Cover Reveal!

The cover reveal for the urban legend anthology I will be in! Stay tuned for the Kickstarter project. You don't want to miss this T.O.C.

Be an Eighth Tower Patron

BE AN EIGHTH TOWER PATRON

 I am very excited to announce that Eighth Tower will begin periodically publishing a magazine of #DarkCulture, alongside music mixes, articles, interviews, books, dedicated CDs, printed artworks, early access and behind the scenes of artists, and many more.
#Patreon makes an important contribution to helping Raffaele Pezzella stay freelancing & curating more dark culture for everyone to enjoy.

If you value the work that Eighth Tower does in dark culture and beyond, Raffaele Pezzella needs your pride pledge now. 

Please support him at the level you can.
https://www.patreon.com/eighthtower

Also feel free to donate directly to www.paypal.com/paypalme/usggroup the amount you like.

Contact me in the comments below, if you are interested in contributing to the magazine.

A Cold and Creative Projects

 

I've been absent with a cold or something and sleeping a lot the past week. I have lots of exciting news, but most of it is top secret, until the projects are revealed. You will be the first to hear about them, as soon as my mouth isn't taped shut! It's so hard not sharing cool news and just jumping around your living room in celebration before shambling off to bed or the kitchen for food.

I do have some news I can share, though. I am now a Getty Images Stock Photographer and they are much easier to work with than Shutterstock for creative types. I've been taking walks when I feel I can muster the energy and editing and submitting snaps. I've been doing small makeshift studio shots at home too. I have a few stories I am working on, which are hush hush. Sorry! I also finished reading 162 submissions for two presses and am glad to be moving onto other projects. Stay tuned ...

In the meantime, you can buy my photography here.

A Walking Meditation: Relax Your Creative Monster

When I need to recharge between projects or am working out a plot point, I walk. Walking is a great way to let my mind wander and play. It never fails to relax me and help improve my storytelling. I normally take a lot of photos, which is great because I am submitting them to Shutterstock for royalties, so my walks serve a dual purpose. I also get a really good workout because I am gone on average about an hour at a time.

Have you tried a walking meditation when your writer's mind needs space? If you take pictures on your walks, please share them below in comments. I'd love to see your art or hear about any other suggestions you have for relaxing your mind.

The Pencil in the Eye Is Mightier Than the Sword

The infamous pencil.

In middle of September, I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I was staying at a friend's house and was unfamiliar with the layout of the place in the dark. I ran into a tray with a lamp and a pencil cup. I tripped and imbedded the pencil shown on the right in my left eye. My head slammed into the tray and I acquired lovely bruises. I was rushed to the emergency room because my injury wouldn't stop bleeding and I was worried I would lose my eyesight.

The pencil to left is the one that broke off in my eyeball. I've included my original injury pics, along with some pics as it is healing. 

It was point down and unsharpened, but it still caused a lot of damage. I honestly don't know how I fell that hard. It looked like someone invisible pushed me. 

At the emergency room.

Getting stabbed in the eye fucking hurts like Satan's poker is spitting your eyeball in hell. No amount of pain killers makes this okay. I had about eight stitches. I was in the ER for 13 hours. I have had many follow-up visits because I have ongoing headaches, double vision, nausea, and an infection that took three antibiotics to heal. A few months later and I still suffer from double vision, headaches, and nausea. I have a cyst underneath my lower eyelid I am having removed right before Christmas. Yes, I can definitely use this horrific experience in my own horror stories. No, I don't recommend stabbing yourself in the eye with a pencil.

More bruised leg pics.

Healing slowly

My bruised leg.

Eye exam chair.

Pretty gnarly healing.

Scary pencil injury facts you didn't know.

Have you injured your eye? Did it hurt like a motherf? Tell me in the comments. Share your pain.

What Have You Been Watching?

In between my writing and editing projects, I need to relax. I've been watching some great cinema with excellent storytelling. Here are my top three from the past month:

1) The gnome to the left agrees with me that (Nisser) Elves (TV Series 2021) is an awesome mix of folklore and holiday fun. It follows the journey of a family Christmas vacation when an ancient creature on the island seeks vengeance. I'm sure a lot of you have seen the previews and thought, "This looks terrible," but I assure you it's wonderful. It follows the ancient advice of respecting the forest and is a grim tale with a really cute puppet. And one of the best holiday films I've seen in years!

The puppetry in here is great fun. It is an homage to Jim Henson. The film has an 80s horror feel. The opening credits and the music suit the storytelling. I would say more, but then I would give away my absolute favorite character, since Gizmo in the 80s.

2) Midnight Mass is the second Netflix series I recommend. It plays on the old trope of a vampire priest, but the writing and the acting are beautiful. I enjoyed this little seaside island turning into monsters. And the last speech about death at the end of the series makes me cry. I don't cry at movies very often. This one is worth bingeing and I promise it's not "just" an old trope. There's a bit of a twist.

3) The last one is a new release on HBO, The Power of the Dog. This film's cinematography, the acting, the writing, the music, and the tasteful ending are trademarks of Jan Campion. She's made another beautiful film and it's a western! Let me know what you think of the ending, if you've watched it. 

Please be sure to share your movie recommendations in the comments. I love a good flick. Also feel free to steer me away from a horrible choice. It would be much appreciated. What have you been watching?

 

Welcome to Shutterstock!

 

I have been accepted to sell my photography on Shutterstock! I finally took the plunge and submitted. Wish me luck. They have very strict guidelines, and I haven't had a photo accepted, yet. I am going to apply to Getty. I think they might be more open to my artsy style.

What have you been doing lately?