Happy New Year! I wish you and yours all the best for the coming year. I hope you make the art, write the books, visit the places, take the chances, try the foods, be more you, and slay your monsters!
In 2024, I’m hoping to review loads more films, particularly indie films but also films coming to streaming. And I’ll be sticking with my usual genres: horror, dark-fantasy, western, and sci-fi. Maybe with the occasional action movie thrown in because sometimes they’re just too good to ignore. I’d love to add indie movie release dates to my monthly roundups -even if I haven’t reviewed the movie- so that more people can see these amazing films.
Expand your viewing pleasure, discover new talented filmmakers, actors, and stories that you might not find in the mainstream media. Indie films can also offer you a diverse perspective on the world, society, and yourself. So, when you find one you love, share it with friends, recommend it, and review it!
Pulp Fiction Novels | What I’m Writing
My whole situation changed just before Covid and I’ve been trying to find my new equilibrium ever since. But I have been working on two of the Noctisbellum books -Long Undead and a spin off called The Midnight Bookstore, which may or may not take on a pulp fiction quality. I’ve also still got A Kiss To Die For to finish, which is very definitely a pulp fiction hallmark horror, because who doesn’t want one of those, right? More than enough to be getting on with.
Pulp Fiction has always been a draw for me in my writing, the quick way of writing, the minimal editing, the structure. Probably because I’ve spent a lot of time reading them, particularly growing up, where I’d pick them up from charity shops and devour them in one weekend. Charity shop pulp fiction books have their own particular smell, tend to look like they’ve enthralled readers a hundred times already, and still look good on the bookshelf (nope, my bookshelf is not filled with fancy hardcovers, spines out).
And pulp fiction can be inspiring, featuring heroes and heroines who overcome challenges, dangers, and villains with courage, wit, and charm. I mean, seriously, how often have you replayed a conversation and wished you’d thought of those witty comebacks at the time? Read a few pulp fiction books and you’ll be able to keep a whole bushel of witty comebacks in your back pocket from a book that will also fit in your back pocket!
I’m thinking about making my upcoming pulp fiction books only available through my website so that I can keep costs down. The price of a print on demand novel is quite phenomenal for what you get, in some cases. And pulp fiction is meant to be cheap, on cheap paper, and written with a certain amount of speed and wild abandon. Editing is minimal, historically, but I don’t think I can abandon that particular part of the process to the edit as you go method of traditional pulp fiction. Oh, the horror!
Talking about Horror | Classic Monsters and More
Monsters reflect the fears, desires, and conflicts of society and civilization. They can represent unknown aspects of ourselves, letting us explore the nature and diversity of life. Many of our favourite monsters have been with us our entire lives and are forever evolving, with new and reimagined versions cropping up again and again. They show us the possibilities and potential of ourselves and society for transformation (and send me running back to the house when there’s a noise at the dark end of the garden). Just a shame not everyone enjoys watching horror!
But with new writers, directors, and actors, new monsters emerge. Monster movies like Hereditary, The Meg, A Quiet Place, The Nun, Bird Box, and Old. From demons, to prehistoric sharks, to aliens, to invisible entities, to natural phenomenon. I can’t wait to see what new monsters 2024 brings -on the big screen, obviously. I think we’ve had enough horrors to deal with in the real world for the time being.
So, if you want to discover new monsters with me, be in-the-know about upcoming Indie movies, and hear occasionally about my latest writing adventures, sign up for the Social Media Bypass and get a weekly email with all the latest posts.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
