Rain, wind. One of those cozy Sundays.

The LOSING GRACELAND launch fast approaches–January 4th, 7 p.m., in the famous basement of the Brookline Booksmith. There will be free wine, live acoustic Elvis covers by Ted Wyman, an Elvis-themed dance contest sponsored by the Booksmith (winner gets $20 gift card and a free signed copy of my book), and the usual reading/Q&A. This event is open to the public, so bring ‘em if you got ‘em.

January is filling up with local events, so I’ll be posting a calendar soon. For now, we’re keeping the tour concentrated. New England and Buffalo, with a few stops between.

I cryptically mentioned MADFINGER Games in a recent FB posting, and with the contracts finalized, I can be more specific. I’ll be  working as a creative consultant for their next game, which means writing the dialogue and storylines (before video games included any sort of narrative, we youngsters played Choose-Your-Own-Adventure–I recall some excellent titles by Steve Jackson–and you can take this as proof that years spent in fantasy worlds can lead to something tangible). The project timeline will be short–3-4 months. When it’s done, of course we’ll be posting the trailers/clips here.

Then there’s LEMON Magazine (notice the all-caps trend?), which I’ve been flirting with for a few years. Founder Kevin Grady and I reached an agreement in which I’ll be consulting editor.

(now we reach that point in the conversation wherein the person sitting across from you realizes he’s done nothing but talk about himself, and there’s an awkward silence, and he opens the menu and mentions that the roasted chicken with whipped cauliflower looks good)

I’ve been watching this obsessively:

Harney & Sons makes an excellent iced tea. Rachel picked up a bottle at our local rest stop for gourmands, and I finished the whole thing in one sitting. It may not sound like an endorsement, but I’m not a caffeine guy, and I have this irrational fear of black tea staining my teeth. H&S overcame all hesitations. A perfect blend of tannic bitterness and five grams of sugar will do that.

Yes, I’m still searching for the perfect severed head prop. I’ve narrowed it down to a few choice selections–they must have that elusive balance of stiff hair, rot-exposed teeth, sallow skin, and anatomical realism. Photos will be uploaded when the quest is complete. Or not. I’m still not convinced this is a good idea. What will the neighbors say?

What else. I had a Throwback Thursdays Halloween special all planned, and then a nearly-completed short story died on the vine. I thought it was a decent idea made mediocre by poor execution. It was not. The poor execution was the result of a bad idea. These things happen. So the TT article will arrive at the end of November, consistent with my belief that Halloween should last for one month.

Every now and then I attempt to remind my readers that not all writers are soft-skinned sedentary-types. Some of us engage in manly pursuits, like brush-clearing. To wit:

Yes, that’s my boulder and my forest. Last year we cleared brush in preparation for the stone wall. I used a cordless saw and wore appropriate flannel. The hairy vine snaking up that elm in the background? Poison ivy. When left alone, poison ivy becomes monstrous. It becomes hairy. How cool is that?

(this picture reminds me of my need for a new camera, BTW)

My co-worker is Ted Wyman. He actually likes manual labor. I choose my friends wisely.

I’m working on a piece for LEMON magazine’s next issue, courtesy of Editor-in-chief/creative genius Kevin Grady. Stay tuned. Their last issue–the one focusing on Bowie–was ridiculously good.