From the Desk of William Pauley III
I’m beginning to lose track of the day of the week. Everything’s blurring into a single moment. The days no longer feel separate to me, just a series of ticks on a clock. I’m moving within a liminal space, and in that space, there is no light or dark, only a gray vagueness. I’m uncomfortable here. I’m confused. My skin feels wet—so wet its dripping—but as I run my fingers over my face, I’m all scales. Dry and dusty.
Still, my skin drips. I feel like I’m melting.
With that said… my phone tells me it’s Saturday, and we all know what that means, right? It’s time to get weird.
Let’s do this…
We celebrated my son’s 15th birthday earlier this week. 15! Man, that’s a wild thought. You parents understand, I’m sure. Every year, your child has a birthday and at some point on that day, the thought of his age throws you right out of your body—a moment of true astral projection. As your spirit hangs in the air there—somewhere between the cupcakes and rows of solo cups half-filled with room temperature Baja Blast—your entire life flashes before your eyes.
Like death.
Being a parent means facing death every year. It’s worse than your own birthday, because on your birthday, there’s no happiness in it. You just feel depressed and it is what it is. But seeing your child grow older is a kind of intense joy that’s unmatched by any other feeling. So, as I experience these soul-kicking moments every November, I stare death right in the face and… love every second of it.
Yeah, it’s weird. Parents, you get what I’m saying, right? No? Is it just me?
Anyway, I'm so proud of the person he is and who he’s becoming. It's kind of surreal to say I've had the great privilege of being his dad for that last 15 years, but it's true. 15 years! And it truly is a privilege!
Happy birthday, Sullivan!
What else happened this week?
Oh, yeah… I changed the oil in our cars this weekend. Every time I do this, I make a point to tell everyone we know. Everything I know about cars, I can write on the palm of my hand, so any time I pull off routine maintenance or some minor repair, I tell the world. And they all pat me on the head and tell me what a wonderful job I did on it, too. It’s a nice feeling.
Now, that’s not to say it went without a hitch. I ran into some annoying problems (set up by the person who changed our oil the last time—I won’t mention any names) and within that first hour, I had been injured twice and neither of our car’s oil had been changed.
I’m okay now. Nearly 100% healed.
Let’s not get into specifics.
I never should have mentioned this.
(feel free to praise me for a job well done in the comments section of this post)
Sheesh… what’s in this coffee today?
Let’s get on with the newsletter, before it goes completely off the rails…
“The Box Man” (Kobo Abe)
dir. Nirvan Mullick
Last Week / This Week
BOOK EVENT TODAY! Hey Lexington peeps, we’ll be slingin’ DOOM over at Greyline Station/Julietta Market today from 11AM to 3PM! All books will be 3 for $20 — Special pricing for this event only! Come out and say hi! I’ll be the guy with dark circles under his eyes, smashing his face against the wall repeatedly because he’s had way too much coffee and can’t sit still. See you there! More info on this event can be found here.
Last week, Christopher Robertson (author of The Cotton Candy Massacre) graciously reviewed my book The Tower. Here’s what he said about it:
Thanks so much, Christopher! I checked out his bibliography after he sent me this and, man, so many interesting looking titles. His work seems right up my alley. I’ve added a few to my TBR and I’m really looking forward to reading them. You can check out his books here and his Instagram here.
I met so many wonderful people through this app in the last week: interesting writers, avid readers, comedians, poets, filmmakers, and budding podcasters. Substack has officially become my favorite social forum. Every time I open the app, I’m overcome with feelings of support and inspiration. So many lovely people out there creating in the world! This is everything. Most thrillingly—for me, anyway—one poet even wrote a short passage inspired by one of my posts! Here’s ‘Honey Chopped’ by Dusty Hope:
I instantly fell in love with Dusty’s style and flow. It’s a fever dream. Every word blends seamlessly into the next, like waves in some dark ocean, crashing and working themselves into the deep folds in my brain. I suspect they’ll live in those spaces for quite some time, too. Please, do yourself a favor and subscribe to Dusty’s Substack.
DON’T FORGET! THE BLACK FRIDAY BOOK GIVEAWAY IS THIS COMING FRIDAY: 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 “The Sinking Sanctuary” before it disappears behind the paywall in 2 days. Listen here. I’ve received so much positive feedback on this one, it’s really blown my mind. Here’s what Bradley Vee (Third-Eye LASIK) said about it:
Thanks so much, Bradley! Very much appreciated! I’m thrilled this story vibed with you. 🙌
ALL SUBSCRIBERS: 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 “Black Friday” when it drops on Monday!
Did you know that paid subscribers have access to a bonus section of this newsletter every week? It’s true. They do. Sometimes it’s an unpublished story, sometimes it’s artwork, sometimes it’s just me ranting on and on about a subject I love. Oh, and paid subscribers also have access to a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-type story called A Night in Eighth Block Tower, where you are the protagonist (or antagonist—your choice!) exploring one of the most bizarre apartment buildings in all of fiction. You get to make two choices a week, and your choices determine just how deep into the madness you’ll go. New to the game? Feel free to join in with the rest of us, or to go back and start from the beginning. See you on Tuesday! Not a paid subscriber? Join in on the fun today:
VIP SUBSCRIBERS: This week, you got to read the final two posts in The Secret History of ‘Hearers of The Constant Hum’ miniseries, which spilled all the dirty details of how that book came to be. I hope you enjoyed it! It certainly has a unique origin, that’s for sure. 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
Nerve is a 2016 American techno-thriller adventure film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and written by Jessica Sharzer, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Jeanne Ryan. The film stars Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, and Juliette Lewis. (Wikipedia)
Synopsis: A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of "watchers." (IMDB)
The Apartment
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