It’s my 41st birthday today, and I’m having a fabulous long weekend! Some writerly things are happening, but mainly I’ve been enjoying spending time with my lovely wife and counting my blessings (of which there are oodles). Here are some quick highlights of my weekend, in no particular order.
Twenty One Pilots Concert
We drove down to Cincinnati for the opening night of TOP’s North American tour, which will be their last tour for a while. What an amazing show they put on! The pyrotechnics, the visuals, and of course the incredible music, reproduced live by Tyler and Josh, were all top-notch (pun intended). The stadium venue was huge, but I lucked out and snagged two tickets on a pre-sale in June, securing us decent lower-bowl seats. Hands-down the most fun I’ve ever had at a soccer stadium!
Author Speaking Engagement
I did my first ever speaking engagement with a classroom of students! These third-graders have been learning about composition and storytelling, and the teacher (a dear old friend of mine) invited me to speak to them, as a published author and a vision-caster for the kids who love thinking and writing creatively. I was honestly terrified at first, not having any kids of my own, thus not knowing how to interact with eight-year-olds. Do they understand allegory and symbolism? How much “horror” (my main milieu) can I mention?
Well, it turned out amazing! I needn’t have worried, because those kids are super bright and they were engaged the whole time. We did a Q&A led by my teacher friend, and then I read them a story I wrote last year. No, not the cannibal club one! And no, not the ghost-in-the-swimming-pool one. And not the one about the Arthurian knight cursed by Merlin. I have one — count them! — ONE age-appropriate tale to impart, and this one hasn’t been picked up by any publishers yet. It’s a modern fairy tale titled “Mary and the Tree,” a wholesome story about one girl’s friendship with a magical tree, a friend who gets her through a difficult season. The kiddos listened respectfully, and even applauded when it was over (swoon!).
Other things we discussed: K-Pop Demon Hunters, Pumpernickel bread (aka “fart goblins”), and how to push past writer’s block while writing a story. A few students even showed me the hand-written “books” they’ve been writing and illustrating! I was so excited to share my creative passion with them, and to give them a few pointers to start out their own storytelling journey. (Cue “The Circle of Life.”)
Food, Writing Groups, and First Interview!
All good endeavors, and equally important. We visited a delicious Ukrainian cafe where everything tasted like my childhood (shoutout Creme de la Creme!), a couple of distilleries with killer menus, and one restaurant that truly knows the difference between medium and medium-rare steaks. We also partook in a super relaxing couples’ massage (shoutout to our ladies at Papillon Day Spa!) and I wrote and edited a whole bunch. Tomorrow is the last day of the 3.5 day weekend, and I have TWO writerly tasks: my three-hour “write-in” with a fellow horror author, where we meet at a cafe and keep each other accountable on, um, actually writing. And second: my writers’ critique group, where we will give one another feedback on our current works-in-progress. I look forward to both, as they are social events, but they also keep me on task and can help polish turds into real diamonds.
Oh, and guess what? MY FIRST FILMED INTERVIEW IS OUT NOW! As a fairly recent author, I don’t get asked to do a lot of interviews, since nobody cares about some no-name’s thoughts. But Inkd Publishing has now published two of my stories (in a recent horror anthology and in an upcoming sci-fi one), and they’ve offered to do an author spotlight. I was so game! We filmed this a couple of weeks ago, and it is now available for your viewing pleasure. I’ll be honest: I cringe watching myself during it, seeing how nervous and rambling I was. But it’s an important first for me, all the same. A lesson I learned as I march into my writing future. Maybe by my 20th interview I’ll remember to relax and “just be myself,” whatever that means? (I doubt it.)
And with that out of the way… That’s all, folks! The highlights are done, as is another year of my life. I’m grateful to have spent it with people I care about, and doing things that align with my passions. More exciting updates to come soon about my writing journey. I’m so glad you’re with me on this weird, wonderful ride.