New Bloggy Update! 1/1/23

Welcome 2023!

I hope everyone had a very groovy New Year’s Eve. Charlie and I had dinner and basically watched Twilight Zone episodes until switching over to ABC to watch the Fleur-De-Lis drop in New Orleans. (is there a Chicago version of this? Anyone?) After a few more ‘Zones, we called it a night around 1:30am.

Here are the latest updates going into the new year:

Sanctum – The fifth draft was finished in mid-December and was sent off to the Beta Readers. I’ve asked for a February 1st turnaround. I’ve started to gather cover ideas, but won’t do anything specific until closer to the FINAL final draft.

Book Events – I’ve already signed up for the first two – one in April at the Mackinaw Winery (Illinois) and another one in September here in Bloomington (at the Interstate Center). I’ll be looking into others with more intent now that folks are starting to request vendors. Keep an eyeball on this blog for the latest updates (and as is the plan – I’ll have the NEW book out later this year – not sure when, but it will make its debut in ’23)

Swag – I’ve decided to give out the rest of my “Toad Pads” and not reorder. They were incredibly costly and while they were an awesome item to give away, the financial side was/is just too prohibitive. I’ve researched a NUMBER of sites in order to “get the price down”, but it’s just not viable right now. They might come back at some point, but after I give away the last 5 or 6 that I have, they’ll be “done”.

Open Calls for Meet & Greets/Spotlight/FlipSide interviews – Yes!! I am always open to authors, musicians, bands, and any type of artist! If you know someone (or ARE that person), please let me know! Just shoot a quick email to srovens@yahoo.com and tell me who you are and what you do. All are welcome on the blog.

What have we been watching:

Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022) – Brian Cranston, once again, at his best. This movie is based on the REAL life story of Jerry and Marge Selbee who “outwit” the lottery in order use the money to help their small town. It’s firmly planted in the “drama-dy” category, but it’s a great way to spend an hour and a half.

The Wretched (2019) – “A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parents’ imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand-year-old witch who has possessed the neighbor next door.” (google search) Honest assessment – I don’t remember anything about this movie. LOL. We watched it before our mini-vacation and even with looking it up, it alludes me. I ended up giving it a 4.7 out of 10, so besides for not liking it after immediately viewing it, I can’t recall it. That probably says more about it than anything…

Under the Banner of Heaven (2022) – A true crime adaptation mini-series: “As Detective Jeb Pyre investigates the murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley, he uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith.” (google search) This was fantastic! Riveting and well-acted, this is a show that will capture your attention and won’t let go. For me, it was just a shade “stretched out”, but overall, a solid piece of work. High recommend.

Entrapped (2022) – Icelandic short series about detectives investigating a cult murder. I found it a little confusing (they throw a lot of characters at you right off the bat) and a bit muddled, but for the length of the series (6 episodes), you should be able to grab a hold and hang on. Decent recommend, but don’t do anything else during the show or you might miss something.

Welcome to Chippendales (2021) – Okay. I know what you’re thinking…lol. In all honesty, I never found the “pretty boy dancers” of the 80’s to be attractive. BUT, the story behind this? Fantastic. So layered and so underhanded. It’s the kind of story I would have loved to create – but it really happened! I understand that this particular show did take some liberties with reality, but it’s still a great watch. High recommend. (and then watch the REAL documentaries)

Okay! That’s a first wrap for 2023! Thanks for reading, for sharing, and for comments! 🙂

Sue