Category Archives: Writing

My Political Thriller novel experience.

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I wrote a political thriller during lockdown in 2020. I published it on Election Day 2022.

It’s the book that keeps trying.

A guest at the bar recently bought it for his father, who read it in a weekend and loved it.

I’ve only heard from family and friends that they enjoyed the book. It’s never been someone I don’t know.

The book, like my other published work, sold well overseas. It’s never taken hold of anything but it’s been interesting watching it go up and down in sales.

I think it’s time to go back and write the second book, and finish another book in that world.

I know everyone knows me for my horror stuff, but this book meant a lot to me. The guest at the bar’s father’s words of encouragement meant a ton to me.

I’ve never had anyone who regularly reads those types of books tell me how much they enjoyed it. It’s a different feeling to have that.

I always wondered what it would feel like to have someone enjoy my books and want to talk to me about them. It’s invigorating.

I’ll leave you today with this. Keep writing. You may find your readers in the unlikeliest of places.

Shifting

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I did a few things in the last year I wasn’t expecting.

I got books from NetGalley to review, published a novella, and put myself out there for something I can’t talk about.

All of this scared me, but especially that last one. It’s something I wanted to do for the last few years, and I finally did it. My wife said I should, and that’s all I needed.

The NetGalley reviews came about because I like doing reviews. I like to read and always have. I’d rather sit with a book for hours than do anything else. This has not always made married life serene. My wife reads, but for me, it’s always been a way to escape my life.

My childhood had issues, as does everyone’s. I always dove into books when I had them.

I did not use discernment while selecting my books from NetGalley. I should have selected my reads more carefully. I did not; by doing this, I had to return more books to NetGalley than I liked.

I reviewed some great books this year. Some of which have yet to be released. One of them, This Wretched Valley, gave me a book hangover for a few weeks. I preordered it to reread it so my wife could read it. It’s a fabulous book that I hope everyone will be talking about. There are other books that I did not like. You can search through my reviews and find them. I’m not the kind of person to mention them here.

For the novella, which has gained more readers overseas than stateside, I wanted to publish it but felt it needed work. I spent most of the year getting it ready for that. I selected the publishing date in June. I hoped for more readers as it’s a personal book. Dealing with mental issues is always one of those things that I tend to write about. It’s a thing for me.

I feel this is enough for today. I’ll post something later.

Shifting

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I did a few things in the last year I wasn’t expecting.

I got books from NetGalley to review, I published a novella, and I put myself out there for something that I can’t talk about.

All of this scared me, but especially that last one. It’s something I wanted to do the last few years and finally did it. My wife said I should, and that’s all I needed.

The NetGalley reviews came about because I like doing reviews. I like to read, always have. I’d rather sit with a book for hours than do anything else. This has not always made married life serene. My wife reads, but for me it’s always been a way to escape my life.

My childhood had issues, as does everyone’s. I always dove into books when I had them.

I did not use a discerning view while selecting my books from NetGalley. I should have selected my reads more carefully. I did not and by doing this I had to return more books to NetGalley than I like.

I reviewed some great books this year. Some of which have yet to be released. One of them, This Wretched Valley, gave me a book hangover for a few weeks. I preordered it so I could read it again, and so my wife could read it. It’s a fabulous book that I hope everyone will be talking about. There are other books that I did not like. You can search through my reviews and find them. I’m not the kind of person to mention them here.

For the novella, which has gained more readers overseas than stateside, I wanted to publish it but felt it needed work. I spent most of the year getting it ready for that. I selected the publishing date in June. I hoped for more readers as it’s a personal book. Dealing with mental issues is always one of those things that I tend to write about. It’s a thing for me.

I feel this is enough for today. I’ll post something later.

Hello, it’s been a while.

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I’ve escaped into a place. I don’t have social media on my phone, this is the closest thing I have.

I had planned on a break until January, but here’s January and yet, I’m still unwilling to break this sabbatical. It’s been enlightening.

On the writing front: I attained something that I wanted to do last year. I won’t speak of what it is, but I’m very excited about its prospects.

I’ve considered quitting writing often over the last month. It’s been a genuinely thoughtful process. At the end of it, I’ve come to realize I would be very sad to quit something I enjoy.

My book came out at the end of October and it’s faltered, which is another reason I considered quitting. We strive on.

Now I must go. I have things to do. You mustn’t worry and I’ll be okay. This year is going to be good.

I watched Exorcist: Believer so you don’t have to, A Review

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I went into this knowing the reviews; maybe that skews this, but I don’t think so.

It takes a bit to get into, just as the original film did.

There will be Spoilers in this review.

Two girls, one of whose mom died when she was born, after a blessing in Haiti moments before the earthquake hit.

Fast forward 13 years. The girl wants to communicate with her dead mother. Her friend, from a religious family, takes her into the forest beyond their school to help her communicate. Why a little Christian girl knows how to communicate with the dead is beyond me. They disappear for three days (Jesus’s three days reference).

They return, and neither remembers what they did or where they went for those three days. It’s left to the viewer to figure it out, which we don’t have to because weird things start to happen. One girl wets the bed. Hello, Regan, at the party.

The connection to the original movie is based on a book Chris McNeil wrote. The mom from the first movie. She has no contact with Regan.<–save for later.

Here’s a bright spot in this review. The two young actors who play the young girls are amazing. They dive into the parts. They are Olivia O’Neill and Lidya Jewett. Give these two more roles. They were brilliant.

She throws herself on the floor, which is a habit that both of the girls do. Convulses and ends up in the hospital. Let’s move to other parts that stick out for me.

The tropes are everywhere. This is the 2020s. Necks snapping, girls cursing at their mothers, throwing themselves on the floor, that’s old hat. It’s an overused trope that was done better in other movies.

Let’s move to a part that made me laugh. The various religions unite, like The Super Friends. Catholicism and its rite of exorcism come to save the day, but it doesn’t happen that way.

So, smoke comes out of the girl’s mouths. I was waiting for Sam and Dean to show up.

I will leave it to you, but the overt religiosity of it, the trope-filled script, and so many things make me give it a bad review. The end shot is excellent. I love the original and the book. I don’t think Green should be allowed near horror again. Halloween was good, Kills was awful, and Ends along with this were terrible.

Now, I’m going to watch the original to cleanse my palette.