Posted by It’s getting close, people.
I mentioned that I was going back into Draft #3 of my newest book, In a Corner, Darkly: Volume 3 at the end of May, and it’s fast approaching that time. I think I might poke around at the edges over this coming week, but get more serious during the final week of the month. Of course, the long term plan is to keep working on it throughout ’24, and have it publish-ready sometime next year (in ’25).
It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster for me personally – for those of you who don’t know, I deal with periodic depression. So, every now and again, things get a little hinky. This isn’t the venue for “that” discussion, but I just wanted my readers to be aware of icky things ‘behind the scenes’ that crop up here and there.
On the other hand, my back is now 100% groovy! Yay!!! I’m doing PT (at home) six days a week, but I haven’t had any pain or issues for a couple weeks now and am THRILLED beyond belief. I firmly believe that the steroid shot, the Meloxicam (sp?), and the PT all got together and calmed everything down. I’m running again (still slowly, but I don’t care! :)), doing weights, and moving like I’m a normal person again. That alone is MASSIVE.
I’ve been poking around the internet trying to scare up a few more events for 2024. Honestly, the sales so far this year haven’t been exactly stellar, but I’ve had some great times and interactions with readers, other vendors, and folks in general. The next event is Steampunk (a shortened version of the event this year – not sure why, but there it is…) on June 8 in Bloomington. After that, we’re up in Bartlett, Illinois for the Harvest Craft and Vendor Show (new to me) on August 23 and 24. Like I said, I’m hoping to round one up in July, but it might not happen. Such is #vendorlife. LOL.
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Okay, what the heck have we been watching?
Out of Darkness (2022) – About 45,000 years ago, a desperate band of early humans finds a new land to settle in. As they start to realize that something monstrous is hunting them down, they must confront a horrifying danger that they never could have imagined. (Google) Ug. Snorefest galore. When even Charlie deems to score a sci-fi/fantasy thing a 0.2, you have to know you’re in “bad movie territory”. (lol) Honestly, I barely remember watching this. It was pure schlock (it’s supposed to be 45,000 years ago, right? So, someone explain how they had clothes with zippers, buttons, and ties), and I think I did my best to fall asleep so I wouldn’t have to look at it and make snarky comments. Anyway, thumbs WAY down on this one.
Where the Devil Roams (2023) – A family of murderous sideshow performers travels around the world on the dying carnival circuit. (Google) The visual styling of this is amazing. Yes, it’s grotesque, but it serves the story (which I believe is shown mostly in black and white). Captivating, creepy, atmospheric, and disturbing, this is one to revisit down the road. If you like horror without all the jump scare nonsense, this one is for you. I gave it an 8.6 and Charlie gave it an 8.9. High recommend for those who love the genre.
The Abyss (2023) – As the Swedish town of Kiruna sinks, Frigga finds herself torn between her family and her job as security at the world’s largest underground mine. (Google) I sure wish we had watching the OTHER Abyss movie from 1989 instead of this one….lol. While I LOVE the Scandinavian landscape and everything that comes with that, this is a film that tried and failed in a laughable way. It tried to cram relationship and family dynamics into a disaster movie and somehow missed the mark on both ends. It takes itself WAY too seriously and forces the audience to suspend belief on too many levels. If you’re looking for something to watch, you’d do better looking elsewhere, but there are a few redeeming qualities to be found. The best I could do is a 3.5.
Horror in the High Desert (2021) – Horror in the High Desert is a 2021 American film written, produced, and directed by Dutch Marich, in the pseudo-documentary format, and featuring found footage elements about the mysterious disappearance of a hiker in the High Desert region of Nevada. It is based on the disappearance of a hiker, Kenny Veach. (Google). I would have been interested in seeing the REAL story, but this actually wasn’t too bad. Sure, it was fictionalized, but I found it reasonably engrossing and held on to the end to see “what happened”. Pretty decent film for a Saturday night. My rating: 6.2. Charlie’s rating: 2.1. (I blame the previous one he watched, The Creator, a sci-fi/fantasy which dragged on forever….lol….he was probably ‘movied out’ by the time we watched this)
Okay, that’s a wrap for today. Have a great week and stay cool!
Sue Rovens 