And share it with you.

Give me a week or two to finish up, and I will post an update on it soon,

Now don’t let that last post give you any untoward ideas. I strive for to.cuotivate a well-rounded palate. Horror isn’t all I consume–just what I enjoy and given the choice, what I’d consume. To be fair, it’s easily 80-90% of what I watch, though less of what I read, current trends notwithstanding. The remaining 10% is pretty diverse, but 50% of it is garbage.

70%…

OK, 90%. 

I. LOVE. Watching. TRASH.

And I’m not talking subjective trash you can bluff your way out of with an “everyone has different tastes” , but things that are bad in all categories. Bad writing, cheap costumes and SFX, piss-poor delivery? Give it to me! My only criteria is that it be interesting.

Not all trash is worth watching, but there’s more good than you think.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve clicked through Netflix or Prime’s catalogs and paused on a movie with an interesting premise and a name I’ve never heard of. My gaze slides over to the deets and I realize it’s either 10 years old or younger than 6 months and I’ve only heard of one person in it, if I’m lucky.

But it’s too late. I’m far too invested. I let it play.

None of that means it’ll automatically be bad. Some of my favorite horror movies hit all of those criteria. I watch on because one thing I’ve come to understand from giving into trash’s siren call so frequently is that I can learn something from them (usually).

While other qualities fall by the wayside, these flicks tend to do one thing really well. It isn’t a constant; it varies from movie to movie. One might have gotten the atmosphere just right another might have done a lot with their limited FX budget. Most of the time, though, I notice that they’ll have a decent story until they don’t. That’s when they stop being fun. I forgive them this because it’s a failing across all media, not limited by time, budget or number of stars attached to the picture. Sometimes you’ve got to enjoy the journey, even if the story’s got a biffed ending (From, I’m looking at you)

As “bad” as that sounds, I hope that that is what I’m giving to you, dear reader. If you
aren’t thrilled with the ending, I hope that you at least enjoy how we arrive there.

What are some things that you enjoy that might be considered “bad”?

P.S.: though a lot of it is lost to the algorithm, here’s some of my favorite trash(updated as I remember)

Last Straw (Prime)

In Our Blood (Prime)

Man Finds Tape(Prime)

Pretty Lethal (Prime)

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman (Prime)

Bones and All(Prime)

Abigail(Prime)

The Island of Doctor Moreau (1996)

Samurai Cat (Prime)

The Edge of Sleep(Prime) (this one might actually be good, just slept on)

Having no friends, not really able to develop any outdoor hobbies or interests, I leaned heavily on reading for escapism. Gaming would join in later, but reading was something I was into before gaming was even really a thing. I read voraciously, whatever I could get my hands on. Sci-fi, the odd fantasy, even a few romance novels I found in a cardboard box in my grandmother’s living room one summer and then never saw again. I craved the stimulation because it gave me something when I had nothing. Over time, my interests refined to being 99% sci-fi before I was actually free to go out and expand my horizons. I lacked balance then, but when you were suppressed to the level that I was, some things fall by the wayside. But you always come back to old comforts.

When I rediscovered my reading roots, I started on romance, something that had been off-limits before and after finding that treasure cache. But now I was spending my own money, doing what I wanted. I stayed in that genre for a piece, and around the same time, I started getting into horror.

As a child, the horror genre was also off-limits, and reasonably so. I couldn’t watch it; my little brain didn’t even realize people wrote books about it save for something like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but that didn’t stop my cousin, who was only a year older than me, from using his infrequent visits to the house to regale me with retellings of the movies he’d been allowed to watch: American Werewolf in London, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13^th. When I watched these movies later, I felt like I’d already seen them from the enthusiasm he put into his stories. I’m not sure why he wanted to tell me; I never asked, and I never flinched (mostly), so I’m not sure what he got out of it other than the need to share. He was an only child, and I never heard him talk of friends, so that might have had something to do with it.

Once I started watching horror and paranormal fiction on my own, I developed a hunger that wouldn’t stop. It started with a few movies here and there, then gritting my way through games like Dead Space (if you know, you know) in 20-minute spurts, to reading several books a year, having a gaming backlog be 50% horror games, and watching several movies a week. If I need something for background noise to work to, I will opt for horror over comedies or romances. Horror tropes tend to be more unpredictable to me, they take more risks, throwing the baby out with the bathwater and doing something totally unpredictable. And I don’t mean the high-budget, high-art pieces. I mean the gritty, low-budget ventures with nothing to lose. Yes, half the time they miss, but when they hit, it’s amazing.

Reading horror took me longer to start than it did watching it. One of my ugly habits is comparing what I read to what I can do. And while this might help foster growth, sometimes it can stunt it. I was afraid of that happening, since it was so outside of my wheelhouse. I couldn’t conceive of where to even start. It intimidated me to no end. Eventually I grew out of that, and my only regret is not starting sooner.

I’ve had so many recent favorites that inspired me to take the plunge and try writing something in the horror vein for myself, that I wanted to share them and some of my all-time favs with you.

I promise not to spoil anything.

Movies

I’ll name a couple off the top of my head. More thorough descriptions are in my Letterboxd

• When Evil Lurks (2023)
• Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones(2014) (this is movie #5 in the series)
• Skinamarink (2023)
• Bring Her Back (2025)

Books

I have been proselytizing about these books for months. If you’ve met me in person, I’ve probably mentioned these to you. So why haven’t you read them yet? (The Amazon links are affiliate links. Or you can try your luck on thriftbooks.com)

• The Graceview Patient by Caitin Starling – This combined so many of my favorite things together, plus it felt very close to the situation I’ve been going through at the time of reading. I devoured it in a 6 1/2 hour plane ride.
• Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez – I’ve never read a book quite like this before. It felt lush with detail without giving you too much, and the time jumps felt appropriate.
• Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker – This one was really twisty, which I like from my horror movies. The ending felt a little biffed, but I enjoyed the journey a lot.

Games

• Silent Hill 2 Remake (2023). Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards for me to play it the first time around.
• Dead Space (2008)
• Silent Hill f (2025)
• Indika (2024)
• Mouthwashing (2024)
• Layers of Fear (2016)
• The Chillaz Arts catalog (2018 – Present)

Podcasts/Youtube Channels

Not a lot here, but I still enjoy them pretty well.

• Old Gods of Appalachia – Makes me feel like I was a son of the mountain in a past life
• Hong Kong Horror (Youtube)
• The Tape Library (Youtube)
• 4th Wall (Youtube)
• WeMadeItTogether (Youtube)

Tell me, have you played/read/watched/listened to any of these?

If so, what were your thoughts? If not, which seem the most appealing?

Not a fan of horror at all? If you don’t mind sharing, leave your why in the comments.

I grew up an indoor kid. There are various reasons why that happened, but the end result was that I spent more time indoors than out, playing video games or curled up with a good book. I loved words, the power they had to make you feel different, think different, create worlds in your head. I always wanted to do that, but I wasn’t sure where to start.

For a long time, I wanted to be a journalist (not exactly the twist you saw coming, but stick with me), but that was vetoed pretty early on, as were other ideas of the kind of person I wanted to be. I had no support system or any kind of encouragement to try to go after what I wanted, so I went along with what my wardens parents wanted of me, but found a way to have an outlet in some ways.

I always wanted to write. I had teachers in elementary and junior high who saw it as their focus to try to cultivate that passion in their students. I remember in 4th grade, my teacher had us create several books throughout the year. Two that I can recall off the top of my head was a biography I did about my maternal grandmother, and the other was a fable I made up about a fish.

But then high school came, and I wasn’t encouraged in any way to do anything, pretty much. Maybe they figured I should have figured out by then what I wanted to do for the rest of my life (haha), or maybe it was just a shitty school. Both things can be true. Long story short, I didn’t pick up much in those 4 years that I would take with me for the rest of my life, other than the knowledge that the people who are supposed to help you will let you down worse than anyone else.

I floundered, going through the motions of what I felt like I was supposed to be doing, what I’d been pressured into doing. I didn’t read unless it was for my coursework, I largely stopped playing games(due in no small part that I couldn’t afford them). I didn’t do much of anything I used to enjoy. I existed, and that felt like too much at the time.

Then, I found fan fiction.

And for years, I just read and read, never thinking I could contribute to the collective. I didn’t like any fandoms enough to want to spend that much time trying and failing to write. What if no one liked it? What if I was bad at it? Just read other people’s efforts; let them be vulnerable. It was fine to spectate.

Until that changed, too.

I’ll spare you the long story, but it involved being diagnosed with a chronic illness, not knowing what it meant or what came next, and figuring out what I wanted out of life. So I started writing. For years, it was fan fiction. It changed from new perspectives on well-trodden paths, to new paths, to OCs in new worlds, and at that point, I said why not write my own worlds?

All of this to say that I am not formally trained in this. I am learning every paragraph, and with that growth comes the realization that I want more from myself. I’m on my 4th or 5th draft of the last Blood Sealed book, and each time I go over it, something gets added. Not words, or ideas, but the weight of this being the best that I can do at this moment, that it’s better than the last draft, but the next draft might be even better, needing to push, to draw more out of myself. I know at some point I’ll have to stop, to send it out into the world, and it’ll be out of my hands, but I’m not ready yet.

Close, but not yet.

Have you ever dealt with something like this?

Enjoy!

My husband, my friend and I have been exploring our new home and the surrounding area. It doesn’t quite feel like home yet. The beginning of the year was unkind, but we’re healing, slowly. Everything feels unsure, even this.

I don’t post a lot on social media, but that doesn’t mean I’m not always working. My brain is always tuned to this, cataloguing experiences, feelings, figures, sounds, pain, joy, smells. But I think I’ve had my fill of some of those for awhile.

I’ve written about 3/4 of the next Shige and Phil book, but I think I need a rest. Just for a little while. Hopefully I’ll have something to share soon.

I’ll tell you where I’ve been. Not having a good time, that’s where!

Life has just been kicking my butt. In the last year, I was in the hospital 6 times; my husband and I experienced the loss of a family member; I think I mentioned moving across the country and how involved that was. It’s just been A LOT.

I had surgery in May and I’ve started a new medication, so hopefully that particular set of woes is behind me now, but it’s been all doctors, medications, pills, referrals, recommendations! Some of the medication had adverse effects on me. And I couldn’t get off it because of the good. All that while struggling at my day job. And those adverse effects? Made my day job that much harder.

But I’m here now… still struggling, still working, and trying to find time for my craft. I won’t lie, I thought about giving up in the time I’ve been away. But the desire was always there, a tickle in the back of my mind, that kept me from feeling satisfied.

So I’ve been scratching away at this last book in Shige and Phil’s story(for now), making headway(I think). I just want it to better reflect where I am now, personally, skill-wise, and developmentally. We’ll see if I succeed in that.

I know better than to try to give myself a hard deadline of a date, but I hope to have this SOON.

Until next time!

Let me explain.

I mean this as sincerely as possible. Life has a way of life-ing and it’s taken me away from what I loved the most. This. Writing, creating worlds, and interacting with new people. I didn’t want to let it get in the way but some things are unavoidable.

I’ll make a long story short and bearable, at the risk of retrodding old territory. While I’ve been away I had some medical issues come up and get addressed, I’ve gotten some diagnoses, and I’ve started a job that’s honestly not been great for my health, but the consistency of income has been great. However, it leaves me mentally drained. It’s intense and isolating at worst and it’s left me struggling to pick up a pen and progress on what I owe. That doesn’t mean I’ve written nothing, it just hasn’t been up to the standards I’ve set for myself, but I’m sure I’m being harsh. I haven’t let my beta/editor read it yet, but I will. Soon.

Add on top of that, my newsletter site is no longer working, my author emails haven’t been forwarding, AND my partner and I just moved clear across the country AND I hit the big 4-0 right at the end of the trip. It’s been a lot, but I’m hanging in there while I try to adjust to working on East Coast time while living on West Coast time and trying to make the apartment we’ve moved into feel less cavernous. We pretty much took nothing but our PCs, our clothes, and our cats. I’ll write more about that at a later time, but I’ll include some photos.

I don’t think I’ll have any offerings before the end of the year, but 2025 is a whole new ballgame. Watch this space. And if I don’t have anything out before the end of first quarter 2025, I owe everyone reading this a nickel.

(this is not a binding contract. I am a broke indie author please have mercy.)

ALSO! I was recently made aware that my little incentive link isn’t working and hasn’t been for SOME TIME.

So for all interested, here is a copy of that freebie plus one more that should have been available a millennia ago.

Yours,

Jet

The last two years have been rough. My anxiety was at its peak, pushed on with worry about myself, the people around me, the world. I’ve started so many things and haven’t made much headway because it’s been impossible to focus. But I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I guess that’s what I want to impart today. Things will change, nothing stagnates. No matter how bad things might seem.

In the coming year, I hope to have news to share with you. I don’t want to make any promises and get held up by life again, so I won’t pin myself to a time limit, but within the next 364 days.

I hope your 2022 is safe and happy. 

So what’s in a name? Why do people choose to name characters the things that do or leave out a proper name all together and give them a title?

Story First

What is a character other than a part of the story? Sometimes a writer wanted to focus on the whole of the story rather than the sum of its parts.

Some writers use nameless characters to prevent fun taking the focus off the story itself. I’ve found often times these characters tend to have personalities that match their lack of names: secretive and cagey with details about themselves all in a concerted effort to keep the audience from growing too attached. Obviously this isn’t all any I can’t speak for any writer who’s done this. It’s just something I’ve noticed in my experience.

A Rose by Any Other Name

In pretty much every culture, a person’s name, first and last, have a meaning. Sometimes writers (like me) choose names that have meanings that relate to the character directly.

For example: in my book Nasu one of the leads is named Shigeru or Shige for short. Shige means exuberant, and Shigeru which means luxury and growth, both of which seem to fit him pretty well. For most of the names I’ve chosen across all of my work, a character’s name alludes to a trait they have or maybe something about their future. It’s my secret wish that a few readers will Google a character’s name and stumble across the Easter Eggs I’ve sprinkled throughout the books.

The other main character in Nasu’s name is Felipe, but he goes by Phil, a nod to his biracial origins and the pressure of people from non-English speaking backgrounds to conform in something as simple as a name when people don’t put in the effort to try to pronounce their name correctly.

This is something I’ve had to deal with my given name even from an English speaking background, as people constantly mispronounce it. Here’s a hint: it’s not Sharon or Janet is even close but people have called me both.

So with all that said, I have some questions for you:

If you’re a writer/create characters for various things, what goes into selecting a name for your or choosing to give a title rather than a name?

And lastly, what’s your favorite name? Let me know in the comments.

It’s not a self-congratulatory pat on the back, but I have to ask… What’s your favorite part from one of my books?

Last year around this time, I had a giveaway, wanting to give out something fun for people who’ve supported me in some way (buying the books, being part of my FB family, retweeting, reposting)What ended up happening was a lot of people who didn’t know who I was entered and were only interested in the prize. It was disheartening, but this year, I was determined to not let that happen.

That’s why, on this post, in as many or as few words as you want, I want you to let me know what was your favorite part of any of my three books. That’s it. That’s all you have to do. But PLEASE add your email to your comment name so that I can contact you. As a bonus, it may help my self esteem (haha) but really, it’s to root out anyone who isn’t really interested beyond the prizes.

But on to the prizes!

This year, I thought I’d keep it simple with a print copy of one of my books (signed or not is up to you) as a set of stickers and the obligatory $5Aamazon credit. There’s one winner for each prize, but it’s first come first serve. I’ll leave it open until Midnight, October 1st 2020. I’ll announce the winners shortly after on my social media..

Happy writing!