Issue XXXI
Concerning future sports, a tooth trade, & the world’s most obnoxious coffee shop…
From the Desk of William Pauley III
I’m sitting in what very well may be the world’s most obnoxious coffee shop.
It’s too bad really, because I enjoy the atmosphere here. There’s interesting art on the walls, good coffee… even the seating is fun.
So what’s the problem?
Well, there are a few…
The overhead speakers are blasting the absolute worst major hits of the seventies and eighties (Billy Joel, Wham!, Neil Diamond, etc), an employee keeps circling the floor, getting unnecessarily close to customers when she passes, including me (it’s so fucking bizarre), and a middle-aged guy is knitting about ten feet away from me and I keep catching him staring at me as I type. And to top it off, just now [as I was writing that last sentence], a woman came in from outside, sat in the chair next to me and introduced herself. Thankfully she picked up on my confusion and asked, “Is your name Ethan?” My name is not Ethan, so I said ‘no.’ She apologized, stood and said, “Oh sorry, I’m meeting a guy here.” She paused. “Several guys actually.” I had no idea how to respond, so I took another sip of coffee and she found another place to sit on the farthest side of the cafe.
I came here to write the next A Night in Eighth Block Tower segment. I wrote a couple broken [terrible] sentences over the span of about 45 minutes, so I gave up and started working on this newsletter. For some reason I’m able to write this and not A Night in Eighth Block Tower. Maybe because this requires no real thought. I’m just rambling. Whatever it is, it makes me feel like I’m making good use of my time. It’s going okay so far. Look how much I’ve already written!
This week I’ve been feeling a bit of the burnout. I was pretty optimistic on Monday, after having written 2,500 words in just a few hours, but as the week went on the daily count has dwindled. And here we are today, with me sitting on a mostly unusable 30 words. Ugh. Well, the good news is that I seem to be about a third of the way through this thing. I’m currently sitting on 33,000 words or so. I won’t be finished by Christmas (my initial goal), but the wheels are turning, so I’m happy with my progress.
Alright, coffee is finished. I’m going to take one quick look around at all the art then head home. I may give this place another shot sometime. Maybe it’s just a bad day. Maybe I’m irritable. I’m definitely irritable. Maybe most of this is really my fault. It usually is. We’ll see.
But next time I’m bringing a pair of damn headphones.
WTF is Doom Fiction?
Last Week / This Week
Last week, Matthew Vaughn (author of the Bowery series) had some kind things to say about The Astronaut Dream Book:
Thanks, Matt! If you’re into harsh, unrelenting horror, make sure you check out his work here. He’s always been a huge supporter of my work. I owe that guy so many beers…
BLACK FRIDAY BOOK GIVEAWAY: So, listen… I designed new covers for nearly all of my books sometime earlier in the year. Because I’m impulsive and terrible at business stuffs, as soon as the new editions arrived, I immediately threw them up on my store to get them into your hands as quickly as possible. I figured if I made the older editions a couple bucks cheaper, then a lot of you would still purchase the older editions. Why not? Same book, better value… and hey, those older editions have cool covers as well. Some would argue they’re even better than the new editions. ANYWAY… my point is: I have several stacks of these older editions lying around because most of you prefer to pay a little more for the new covers. Hey, I’m good with that. Not complaining at all. BUT… they’re taking up a decent section of our home at the top of our stairwell, and—though she’s been a great sport about it and hasn’t complained at all—I’m sure Heather would appreciate it if I removed them from our home. SO… on November 24th at 10 am EST, all of my subscribers will receive a promo code for one free book in the Doom Fiction Store. Yes, free. No strings attached. Happy holidays, from me to you. Thank you for your constant support! And Heather thanks you as well!
ALL SUBSCRIBERS: You still have a chance to listen to “Cyber Solaris” before it disappears behind the paywall in 2 days. Listen here. On Monday’s episode of Storytime!, Connor Brannigan will be reading yet another story from my new book, Twelve Residents Dreaming. Be sure to check out “The Sinking Sanctuary” when it drops on Monday!
PAID SUBSCRIBERS: This week on Choose Your Own Mindfuck: A Night in Eighth Block Tower, you met someone who manufactures a drug using ingredients extracted from the bellies of roach cadavers. She’s already showed you what it can do. Now… are you going to take it? Don’t forget to answer her question. See you on Tuesday! Not a paid subscriber? Join in on the fun today:
VIP SUBSCRIBERS: This week, you got to read the first post in The Secret History of ‘Hearers of The Constant Hum’ miniseries. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll unravel all the dirty details of how that book came to be. 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!
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Oddities Theater
Rollerball is a 1975 science fiction sports film directed and produced by Norman Jewison. It stars James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn and Ralph Richardson. The screenplay, written by William Harrison, adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which had first appeared in the September 1973 issue of Esquire. (Wikipedia)
Synopsis: In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game. (imdb)
BONUS STORY: “Tooth Trade”
by William Pauley III
(an old story that will NEVER be properly published—you’ll see why)