Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn't carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.
Stephen King

Welcome back to A Little Bit of Lore! Today we're talking offline life, books, and WIPs. I'm Vincent, let's catch up.

So I finally got my vyanse. Took my first dose on Friday. So far I feel okay. I can tell there's a difference but I'm not sure what that difference is yet. Most of my friends had positive things to say about this med. Truthfully, I just feel bored and am looking for more things to do. I guess that means it's working.

My offline life is pretty quiet. I don't leave my apartment often. So, my offline goal this week is to leave my apartment and talk to the complex manager this upcoming week. I think it would be good to get a Little Free Library, or maybe better, a Little Free Pantry, installed in our complex. She'll need to talk to the owner of the complex but I can't imagine they'll say no. Well, I can, unfortunately, but I would like to think they wouldn't.

I'm also going to try crafting in the next week or two. I've got some ideas but I won't get into them here, it'll take too long. Let's just say, you could do them too, if you wanted to.

As planned, I finished America's Most Gothic this week. What a book! I had to take it slow, to read it, and I'll probably reread chapters of it again. I enjoyed the chapters about the American castles, the catacombs, and the Flatbrush area mansion. One chapter in particular knocked me flat on my metaphorical back. You'll know it when you read it! And of course, every other chapter talks about ghosts and ghosts stories in these locations.

I recommend the book for people who enjoy honest American histoy, gothic literature, the paranormal, and chapters that stand alone, allowing you to read and enjoy slowly. I often needed several minutes to process what I'd read after I finished a chapter. I always found myself breathing “thank you” afterwards, too.

As a lover and writer of gothic literature, I enjoyed the hell out of this. The locations and people in the book are worthy of further reading, and I think I will!

I'll get a proper review up on Goodreads and Storygraph, as well as Instagram and Bluesky, sometime this week.

I finished the first draft of Wish Upon A Storm! Tomorrow I begin revisions. I will be working with my editor, Jay, to bring out the best in it. We may butt heads a bit, but I think that's normal. We'll figure it out.

Here's a sample from the first draft:

The portal went dark. Wes' heart leapt.

The man stepped through, ducking his head under the arch of the portal. His wings pressed against his shoulders only to flare out again as he emerged. The wood floor creaked softly under his boots. Wes felt his breath catch. He'd not changed at all.

Professor What still dressed like he always did. A brown suit, rectangular glasses, red eyes glowing with dragon fire. He kept his beard full but clipped, the same dark brown as his full head of wavy hair. The green scales curved over his bronzed human face, down his brown arms to clawed hands, stretched over his wings. He'd left the jacket of his suit behind, golden bracers on both arms, shirt rolled up to accommodate them.

Wes took a step back.

On his shoulder, the winged tuxedo cat yowled, tail twitching.

The professor smiled with all his teeth.

Wes shuddered, but not just with dread.

"No way. Professor What? Why are you here?"

"Perhaps I could ask the same of you?" The professor said. "But I won't. The princess has always been a friendly soul. You're another human of hers, aren't you? You must be, to know who I am so well."

He doesn't recognize me, Wes thought, heart fluttering oddly.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Wes said. "You're not invited to the party!"

"Cutting to the chase." The professor shrugged. "I see already why you two are friends. Impatient. Defiant. Adorable."

Wes flushed. His fingers curled into fists.

"Why are you here?" Wes said again.

"Isn't it obvious?" The professor said. His henchcat snickered. The professor's smile grew. "I'm here to kidnap the princess."

Wish is not my only WIP, of course. I almost always have at least five secondary WIPs orbiting the main one I'm trying to release next. I've added to my list since my last email. Here's the full list:

• Runner Owen mystery short story, formerly titled Amara

• Untitled Cthulhu Mythos short story, writing for the Transmasc Protagonist Jam

• No Mortal Kin, a PSI novella I've been fighting for almost a year now

• A PSI short story collection, about five or six interconnected stories

• A sword and sorcery novella inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death

The plan is to write five short stories before the end of the year. Three will likely be released, along with one of the novellas. The other two short stories will be for the PSI collection and will be released in a single edition together. After the new year, well, I'll figure it out. Let's see how this works before I plan that far ahead.

Reading goals haven't changed much.

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle remains at the top of my reading list.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, I'll start tomorrow morning as part of my analog time.

Raziel's Jewel I'll probably try starting tomorrow as well, I will feel bad if I don't get a review released before September.

Movie and TV wise, well, I don't watch much TV. But I think it would be nice to watch the Roger Corman take on The Masque of the Red Death, starring Vincent Price. Maybe next week I'll get a movie list going. I've got a lot I want to watch…

That wraps things up I'd say, at least for this week. I am getting this out much later in the day than I wanted to. It's just turned 10pm for me. My sleep cycle has been messed up again somehow. I couldn't keep my eyes open today. Which is bizarre. The vyanse is supposed to keep me awake! Oh well. At least it seems to be working.

What about you? What are you planning on doing this week? Feel free to reply to this email or message me on bluesky about it. I'm always here to chat, or at least listen.

Take care of yourselves, alright? And don't let the bastards grind you down.