001: Introductions.

~ Hunter S. Thompson, "What Lured Hemingway to Ketchum?"

First, let's pretend there are images in this.
There aren't, because I'm not sure if I ever intend on having them, but I'm reserving the right to change my mind in the future. Maybe get a header image or some such. We'll see. I do expect there to be more images in the newsletters to come, but for now, boring ol' text. But let's pretend.

Second, why are we here?
The main purpose is to get off Facebook, and to concentrate some content. The truth is, I'm in a lot of places. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Patreon, a website, email, Discord and Signal chats, snail mail... there's a lot of actual writing I do that ends up being sequestered in one platform or another, and throughout the week it all becomes diffuse. This is an effort to rectify some of that. That's not to say this will only be a repository of shit I've already said to someone else, somewhere else. I do plan on having a couple things special to this newsletter. And it certainly won't be promotional only, mostly because I don't actually have that much to promote that often. I'm no Kieron Gillen, as much as I might want to be.

Third, CONSUMPTION.
This week has been some pretty heavy lifting, in a literal way. I'm moving cross-country with a partner this week, and so there has been much movement of boxes to and fro. In doing so, the following items have been some sort of mediation of time and energy.

- Fun City has been the podcast of choice. It's produced by internet denizen Mike Rugnetta and is a playgroup of the Shadowrun RPG. I'm woefully behind, but this is as it is with all media I consume ever.
- The new St. Vincent album, Daddy's Home, came out a couple weeks ago, and I am still enamored with it.
CHVRCHES have a new single featuring none other than Robert Smith of The Cure.
- My buddy and constant inspiration T3XTUR3 has a new album out on Bandcamp.
- Currently reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski.

Fourth, PROMOTION.
This is the part where I talk about my book, A Void and Cloudless Sky, which you can order here. At this point, I don't have a lot to say about it, as it's currently in the middle of the post-preorder/pre-galleys gap. I should be getting a pdf soon, though, so I can complain about line breaks and formatting and the errors I'm sure are in there.

Finally, the outro.
You know how back in the day they used to fade out on songs all the time? Part of it, I'm convinced, is because no one actually knows how to end songs. Just a never-ending noodlefest of guitars and dance grooves and choruses going on into oblivion. You could argue that it's maybe a tool for DJs to have to do slightly less work, to have to worry less about when they pop in with their free hotdog giveaway ad copy or their whoop-whoops at the wedding or whatever, but for me, it's the assumption that there is no ending in mind. Look at Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam." They planned that thing to just fade out. Who does that? Especially after "The Unforgiven," which also fades out. It just seems silly. Lest we get to a point where there's obvious numbers padding here, I'm gonna cut this one off.

See you next week, with what should be a less nuts-and-bolts edition.