When I was a child, there was a popular Purina Cat Chow commercial for their calendar. I’ll post the YouTube video below.
I don’t have anything deep to say about this. It just popped into my head when I created the title of this week’s newsletter.
Book Worms Issue 4
A new Book Worms issue is here—Issue 4: A Bloody Valentine. Returning with some amazing artwork is Charles Radcliffe. New non-fiction articles by Lydia Peever and Regina Saint Claire. New fiction by Ty Noel, JG Faherty, and Richard Lau. Plus, poetry by R. Saint Claire, Jessica Peter, Rob E. Boley, and D.L. Tillery. Regina and I have comic strips in what we believe is our best issue yet. Get your worms today - click here!
New YouTube Video
Yesterday, I posted a new video on YouTube discussing the books I completed in January. If you want to hear my thoughts on those books, click here. After I posted it, I realized that I had forgotten one book. That is because it was an audiobook, and it wasn’t in my pile of books when I made the video—outta sight, outta mind. The book is Twice Cursed. A sequel to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, Twice Cursed is “a blend of traditional and reimagined curses from fairy tales to Snow White, from some of the best names in fantasy.” I have not read the first book, but I think I will get the first anthology after reading Twice Cursed. Each story was so imaginative and enjoyable to read (listen to). If you like short stories involving curses, I highly recommend this book.
Literary Agent Webinar
This past week, I took a free online webinar about how one gets a literary agent. The webinar was put on by Jericho Writers, based in the U.K. I plan to record a solo Writing Fiction podcast today (Regina cannot record this week) with my thoughts on this free webinar. What I liked, what I didn’t, and so on. It is a free webinar and a sales pitch for their Ultimate Novel Writing Course. The course cost begins at $3695. I could get this course or a new Apple Vision Pro ($3499). I would get the Vision Pro. There are so many online courses for sale that I don’t know how I feel about them or if they are worth the cost. In addition, the quality of the video and audio was sub-par, and the keynote presentation also lacked a professional look. So, I’ll keep using any free knowledge I can find online. Look for the podcast episode on your favorite podcast app. In next week's podcast, we will return to Robert Heinlein’s rules for writing.
New Apple Products
Also, I got some new Apple products this past week, not the Apple Vision Pro. I traded in my 16” Macbook Pro and got myself an M2 Macbook Air and a Series 9 Apple Watch. I still had $80 left from the trade, so I bought a second HomePod Mini to create a stereo pair. If you have a HomePod, I recommend getting a second and pairing them. They sound amazing. I went with the Macbook Air because I will focus more on writing this year and not so much on creating video and audio content. I will still do video and audio, but it isn’t my primary focus. I got The Apple Watch for health reasons—to track my heart and sleep and begin workouts. I feel good about what 2024 will bring and the writing I will bring to life.
Puppet Drip
Despite all my work on my puppet build, it was a trip to the thrift store that gave my puppet life. I picked up a toddler hoodie for $3 and put it on the puppet, and WOW - instant character, even without the eyes and nose, which I still need to make. I have been running around with this hoodie-wearing puppet, giving him attitude - it is so much fun, and everyone loves it. The character comes to life. It is like Grady Hendrix writes in his book How to Sell a Haunted House - You don’t wear the puppet; the puppet wears you.
Thrift Store Find
Horns is a book by Joe Hill that I haven’t read. The only reason I can think of why I haven’t is because the movie trailer turned me off — maybe because of Harry Potter playing the main character, I don’t know. So, when I saw the paperback for Horns at the thrift store for 50 cents, I decided to pick it up (despite it having the movie cover). And I have to say, this might be my favorite Joe Hill book yet. It is up there with Heart Shaped Box. It is such a cool premise, and I love the characters in this book. Here is the premise:
In bestseller Hill’s compulsively readable supernatural thriller, his second after Heart-Shaped Box , dissolute Ignatius Perrish wakes up one morning to find a pair of satanic horns sprouting from his forehead. To the residents of Gideon, N.H., this grotesque disfigurement only confirms their suspicions that Ig raped and murdered his girlfriend, Merrin Williams, a crime for which he was held but soon released for lack of evidence. Ig is also now privy to the deepest, and often darkest, private thoughts of anyone he touches. Once Ig discovers through this uncanny sensitivity the true killer’s identity, he schemes to reveal the culprit’s guilt through natural means. Toggling between past and present, and incidents that range from the supernaturally surreal to the brutally realistic, Hill spins a story that’s both morbidly amusing and emotionally resonant. - Publishers Weekly
My final thoughts on the book will be on YouTube when I do my February reads wrap-up in March.
Geroge the Cat Collector Card
Have a wonderful week. Stay gold.
James DeFeo