Month: July 2023

State of the Dread: July 30-Aug 5

Get thee a tradwife, anon.

I just got back from Texas and I’m fatter, tanner, and lighter in the wallet for it. But I don’t care, it was a wonderful trip and I made lovely memories with my wife and kids! This is the summer magic that I’ve been missing for several years. 2021 had a few good moments in it but ’23 has been excellent. I felt like a teenager again.

Now it’s time to get back to the grind. Here’s what I’ve been up to for the last two weeks (I missed last Sunday, was getting ready for the trip and just didn’t care).

WRITING

I spent a lot of time doing edits on SHERIFF PORTER. Since there are changes between the print text and the audio edition, I might as well tidy up little rough spots in the writing, so it’s as good as I can make it. Once that’s done, I’m ordering copies for fulfillment.

The bigger update that y’all have been waiting on is this: I’m going to delay HOWLING WILDERNESS until 2024. It’s extremely frustrating because I wanted to do this book last year, and now I’m pushing it until next year. But I’ve rushed/forced books before and regretted it, and this is one of the most fun ideas I’ve ever had. If I rush it, I’ll be angrier at myself in the long run. I need to take my time with the art.

What’s the solution?

I have an outline for a short story about Silas Proctor. I can write it, do the cover, and release it on Amazon before the end of the year. It’s a back pocket cheat code to keep a new release going every year. SHERIFF PORTER technically counts for 2022, so this is my way out in 2023.

Thanks for your patience, guys. You’re going to dig this book.

READING

I finished a bunch of stuff on vacation, there’s a video about it down below. Next week I’m going to finish LIGHT BRINGER, then three more audiobooks (I have a shorter one on deck) and take a chunk out of my current print offering, THE LAW OF SELF-DEFENSE PRINCIPLES by Andrew Branca.

DRAWING

Nothing huge to report here, I drew some birthday cards for my niece and my nephew but I won’t post them here. Future drawing updates will focus on the art for HOWLING WILDERNESS. With the thumbnails done, digital work will accelerate.

AUDIO

I simulcasted the audio from Radcracker to my YouTube video about Red Rising, so that’s the most recent offering there. I was on vacation and didn’t want to be working on the road.

VIDEO

Big video recap is here. The channel did really well this last week with my RED RISING video. I’m looking forward to a longer breakdown of LIGHT BRINGER once I finish that.

FITNESS

2018. Don’t ever let me get this fat again.

Hot damn I ate a LOT of great food in Texas and I am NOT looking forward to weighing myself! Hahahaha. On that note, the fitness section of the weekly update will soon feature scalepoasting with 7-day averages as I work to burn off all the delicious Texas barbecue in my guts.

I haven’t done more than 300 push-ups in the last two weeks. I knew this would happen in the summer and I’m not going to worry about it. This is why I set the 25k goal for the year–I can outpace 500/week, but I can also keep pace with 500/week if things get bumpy, and I’m a full-time working trucker with a wife and three kids. Life gets bumpy. It’s fine.

The wife and I are starting a new regiment for August, both dietary and with exercise. I’m going to stop doing push-ups at work and instead do them in the evenings out in the shop with my kids. I’m not concerned about volume any more, I need to start doing variations. As long as I do at least 500/week I’m good.

Go buy one of my books and then get back to work, fren.

State of the Dread: July 16-22

How to defend your own virginity

WRITING

I worked on the outline for SIC SEMPER TYRANNOSAURUS and I like where it’s headed. Upstream is on vacation for the rest of the summer, so nothing over there. The guys were talking this week about adding some variety to the content. I think I have a good idea for it and I’ll take a shot this week.

READING

Finished JOHNNY TREMAIN, it was great again. Also read Animorphs #36 and RAPTOR RED (see below.) I got 60% of the way through DARK AGE before I screamed many swears in my head and yeeted the book into the sun.

There won’t be a Radcracker next week because I will spend every day in the car recording segments on why the original Red Rising series was great, but that book $@#%ed up everything.

I’m now reading AMERICAN PROMETHEUS, the biography of J.R. Oppenheimer.

DRAWING

Lots of thumbnail progress on HOWLING WILDERNESS. See them all on Instagram. Got a few more thumbs to crank out and then it’s time to evaluate where I’m at on that project.

AUDIO

New Radcracker, as one does. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

Still haven’t done the Hero’s Journey episode. I did record a video on Robert T. Bakker’s RAPTOR RED, a mid-90s novel written from a dinosaur’s POV. It’s not bad.

The audio I’m recording for the Red Rising review will go toward a video for next week. Also, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve had a few more cool ideas for a weekly show. It’s not ready to take shape just yet, I’m working out the kinks organically.

FITNESS

I came down with a cold last weekend and it swept the leg on me. As such, I shelved AbCracker and only did 150 pushups, just enough to get me to 15,000 for the year.

I think I’m not going to do them at work anymore. It’s not like the sets take a long time, but mentally it’s just one more damn thing to do, and if I focus instead on going fast and kicking @$$, that’ll keep me just a little more sane. Plus I can do push-ups in the shop with my kids after dinner.

Got my weight back under 215 and spent a little less at gas stations. Chipping away at the addiction.

Get back to work.

State of the Dread: July 9-15

THE DRAGON AWARDS ARE OPEN FOR NOMINATING. I don’t have any books that released in the window necessary for nomination (July last year through June this year.) Unfortunate, but oh well. Go read this Upstream post to see what we recommend for nominations. The post does leave off ANDOR as a viable TV candidate, so I recommend putting that in for that category.

WRITING

Outside of a review at Upstream, nothing this week, due to poor schedule management plus exhaustion from a couple of bad days at work. Oklahoma humidity continues to be a revelation. From the low desert of Nevada to the high desert of Utah, I have a lifetime acclimation to dry heat, and I need to re-learn everything I know in order to thrive in this environment. Plus I’m almost 39. So.

Anyway, this week my plan is to take a night and write the outline for SIC SEMPER TYRANNOSAURUS, a Silas Proctor adventure.

READING

I finished THE CROSSING, NINE PRINCES IN AMBER, and IRON GOLD (second reading.) The 6th Red Rising book comes out in 2 weeks so I’m going to burn through DARK AGE just because I effing hate that book and I want it in the rear view.

This week I’m reading JOHNNY TREMAIN, YUMI AND THE NIGHTMARE PAINTER, ANIMORPHS: THE MUTATION, and DARK AGE. I will not finish DARK AGE this week. Oh well.

DRAWING

Lots of thumbnail work for HOWLING WILDERNESS, I’m very pleased. This week I will finish the thumbnails. After that I’m taking a break before jumping in on the digital drawings, because the funds for SHERIFF PORTER came in, and I need to work on fulfillment for the campaign.

AUDIO

New Radcracker, available on the usual spots. I talked about THE CROSSING and Pacific Rim. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

Other than a short one on Independence Day, I didn’t get a video together this week. But the channel did hit 1200 subs for the first time, and 3k watch hours. Thank you guys!

FITNESS

Only managed 750 pushups. The humidity and the 5-day schedule really swept the leg on me and it’s all adding up. The total on PectoCracker is 14,850. I really wanted to get it to 15k last week. Alas.

Also, AbCracker didn’t quite pan out. I’m not as psychologically dialed in on that, so I’ll recommit this week and see what happens. I really need to cut back on the sugar, this has been a junk food summer for sure.

Cease to be fat and get back to work.

State of the Dread: July 2-8

IT’S FREEDOM MOOOOOOOOOOOONTH!!!!

WRITING

I did one review at the Stack, it’s paywalled so if you want to know which book it covers, you’ll need to subscribe.

This week I will do a CrackerStack post and an Upstream review, and maybe one night of just freewriting if I can swing it. Tuesday’s gonna be a loss on the creative side, I’ll be out blowing stuff up with friends.

READING

Finished a couple, one of which was absolutely pushed out of the back end of a dog, mentally speaking. I’ll cover it over on CrackerStack. Go there and subscribe.

DRAWING

Knocked out more thumbnails for HOWLING WILDERNESS. I wanted to be farther along in this process, but I’m not. If I haven’t made a significant dent in the drawing list by the end of August, I might have to move this book to next year. I’m not going to rush the art.

Go check out the art on the DreadPennies Instagram account.

AUDIO

New Radcracker, with the classic BTBC format. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I released a banger about Disney Star Wars, it’s got over THREE HUNDRED VIEWS WHEW LAD, I’m a force to be reckoned WITH on the interNET

FITNESS

#AbCracker didn’t start on Saturday because I spent the entire day in the car, on a there-and-back trip to Arkansas. It’s so freaking green in the South, I love it.

#AbCracker will commence this week, with small sets of short reps because I’ve neglected ab exercises and don’t want to kill myself.

As for #PectoCracker, I did another 700, bringing the total to 14,100 for the year. Reminder that the 2023 goal is 25,000, so I’m well on track at the halfway point of the year.

It’s July, so…hoo boy. It’s time to knock out 40 per set, not just 35. Gonna feel this one, haha. I haven’t done 200/day in many moons. Last time I did, I looked like this and still fit into my mission slacks. THOSE days are long gone, lol.

That’s all. Get back to work.