(This newsletter is also being posted on my blog, in case you want to read it there.)

Every month or so, I set a goal of sending out one of these newsletters… and then I don’t. It happens (or doesn’t, I suppose). Life comes up. Life gets in the way. Etc.

So here’s this month’s newsletter, with updates about writing and life and what-not.

On Writing

Okay, I won’t go into too much detail here, because it’s all over my blog. But in short, I wrote fifty-six short stories last year, revised a novella, and started a new novel. Productive! Yay! Good for me.

I also had one acceptance, but no publications. I am assured the story will come out this year.

On Health

I have been battling a month-long asthma flareup, and my doctor and I have both been battling my insurance over what medications can be prescribed and when. Fortunately we won, and I can pick up the latest round of antibiotics this weekend.

On Politics

WTF! I mean, seriously. WTF!

What I’m Reading

I’ve grown very interested in folklore, mythology, and fairy tales; specifically, I’m interested in the Otherworld or Fairyland as it’s portrayed in these tales; not the Afterlife world of, say, Hades or Valhalla; rather, I’m intersted in the realm that fairies and other Fae creatures inhabit when they’re not wreaking havoc on mortals.

To that end, I’ve just finished reading Mythology for Dummies (so ask me anything about mythology now!). Now I’m reading Fairy Tales 101 by Dr. Jeana Jorgensen, and it’s fascinating. Next up will be her book on folklore, titled, of course, Folklore 101. I’ll also be reading a bunch of fairy tale books, such as Phillip Pullman’s translation of Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm and The Turnip Princess, which was gifted to me by a friend in the Codex Secret Santa exchange. I’m really looking forward to that one.

I’ve also been reading Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley. I really enjoyed his novel Little, Big, and found that one very inspiring in how he handled fairies and other Fae critters. The language is beuatiful as well. Ka is the story of a crow, told from his point of view to a human being, and it’s just remarkable (so far). I strongly recommend both of these books.

What I’m Watching

I’ve been watching Tales from the Loop on Amazon Prime. It’s slower-paced, but the stories are delightfully weird and beautiful. It took me a bit to get used to its measured pacing, but I’ve grown to like it very much.

I’ve also been watching Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV. This one is about the mysterious Monarch organization from the Godzilla movies from Legendary (not the original Toho Godzilla movies). This series is faster paced than Tales from the Loop, and features plots and storylines from all over the globe, from 1955 to 2015. It reminds me that I want to someday write a novel with that kind of epic scale. I’ve never been able to settle on a genre when I think of such a novel, though, so I may never get around to it.

What I’m Listening To

Lots of Irish folk and punk in a playlist as a sort of audio mood board for the novel I’m currently working on. The Pogues. Dropkick Murphys. Flogging Molly. That sort of thing. Loving it.

Also the soundtrack for K-Pop Demon Hunters, which was one of my top three movies of the year, along with Sinners and Superman.

That’s it!

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter or blog post (depending on where you read it), at least a little bit. Here’s hoping my next one comes out sooner, with more interesting content!