Hello, all you good people. How’s it going? I hope it goes well.
So, we’ve come to what is basically the end of the summer, which means it’s almost time for spooky season. Huzzah! But before that, a little August recap is in order.
Similar to 2022, this past month served as a huge boost for me. I basically took a break from a handful of ongoing writing projects and gave myself time to just relax and enjoy the summer season. Granted, I didn’t stop writing altogether, thanks to the help of my friends in my writing group over at Gotham Writers (big shout out to the gang), and I was also keeping an eye out for some good magazines to submit to. Now that September has rolled around, though, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. But more on that in the next monthly blog update, probably.
August started off with a blast as my brother and I ventured to Indianapolis for Gen Con 2023. Easily the best convention experience I’ve ever had. Rather than ramble all about it here, I’ll just point you all to my Gen Con recap blog, which went up on August 14th. Be sure to check that one out, as there was quite a lot to unpack from the full four days.
I also treated myself to two back-to-back concerts on the 18th and 19th, which was a real treat, considering I had taken a little break from shows for about two months. First up was blessthefall’s 10-year anniversary tour for their album ‘Hollow Bodies.’ These guys had been on a long hiatus, and they recently came back with a killer single called “Wake the Dead.” Plus, they then announced a tour for what is arguably their best album, and lo and behold, the show was absolutely killer. I then continued my yearly ritual of seeing Breaking Benjamin live, this time opening for Disturbed, another band I was overdue on seeing again. Of course, the show was fantastic, start to finish.
Also, I know I was supposed to drop a review for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, but it took me way too long to actually see the movie, and when I finally did, I found myself without all that much to say about it. Most of what you may have already heard about it online is probably true: the animation is stellar, the story is cute, and the whole thing is utterly brimming with charm. That said, it’s definitely also geared more toward kids, and, as such, a lot of the humor just didn’t land with me, and the plot itself is fairly straightforward, but that’s totally fine. It was still nonstop fun, and it was just great to see my favorite heroes in a half shell back on the big screen again.
Other than all that, life goes on. Alongside the ongoing literary magazine hunt, I’m starting to properly piece together the next two—that’s right, two—Blood Sisters stories. My recent writing group get-togethers gave me some solid opportunities to explore certain elements with those tales, and I’m liking what I’ve got cooking so far. Of course, this is all still very early on, but it’s nice to know I’ve got at least a basic sense of direction for these two pieces, and I’m eager to see where they go from here.
But otherwise, that about covers all my recent schtick. Again, I hope everyone else has been doing well lately, and I hope the end of the summer season has been treating you kindly. As always, though, I’m so excited to get out of this heat and into the spooky mood. Won’t be long now. So, until then, peace!