Rearview 2023

Well, friends, here we are: at the tail end of 2023. I, for one, feel like it snuck up on me—I can’t believe Christmas is only (checks calendar) 5 DAYS AWAY. It seems like each year goes by faster than the last, and even faster if you’ve got kids.

Even though the state of the world in 2023 has been…less than great, to say the least, it has, personally, been a great year for me and my family, as I hope it has been for you and yours.

Author Stuff

On the author front, 2023 has been pretty big for me. I had my chapbook collection of short stories, The Magic of Everyday Things, published in April by Alien Buddha Press; my novella, City of Spores, was picked up by Madness Heart Press for publication in 2024 (more info on that to come!) ; my short story, “Feels Like the End of the World,” was published by Wyld Flash in August; and in September, I self-published an illustrated chapbook, Goodly Creatures, featuring incredible artwork from Pat Hughes. I also spent the majority of the year working on my first novel, Black Coral; I’ve written over 60K words for it, but so far, only 30K of those words are useable. I’m taking a break for the holidays, but I plan on jumping right back into Black Coral at the start of 2024!

2023 also marked the first time I attended a con (AuthorCon in Williamburg, VA, in April) and the first time I did an in-person event (Lit Book Fair in Ashburn, VA, in September).

Pics or it didn’t happen: Baby’s first author event. Photo by Sarah Shirey. Best Of 2023

There were a lot of incredible books, movies, and music that came out in 2023, and I figured this last newsletter of the year would be a great time to share my picks for the Best of the Year. I’m going to try to pick JUST ONE for each category, which, as you’ll see, is very hard for me. Please note that these picks are very much MY favorite releases of the year—as in, this list is ridiculously biased!

Best Book of 2023

There were SO MANY great books that came out this year, it’s really an embarrassment of riches. A lot of my writing friends released books in 2023, so much so that I’m tempted to just paste all of them here, but in the spirit of a true Best Of list, I’m going to pick JUST ONE (God, this is hard…):

Don’t Fear the Reaper , by Stephen Graham Jones

This terrifying post-modern slasher novel is, in my eyes, a genuine masterpiece. It’s a triumph of voice, style, setting, character, and above all, gut-twisting terror. I have not stopped thinking about this book since I read it back in February.

Best Movie of 2023

There were some great flicks that came out this year—Barbie, Mission: Impossible, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Quiz Lady, and many more—but only one of them takes the cake for my Best of 2023:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Mutant Mayhem felt like a movie made specifically for me: it’s funny, weird, goofy, and full of heart, with a banging soundtrack (courtesy of Nine Inch Nails maestro Trent Reznor) and mind-bogglingly gorgeous visuals to boot. And it’s rewatchable as all get-out.

Best Album of 2023

Okay, I’m going to have to cheat for this one. Picking one is just WAY too hard for me, especially since I’ve had FOUR albums that came out this year pretty much playing on repeat. So, for Best Album of 2023, I’m going with a 4-way tie:

War Against All , Immortal

I can’t get enough of Immortal’s brand of catchy, ice-cold, riff-based black metal, and even though I miss Abbath’s frog-like croaks and shimmering guitar work, Demonaz’ demonic shrieks do more than hold their own, and his own guitar work has never been better, or more volatile.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation , King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

This album is just *chef’s kiss*, and definitely my favorite music discovery of the year. It’s effortlessly catchy, headbangable, and psychedelic all at once—often in the same song—and while it feels like a throwback to the heyday of Motorhead and the like, it’s somehow very much it’s own unique thing, and, I think, destined to be a stone-cold classic.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem , Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Anyone who knows me knows Trent Reznor is my favorite musician of all time. I hold him in very high regard—I think he’s a legitimate musical genius—and I can’t think of a single piece of music by him that I didn’t enjoy in some way, shape, or form. Reznor’s work with his longtime musical partner, Atticus Ross, on the Mutant Mayhem soundtrack is some of the most vibrant music he’s ever created—which is fitting for a such a vibrant film. I can’t fully articulate how much joy it brings me to have my favorite musician score a TMNT movie, as the Ninja Turtles were such a huge part of my childhood.

One More Time, Blink-182

I grew up listening to Blink-182, and it was a terrible blow when Tom left. Even though I enjoyed the albums Mark and Travis put out with Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, it was never really the same without Tom. So not only was I ecstatic that Tom came back into the fold and patched things up with Mark and Travis, but I was blown away by the strength of their comeback album—it’s like they haven’t missed a beat. Personally, I think it’s the best thing Blink’s put out since their self-titled album, and I think it rates right up there with Enema of the State, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, and Self-Titled. One More Time is definitely the work of a more mature Blink-182, but don’t let that maturity fool you: this is just as powerful as the stuff they made in the days of their (our) youth, and at times, just as silly. It’s perfect.

Signing Off

Well folks, that’s it for 2023. I’ll see you in 2024!

Thanks again for stopping by and reading.

Take care, stay strange—and have a very Merry Christmas and very Happy Holidays!

—Austin

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please subscribe—you’ll get a free eBook of my short story, “Magus,” available EXCLUSIVELY for subscribers!

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I’d also love it if you considered checking out my new illustrated chapbook, Goodly Creatures, a weird sci-fi thriller for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Jurassic Park.