D.T. Neal's Blog, page 7
September 4, 2024
This & That
At 54 years of age, I'd like to think one should have enough sense of oneself to adequately assess one's strengths and weaknesses. So, here goes, in no particular order:
WHAT I'M GOOD AT
Loving (I'm a loving person, what can I say; I love love, and those I love know they're loved)
Writing (only in the sense of being able to do it, versus writing what anyone particularly wants to read)
Making people laugh (my whole life I've been able to get people to laugh)
Cooking (I'm a decent cook)
Role-playing (I'm not an actor, but I know how to credibly play a role)
Criticism (I'm a good critic. I can always articulate what I don't like about something; also excellent at self-criticism)
Listening (I'm an active listener; even my ex said that about me, that I was a good listener)
Observing (I'm also very observant)
Fairness (I'm ridiculously fair, even to my own detriment)
Sarcasm (for most of my life, my smart mouth has been in top form)
Smartass (related to above, I'm a superb smartass)
Spending money (I'm fantastic at this)
Pissing people off (not to brag, but I'm good at earning people's ire, sometimes even without trying)
Deadpan humor (I excel at this)
Gallows humor (very good at this)
Nihilism (no slouch here, either)
Romanticism (I'm a diehard Romantic)
Flirting (I'm a good flirt)
Self-deprecation (I am good at this)
Taking action (very good at this)
Idealism (solidly idealistic)
Cynicism (also damned cynical, paradoxically enough; am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic? Who knows?)
Self-confidence (I'm more confident than not)
Remaining hopeful (also very good at this)
Punctuality (I'm almost ludicrously punctual)
Procrastination (good at this as well)
Self-hatred (masterful at this)
Philosophizing (damned good at this)
Brooding (I'm an exceptional brooder)
Being impatient (always)
Being passionate (never been a problem)
Being judgmental (rock-solid in this)
Being vindictive (top-shelf)
Marksmanship (I'm a good shot, or I was, at least; these days, I'm best at shooting my mouth off)
Making lists (exceptional at this)
Failing (VERY good at this)
There may be more I need to add to this, but this is a pretty good sample.
WHAT I'M GOOD AT
Loving (I'm a loving person, what can I say; I love love, and those I love know they're loved)
Writing (only in the sense of being able to do it, versus writing what anyone particularly wants to read)
Making people laugh (my whole life I've been able to get people to laugh)
Cooking (I'm a decent cook)
Role-playing (I'm not an actor, but I know how to credibly play a role)
Criticism (I'm a good critic. I can always articulate what I don't like about something; also excellent at self-criticism)
Listening (I'm an active listener; even my ex said that about me, that I was a good listener)
Observing (I'm also very observant)
Fairness (I'm ridiculously fair, even to my own detriment)
Sarcasm (for most of my life, my smart mouth has been in top form)
Smartass (related to above, I'm a superb smartass)
Spending money (I'm fantastic at this)
Pissing people off (not to brag, but I'm good at earning people's ire, sometimes even without trying)
Deadpan humor (I excel at this)
Gallows humor (very good at this)
Nihilism (no slouch here, either)
Romanticism (I'm a diehard Romantic)
Flirting (I'm a good flirt)
Self-deprecation (I am good at this)
Taking action (very good at this)
Idealism (solidly idealistic)
Cynicism (also damned cynical, paradoxically enough; am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic? Who knows?)
Self-confidence (I'm more confident than not)
Remaining hopeful (also very good at this)
Punctuality (I'm almost ludicrously punctual)
Procrastination (good at this as well)
Self-hatred (masterful at this)
Philosophizing (damned good at this)
Brooding (I'm an exceptional brooder)
Being impatient (always)
Being passionate (never been a problem)
Being judgmental (rock-solid in this)
Being vindictive (top-shelf)
Marksmanship (I'm a good shot, or I was, at least; these days, I'm best at shooting my mouth off)
Making lists (exceptional at this)
Failing (VERY good at this)
There may be more I need to add to this, but this is a pretty good sample.
August 28, 2024
Summervillainous
I'm nearing endgame with RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE, a novel that takes me back to the story & setting of my novella, SUMMERVILLE, which came out in 2013.
Revisions and such aside, this sequel has its own vibe that certainly references the original, but is in its own space.
It's one of my TBD horror books that came about before I turned my back on the genre, so it's kind of strange for me -- a ghost, in a way. I've enjoyed my time away from indie horror, honestly. RETURN will either be a confirmation of that enjoyment or a validation of my having moved away from it.
Curiously, the "working soundtrack" for this one has songs by the B-52's, Pylon, Southern Culture on the Skids, Kings of Leon, R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and Drive-By Truckers rotating around within it. This creates its own goofy vibe.
Given that readers seemed to like SUMMERVILLE and wanted more to that story, I'll be curious how RETURN is received (if at all). It's slated to appear in September (end of September, more precisely).
Shotgun | Southern Culture on the Skids
Revisions and such aside, this sequel has its own vibe that certainly references the original, but is in its own space.
It's one of my TBD horror books that came about before I turned my back on the genre, so it's kind of strange for me -- a ghost, in a way. I've enjoyed my time away from indie horror, honestly. RETURN will either be a confirmation of that enjoyment or a validation of my having moved away from it.
Curiously, the "working soundtrack" for this one has songs by the B-52's, Pylon, Southern Culture on the Skids, Kings of Leon, R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and Drive-By Truckers rotating around within it. This creates its own goofy vibe.
Given that readers seemed to like SUMMERVILLE and wanted more to that story, I'll be curious how RETURN is received (if at all). It's slated to appear in September (end of September, more precisely).
Shotgun | Southern Culture on the Skids
August 5, 2024
Asking
If you've read and enjoyed any of my books, I'd politely ask if you would leave a rating and/or a review on Goodreads, Amazon, and/or Barnes & Noble.
Even if it's just a simple review saying something like "I really enjoyed this book" -- I ask because my books are all so chronically under-reviewed and -rated, I fear that they get overlooked relative to others that have more vocal supporters.
It's something I've never been able to overcome, so I'm asking you readers out there: if you've liked my books, please consider leaving a rating and/or a review. It'll hopefully get more people aware of my work. If you've been following this blog for awhile, you should know which books are mine, but just in case...
D.T. Neal
Especially these:
THE WOLFSHADOW TRILOGY
CHOSEN
SUCKAGE
THE CURSED EARTH
THE THING IN YELLOW
SINGULARITIES
RELICT
SUMMERVILLE
THE DAY OF THE NIGHTFISH
Dave Neal
BRIGHTEYES
Dane Vale
Sagas of Irth series
Dean Vale
These books
Thanks in advance! My hope is some ratings and reviews might help get these books read and appreciated by others.
Even if it's just a simple review saying something like "I really enjoyed this book" -- I ask because my books are all so chronically under-reviewed and -rated, I fear that they get overlooked relative to others that have more vocal supporters.
It's something I've never been able to overcome, so I'm asking you readers out there: if you've liked my books, please consider leaving a rating and/or a review. It'll hopefully get more people aware of my work. If you've been following this blog for awhile, you should know which books are mine, but just in case...
D.T. Neal
Especially these:
THE WOLFSHADOW TRILOGY
CHOSEN
SUCKAGE
THE CURSED EARTH
THE THING IN YELLOW
SINGULARITIES
RELICT
SUMMERVILLE
THE DAY OF THE NIGHTFISH
Dave Neal
BRIGHTEYES
Dane Vale
Sagas of Irth series
Dean Vale
These books
Thanks in advance! My hope is some ratings and reviews might help get these books read and appreciated by others.
July 13, 2024
Summerville Time
As I've written before, my primary focus is outside of horror, with the SHUTTERCLIQUE series (superheroic urban fantasy), SAGAS OF IRTH (sword & sorcery/epic fantasy series), and SIGHTSEER (cyberpunk series) forming the main workload in terms of time and attention, I still have a few TBD horror books to get out there.
One of them is a sequel to SUMMERVILLE, one of my trio of eco horror novellas. SUMMERVILLE was a hat tip to Southern Gothic that came out in 2013 (!!) and has hit readers various ways. I've linked to the podcast review of it before from Horror Homeroom:
SUMMERVILLE
Which offers an interesting review of it (I keep hoping they'll review RELICT and/or NIGHTFISH, too, one of these days).
Anyway, plenty of readers have expressed over the years that they wished SUMMERVILLE was longer, or that they loved the story but hated the characters (!)
At any rate, I'll be putting RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE out there in September, which is a bigger story centered around that benighted southern town. It'll be a novel, so readers will get a bigger guzzle of a read that'll be a nice companion piece to the original.
I'm excited for readers to get their hands on this one, and hope they enjoy the ride!
Pavement | Shady Lane
One of them is a sequel to SUMMERVILLE, one of my trio of eco horror novellas. SUMMERVILLE was a hat tip to Southern Gothic that came out in 2013 (!!) and has hit readers various ways. I've linked to the podcast review of it before from Horror Homeroom:
SUMMERVILLE
Which offers an interesting review of it (I keep hoping they'll review RELICT and/or NIGHTFISH, too, one of these days).
Anyway, plenty of readers have expressed over the years that they wished SUMMERVILLE was longer, or that they loved the story but hated the characters (!)
At any rate, I'll be putting RETURN TO SUMMERVILLE out there in September, which is a bigger story centered around that benighted southern town. It'll be a novel, so readers will get a bigger guzzle of a read that'll be a nice companion piece to the original.
I'm excited for readers to get their hands on this one, and hope they enjoy the ride!
Pavement | Shady Lane
June 30, 2024
Book 4
After taking a break from writing Books 1-3 of THE SHUTTERCLIQUE back in February - April, I'm diving back into that world to write Book 4, and, depending how that goes, Books 5-7.
I'll admit that I'm driven by an urge to escape the dystopian world we're dealing with right now. The country's on the precipice of overt fascism, and various institutions are captive and corrupted by the whims of billionaires and the corporations that power their profits.
Giving myself some sanctuary in an urban fantasy world where there are still heroes and heroines able to dish out justice, truth, and hope. Sure, my characteristic smartassery will be in there, but there's also an earnest hope for better, especially in the face of what's going on in this country right now (and likely for the remainder of my life, since it won't stop even if Tr*mp is defeated).
Not sure how others cope, but for me, writing is definitely part of that coping process.
I'll admit that I'm driven by an urge to escape the dystopian world we're dealing with right now. The country's on the precipice of overt fascism, and various institutions are captive and corrupted by the whims of billionaires and the corporations that power their profits.
Giving myself some sanctuary in an urban fantasy world where there are still heroes and heroines able to dish out justice, truth, and hope. Sure, my characteristic smartassery will be in there, but there's also an earnest hope for better, especially in the face of what's going on in this country right now (and likely for the remainder of my life, since it won't stop even if Tr*mp is defeated).
Not sure how others cope, but for me, writing is definitely part of that coping process.
June 25, 2024
BRIGHTEYES Release
Today's release day for BRIGHTEYES, Book One of my SHUTTERCLIQUE series!
BRIGHTEYES
As ever, I don't expect much response, although it's a good book, and the honest reviews that've been coming through are really solid.
My hope is that as more readers discover BRIGHTEYES, the more interest will grow around it.
BRIGHTEYES
As ever, I don't expect much response, although it's a good book, and the honest reviews that've been coming through are really solid.
My hope is that as more readers discover BRIGHTEYES, the more interest will grow around it.
June 22, 2024
Meta's So Very Meta
One thing that's always in books I write are meta references to things such as fictional (mythical?) rock bands, restaurants, clubs, and such.
It amuses me to create such places as part of my worldbuilding. I put them in stories and my partner makes them into designs that can be marketed as merch.
Some examples include:
THE WOLFSHADOW TRILOGY
Lupitol
Cafe Amaranth
CHOSEN
Mercy River Whiskey Flask
THE THING IN YELLOW
Pallid Mask Tee
THE SHUTTERCLIQUE
There'll be a lot of meta-merch for the SHUTTERCLIQUE series, but here are a few starters...
SHUTTERCLIQUE Merch
It amuses me to create such places as part of my worldbuilding. I put them in stories and my partner makes them into designs that can be marketed as merch.
Some examples include:
THE WOLFSHADOW TRILOGY
Lupitol
Cafe Amaranth
CHOSEN
Mercy River Whiskey Flask
THE THING IN YELLOW
Pallid Mask Tee
THE SHUTTERCLIQUE
There'll be a lot of meta-merch for the SHUTTERCLIQUE series, but here are a few starters...
SHUTTERCLIQUE Merch
June 17, 2024
Shutterclique, cont'd
As promised, I thought I'd mention another primary character in The Shutterclique series -- Anna Victor, aka, Victoriana.
Curiously, the majority of characters I've created for the series are characters I've had sketched out for almost 30 years (!!) I'd abortively tried to put them into stories, but they didn't quite click. I have a lot of story fragments over the years.
However, this year, for whatever reason, I finally was able to get a concept together that worked for them, and away I flew.
Anna was one of the new characters I created for the series, and she immediately made the series stronger (ehh, pun intended) by her presence.
She embodies a very classically superheroic idealism and do-gooder desire. She's incredibly strong & invulnerable, can fly, and relishes scrapping with villains.
Victoriana is a fun character for me, because she's so sincere in her ambitions, and she's so powerful, which makes her a great contrast for Mitch (Cameraman), who has no powers. The two of them make a great team -- her passionately idealistic sense of justice plays well with Mitch's world-weary cynicism.
Anyway, the interplay of those characters absolutely drove my process in writing the series.
Victoriana has a Wonder Woman vibe to me, without the Greco-Roman stuffiness that character has. Victoriana is an ass-kicker, but she's no Amazonian princess or Mary Sue.
I hope readers can appreciate Anna, because she's one of my favorite characters I've created over the years.
Curiously, the majority of characters I've created for the series are characters I've had sketched out for almost 30 years (!!) I'd abortively tried to put them into stories, but they didn't quite click. I have a lot of story fragments over the years.
However, this year, for whatever reason, I finally was able to get a concept together that worked for them, and away I flew.
Anna was one of the new characters I created for the series, and she immediately made the series stronger (ehh, pun intended) by her presence.
She embodies a very classically superheroic idealism and do-gooder desire. She's incredibly strong & invulnerable, can fly, and relishes scrapping with villains.
Victoriana is a fun character for me, because she's so sincere in her ambitions, and she's so powerful, which makes her a great contrast for Mitch (Cameraman), who has no powers. The two of them make a great team -- her passionately idealistic sense of justice plays well with Mitch's world-weary cynicism.
Anyway, the interplay of those characters absolutely drove my process in writing the series.
Victoriana has a Wonder Woman vibe to me, without the Greco-Roman stuffiness that character has. Victoriana is an ass-kicker, but she's no Amazonian princess or Mary Sue.
I hope readers can appreciate Anna, because she's one of my favorite characters I've created over the years.
June 14, 2024
NetGalley
In case you're inclined to read & review, BRIGHTEYES is available on NetGalley for a limited time...
BRIGHTEYES
BRIGHTEYES
June 12, 2024
Shutterclique
With BRIGHTEYES about to come out (end of this month, and also soon to be available on NetGalley), you might be wondering (or not) what the Shutterclique is about?
Simply put, it's about superheroes, operating in a space between parody and sincerity -- both mocking and venerating superheroes, which is appropriate for my style and voice as a writer.
Growing up, I loved comic books, and my childhood (especially 1977 - 1987) had be gleefully collecting (mostly) Marvel comic books. Sure, I had a few DC titles here and there, but my main focus and allegiance was for Marvel comics.
The Shutterclique series is my homage to those years. It's not set in that time, but was definitely fueled by what I think is sometimes called "The Bronze Age" of comics.
One of the primary characters of this series is Mitch Paulsen, aka, Cameraman. He's a nonpowered superhero (as he sees himself), a kind of super investigative journalist/detective -- a Batman minus the wealth backing him, or like Daredevil, minus the tortured Catholicism. Cameraman's primary motive is using surveillance to catch bad guys who are otherwise untouchable within conventional law enforcement protocols.
That's a key aspect of his character -- he punches up, instead of punching down. If he were in Marvel, he'd be going after the Kingpin, versus, I don't know, the Porcupine or the Trapster.
As such, Cameraman's something of a super-pariah. Not an antihero, but he's made a bunch of powerful enemies with his actions, and seems to relish taking on the fat cats and power players in this world.
With a fair amount of paranoia in him, he's used to working solo, but all of that changes when he crosses paths with Anna Victor, aka, Victoriana, another primary character in the story. To be continued...
Simply put, it's about superheroes, operating in a space between parody and sincerity -- both mocking and venerating superheroes, which is appropriate for my style and voice as a writer.
Growing up, I loved comic books, and my childhood (especially 1977 - 1987) had be gleefully collecting (mostly) Marvel comic books. Sure, I had a few DC titles here and there, but my main focus and allegiance was for Marvel comics.
The Shutterclique series is my homage to those years. It's not set in that time, but was definitely fueled by what I think is sometimes called "The Bronze Age" of comics.
One of the primary characters of this series is Mitch Paulsen, aka, Cameraman. He's a nonpowered superhero (as he sees himself), a kind of super investigative journalist/detective -- a Batman minus the wealth backing him, or like Daredevil, minus the tortured Catholicism. Cameraman's primary motive is using surveillance to catch bad guys who are otherwise untouchable within conventional law enforcement protocols.
That's a key aspect of his character -- he punches up, instead of punching down. If he were in Marvel, he'd be going after the Kingpin, versus, I don't know, the Porcupine or the Trapster.
As such, Cameraman's something of a super-pariah. Not an antihero, but he's made a bunch of powerful enemies with his actions, and seems to relish taking on the fat cats and power players in this world.
With a fair amount of paranoia in him, he's used to working solo, but all of that changes when he crosses paths with Anna Victor, aka, Victoriana, another primary character in the story. To be continued...
