Long Time
Hi. Been a minute. I'm Alex Puncekar. A writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I'm also a games writer. You can see what I've published here.
I'm the assistant editor at Nightmare Magazine. And I’m a reviewer over at Grimdark Magazine. We do cool stuff in both of those places.
I had a newsletter prior to this one. It was on Substack, but when Substack started doing some questionable things with its site, I had to leave. I wanted to find a similar place that didn’t allow fascists to meander around its halls, to let them scream their horrible vitriol and not take action against them.
So I'm here now.
I used my previous newsletter for updates only, but I think I'd like to use this one to showcase some stuff I've been into lately as well.
Life Updates
I've moved! After living in Ohio for almost my entire life, I've up and moved to Madison, Wisconsin, home of Wiscon and an overwhelming amount of cheese. I'm in the midst of setting down roots and finding the literary crowd here.
Professional Updates
I attended the GATHR “un”conference for game developers over in Green Bay. We had a productive day talking about games, narrative, and mechanics. It was super fun meeting new folks and finding out what they're working on.
Project Updates
Wyrd City
I'm working on the finishing touches of a New Weird novel before sending it out to beta readers. My progress was slow since starting it in 2021, but it's been nice to see how far it's come since then.
Project Vyzion
I'm also working on a short story series set in different time periods within the same fantasy world. I've been inspired by the sword & sorcery genre (shout out toe New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine for getting me on the train), so I'm hoping this project will expand into further stories that utilize similar concepts and themes, but don't have a strict sense of time.
Recently Published
just checking in.
just checking in. is a short text adventure game that follows a mother trying to call her son. Written in Ink.
Sometime Lofty Towers review
Over at Grimdark Magazine. Plus, I interview the author, David C. Smith. It was great talking to him (and we grew up in the same area!).
Things I've been into recently
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive
I tried this game when it first came out, but for some reason had to put it down. Life loves to insert itself when it's least convenient. But I'm back at it again and loving every second. One thing that I can appreciate is this game's ability to draw you in with its premise. I've never had a more clear goal given to me so early in a role-playing game that also elicited so much emotion in the same breath. It's astounding.
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
What feels like a million years ago, I got my MFA from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program, which was great. I loved my classes and my cohorts even more. But sometimes I miss that classroom setting. Learning becomes a bit difficult when you yourself have to structure it. But this book has been like I'm taking another MFA class all over again. I think if you're a writer, specifically of short stories, this book is an invaluable guide to getting better at the craft. For readers, it's a nice glimpse into what many writers go through.
The Story Engine Deck
One thing about moving is that it takes up every single corner of your brain space. You don't have a lot of room for other things, especially for story ideas. I picked up the Story Engine a few years back and use it every now and then for some fun and interesting brainstorming sessions.
But after moving, this thing saved my life. It helped kick-start my writing after moving and helped me come up with so many ideas for future projects. So, so happy with it.
Anyway! That's the first of what I hope will be many newsletters on this new platform.
See you in the next one.