Beyond The Darkness 15
Beyond The Darkness 15
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Hello, everyone! It’s great to see you back here once again. My sincere apologies for missing last week’s newsletter. When I started this up earlier this year, I wanted to stick to a weekly format, but life finds a way of…well, getting in the way. But I promise I had a really good reason this time.
I finally finished my new book!
I spent all of last weekend knocking out the last sixty-five hundred words of my newest novella. I more or less locked myself away in my office for two and a half straight days and managed to type THE END after twenty-five thousand words. I cannot begin to describe what getting this book completed means to me. I simply haven’t had the time to write much of anything since my wife and I became parents in late 2021. I was still able to put out two books last year (my novella TRY AGAIN and my short story collection THEY MOSTLY COME AT NIGHT) but my collection was already done by late 2021. TRY AGAIN was written early in 2022 while my wife was still off for maternity leave, so I was able to dedicate the time to blast out eighteen thousand words for that story just in time for last year’s inaugural AuthorCon. To be able to finally get back into the swing of writing again, to get my mojo back, was revelatory. I’m starting to feel like my old self again, which I love.
Author Wile E. Young and I were planning to put this boom out for this year’s AuthorCon, but between time constraints and him already having two new books at the show, we decided to put off the release. I’m really happy we did. The extra time spent with my story was much needed to help flesh out the idea. I’m extremely proud of this story. I truly think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written. I desperately wish I could share more information with you all about it, I really do, but you’re going to have to wait just a little longer.
Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait.
I’ve been getting out to the movies a lot more lately.
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a cinefile. There are plenty of films I haven’t seen, tons of classics I’ve passed on. But I love movies. I love going to the theater. I have a nice collection of blu-rays and 4k’s at home that’s always growing. I fucking love the art of cinema.
I especially love that numerous older films are getting the ‘back in theaters for their XX’th anniversary’ treatment. Back in 2020, I got to see the 40th anniversary showing of The Empire Strikes Back in a completely empty theater (yes, during the height of the pandemic). It was absolutely magical. It’s always been my favorite Star Wars film, and getting to experience the title crawl at full volume on the big screen is always something special. Getting to witness Carpenter’s The Thing in theaters last year was also a massive treat, despite the shitty picture quality from Fathom Events. So many of these anniversary shows are for films I’ve adored my whole life, but wasn’t lucky enough to see in the theater. Sure, I have them at home and can watch them for free, where the picture quality is probably better and I can stop the movie to take a piss, but it’s just not the same. I love the experience of going to the movies, getting overpriced concessions, putting your phone away for a while, sharing a group experience. I wish more people weren’t opting out of the theater experience these days. It’s sad to me.
Two weeks ago I was lucky to sneak away to see the twentieth anniversary showing of The Big Lebowski, another film I was just a bit too young to see twenty-five years ago. That movie is the reason why the Coen Brothers will go down as some of the best filmmakers that have ever played the game. Their films are so incredibly memorable, even the lesser ones, with so many one liners and incredible dialogue and cinematography. Much like their film Burn After Reading, I love that The Big Lebowski is a film about people misunderstanding one another. Every character is so damn sure of themselves, yet everyone has the current situation completely wrong, and it’s hilarious and often dumbfounding how well written something so simple can be damn complicated. Truly great stuff.
Last week, I badly wanted to go see Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at our local theater for the 20th anniversary. I absolutely adore the Rings trilogy. I remember seeing them when they originally came out in the theater and being blown away by a genre of film I had never given a chance to. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t swing it. Not only was the final film the longest, they were showing the extended cut, which clocks in at nearly four hours and twenty minutes. Had this been on a weekend, I probably could have made it work, but the only showing we had locally was a Wednesday afternoon. Sadly, it didn’t work out.
But… as I type this, tomorrow my wife and I are off to see another Return…this one of the Jedi persuasion (insert Clerks 2 joke here).
And in a few weeks, I’ll be seeing the 45th anniversary of Grease (I loathe musicals, but for some reason I love this stupid film).
Again, I love these anniversary showing of classic films. For those of us who weren’t old enough or weren’t around to see them in their first run, it’s a special experience, and for those who were there the first time, it’s magic all over again.
I’m taking a short break from my Tales from the Crypt re-watch for now. We’ll get back to it soon.
I was interviewed by Bob Pastorella this week for the THIS IS HORROR blog, which you can check out here: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/meet-the-writer-wesley-southard/
Currently watching: Very little at the moment outside of whatever my child is watching. I saw Evil Dead Rise last week. I didn’t care for it all. I’ll save my critique because I know everyone else loved it and I don’t want to shit on their parade.
Currently reading: The Thing Under Your Bed by Stephen Kozeniewski (finished last week, great novella!) and now DMV by Bentley Little (I was fortunate enough to score an ARC of this novel, and so far it’s been great! I’m a Little fan-boy, so this new satire novel is perfection).
Currently Listening to: Mastodon “Hushed and Grim” (getting pumped up for their show in a few weeks).
Here are my currently scheduled book signing events for the rest of the year:
StokerCon 2023
June 16-18
300 West Station Square Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Hanging out all weekend
Collingswood Book Festival
October 6th
Held along Haddon Avenue in Downtown Collingswood, NJ
Brownsville Library Horror Event
October 21
Brownsville, PA Library
(More info to come)
Halloween Hangover Event
November 3-4
Barnes and Noble LIbbie Place
5501 W. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23230
Signing books both days
Ghoulastic Book Fair
November 5th
Lovedraft’s Brewing Co.
165 Gateway Dr, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
I’m already looking ahead to 2024 and I’m making a list of shows I want to take part in. If you have shows or book events in your local area, please leave a comment and let me know. I’m looking all across the country for places to meet readers.
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Don’t forget, not only are all my books available on Amazon, signed books and book bundles are offered over at my webstore www.wesleysouthardhorror.com. Most orders come with tons of swag, including bookmarks, stickers, magnet and buttons, and most orders are fulfilled and shipped the next day. The webstore is designed for customers in the United States, so if you are outside of that and would like signed books, please don’t hesitate to email me at wesleysouthard@gmail.com and I can work with you to get books to your home country.
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That’s all for this week. See you next Sunday!