September Round-Up
This month, I don’t feel like I’ve done a lot, and there’s a reason for that.
I like to call myself ‘emotionally solar-powered’. It’s a much more whimsical way of saying “if the sun goes down too early, my mental health will follow”. Too early meaning anytime before 7pm, though I know that at peak winter, the sun will set by 5 pm. When that happens, I have to break out my therapy sun lamp. I crank that shit high and sit in front of it for 45 minutes. The pure bliss I feel from a 14” by 9” box is unparalleled. I feel invincible. I can probably do my taxes with a smile on my face. Or kill God. I can make phone calls and reply to emails as easy as breathing.
Without the light box, I’m just sitting on the edge of my bed, feeling my psyche float way from my body. I don’t do anything. I don’t watch anything. I’m doomscrolling through Twitter/Instagram/TikTok, not because I care but because it’s all I have the energy for.
It took about 2 weeks before I remembered to start using my light box again. Now that I’m feeling better, I realize that I really have done a lot!
First off, my new book, We Came To Welcome You: A Novel of Suburban Horror finally hit the shelves on September 3rd!
It follows the Dominican half of an interracial couple moving into their new home in Maneless Grove, a lush and lovely gated neighborhood with a pushy H.O.A. and claustrophobic secrets that are just begging to be unlocked! So good, it was even featured in People Magazine! The book can be found on Amazon, Bookshop or your local library!
What else are you doing?
God, I’ve been catching up on so much horror. Recently I’ve seen Trap, Night Swim, The Watchers, Cuckoo so far and I’ve still got quite a bit to go.
Review those movies, real quick.
Sure!
Trap: This was an incredibly fun movie! A bit of an exercise in suspension of disbelief as there were so many details that made me go This Would Not Fucking Happen Like This. But then again, America surprises me with how much worse things can get on a dime so, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. My absolute favorite thing about this, however, was how they layered one story within another. Giving more insight in how exactly he caught, which was his wife’s attentiveness and foresight.Even if they didn’t include this, it still would’ve been a good movie but this crucial and unique detail makes the trap that much more personal—and therefore richer.
Night Swim: BRO, I COULD NOT FUCKING GUESS WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, I THOUGHT I WAS BEING BARBARIAN’D AGAIN. God, it knocked me off my feet with how well they pulled off the concept of a bloodthirsty wishing well-turned-pool haunted by past victims.
The Watchers: What a wonderfully horrifying take on faeries! I’ve been playing around with the concept of faerie horror and considering writing a book along those lines. This movie had everything I’ve ever thought about the fae, putting my Grimm-like interpretation of these creatures of mimicry on screen. It was everything I was craving and more!
Cuckoo: I saw this as another Grimm-like interpretation of fae creatures, considering these not only LOOK completely human but can…reset time??? Am I reading that right? So incredibly eerie, yet the way they baked in a very loving sister arc, evens it out in a tasteful sweet-and-sour mix.
And that’s all I’ve seen on the movie front.
But speaking of movies, I’m also writing a screenplay with a friend! I won’t say anything much other than it’ll be a horror comedy about an ill-matched vampire-human couple. The writing process is sure to be an interesting one as film scripts aren’t something I’m naturally familiar with, the way I am with novel writing. It is a new format, so while I am learning to write it, I am also learning how to read it. Reading other books was how I discovered my own particular novel-writing style, so I can bet that if I read more scripts, I’ll come to adapt to the format as well.
What else are you working on?
Legally, I cannot say (yet) but rest assured, it will be scary!