Sunshine Writing Time

I am currently sitting out on the deck writing while different birds chirp at me. After a couple of days of off and on rain (which played hell with my sinuses) things are finally nice enough to sit out in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. Granted, the lawn has exploded once again and I have dandelions taller than a robin (I was just able to make that comparison). That, however, is a problem for future me. I got my allergy shots today and I think my head would explode if I pulled out the mower.

Don’t let the title fool you. I’m not out in full sun. I wouldn’t want to burst into flames or anything. I just figured out the perfect placement for the sun umbrella (sunbrella?) to keep me happily in the shade.

Not a whole lot of interest has been happening here lately. We had a bit of a scare when we took Tesla for her annual check up. Some of her labs are slightly elevated, but a return trip eased most of the worry. We will be keeping an eye on her and drawing labs more often now.

I also had the personal joy of a double trip out. I had a dental cleaning on Monday which revealed that one of my older fillings was starting to degrade. I went back the next day and had that replaced (rather than wait and have it fall out on its own while I was away doing a show or something). In case you missed the social media post, I do not recommend the dental work and bad sinus day combo platter.

Other than that I’ve just been watching the first batch of mead, which I have designated J1, clarify. I plan on giving it a few weeks and then checking the specific gravity to see if it is ready to be racked.

If you are wondering about the “J” it’s because I have decided to name all of the meads after dragons (it’s all about that branding). The regular show mead that I am attempting will be Jörmungandr.

Listening To: The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale. It has been a while since I picked up one of his books and so far this one does not disappoint. He also does a big chunk of the narration, which is pretty cool.

Currently Reading: Let’s Go Play At The Adams’ by Mendal W. Johnson with an introduction by Grady Hendrix. This is a recently reprinted version of the previously bestselling horror book. I literally (pun intended) just started this in the waiting room today but 20 pages in and it is already giving some creepy vibes.

Current Obsession: Just trying to get caught up on everything right now.

We’re still working behind the scenes on a number of upcoming releases. More on those as we close in on the publication dates.

Keep an eye open for the Kickstarter for Nightmerica. We will have some Early Bird pledge levels that you will want to jump in on.

We know that we have been mentioning it a lot, but our next show is THIS SATURDAY (10 May). Not only will Dragon’s Roost Press be at The Halfway to Halloween Expo (in the outside area), but so will authors David Hayes and Ken MacGregor.

While not technically a DRP show, we do invite you all to come out and join the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers at the Motor City Comic Con the following weekend (16 - 18 May). Dragon’s Roos Press author Peggy Christie will also be there at her own table. If you do make the trip out to Novi, make sure you check your favorite GPS app for directions as 696 will be closed.

Warning: This is one of those political rants. If you are not in the place to deal with that right now, I totally understand. Thank you for reading this far and I’ll see you next week.

While the normies may look at May and think Springtime and flowers and sunshine and all that bullshit, those of us in the know recognize it for what it really is — halfway to Halloween. This is usually marked with numerous announcements regarding Halloween props and decorations from various retailers including the first drops of the large animatronics for the year. This year is different, thanks to a certain orange colored twatwaffle and his ridiculous tariff “plan.” My inbox has been flooded with notifications of delays and cancelations of everything from giant skeletons to Lemax Spooky Town buildings.

The various online groups I belong to have been awash with complaints and the usual back and forth from people on both sides of the aisle. Some complain about how difficult it will be to grab the merch, much of which is made in China, or how the cost will be driven up. Others focus on how this will force people to “buy American” or “build your own” which is then countered by the first group saying that the parts needed are also imports.

I know that it sounds ridiculous to focus on Halloween decorations when the party in charge of the country is doing its best to systematically dismantle the Constitution, but it is worth pointing out how wide ranging these idiotic policies are. The Day One where prices were promised to come down is now over 100 days ago and things are steadily getting worse. People are being deported without trial while Temu Nero fiddles about with the idea of reopening Alcatraz because he saw Escape from Alcatraz was on TV between rounds of golf last weekend.

I’m personally sick of the brush off I’ve been getting from my own representative, but that’s not going to stop me from contacting him on the regular to let him know what a shit job he and his party is doing. Do what you can to resist. Make sure that they hear your voice.