of the old one and has 5 times more space and 12 times more RAM) to a Compaq Presario. In widescreen. Yay! I’ll decide later what to do about upgrading to Windows 7 in October (that month will already be insanely busy for me, no doubt). For now, there are other changes on the horizon…
I’ve decided that I truly want to do a little reinventon. I hate growing too stagnant and I’ve spent so long waiting on that bench at the station of life that it’s time to jump on a new train… whether people like it or not. Perhaps a few wardrobe changes (I did get a hoodie this summer… and I like it) and such. But the biggest thing I’ve been pondering it a change of hair color. No, not that horrible mistake of bright yellow I made years ago. I’ve been seriously thinking about going black (”once you go black…” lol). Why? Well, aside from blue, it’s been one of the colors I’ve always wanted to try. And after a nice chat on a Greyhound bus with a sweet emo kid (if you read this, Jason, thanks again for cheering me up), I have some confirmation that black just night suit me. Aside from that Gothic demeanor I can give off. And with Halloween approaching, how could it go wrong?
But I’m pondering it a but and am seriously thinking about leaving it up to you folks… to some extent. I’ve thought about saying, “Since the Tip It button has never yet been useful, if I get 13 tips of $1 or a total of $13… that nice, unlucky number… I’ll dye my hair black,” but I wonder if that would ever happen! So, I’ll make it slightly more interesting: either $13 in my Tip It jar for the blog, or 13 unique comments from separate readers (anonymous comments won’t count toward that, so you’ll have to log in with Open ID (Livejournal, Wordpress, Typepad, or AIM) if you’re not on Blogger) with a majority in favor of black (or more unique comments might be necessary if the first thirteen are not a majority “yes” votes)–whichever comes first–and I shall make the change within 48 hours of said events. At least this gives you all a little incentive to comment, right?
Otherwise, bear with me as I get the last of the software on the laptop, learn to navigate my new technology, and return to your regularly (un)scheduled strange tales and rants. Spooked! is back…. and those dead queens and crazy people who land in the headlines had better watch out…
As life leads us through those little pathways in the woods, we never quite know where the trails will lead us. Sometimes, what seems to be the surest, best-worn footpath ends up at a dead end… or worse, leads to a grassy meadow where no trail can be found. And there, we’re left to wander for a spell, avoiding spiders and snakes and stinging insects in the blazing sun until we find some faded walkway to follow once more.
It has been an interesting few weeks… and I regretfully tell you all that the video posts I was planning will have to wait. Life has shifted in many ways for me at the moment, but through all the changes, I have to say that I do not regret anything. Honestly. I have a pile of incredibly wonderful memories from the recent past to make me smile and some wonderful people in my life. Perhaps things have changed from “certain” to “lost in the woods” in some areas of my life, but in some level, it all has been worth it. Life is a risk. A life without chances might be safe, but never answers those “what-if” questions. I’d rather have spent my life stepping off the edge once in a while and not finding solid ground beneath me than taking a safe route and never experiencing life’s joys, loves, and aches.
I have also had some time to think. And what have I concluded? Mainly, that I’m rather confused about my own path… and disappointed at the person I’ve become as of late. I feel the need for reinvention and want to do some changing with my appearance, life, etc. yet am not sure how exactly I’ll be doing that. I dislike how I’ve foregone my own opinions and beliefs to please those around me and avoid arguments for so long that I’ve lost my spark, my trailblazing spirit that took so long to develop. I’ve slipped back down a gravel slope toward passivity, and it wasn’t until someone I care about held a mirror to my face that I realized who I had become. I hated what I saw. But I needed to see it. I’m truly sorry for any grief it caused.
And even more, I hate that I’ve lost my chipper, blogging habits. I lost the point of this whole blog: to find amusement in the mundane and laugh at some incredibly absurd things about life and death. For that, I apologize to my readers. Life is too serious. We all deal with depression, stress, grief, pain and unbelievable heartache constantly in our lives. It doesn’t get better or worse as you age. Ignoring it won’t make it disappear, but dwelling on it doesn’t make it better. Accept life and people for what they are… find the beauty and wonderful sides to everyone to avoid turning bitter… and most importantly, never forget to laugh.
It’s a strange world out there. And during terrible times, humor is often the only thing to save us from total destruction.
, so here’s a sneak peek:
You Can’t Keep a Good Blogger Down…
Category books, comments, feedback, personal, polls, updates, writing | 7 comments
Yes. I have been way too serious lately on here when I have bothered to post. And I’ve been distracted too much by my worrying, acutely-emotional side (ok… overwhelmed by it) to the point of madness. But it that my sole reason for not posting? Well… not exactly.