What’s this, the beginning of the end of the first quarter? Why am I talking about first quarters like I’m a small business? The only quarters I’m interested in are the ones I carry in my Aldi quarter-keeper!

Anyway. Some gratifying news: consummate Florida Woman Kristen Arnett is editing an anthology of contemporary Florida literature (along with poet P. Scott Cunningham), and I’ll have an old story receiving new life in the table of contents. More on that to come!

Next, a sliver of purely fun news: a few months back, the esteemed Sam Richard (editor & publisher of Weirdpunk Books and author of such titles as The Still Beating Heart of a Dead God and Grief Rituals) solicited a story from me. I’d never written a weird sword & sorcery story before, so naturally I said sure. The story was workshopped during one of Lindsay Merbaum’s Study Coven sessions; the conversations in that group are always excellent, an ideal atmosphere for deepening a piece. A friend with a great eye for esoteric fiction also took a look at it. My only tip for writers is always “cultivate friendships of varying taste.”

Due to aforementioned witchcraft and incisive input, Sam accepted the story and it’ll be out in a few months in the next Profane zine (previous issues include Profane Altars and Profane Sorcery). Needless to say, I’m stoked! Being solicited for work feels nice. Meeting the challenge of a solicitation feels even better. Here’s a peek at my Antichrist-blasted, Mormon-theology-Easter-egged, future-past exercise in gnostic horror, “Many Hands.”

And now for your links:

• EXOSPECTIVE returns! I love writing this series for DIS/MEMBER, and we all love John Cho. The Exorcist series recently went off Hulu, which was my sign to buy DVD copies of the two seasons. As a physical media truther, I do encourage everyone to prioritize investing in their media of choice, as its continued digital presence is never guaranteed.

• I recently read Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates (problematic fave alert!), and it reminded me so vividly of the Halloween exhibits the Dittrick Medical History Center puts on, featuring their hideous collections of gynecological instruments and prototypical contraceptive devices.

• Over the years I’ve been fortunate to work with editor Rhonda Parrish several times. My first outing with her and World Weaver Press, the Equus anthology, is going out of print—so she asked the contributors what we’ve been up to. Read my 8-year notes here, and grab a Magical Menageries anthology from WWP at good discounts.

• An honest-to-Joseph Mormon funeral doom record has been born into the world, and I have Thoughts, naturally… but that’s for next month.