Hello. I’m Bob Pastorella, co-host of the This Is Horror podcast, website manager for This Is Horror, and writer. I’m the author of Mojo Rising, They’re Watching (with Michael David Wilson), and have numerous short-stories and non-fiction online and in print in various publications.
Previous newsletters can be found here.
Hoo boy, things have been crazy.
Retail hell, baby, that’s where it’s at. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but the daily grind has ground me down and now it’s time to see what kind of condition my condition is in. I won’t bore you fine folks with the details because I really don’t have an excuse for not putting out a newsletter lately other than pure laziness. I’ve been writing, just not writing here, so that’s a good thing, right?
RIGHT?
Anyway, I just came back from Ghoulish Book Fest 2023, and it was a blast.
Hold on … that’s an understatement.
IT WAS A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE!
Okay, that’s better. Holy shit this fest is so good. This was the 2nd annual, and there’s probably going to be one next year, and all I’ll say is if you were on the fence about attending this year, you should really consider attending in 2024 if you can make it. The vibe is electric. It’s welcoming and it feels like family. Even the first time attendees could feel it. Max and Lori busted their asses to make this year a success and they knocked it out of the park.
I feel invigorated and inspired, and even though I’m not in any kind of creative slump, especially since I’m working on a screenplay for The Small Hours, I think I needed this fest as a swift kick in the ass to remind me my day job is just that, a job, and the work I want to do, my passion, is writing, and it’s more important than worrying about a job that isn’t going to worry about me.
When I get news of Ghoulish Book Fest 2024, I’ll post all the pertinent information here. It’ll probably be a while before there are any announcements so Max and Lori can recharge their batteries, so watch this space.
And yeah, that’s one of the reasons for this newsletter. With the addition of Notes, and it’s familiar feel, I think this platform could be the future of social media for creatives. With that said, I’ll be utilizing this space here, as well as Notes, in addition to the birdsite going forward. Since my track record here isn’t that regular, I’ll just say I’ll put more effort into writing more newsletters in the future. No promises.
So that’s it for now. Other than Yellowjackets, I haven’t been watching much TV or films. Shit … I just remembered I haven’t played the Resident Evil 4 remake lately.
I gotta go.
peace&love
Great to see you again, Bob.
It was great to see you!