May Updates & Reading List

 


MAY (7 books | 1,232 pgs)


07.) Francis Bacon, by Martin Hammer (Phaidon Focus) (Art, 144 pgs) | 4/5

08.) We Live Inside Your Eyes by Kealan Patrick Burke (Stories, 277 pgs)| 2/5

09.) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (Novel, 209 pgs) | 4/5

10.) At Dark, I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca (Novel, 227 pgs) | 3/5

11.) Inscrutable Cities by Julian K. Jarboe (Game Manual, 82 pgs) | 5/5

12.) We Were Called Specimens: An Oral Archive of Deity Marjorie (Stories, 139 pgs) | 3/5

13.) Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazeterrica (Stories, 154 pgs) | 2/5


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I made mention in my last post about putting a pause on the work for An Atlas of Bone & Sorrow, my hybrid collection of fiction and nonfiction pieces addressing my own personal grief and how it affected my creative life (and my life in general). I did so because I felt a very serious creative momentum building up within me that had nothing to do with the project; my focus had shifted, as had the energy required.

So...I pivoted. I've begun another short story collection titled .corpsegod, and it's about as dark and as bleak a thing as I've ever conceived. Not unlike a batch of shorter, darker fairy tales in a setting not too dissimilar from ours except in some very disturbing ways and in some much more disturbing settings. 

I know this was the right decision as I've pumped out some 6,000 words on the first story in the last two days, a piece I'm calling ".ashmirth | THE FEASTING." The prose is flowing quickly and the story is mutating into something so much better than I'd initially planned for the piece, which is all to the good. Initially inspired by bits and bobs from movies like Return to Oz and The Menu, there is also some really dense political commentary occuring beneath the surface. I'm honestly loving the interwoven nature of the themes as they seem to be coalescing perfectly right now. 

There are currently some 28 or 30 stories slated for the book, all of which have titles and a basic premise attached. Some are further down the narrative rabbit hole than others, but all have a singular focus to them and I can't wait to finsh the first batch. There are about 7 stories currently in progress that have serious weight behind them. I can tell there's about to be a massive creative exodus from this old body of mine; it feels the way explosive bouts of creativity have felt in the past. Like electric energy waiting to unleashed. 

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I've picked up a weekend job. I won't be discussing what that job is quite yet until I've gotten my sealegs there and feel like I can roll with the punches friends of mine may throw if they come to see me while I'm on shift. 

For now, though, it seems like a fun way to get a little walking in, enjoy the company of random strangers, and get to engage with people a bit more than I normally do during my regular work week. 

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My next book event is happening in July; the summertime version of the Boozy Book Fair. Something like 3,500+ word nerds showed up back in February and I ended up damn near selling out every copy of my three story collections, which is really fantastic considering I write for a pretty niche audience. Honestly, it's something of a boon to be one of the few non-Romantasy writers at an event, even if your stuff borders on the "too weird for most" category. 

Event flyer below; FB event link and details below that. 


Saturday, July 26, 2025
4pm-9pm

Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center
2345 McGee St.
Kansas City, MO. 64108-2604

Tiered Ticket Pricing: 
VIP/4pm Entry: $54.00
5pm Entry: $35.00
6pm Entry: $15.00
7pm Entry: Free

More information at the Facebook event link HERE. 

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No new paintings since the last batch, but I've gone through and started revamping ideas for existing canvases that were stuck in mid-inspiration. I had a huge green canvas that I was going to turn into a fun abstract take of a Medusa bust on a pedestal, but I've since scrapped that idea, updated the "frame" on it from splotchy white to solid black and will almost certainly begin work on the new idea this weekend. Not a clue where I'll begin, but like every other piece, I'll place it on the workbench, stare at it for about 15 minutes, arrive at some decisions, and then get to painting. 

Until next time. 


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