Under a Black Rainbow

  NOVEMBER  (4 books | 926 pgs) 99.)  Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 8 (Graphic Novel, 144 pgs) |  5/5 100.) Poe Knows: A Miscellany of Macabre Musings (Nonfiction, 255 pgs) | 3/5 101.) Uncanny by Junji Ito (Nonfiction, 301 pgs) | 5/5 102.) Saint the Terrifying by Joshua Mohr (Fiction, 226 pgs) | 5/5 *     *     * I didn't expect to hit 100 books read this year, but I'm glad to have hit the benchmark after so many years of reading being a struggle. I'm sure I'll read another two or three, but the holidays tend to make it tough to read, what with all the family stuff that goes on and all the friend stuff that goes on beyond that.  Thanksgiving was a small, but great, affair this year. Three very close friends joined up to carve out pieces of a deliciously cajun-smoked turkey brought over by my boy Kid Domino (yes, his real name). We played a few games, had entirely too much Fireball, and simply enjoyed a drama-free day with each other...

Today was the fifth anniversary of my father's passing. Just like that day five years ago, today was my writing session with my writing partner. I didn't get much done, but that's how it goes sometimes. This Atlas of Bone & Sorrow project has a way of suckerpunching me repeatedly while trying to make my way through it. I may need to focus on something else for a little bit, return to it in short spurts here and there so I don't get caught up in my own swamps of despair.  After our session, I finished sorting through old boxes I'd pulled from the storage unit I emptied last week. Old photos and letters and report cards and art projects - from myself, my siblings, and even old shit from my mother's youth - have been sitting in my living room for over a week waiting to be sifted through and given some level of importance: keep for later review or toss in the trash.  Weird day of marinating in things of the past. Wasn't intending to do so, but here we are.  ...

  OCTOBER  (5 books | 909 pgs) 94.)  The House of Slaughter, Vol. 4: Alabaster (Graphic Novel, 160pgs) |  5/5 95.) Critical Role | The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett (Graphic Novel, 56 pgs) | 5/5 96.) Critical Role | The Mighty Nein Origins: Cadeucus Clay (Graphic Novel, 56 pgs) | 5/5 97.) A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll (Graphic Novel, 256 pgs) | 3/5 98.) Anthology of Emo, Vol. 1 by Tom Mullen (Nonfiction, 381 pgs) | 3/5 *     *     * August and September were super anemic on the writing front. Between being sick for much of August and then having so many events happening in September, I just never got back into the swing of things. Really tried to do more with October as I took the last week off for vacation, but other life stuff got in the way and I was forced to spend much of my free time handling that.  I remain in a creative rut, at least somewhat. There are little sparks here and there every so often, but the dam is sturd...

  Sorry this one's a little late y'all. I ended up getting sick for a couple weeks in September, which put me out of commission for a little bit. But, as promised, here's a follow-up to my last batch of horror movies for the fall. Some I saw earlier this year, but the majority are new for me. Some of the older classics may surprise you, even though they've been on my "to watch" list for a good long while. It's been difficult to watch a lot of long-form content the last few years, so this has been a fun endeavor. Hopefully you're finding some good stuff amongst these selections.  My aim is to do this weekly for as long as I'm able to watch enough content leading up to, and including, the week of Halloween. I'm open to recommendations if you've got'em! *     *     * Late Night with the Devil (2024) 3/5 [Shudder] The pacing, set design, and cinematography on this one were top-notch. The story gets marks for being interesting, as does the a...

Over the last decade or two, we've been absolutely blessed with an embarassment of riches in terms of great television to choose from. Granted, it's all stupid and spread out across various overpriced providers now, but at least the shows are there (for now...).  Here are a few of the full shows that I've enjoyed during that timeframe that make for good watching during the spooky season. Is it all of them? No. I haven't seen every great show out there; I simply don't have the time for that. There will be plenty of great options missing from this list, but feel free to leave a comment about those worth checking out so others might know what else is good to put on the tube.  Most of the titles mentioned below (save for the first one) are single seasons, and were meant to be, so you won't have any trouble enjoying them for what they are. They were written as is and all have solid conclusions that don't leave nasty cliffhangers to a second season that never got ...

I always say I'm going to watch a ton of horror during the year and there usually ends up being a few things that tickle my fancy, but rarely do any of the previews make me yearn for more. A few movies piqued my interest in the last few years, but I've also not been watching a ton of movie-length stuff recently.  I'm trying to change that.  So here are a few of the horror/suspense/terror movies I've had on my list to watch for awhile and have finally gotten around to watching. I'll try to do one of these a week purely so you can have good options leading up to Halloween.  *     *     * "Cuckoo" (2024) 3/5 [In Theaters] I wouldn't consider this pure folk horror, but it definitely leans pretty heavy toward that way. The trailer was good, the movie was...interesting. The pacing was good and, while there were some interesting concepts within, I left the theater feeling pretty 'meh' about the whole story. Some smoothing out of narrative heavy-handed...

AUGUST  (0 books | 0 pgs) Obviously, I was unable to read as much as I have in prior months. September, however, is looking nice and ripe for some catching up on the books I meant to complete this month. If nothing else, I've already read 93 books and had planned on reading 80 for the entire year, so...not a bad time to take a break for a minute while life has its way with me.  August found me busy with two of the remaining four stops on the 2024 "Book Tour" I've tried to complete, with one event in Blue Springs netting me 16 book sales and my reading/signing event in St. Louis netting me 8 more book sales. I had the pleasure of meeting a ton of great people at the local event and can't wait to meet more at the Phantom Pages Festival on Saturday, October 5th .  I was inspired by several of the authors seen at the Blue Springs event, and decided to up my own self-promo game by buying a collapsible vinyl banner and creating some excerpted bookmarks.  I began helping...

  While completing work on my latest book (which you can purchase HERE ), I made it a goal to have more readings and get involved with more literary events in the hopes of widening my reach and, hopefully, growing my audience outside of my normal circles.  I was fortunate to have my first book release party at Afterword Tavern & Shelves here in KC back in April. It was a fantastic event and I've never seen so many of my people in one place to help support my literary endeavors. Even the bartenders were shocked at the turnout.  I'm fortunate to, again, get to do a reading and signing at Subterranean Books in St. Louis this month. It's a great little store and I'm looking forward to a ton of my favorite STL people to show up (and snag dinner with afterward).  And now I've gotten to meet some great word nerds around town who are putting on regular events to hype local authors. Through Sarah Wakeman , the Karma Community Market, and others, I'm getting the cha...

JULY (13 books | 5,733 pgs) 81.) SCP Redacted by G.D. Falksen (Stories, 211 pgs) | 2/5 82.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #15: The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints , by Nick West (Young Adult, 182 pgs) | 3/5 83.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Young Adult / Novel, 768 pgs) | 5/5 84.) Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies by John Langan (Stories, 304 pgs) | 1/5 85.) Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay (Stories, 476 pgs) | 2/5 86.) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Young Adult / Novel, 912 pgs) | 5/5 87.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #16: The Mystery of the Nervous Lion , by Nick West (Young Adult, 160 pgs) | 3/5  88.) The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski (Novel, 285 pgs) | 3/5 89.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #17: The Mystery of the Singing Serpent , by M.V. Carey (Young Adult, 146 pgs) | 3/5 90.) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Young Adult / Novel, 688 pgs) | 5/5 91.) Harry Potter and th...

JUNE  (13 books | 4,561 pgs) 68.) This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric Larocca (Stories, 240 pgs) | 3/5 69.) Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories (Stories, 184 pgs) | 3/5 70.) X-Men Epic Collection: The X-Cutioner's Song by Jim Lee (Graphic Novel, 280 pgs) | 3/5 71.) X-Force Epic Collection: Assault on Graymalkin by Fabian Nicieza (Graphic Novel, 496 pgs) | 3/5 72.) Small Horrors: A Collection of Fifty Creepy Stories by Darcy Coates (Stories, 266 pgs) | 2/5 73.) Dead Relatives by Lucie McKnight Hardy (Stories, 213 pgs) | 4/5 74.) We Spread by Iain Reid (Novel, 289 pgs) | 5/5 75.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Young Adult / Novel, 368 pgs) | 5/5 76.) The Dark Tower, Book 2: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (Novel, 459 pgs) | 5/5 77.) Burn You the Fuck Alive by B.R. Yeager (Stories, 380 pgs) | 3/5 78.) Phoenix Omnibus Vol. I by Chris Claremont (Graphic Novel, 688 pgs) | 4/5 79.) The Nightmare Dimension by David Conyers (Stories, 234 pgs...

  MAY (17 books | 4,475 pgs) 51.) Mimi's Tales of Terror by Junji Ito (Graphic Novel, 224 pgs) | 4/5  52.) The Liminal by Junji Ito (Graphic Novel, 211 pgs) | 4/5  53.) Soichi by Junji Ito (Graphic Novel, 413 pgs) | 1/5  54.) Tombs by Junji Ito (Graphic Novel, 343 pgs) | 4/5  55.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #5: The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure , by Robert Arthur (Young Adult, 152 pgs) | 4/5  56.) The Umbrella Academy Boxed Set by Gerard Way (Graphic Novel, 568 pgs) | 2/5 57.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #6: The Secret of Skeleton Island , by Robert Arthur (Young Adult, 158 pgs) | 4/5 58.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #7: The Mystery of the Fiery Eye , by Robert Arthur (Young Adult, 164 pgs) | 4/5  59.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #8: The Mystery of the Silver Spider , by Robert Arthur (Young Adult, 184 pgs) | 4/5  60.) Alfred Hitchock & the Three Investigators #9: The...