This Sunday I am leaving on a three week long adventure that will take me south from Portland to Pasadena, CA for the Nebula Conference then to Minneapolis for 4th Street Fantasy and finally to Chicago with many stops for sight seeing, friends, family, camping, and tacos. This is the longest vacation I’ve taken in years and, as my wife won’t be joining me until the Chicago leg, the longest I’ve been a solo traveller in much longer. I plan to listen to listen to lots of audiobooks and generate a lot of new ideas for stories.
California Dreaming
If you’re going to the Nebulas or thinking about going to the Nebulas you can catch me on some panels. I’ll be moderating the panels Moving on from Milford: How to Level Up Your Critique Group and Almost Home: Stories Set in Our Solar System. I’ll also be on the panel (in an immoderate capacity), It’s No Joke: Honing Humor in Your Work. Here’s some excellent graphics for these panels to help you remember.
Tell Me About the Tacos
Do you know where I can get good tacos in Pasadena or on the way to Minnesota? I want to hear about it! Let me know in comments!
I am doing a reading and author event with Gregory Amato, Jessie, Kwak, and Andrew (Chuck) Sweet on Monday 5/13 at TPK Brewing! Celebrate the day after Mother’s Day by ditching your mom (or your kids) and hanging out with some writers and drinking beers!
Erik, Out Loud
On May 21st I’ll be in Eugene, OR at the Public Library for the Willamette Writers chapter Eugene chapter meeting! I’ll be talking about reading your work in front of a crowd with tips and tricks and Q&A! This is a hybrid meeting meaning you can watch it on Zoom if you aren’t able to be there and Willamette Writers doesn’t require you to be a member to join. All you need to do is register to get the Zoom details. That’s pretty awesome, right???
Look for the Mustache (on tour this June)
On June 6-9 I’m excited to be attending the Nebula Conference in Pasadena, CA! As a volunteer, I’ll be around helping during the conference and I’ll also be appearing on panels talking about stuff and things with other amazing writers. I will update my Creepy Nice readers with details when I can (or you can find me on the socials medias or Look for the Mustache in Pasadena).
After the Nebulas, I’m taking a drive all the way to Minneapolis, MN where I’ll be attending the 4th Street Fantasy Convention on 6/14-6/16!
Talking About Tacos
Yes, I am still eating tacos. Pictured: a fish taco, shrimp taco, and black bean taco from Tacovcore here in Portland. Not pictured: a Vietnamese style taco from Best Baguette that I stole from my wife. My current count of distinct tacos for 2024 is up to 8! Which is 1/3 of my goal. I shall endeavor to find as many tacos as I can during my trip in June. Give me all of your taco recommends!
Vibes
I recently watched the 1977 movie Sorcererdirected by William Friedkin for the first time. This movie is an absolute master class in building story tension. 10/10 I wouldn’t drive on that bridge.
I rediscovered how awesome the band Titus Andronicus is in April. My favorite album is The Monitor but their newest from 2022, The Will to Live, is also incredible and has one of my favorite songs An Anomaly. Try not to throw the horns when you listen to this epic big of rock n’ roll badassery. 10/10 Like Shakespeare but Not Shakespeare.
Let’s get right to it, shall we? Quick one this time. One Thing and then the Vibes.
Do You See That Bird?
Space Cocaine: Incongruent Flamingo is available for sale! This volume includes my story “Gerald in the Mirror”, a dark fantasy about existential loneliness and being afraid of your own imagination. Just my regular sad/fun times! Get a digital copy! Order a print copy! Review us! Share the word!
Vibes
I’ve become very interested in the musician Chris Farren. I missed his 2023 release, Doom Singer, last summer but I caught up with it in the last couple weeks and I’m really glad I did. It is a remarkable collection of sad/fun songs. ” 10/10 Bodies Bursting Like Volcanoes.
Farren also gives incredibly relatable interviews with quotes like this on self-promotion: “I genuinely love doing this stuff…but I have to think of ways to promote this that don’t make me want to fucking die.” :Erik stares through the screen and into your soul:
Finally, the video for “Cosmic Leash” (my favorite song from the album) is incredible and you should watch it.
(I’m sorry about the ads on YouTube. We live in a dystopia clogged with mind garbage and I take no accountability for it even as WordPress or Google or Facebook or whatever tech bro trash startup is probably scraping my words for AI to make more of it despite my turning on the “DON’T” switches everywhere I can. This all sucks but the song is catchy, right?)
Well, that happened fast. Didn’t take me very long to fall behind on my regular every-other-week Creepy Nice cadence but I’m still here, still writing, still Creepy Nice. Let’s catch up with our main character in motion, shall we?
Author Alchemy
This weekend I am thrilled to be attending (and probably moving chairs around for) the Author Alchemy Summit here in Portland, OR! It starts today but you can still register last minute! (Hint: I’ve been including a discount code with PDX Write Week newsletter – you can still subscribe to that too.) Maybe I’ll see you there?
The Cynical Prognosticator
I usually keep a lot of my in-progress work quiet in public. I’ve always felt it was “bad luck” to hope or ambition out loud. Lately though, I’m pretty excited about what I’m working on and I’m going to take most of this edition of Creepy Nice to crow about it. (NO JINX!). If you feel like chiming in with a “HEY THAT SOUNDS COOL!” or “GOOD LUCK, ERIK!” in the comments these sentiments will be rewarded with thanks and possibly hugs/cookies depending upon the logistics.
Short Stuff
I finished my month-long short story writing intensive. I wrote 5 flash and 4 short fiction drafts. It was a great experience and I ended up with some works I’m quite proud of. One of them will be in the new volume of the Space Cocaine anthology series with a publication date of next week(!). I’ll be posting some separate promo for that soon (and there will be a reading in the Portland area in March – stay tuned!). Other stories from this sprint are of on submission or will be off on submission to various short fiction places. I intend to do some short fiction hustling in 2024. Also… there’s this (STAY TUNED):
A Regular Alan Smithee Over Here
Right now I’m working on finishing a draft of a screenplay. Way back in the ye olden days I studied screenwriting and wanted more than anything to be a screenwriter but then I took some different turns and I ended up focusing on novels. I still love the medium though and I frequently get told “hey – this reads like a movie.” I found that Scrivener has a workable screenplay format (formatting scripts was a real pain point for me once upon a time) so I started tinkering with it and I find that I really enjoy it and the words come pretty quickly. My plan is to finish my draft in about a week.
Books Books Books
Most of my writing time still goes to novels. I have three primary projects that are in various states of done/being queried to agents, revision, or drafting (all are working/current titles). There’s Vertigo Punch a smutty space fantasy shoot ’em up about a spaceship captain paying her debts and shooting her traumas in the face (that was the novel that got me into Viable Paradise); The Long Red Tomorrow a science fiction noir about an investigator looking for a missing person in a Martian colony on the eve of revolution; and Ready, Steady, Go! a cozy rock n’ roll sci fi about an up and coming interstellar band that has to go home to fix their busted touring ship. I will be querying, fine-tuning, and wrapping these all up in the coming months with plans to start something new by around May or June.
Going Places This Spring
I will be attending an awesome writing retreat at the beginning of March, Norwescon a few weeks later, and coming up in June the Nebula Conference in Pasadena, CA. I’m looking at 4th Street Fantasy in Minneapolis the weekend after the Nebulas but we’ll see if my convention capacity and travel budget can sustain that.
Quick Reads
I finished Leech by Hiron Ennis and I LOVED it. 10/10 Gothic Sci-Fi Vibes.
There are some blockbuster awesome stories in Clarkesworld for February including “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” (10/10 existential screamings) and this story by my friend and wonderful writer/human Zohar Jacobs, “The Enceladus South Pole Base Named After V.I. Lenin” (10/10 Moon Socialisms). Jacobs was in my Viable Paradise class and is someone I share my work with and have the privilege to read her work in exchange. I read a draft of this story and it knocked my socks off. I had nothing of substance to suggest other than “get it out the door ASAP” and it was promptly gobbled up by Clarkesworld. A really remarkable piece.
Vibes
New excellent music from Laura Jane Grace has been on constant repeat in my ears. 10/10 Dysphoria Hoodies.
Still working through acclaimed moved from 2023 and watched Anatomy of a Fall recently. Very, very good movie. 10/10 Very Good Dogs.
I was excited to be a guest on a new episode of the Writing Naked podcast! We talked about my creative process and challenges. It was fun and you might find something interesting in it! You should also check out their back catalogue and do that like+subscribe thing.
I like being on podcasts! I was also recently on the Writers Not Writing podcast (and YouTube show!) and if you haven’t watched it, you can check it out now too!
Maybe you should invite me to be on your podcast or to come to your conference or to come by your house for dinner! What time should I be there and what can I bring?
PDX Write Week
I maintain a weekly newsletter that delivers lists of literary events in the Portland metro area to your inbox called PDX Write Week. I have just launched an Instagram page for the newsletter so if once weekly hits of literary event goodness are just not enough for you, well, I’ve got you covered. Give it a follow!
(And if you aren’t signed up for weekly emails and want them, here you go!)
PDX Write Week
My first taco of 2024 was a humble homemade affair made with seasoned ground turkey, shredded cheese, and a lime chili green cabbage slaw served in a hard taco shell. This was a weekday dinner taco, the kind of taco my working single mom would have served to a couple of hungry kids. Cheap and easy to serve, this taco was unremarkable aside from the nostalgic comfort of that sideways crunch.
It is difficult to untangle the taco’s history from the mess of (oftentimes appropriative or exploitative) capitalism but as I move forward, questing for new and classic tacos, I consider the history of this amazing and versatile food. Perhaps you would like to join me? Tell me about your go-to weekday tacos, your special occasion tacos, and your overall favorite tacos in the comments!
Quick update: I am pleased to read that many (most? all?) of the carts at the Portland Mercado are reopened after the fire from early January. I will for sure be visiting soon!
After Portland thawed out from the Icepocalypse, I was excited to visit one of my favorite taquerias in Portland: Nayar Taqueria! I ordered a classic trio of carnitas, al pastor, and asada. Damn fine tacos. You should definitely give them a visit! A good addition to my 24 tacos in 2024 challenge! 10/10 MORE HOT SAUCE PLEASE
Keep sending me taco recommendations around Portland and beyond! Will travel for tacos!
Goals
I mentioned last time that I was participating in some short story contests to jumpstart my goal of writing 24 drafts this year. I’m into the 3rd week and I’ve got THREE flash stories and THREE more short story drafts. It’s a heck of a challenge and I expect I’m going to need a breather to recover in about 2 weeks.
With all the writing and podcasting and tacos, my reading has fallen behind though. I have a couple books ready to go and some short stories queued but I won’t be getting to them for a little bit.
Maybe some of the books on this list of upcoming releases in 2024 need to make it onto your list or mine???
Sneak Peaks and Plugs
Hey kids, do you like Space Cocaine? Stay tuned for an announcement on something new…
Give this Kickstarter for khōréō a click and share why don’t you? Short fiction markets need your loud voice and support to survive.
Next month: Author Alchemy Summit. Expect more about this conference next time! (Pro-tip: there’s a coupon code for AAS in recent editions of PDX Write Week!)
Vibes
My favorite from 2023 (so far – I have a few still to catch up on) is Past Lives. It’s a stunning piece of work. 10/10 Bittersweets.
I write to a soundtrack (something I talk about on the Writing Naked podcast). Right now, one thing I am working on is set in 1999 so I’ve got a streaming station feeding my ears 90s “Alternative” music. Might I interest you in one of the greatest music videos from 90s (or ever)?
The Portland-area is glazed in snow and bracing for an ice storm. Stay safe and warm!
Consider subscribing to Creepy Nice or my other newsletter serving up a list of literary events in the Portland metro area, PDX Write Week. It would certainly warm my heart!
Taco Tuesday (part 1)
When I decided to set out on a journey to eat 24 distinct tacos in 2024 I knew one of my first stops had to be the Portland Mercado, a food cart hub for Latino culture and incubator for locally owned businesses. I have been to the Mercado countless times and have had remarkable tacos (amongst many other delicious offerings). It is a local treasure. Sadly, on January 3rd a fire tore through the Mercado’s main building devastating several businesses and causing significant damage to the commissary kitchen. All businesses are now closed until the damage can be fully assessed and remedied. For the love of tacos (and our community), please consider donating what you can to the fire relief fund:
My first taco of 2024 was a humble homemade affair made with seasoned ground turkey, shredded cheese, and a lime chili green cabbage slaw served in a hard taco shell. This was a weekday dinner taco, the kind of taco my working single mom would have served to a couple of hungry kids. Cheap and easy to serve, this taco was unremarkable aside from the nostalgic comfort of that sideways crunch.
It is difficult to untangle the taco’s history from the mess of (oftentimes appropriative or exploitative) capitalism but as I move forward, questing for new and classic tacos, I consider the history of this amazing and versatile food. Perhaps you would like to join me? Tell me about your go-to weekday tacos, your special occasion tacos, and your overall favorite tacos in the comments!
First novel finished of 2024 isFever Houseby Keith Rosson. Everything about this book’s cover and blurb told me that I would love it and it did not disappoint. Fever House is X-Files, punk rock, gangsters, and Portland thrown into a bloody blender. 10/10 Don’t Listen to the Hand.
First short story (plug) of 2024 is “Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden on Clarkesworld. This is a smart, focused story that does something only short stories can do so well– punch you right in the damn heart. There are several viable recipes for a memorable short story but one that never fails to satisfy me is taking a Big Idea (in this case teleportation) and exploring the impact on a relationship. As foreign as the future setting could be it is grounded in concepts as relatable as regret, lost love, and student debt. 10/10 Check Your Printer Toner.
Progress Report
I set some goals last time so let’s check-in!
I’m hitting my marks for tacos, novels, stories and editions of Creepy Nice. I’m also doing a month-long Flash Fiction writing intensive (Weekend Warrior IYKYK) and participating in a 4 week short story prompt exchange and writing exercise. I’ve got one flash story draft and I’m on my way to a one short story draft in the can. If all goes well, I’ll have 8 of the 24 target for the year done a month from now. This is an aggressive and challenging pace.
In addition to the short form goals, I’m finishing a revision on one novel, getting ready to review beta reading feedback on another, and 2/3 of the way through drafting a third – all of which I would like to get to some level of completion before March. I’m also working on some Special Projects I’lI be announcing shortly (there’s some sneak peaks on my Instagram).
I don’t know if I can pull it all off but (so far) it’s empowering to try. I’ll give an update next time.
Vibes
I absolutely loved the 2023 movie Eileen! Based on the book of the same name that I really need to read by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen is a winter-grim sapphic noir set in 1960s Massachusetts where everyone wants to murder their father. The whole cast is stellar and it is my kind of murder-moody. 10/10 Martinis (but without the olives this time)
My current soundtrack has Sleater-Kinney on heavy rotation. They have a new album, Little Rope, due out this week and I’ve really liked the songs already released.
My first heavy exposure to Sleater-Kinney (aside from the ear worms distributed to every PNW resident of a certain age around the turn of the millennium) was a CD copy of “All Hands on the Bad One” that I checked out from the Lane County library in Eugene, OR when I was a dead broke couch-surfing 22 year old. Music, more so than anything else, carries me back to where I was when I first listened to it, and reminds me of the places I’ve been and the places I still plan to go. 10/10 Rock N’ Roll Fun.
One of my goals for the new year is to :muppet hands generally at Internet: more consistently. To that end, I launch Creepy Nice, my kinda-newsletter. A lot of newsletter services have UI, cost, or leadership issues that make me hesitant to pick one. I am considering lots of options for a long term “home” for regular updates but In the meantime, I have this website that’s been sporadically updated for 9 years (!!!) and you can Follow it and get updates emailed to you without me needing an all-new service. That’s a compelling option so I’m trying it out. My goal is to update Creepy Nice regularly with a variety of Creepy Nice content so please do FOLLOW FOLLOW FOLLOW. You can comment on this post or message me if you have thoughts on :muppet hands generally at Internet:
2023 is dead. Long live 2024!
Last year was not the laugh riot super good time that I was promised but I had a few short stories I’m very proud of published and did some excellent things!
I like goals! I like accomplishing them but mostly I like being inspired by them. I prefer to go for a mix of aspirational, tangibly achievable, and tongue-in-cheek targets. So, drumroll please, here are the Goals: 2024 edition. Follow Creepy Nice for progress and commentary!
Publish at least 24 editions of Creepy Nice!
Write 24 Short or Flash Story Drafts!
Read 24 Books and write about them on Creepy Nice!
Read 24 Short Stories and write about them on Creepy Nice!
Eat 24 distinctly different kinds of tacos and write about them on Creepy Nice!
Upcoming
There’s an open mic TONIGHT at Willamette Writers Portland office (and a parallel one happening online)!
Did you hear that Seanan frickin’ McGuire is coming to Powell’s? 7 PM at Cedar Hills Crossing. I’m sure there will be a BIG crowd.
(Find out all about events with my other newsletter PDX Write Week! )
Vibes
I spent some of New Years Eve watching The Wrath of Beckya sequel to the surprisingly entertaining Becky. If you want a John Wick-ish gonzo action movie with a teenage girl getting revenge on the neo-Nazis and alt-right, I recommend. 10/10 Don’t Mess With Her Dog.
As I compose this edition of Creepy Nice, I am listening to the classic 2006 indie punk album The Body, the Blood, the Machine by Oregon’s own (disbanded but not forgotten), the Thermals. This album was my introduction to the band and I go back to it again and again. If you want up tempo furious literate as all Hell garage rock, I recommend. 10/10 Still Angry About Sunday School.
Erik Grove. Writer. Portland, OR 