A Weekend At the Resort
Dear All,
This is the latest episode of Don’t Press That Button, a newsletter about books and music and movies and cats and baseball and whatnot. As the name would indicate, we are very cautious about buttons around here. I do recognize the Law of Stuck Devices, of course. The Law of Stuck Devices says that if a machine seems to have stopped progressing in its function — the Wheel of Death is spinning, for instance — using the power button to turn it off and on is often your first and best option. But how long should you wait before you take such a drastic step? That’s where it gets tricky. Also, is the issue at all different if we’re talking about a switch as opposed to a button? My gut feeling is that switch flipping is maybe even dicier than button pushing, but I want to think about that and circle back.
Anyhow, the button below simply subscribes you to this newsletter. It’s not going to fix anything or wreck anything, but if you’re new here, and you’d like to stick around, you can safely do so by clicking on it.
All the Nice People in Portsmouth
The weather was frigid, but the company was warm and excellent at the House of Last Resort Weekend in Portsmouth, NH, the weekend of January 19. A whole bunch of writers, including my big brother Joe and my old buddy Rio Youers, gathered to celebrate the career of one of the real good guys, Christopher Golden, and his typically entertaining and frightening new novel, The House of Last Resort, which I was thrilled to blurb. You will likely be shocked to discover that there are a number of terrific writers who are, well, not so nice; Chris is a terrific writer who is also among the nicest humans I’ve encountered. Throw a stone at a book festival or a convention and you will probably brain someone that he has helped somehow, blurbed or interviewed or just encouraged — and then Chris will run over and provide medical assistance to that person, because that’s the kind of guy he is.
So it was a huge pleasure to do something that was for Chris, and of course it was lovely to see Joe and Rio, to participate in a panel about film and television adaptations, and to meet the indefatigable Brian Keene, who masterminded the entire event. I also had the opportunity to finally thank Victor LaValle1 in person for saying such kind things about my graphic novel Intro to Alien Invasion (co-written with Mark Jude Poirier and illustrated by Nancy Ahn) all these years after the fact.
Above all else, I was knocked out by how many wonderful readers brought books to sign and told me how much they enjoyed The Curator and other things that I’ve written. If you were one of those people, thank you again!
The Latest
I’m giving Beth of the Paranoid Style the newsletter off, because the new record, The Interrogator, is busy blowing up! It officially came out on February 1. NPR raved it up! However you listen to your tunes, I suggest you unleash the beast! And don’t worry, we’ll be back with Beth and the Psychic Benefits next time.
I mentioned Brian Keene above. He and Mary SanGiovanni have opened a brand new bookstore in Columbia, PA. That’s not easy! Please keep an eye on the Vortex Books & Comics website for further developments, and consider ordering something to read.
Speaking of comics, there is big Self Help news coming in the next week or two. On that front, I have to suggest you follow our editor Chris Ryall’s Substack to stay up to date. His newsletter is always an insightful read about comics and the comic business, and his spinner rack feature is fantastic. Also, he’s approximately 95.4% more on the ball than I am at all times.
The paperback of The Curator arrives in March. The number of events is TBD, but there aren’t likely to be many. I need to stay here, focusing on new stuff and eating everything in the pantry. You understand. That said, I do have a pair of definite appointments on the calendar:
First, I will be visiting the Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH, on March 22 at 7pm to chat about the book with author Paul Durham. Buy a ticket, get a book, hang out with us!
Second, I will be checking in to Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs on April 6 at 6pm. My partner that evening will be none other than my excellent friend Charles Soule, author of The Endless Vessel.
Charles is an acclaimed writer of comics, too. Eight Billion Genies is amazing and available now as a graphic novel. The Spanish edition of The Curator, El Museo, published by the good folks at Plaza & Janés, is now available for order.
Recommendations
Mary Roach’s Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife was an excellent way to start my 2024’s reading. Roach has punchlines for miles, which would be enough, but she’s also a dogged, thoughtful investigator. She asks great questions of her subjects and herself, and takes the reader to some deep places. The final line is a classic.
Organizing stuff. I tell you what, it’s a scary world out there, but in here, with my crap rearranged, I sometimes experience peace. Jigsaw puzzles are soothing in the same way. I find that visiting the Container Store website and just imagining organizing stuff is quite a treat.
The first cassette tape I ever bought was Crowded House’s debut record.2 Talk about money well spent. I loved it so much and I still do. Neil Finn, the band’s centerpiece, is an inspiration. His writing, singing, and playing have lost nothing. I adore all his work with the band and all his solo records. And what do you know, there’s a new Crowded House single, “Oh Hi.” Yes!
In case you ever have a question or a comment or just want to say “oh hi,” if you reply to the email, I will see it. I’m over on Instagram, too, if you’d like to follow along there.
All Best,
Owen
I treasure that special category of short, deeply alarming horror novels that can steal a winter afternoon and take you right up to the edge of the universe to see the deeper dark that lays beyond. Victor’s incredible The Ballad of Black Tom is up there at the top of that particular list. Charles Lambert’s Jack Squat and Alan Judd’s The Devil’s Own Work are other superb examples.
I can’t recall the first cd I ever bought, but I’m pretty sure that the first cd I owned was Billy Squier’s Don’t Say No.