Hey. Kit Power, here - author, blogger, podcaster, reviewer, and all-around genre fanatic. You're receiving this email because you signed up to my newsletter. Thank you for that.
The plan is simple; a monthly one-stop shop where you can find out what I’ve been up to in the past month, what my plans are for the month ahead, and, most importantly, pictures of my frankly adorable pets. Really glad to have you here. Let’s get to it.
“Get on with it, hooman!”
What happened in February:
Most importantly, in publishing news, following December’s release of the ebook edition, My Life In Horror Volume, II is now available in paperback and gorgeous hardback editions. One more time, thanks to every single one of you that supported the crowdfunding campaign, either financially or by signal boosts on social media. I literally couldn’t have done it without you. I’m proud as hell to have gotten this book out into the world, and I’m profoundly grateful that enough of you believed in it to make that happen. You’re awesome. Thank you.
Written:
Just a couple of pieces over the line this month. Firstly, I completed the first draft of a short story, based on an idea from my daughter. Kiddo and I often do the long dog walk together on a Sunday morning, and she’s always willing to kick ideas around with me. When she shared the concept for this story with me, I was immediately intrigued, and she kindly gave me permission to run with it. I’d started it last December, but it ran into the My Life In Horror Volume II crunch. It felt really good to return to it, and though the fiction gears initially turned pretty slowly, by the end I’d managed to recapture that ‘falling-into-the-page’ feeling that signifies I’m back in the groove. As I usually do, I’ll leave the draft in the can for a month or so, then revisit for the D2 - given the big gap between the writing sessions, I expect there may be more to do than normal in the edit, to make the front half match the back. Still, I wanted to get back to fiction, and I did so, and that’s a good feeling. Thanks again for the idea, Kiddo. The story is called Come and Play, and once the D2 is in shape, I expect it’ll go up on Patreon.
I also got a new book review written, of Wounds To Wishes, which came out in August of last year from Crystal Lake publishing. It’s a trio of novellas by US authors Chad Lutzke, Robert Ford, and John Boden, and I dug the hell out of it. Patreon backers got to see that review earlier in the week, and Jim’ll run it over at Gingernuts at some point.
Recorded:
Writeopolis season five continues, with guest appearances in February from author and blogger Kayleigh Marie Edwards and Fantasy novelist Richard Swan. Kayliegh’s show is free to listen to now via the show’s Patreon page. A reminder that we broadcast live every other Sunday via Discord, with podcast releases thereafter - it’s always a fun time, with lots of interaction with the chat, so do pop over when you get a chance.
After a long break, Jack Graham, Daniel Harper and I also managed to reconvene the Backer Street Irregulars to record the first of a two-part conversation covering The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, with each host picking their two favourite stories, their least favourite, and one ‘dealer’s choice story. As befits such a strong collection, there was some overlap, but also a lot of differences, which led to some really interesting conversations about what makes a brilliant Sherlock Holmes story. I’m hoping to get that episode edited and out to Patreon backers soon, and I’m just overjoyed to be back talking Sherlock Holmes with two of my favourite people. Remember that just $1 a month will give you instant access to all the back episodes of the Patreon-exclusive show.
Finally, I was delighted to be invited back onto the marvellous EscapeGoat podcast, to talk about My Life In Horror Volume II with the brilliant David Faggiani. Talking of which…
Published:
…that show went live 25th February, to coincide with the physical release date. David’s a brilliant interviewer, and we really got under the skin of some of the essays in the book. Check out the show via the above link, Spotify, or watch the YouTube version:
David and I also joined forces with George Daniel Lea to have a freewheeling conversation about The Banshees of Inisherin, discussing the themes, historical context, and much more. You can enjoy that spoiler-filled conversation here:
And my own essay on the movie (written before the above was recorded) was published on Gingernuts, and seems to have gone down well. Thanks to everyone who read and shared that piece, it’s nice to find that my post My Life In Horror essays are still finding an audience.
BabyCat. Helpin.
Reading: Blasted through Terry Pratchett’s Jonny and the Dead and Johhny and the Bomb, in prep for a podcast with Kiddo; the Johnny Maxwell trilogy was her on-ramp for the Discworld novels, so it made sense to cover them. Whilst my favourite is still the first title, Only You Can Save Mankind, they’re all enjoyable reads, dealing with big questions of mortality, memory, time and our relationship with history. Looking forward to picking kiddo’s brains about it all, that’s for sure.
As noted above, I also finished Wound to Wishes, which was superb, and I’m currently most of the way through an ARC, aiming for a day-of-release review. More on that next time.
Watching:
The Last Of Us, which has impressed me so much I installed the game on my PS4, having owned it unplayed for 18 months. The show must be operating on a close-to-movie budget, and it’s all on screen, in both the extraordinary set design and the creature makeup and effect work. That said, my favourite thing is the two leads, both the individual acting performances and the chemistry between them. I’m increasingly a sucker for father/daughter narratives, and this is about as well as I’ve ever seen it done. Up to episode 7 now, which was my favourite so far, and I’m already equal parts impatient to get through it and sad it’ll be over soon - it’s that good.
Also watched 6-parter Gold, a fictionalised account of the 80’s Brinksmat gold bullion robbery. Every now and then, I felt the script was a bit on the nose, in terms of having characters expressing the themes of the story in a heavy-handed way, but it was immaculately performed, felt pretty meticulous in terms of recreating the time period, and was a genuinely gripping narrative.
I also finally got caught up with the first two seasons of Derry Girls, in part just because I needed a 30-minute show to watch while I was eating lunch, and it was delightful; I don’t watch much comedy these days, and I thought it did a superb job of walking the fine line between depicting the frequently ridiculous nature of teenagers without lapsing into outright caricature or cruelty. And at least once a season, it utilised the near history of 90’s Derry to hit with a surprising emotional punch. Superb.
In movieland, caught The Menu. Liked it so much that I’m planning on an essay and podcast recording, similar to Banshees.
Playing: Still keeping my hand in with Marvel Snap, but no longer checking in daily. As noted above, played through The Last Of Us, and then immediately started a New Game + run; once the show’s done, I’m planning an essay looking at the two versions and the ways they approach narrative, so I really want to get the beats of the game stuck in my head. Plus it’s, you know, kinda brilliant. And I had a brief but intense fling with Jurrasic World: Evolution; I don’t think it’s actually good, to be honest, but I love that kind of sim game and hadn’t played one in a while.
Ziggy, also engrossed by The Last Of Us, probably.
Book of the month: Tommy
Before My Life In Horror Volume I, Tommy was my first long-form nonfiction project. Under the brilliant and insightful guidance of Midnight Movie Monographs editor Neil Snowdon, and using the song listing of the movie as the spine to hang the essays off, the book interweaves a close-read analysis of the film with insights into the key creative forces that made this singular movie possible. My Life In Horror stalwarts will know Tommy is a lodestone text for me; the first movie I ever saw that scared me so much on first viewing that it would take me over a decade to get through. In that sense, this book is in part an excavation and exorcism of that childhood terror, as well as a loving tribute to the extraordinary creative forces of Ken Russell and The Who. Writing this one was a real leap of faith, and I couldn’t be prouder of the result. And there are still a few copies of the gorgeous limited hardback left.
March plans: Most immediately, an essay on The Menu. Hot on the heels of that, a book review of that ARC. And after that, back to fiction; specifically Millionaires Day. And in terms of podcasting, again, The Menu, more Backer Street, and more Discworld.
And damn if that all doesn’t sound like a good time.
Rocky and Ziggy. Still Not Friends.
Song of the Month:
Let’s sign off this month with a gold-plated hard rock banger: AC/DC, live at River Plate opening their show with the mighty Thunderstruck. Enjoy.
Thanks for reading! See you next month. :)