“When I send my ex-wife her alimony, you can lick the stamps.” – Psycho (1960)
I spent an afternoon working on a loose summary of my entire book idea. I’ve never been one to like outlining–I blame my undiagnosed ADD–but I’m giving it a shot anyway. It turns out it is true, what everyone says, starting is the toughest part of getting on our way to doing anything.
It’s the end of August, but my favorite part of the year is quickly approaching and it’s comforting to me. For a brief time we end up with the most perfect weather; gone are the days where it’s stifling hot and the evening chill doesn’t chase you back home to nest under a blanket quite yet. September and October are simply added motivation for me to explore all the horror movies I have yet to see.
Cleaning and organizing my apartment is something I’ve been putting off for too long because it always ends up being overwhelming. I never have enough storage space for all of it and then I end up asking myself if it’s time to go through everything I own. It usually ends with me quickly heading toward an existential crisis and wondering if I have too much stuff.
Since I’ve committed to spending more time on writing and reading I’ve felt less stressed, which is probably no surprise. Reading has always been a great way to get your brain to shut off when you need a break.
What I’m working on…
I should be making jewelry for the markets I have coming up, but I’ve decided to give myself a little more time to do other creative things I enjoy. I’m still unsure what the future looks like for my little business because times are tough right now. People don’t have disposable income to spend on things they don’t need, trust me I understand. Working on a book is a long haul project, something I don’t immediately feel I’m making progress toward, but I’m making progress nonetheless.
What I’m watching…
I watched Psycho a few days ago with my mom and nephew. I got a lot of flack from people as a self-proclaimed horror lover when I admitted I’ve never seen the movie. As the film crawled to its suspenseful conclusion–which I won’t ruin if you– it had been driven home for me why this movie is such a classic when we think of more recent horror movies.
A young woman flees with a couple stacks of stolen cash, likely in an attempt to start over with her recently separated lover. Anxious and paranoid, she stops at a motel for the night when heavy rainstorms make it impossible to navigate the road. The only way to get in touch with the rest of the world from the remote Bates Motel is a payphone outside the building. Kids my nephew’s age don’t understand how isolating it would be when you’re not constantly connected by technology; there’s no one monitoring your location and no quick text messages to check in to see if someone is alright.
Psycho delves into one man’s deep psychological trauma and sends us down a rabbit hole of suspense all while confronting old societal taboos.
What I’m reading…
I just finished Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson, a dreadful and at times gruesome Irish folklore horror story. As much as I love horror, I am still very much a bit of a wimp when the sun goes down and the world gets quiet. One unfortunately fateful night, Etain Larkin finds a corpse on the side of the road in the remote Irish countryside. The unsettling and gruesome events that follow will break her, sending shockwaves through her family as they are once again rattled by tragedy years later.
Neil Sharpson’s writing pulled me into this story even during the slower, drawn out moments. The use of shifting back and forth between the past and present as well as multiple points of view was done with care, lending to the mystery of this story as the pieces began to slot together. Part queer romance, horror, and folk tale, this book really struck the perfect balance between themes of fractured family, identity, and trauma. I would recommend reading content warnings before picking up this book if any of this sounds like it could be sensitive subject matter.
My one critique would be the last quarter of the book begins to fall apart a bit. There is a lot to love about the final act bringing in the trope of a cursed television show and some mysterious group serving an ancient creature to keep the world in balance. Though Sharpson manages to maintain an eery atmosphere throughout the book, I felt I needed to school myself in the folklore that inspired this story in order to understand what was happening. Sharpson himself admitted to taking liberties when the folklore interfered with the story he was crafting.
Normally, I’m one who is fine with the unexplained because explanations don’t always benefit a horror story, but this one needed clarification. I still don’t understand who the mysterious men in the last part were serving and to what end.
I don’t plan on leaving the house too much the next few days as the heat index climbs to 100 degrees in Columbus. Guess that gives me time to try to get this book club together I’ve been thinking about because I miss talking to people about books. The end of summer is bittersweet knowing winter will be here before I’m ready because I’ve lived in the Midwest my whole life and I’m never ready.
The Rummy Writer 