Issue XXX
Concerning the return of a haunting figure, wax room horrors, and a pair of time traveling shoes...
From the Desk of William Pauley III
I feel like most of these newsletters begin with me making some kind of statement about how exhausted I am, how exhausting the week was, etc. So I’m not going to say that this week. But… you can probably assume how I feel right now, even if I don’t tell you. I’m not going to say it. But yes, you’re right.
NaNoWriMo started on Wednesday and I was able to keep up with it for a total of two days. Yesterday, I didn’t feel like writing after an entire morning of writing, so no NaNoWriMo yesterday. Today’s a new day… but I have a feeling it might not happen today either. I kind of just want to dissolve on the couch and listen to records all day. Maybe eventually finish Flesh for Frankenstein. Give my brain a break.
I’m not going to say it.
Oh, but I would like to say thank you to everyone who bought books during the full moon sale and/or at the Halloween Art Market at Villainous last weekend! As always, Heather and I had a blast at Villainous. We were asked to come back for their Krampus Art Market in December, so hopefully you’ll join us! Find more info about that event here.
It’s been a good week. A great week, actually. I was pretty productive, both creatively and with all that real life stuff. Lots of people shared positive things about my work, and that always brightens my day. Thank you for that, by the way. A kind word goes a long way. I’m so thankful for this community we have here. With that said, welcome all you new subscribers! Things are pretty weird here, but hopefully you’ll find it to be a good weird and not the crazy Uncle Larry kind of weird.
You came at a good time too, cause I’m thinking of doing something kind of insane for you all as a way of showing my appreciation. You’ll likely hear more about that in early December though. I have to make sure it’s even possible first, haha. Make sure you’re subscribed (and feel free to tell your friends to subscribe), because this gift offer will be exclusive to my Substack subscribers!
Alright, enough ranting… let’s get on with the show!
Children’s Zoo
dir. Robert Downey
Last Week / This Week
It’s a new month, so that means there’s another new merch design in the Doom Fiction store! This month we have a pair of shoes based on my short story “Cyber Solaris.” Fair warning: if you look too closely, you may be transported to another space and time! Available in both men’s and women’s styles. Click here to get yours today! They’ll be available until the end of the month.
Last week, horror author Lucas Mangum (author of Gods of the Dark Web) listened to my story “The Burden of Lunar Ticking” and said it’s “Bradbury-tier brilliance!” Wow. Made my week. Be sure to give the story a listen before it disappears behind the paywall (on Monday). Oh, and check out Mangum’s excellent Substack while you’re at it: Fiction for the Cosmically Disturbed.
Last week, Gabino Iglesias (author of The Devil Takes You Home) kindly recommended my novel Hearers of the Constant Hum for his 101 Horror Books for Halloween list! It came in at #34. Grab a copy of it here, and check out Gabino’s excellent book here.
ALL SUBSCRIBERS: On this week’s episode of Storytime!, Connor Brannigan will be reading yet another story from my new book, Twelve Residents Dreaming. Be sure to check out “Cyber Solaris” when it drops on Monday!
PAID SUBSCRIBERS: This week on Choose Your Own Mindfuck: A Night in Eighth Block Tower, you got a nasty bump on your head and was thrown full steam into a bizarre fever dream… but was it a dream? Upon waking up, you crossed paths with a woman dragging two overstuffed trash bags down the stairs, asking if you’d like to see something ‘cool’… Don’t forget to answer her question. See you on Tuesday!
VIP SUBSCRIBERS: This week, you got to read a detailed timeline of my writing sessions, what I wrote and when—all week long, including the many distractions I encountered and what I did to combat them all. Sheew. Exhausting, right? I wouldn’t have it any other way! It may have taken five full days, but I finished the week strong with approximately 7,000 words written for various projects. Oh, and as always, you’ve been reading early drafts of “Choose Your Own Mindfuck: A Night in Eighth Block Tower” chapters, including several that belong in alternate storylines (not the storyline subscribers have chosen to follow)! Want to see a behind-the-scenes look at how stories are written—warts and all? Become a VIP subscriber today!
For an extensive list of exclusive perks for paid subscribers, click the following links:
Oddities Theater
The Illustrated Man is a 1969 American dark science fiction drama film directed by Jack Smight and starring Rod Steiger as a man whose tattoos on his body represent visions of frightening futures. The film is based on three short stories from the 1951 collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury: "The Veldt," "The Long Rain," and "The Last Night of the World." (wikipedia)
Synopsis: A psychotic drifter is after the mystery woman who covered his entire body in enchanted illustrations.
Halloween Movie Marathon 2023:
An Afterword
Remember back in September when I shared my picks for this year’s Halloween Movie Marathon? (check that out here) There were 60 films altogether. Know how many I actually watched? If you guessed 29, then you were right!
Oh, but how many of those 29 were featured on the original list?
3.
Yup, that’s all.
I’m not sure what happened. I had access to all the films. Most of them I even own physical copies of, so what went wrong?
Well, I’ll tell you… Arrow Video had a 50% off sale. Criterion had a 50% off sale. Amazon had yet another Prime Day. All of that combined with regular visits to the theater and Half Price Books and titles I found while browsing through streaming sites… how the hell was I supposed to stick with the original plan, huh?
Whatever. I still had a great time watching these movies (well, except for a few stinkers).
Here’s a list of every film I watched for Halloween this year and my thoughts on each one:
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