Judas Black

The Satanic Puppet

Oct 23, 2023

As I continue to build a puppet, the thought of making a puppet based on a short story I wrote has crept into my mind. The story is called “The Fall & Rise of Judas Black.” I think I will post it as a bonus this week. I imagined I could write and record an album by “Judas Black,” the Satanic Puppet. The idea that a puppet is sentient and writing evil music makes me laugh. But what would the genre be? Punk or Metal? A mix of both? Song titles: “Pull My Strings? Hot Rod Puppet? Not sure. Anyway, I can write songs but I struggle with mixing and mastering. So unless I get money to pay someone, I don’t think Judas Black’s album will ever see the light of day. Plus, I would need to get better at building puppets to make the one that is in my head. It will all make sense when you read my short story. Keep an eye on your inbox this week.

Where am I with the puppet? I created the hand armatures. I used 20 gauge, galvanized steel wire twisted it into the shape of the hand, and then hand-sewed a rubber palm into it. The wire I got from Lowes. The rubber is a 6x6 sheet of gasket rubber, 1/8” thick which I got at Ace Hardware. I could probably have bought both at either store, but I got them at different times so whatever. Sue me.

The next part is to build the pockets that the rods go into—the rods that control the arms. It will require sewing. I could hand sew it but wanted to try a sewing machine. I didn’t want to buy a new sewing machine because who knows if I will continue to make things that need to be sewn. What I did find was an old Singer 328k Sewing Machine from the early 1960s at a thrift store. CHEAP! Here is the reason you may want to go with an older machine:

The new ones are all plastic and have electronic boards inside them. These will not last that long—maybe 10 years if you are lucky. Once they need to be retired, they are bad for the environment.

The machine I found is at least 60 years old. It is solid. Still works. The one I found is in near-mint condition. These things were built to last. Plus, there are tons of supplies for these old machines online and the parts are super cheap. All that said, I know nothing about sewing, especially with a machine. I am teaching myself with the help of YouTube how to work the machine.

This past week, Nick Cutter followed me on Instagram. If you don’t know who he is, here is his bio from his Simon & Schuster page:

Nick Cutter is the author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller The Troop (which is currently being developed for film with producer James Wan), The Deep, Little Heaven, and The Handyman Method, co-written with Andrew F. Sullivan. Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose much-lauded literary fiction includes Rust and Bone, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, and, most recently, the short story collection Cascade. His story “Medium Tough” was selected by author Jennifer Egan for The Best American Short Stories 2014. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

So yeah… that’s cool. I read his book The Troop and he is one of the few authors that actually made me feel completely grossed-out with the detail he used in describing what was happening in the story. That is really hard to do. Things don’t usually affect me. I recommend reading it.

I don’t know how he found me. I wasn’t following him so it wasn’t a follow-for-follow thing. I am hoping that perhaps it was through the Book Worms Horror Zine (which Issue 3 is going fast so get your copy before it sells out.)

Buy Book Worms

Speaking of Book Worms, we are currently taking submissions for the Winter Issue. If you or someone you know is a writer, here is the link to submit. Please share.

Book Worms Submission Guidelines