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10th Anniversary


I can't believe it's been 10 years since I started this blog! Originally this was just set up as another random place to write but eventually became the portal into my wacky mind. It's fun to have my thoughts/opinions archived. Looking back on old posts is a good way to see how I've grown as a person as well as how I've stayed the same.

My first post ever was actually a review of the film Grindhouse by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. I love these movies more than I probably should so it's hilarious to see how harsh I was on Death Proof. Most of the problems I have with it are so minor to me now and it's funny to read just how much it got to me. Even better is to see, although this was written ten years ago, the content still fits in well with the type of stuff I still post to this day. Sure, reviews are infrequent but it certainly has the same tone as I do these days.

In order to properly celebrate the 10th anniversary of this website, I decided to do a full redesign. I like how it turned out and feel like it's a little cleaner and more modern than in the past. Be sure to let me know what you think!

Now onto some exciting book details...

I have some good news and some bad news, though the good definitely outweighs the bad. If you've seen the title Lies Our Family Tell Us then you'll know that it was originally going to be my next book. However, after mulling it over a lot (as well as 40,000 words later) I've decided to put that book on the back burner. Despite all I wrote for it, something just wasn't clicking and I think that it would be more time than I'm comfortable with between books if I were to solely focus on fixing that. It was a tough decision and one I took a little too long to make but I'm glad.

So instead I've started work on two different books. The first of which is super secret and I'm considering my very big project that may not see the light of day for several years. My main plan, like with Lies, is to get this legitimately published. It's not horror, though there is a mystery element, and I think that it has a lot of mainstream appeal. So that one will take a lot of time to finish. The other though...

IS THE CRIMSON SUMMER SEQUEL!!! That's right, those Watanka faithfuls are going to get their wish and the sequel will be released by year's end. At this point the book is only outlined and the writing will take place throughout this summer. I'm hoping that my extensive outlining process with help to lighten the load for editing (which was a huge problem with my odd process for the original). Plot-wise, I can tell you that we'll be following Liz and Chase in a different environment and the title will likely be announced along with the artwork.

It's been very exciting to hear people are anticipating the sequel and that just makes me want to make it as good as possible. Unlike Crimson Summer though, I doubt I'll be making a title announcement/release date soon. The main reason for this is that I honestly don't have a title. There's a working title and one that I really enjoy; both of which could easily be the final title. The title will depend on the final content and whether the story expands past this book. So, until that is fully known, the title will be a secret for a little while longer (although, if you've been paying attention to my social media accounts, you may have already seen at least one of the name's in a little easter egg I did.)

No matter if you've been coming to this site for years or if this is your first time, I appreciate you taking some time out of your day to let my words flow through your mind. Here's to another ten.

With many thanks,
Tyler

Movies You Need To See

I've been taking advantage of the library lately and trying to see as many movies possible that I'd never seen before. It's April and I'm almost to 40 for the year, so I should be able to make my personal goal of 100, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some of the treasures I've found while trying to ingest as much content as possible. I didn't know much about any of these movies before I saw them so I won't expand upon them in hopes that you seek them out and enjoy them as much as I did.



Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)


The Bronze (2015)


Willow Creek (2013)


Cooties (2014)


Lolita (1962)

Random Thoughts for April 2017


Wrestlemania wasn't without its ups and downs. I would say that overall the entire weekend was a positive but anything that ends on a downer note can leave a poor taste in your mouth and that's exactly what Mania in Orlando did. I wish that things were different and that they hadn't made some of the booking decisions they did but that's just Vince at Mania. Doesn't like to give wins to first time Mania singles competitors and likes to randomly throw wrenches into well laid plans because he wants a certain "surprise" element. It wasn't nearly as bad as 32 where 80% of the booking made no sense, but it was still thoroughly confusing. Still, I really enjoyed the majority of the show and am glad I was able to attend.

Battle Royale is so fucking good. I wish that more people would seek this film out as I know so few that have actually gone out of their way to. As someone that had to download a specific program, navigate an all-Japanese website and then watch said file on an old HP laptop with terrible resolution, I can't believe that this movie is on Netflix and readily available to so many yet still it goes unwatched. It's a shame.

I haven't been to the theaters since October. It's not like there haven't been great films being released over the past few months, I just really hate going to the theaters. Really, really hate it. Which is too bad because I always had such amazing experiences growing up and going to the local NCG in Coldwater. I guess I never fully appreciated those days because I can't seem to go to a movie in a Greeley without being thoroughly annoyed by texting/talking/general lack of social awareness. It sucks but my alternative has been buying the movies I know I'll like right when they're released, since I saved money on not seeing them in theaters. I did this with Rogue One and will likely be doing this will Logan and Kong: Skull Island as well.

I wish I had gotten on the audiobook train long ago. I've had several jobs (including my current one) where I can listen to my iPhone during work. Usually I've just opted to listen to various podcasts but, after making my way through How Did This Get Made multiple times, and more Joe Rogan and Marc Maron to last a lifetime, I decided to seek out an alternative. First up has been Stephen King's It and I'm amazing at how easy it is to intake the content. Plus, who knew Steven Weber would be such a damn fine narrator? His Pennywise is absolutely terrifying. I've got several books planned for after I finish It and I can't wait to fully take advantage of my audible account.

I love a lot of stuff that alienates people from me. Being a huge fan of horror movies, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts has drastically decreased the number of people that I can socialize with. There are many preconceived notions when it comes to all of those things and it makes maneuvering through the world a tad more difficult. Yet these are the things that make me happy and that I'm passionate about so have no intentions of dropping them just to appease the general public. It just further shines a light on the idea of "if it makes you happy and it doesn't hurt anyone, do it." Just have to remind myself of that sometimes.

Alpha Brain is a bit of a miss for me. Joe Rogan has been plugging Onnit's Alpha Brain for quite a while now and, after hearing great things from many others, I decided to try it but unfortunately it just seems like a rich person's supplement. While I certainly notice the difference and would love to take it everyday, those differences are minimal, especially for the price per bottle. I just can't see it as being worth it at this time in my life.

Where the hell is the book news? I know, I know, I've been saying it's just around the corner and then nothing happens. Well there's a reason for that: I was originally going to post something a week ago summarizing what's going on for future books of mine but realized there's a certain anniversary coming up. Given that anniversary (supersecret) I thought it'd be much more appropriate to wait. So, I promise there will book news at the end of the month.

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The Crimson Summer - AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Synopsis: Summers at Camp Watanka are never easy. The buildings are dilapidated and the heat can be scorching, but for the teenage cam...