It’s been a week of snow in East Tennessee. They’re saying it’s unofficially the most snow since the Blizzard of ‘93. I mean, let’s not get crazy. We’re talking nine inches. But that’s a lot for us. Last winter we didn’t even get any snow.
Having grown up in Southern California, snow is something that I had only seen a few times in the first 38 years of my life. When we get snow here in Tennessee, I love it. While everyone else is complaining, I’m over here sledding down a hill or just marveling at the influx of cardinals and blue jays at our window feeder, at how their colors pop against the white backdrop. The snow won’t last forever, so no need to long for the excruciatingly muggy days of summer. That’s a season I can do without.
Welcome to Confusions. Delusions, and Formidable Impressions, chilly winter edition.
News
My latest book is up for preorder. It’s called The Philth Pig and it’s a little bit different than what you might expect from me. That is to say, you shouldn’t expect the same thing over and over again. That would be boring. The Philth Pig is not extreme horror, but touches on enough Splatterpunk sensibilities to not fit in with the quiet horror crowd. It’s distinctly Robert Essig. Also, it’s a San Diego story. Being I was born and raised there, I have set quite a few of my stories there. So, why does The Filth Pig troll the beach community of La Jolla?
Imagine if emotions could be consumed like drugs.
When you see the Filth Pig, you don’t actually SEE the Filth Pig. The Filth Pig sees you. And when the Filth Pig gets a taste . . . WATCH OUT!
The Filth Pig’s not addicted . . . no, his life depends on the sweet nectar of human feelings. Happiness, joy, dreams and . . . there’s something certain people possess that’s so powerful the Filth Pig will ruin anyone to get it.
How do you fight the Filth Pig? Well, most people can’t fight him. They’re helpless under his spell before they realize what’s happening. The Filth Pig comes off as a chill beach bum, a certified cool dude. But something sinister lurks behind his chipping veneer.
How do you spot the Filth Pig? You don’t. Not until the Filth Pig spots you. That doesn’t matter, though. By then it’s too late. He’ll look into your vacant eyes and tip back a bottle of joy while basking in your sweetest dreams.
He’ll smile as you wither away.
All hail THE PHILTH PIG!
In other news, the recording of the audiobook for Broth House just wrapped. Look for that very soon from Audible. I will have more information in the next newsletter.
Recent Reads from Hell
I finished Confess by Rob Halford. I’m a huge fan of rock bios. I’ve read a lot of them. It’s always so fascinating to get a look into the lives of the people who have graced us with wonderful music. This one was fantastic. Rob seems like a wonderful, genuine guy. I also read Massacre at the Ole Farm by Johnathan Tripp. It’s a quick, pulpy gore fest that was reminiscent of 80’s B-grade horror films. A fun read.
I’m now reading Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Dead Lines by John Skipp and Craig Spector, and an ARC for a cover blurb.
Spotlight On Wesley Southard
I want to go back to spotlighting authors like I did when I started my newsletter. I’ll spotlight an author once a month. This month is Wesley Southard. I’ve read a few of his books and enjoyed each of them. Try Again was particularly good. Go in blind. It’ll trip you out.
Wesley and his family just bought a house and moved away from a neighborhood that sounded absolutely terrifying. I’m happy to see the Southard’s settling in a better place to raise their son. You know what that means. We all know how expensive moving and getting settled into a new place can be. So why not grab some signed copies of Wesley’s books? Or maybe grab something from his Amazon page. You won’t regret it!
Closing Words
It’s Sunday morning. I just uploaded the cover wrap for The Philth Pig. This was the first time I created my own cover art and designed the wrap. I think it turned out pretty decent. There are a few minor issues I couldn’t figure out. Things I can ignore for now but will have to reach out to friends who know what they’re doing at a later date to improve upon my skills. I don’t want to have to do my own cover art, but financially it just makes sense. If I ever see even a little bit of success with my publishing, the first thing I’ll do is go back to hiring cover artists to do my covers. I enjoyed creating this cover, but there’s so much to learn. It gets frustrating at times. I’m still always on the lookout for a good premade cover. When I see one that fits a project I have coming up, I’ll snatch it.
I wanted to share the cover wrap here, but I can’t figure out how to do that. That’s a great example of an issue I need reach out to someone for help with. Substack says the image is too big. I’ve tried a .pdf file, a .png file.
Oh well, at least the cover wrap uploaded to Amazon.
Until next time . . . read horror and tell the world about it!!!