May 2024 News
Hi there. It’s May of 2024. Brace yourself for the all the scholars who crawl out of their pits this time of year to repeat the following phrases ad nauseum, somehow with the apparent expectation that it’s your first time hearing them:
May the 4th be with you (this references a phrase from the merchandise behemoth known as Star Wars)
It’s gonna be May (this is about retired pop icon Justice Beaver Tinderpond)
Cinco de Drinko (this one is a fun union of cultural appropriation and alcoholism)
Oh goodness. My sides are already splitting in anticipation of how funny these will be this time around. I need stitches! Hahaha-OH GOD! It’s too late and my guts ruptured. Half-digested food, bile, and excrement are cascading down my shorts to spatter on the feet of the clever. Alas, I die, just as I deserve.
fin
Writing
I am still writing THT, the sequel to V&V and book 2 of Turesia Untamed.
April wasn’t as productive as March, for reasons. I hate that. But progress was made. I’ll tell ya this detail:
I paused in the writing to finally ingest some Lovecraft. Call of Cthulu and the Whisperer in Darkness, as it were. I wanted to familiarize myself with the originator of cosmic horror as I know it. (When I say as I know it, I admit I could be wrong and thus need not be corrected)
Eldritch horror has a place in Turesia Untamed book 2, believe it or not. Your very favorite Consonant Fist needed a morale boost and he gets one from an unlikely entity. He also gets visions of celestial plasma that inspire a song he plans to sing to the Heathen King … A song that’ll make his Litany of Lightning look like two rocks clicking together.
Meanwhile, Morgan Shank, the author of the Low Country trilogy, reviewed V&V and made my day. Days actually, because as you can see I’m not over it yet. He said:
"Violence and Vigilance" reads like Abercrombie's prose with the pacing of John Gwynne. The action is visceral, the pace is steady, and the characters are beautifully realized. They're broken, damaged, vulnerable people who suffer, sacrifice, and strive for what they believe in. There aren't clear heroes. Rather, there are flawed characters struggling to do the best they can while making plenty of hard decisions along the way. This makes for wonderful conversations, poignant dialogue, and some poetic prose sprinkled throughout.
He actually said even more good things than just that. Go read his full review here:
Kayaks
Lake Hartwell Kayak has officially begun offering guided tours, and the next one is on Mother’s Day. Look at what’s in store for all who join us:
Book your spot, then come to Hartwell GA on Mommy Day and take a scenic cruise with us. Turtle spotting guaranteed, and not just snappers.
Podcast
The Four Beardsmen of the Bookpacolypse meets this Saturday for our first TTRPG session! Live for your enjoyment / interaction(?). I can’t predict whether we’ll crash and burn or fly high and save the prince(ss), but I’ll be wearing a smile either way. Join us on Matt’s YouTube channel - Beard of Darkness.
Something Once Sacred
It’s 31 days away still but we’re playing a show at the Boathouse, Hartwell GA on May 31st. If you’re in the area, come out!
Who’at is Something Once Sacred?
Oh that’s my band, wherein I play bass and Brandon plays guitar and sings and Rusty plays drums and sings.
You don’t sing?
Yeah, just not in a mic. The public doesn’t need to hear what I do to the lyrics of every 90s rock song we cover. In fact no one does.
Wait did you reference SoS in V&V?
I did, briefly. Here:
Watching
Shogun is still rad! But I’ll miss the last episode because we cancelled that service (Hulu+Disney maybe?). I’ll have to catch it some other time, some other way.
You’re not going to see how that last explosive scene resolved??
No need. I read the book. She dead af.
Fallout. Also good. So good I’ve watched it twice now.
Playing
Elden Ring, again, in preparation for the DLC that launches in June, as I know it. (😉)
Kingdom Two Crowns. Boyo(12) and I are playing this co-op. It’s a cool game.
These “reviews” are vacuous to the point of completely unnecessary. I’m sorry.
Next Month
Ah, June. Kayaks will be in full swing. More THT will be written.
See you then
dtl
