It’s a new day! The CWCP podcast is back, and Jolene Haley is joining me as the co-host of the show. In this episode, Jolene and I catch everyone up on our creative adventures, talk about the projects we worked on for Camp NaNoWriMo, and discuss what’s filling up our creative cups lately.
Thanks for listening! Starting next month we’ll be welcoming a guest to the show each episode, so stay tuned!
J & B
For the first time in years, I won a NaNo event.
Every year I participate in at least one NaNoWriMo event, whether it be NaNo proper in November, or one of the Camp NaNo events in April and July. But for the past handful of years, I have not actually hit my word count goal, or in most cases, even come close to my goal.
But this year? I destroyed my goal. I had set out to write 500 words per day, aiming for a toal of 15,000 words by today, April 30th. I ended up averaging about 800 words a day, and finished at just over 24,000 words for the month.
More importantly, I have a full book draft.
This book will be my second nonfiction book. The first was Making Ear Candy, my podcasting how-to book that I wrote in 2013, and released the second edition of in 2017. In fact, I wrote the draft of Making Ear Candy during Camp NaNoWrimo in April of 2013. Ten years ago.
The book I just drafted is about content strategy, which my career has revolved around for the past several years. I'll be talking a lot more about it over the next few months, as my goal is to release it over the summer.
I cannot overstate how creatively fulfilling it has been to participate in this Camp NaNo, set a goal of getting this draft completed, and actually accomplish that goal. There was a part of me that wondered if I still had it in me. Thanks to my family and friends, who are a constant source of support and inspiration.
The draft is just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to do, but for today at least, I'm going to celebrate.
Congrats to everyone who participated in Camp NaNo this month!
Evil Dead is tied with Friday the 13th for my favorite horror franchise of all time, and the first new theatrical entry in 10 years did not disappoint. Evil Dead Rise is a great addition to the franchise, and the type of horror movie we just don’t get enough of these days. Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise brings us somewhere new, and even expands the lore of the Evil Dead universe, while maintaining a connection to everything we know and love about the franchise.
The bulk of the story takes place in a soon to be demolished L.A. apartment building, where our hero Beth comes to visit her sister Ellie, her nieces Bridget and Kassie, and her nephew Danny. Unfortunately for all of them, their evening plans are about to be interrupted, on account of a certain book, and some words that bring the bad things.
The cast are all great, led by Lily Sullivan as Beth and Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie. Their sisters are the core of the story, and both are fantastic in their roles. This film had a budget of $19 million, and likely spent almost all of it on practical effects, which should make everyone happy. While the gore in Evil Dead Rise doesn’t quite reach the levels of the 2013 film, its high points are as good as any in the franchise.
I will stay away from spoilers, but I loved how Cronin has expanded the lore of Evil Dead, as it respects everything that has come before, and leaves every possibility for future stories open. He threaded the needle perfectly. There are also some great Easter eggs throughout the film, not just for this series, but some other horror classics as well.
I think that’s what makes Evil Dead as a franchise so impressive in 2023. The series is over 40 years old, and it feels as fresh as ever. I adored Fede Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead with Jane Levy, and with Evil Dead Rise, this is now two great entries in a row without Bruce Campbell, which most fans would have thought impossible. And we’ve also gotten a ton of Ash-related stories in between these two films, including comics, a video game, and three seasons of the Ash Vs. Evil Dead TV series. As producers, Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert have done a great job of shepherding this franchise, strengthening the foundation of the original films and making great choices with these two latest entries. I can’t wait to see where they take us next.
I raved about Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World when I read it back in 2019, so I was definitely intrigued when it was announced M. Night Shyamalan was doing a big screen adaptation of it. For a director known for his shocking twists though, the most surprising part of Knock at the Cabin was how safe he played it. The choice Shyamalan made resulted in a movie more palatable to mainstream audiences, though as with most adaptations, I prefer the book. Worth seeing for sure, through.
