Hey Reader,

Today is Labor Day. I've cracked a Corona, took in some of the leftover summer heat from this Florida summer, and re-tidied portions of the house after taking care of a 1-year-old tycoon. (He was actually a gem)

I've had some interesting changes to my life that's left me in a lot of self-reflection. Change is, and will always be, weird even though it's an essential component in life. Who you are now is not the same as who you were 5 minutes ago. This can be from something as simple as the fact that you are 5 minutes older.

Writing

In the past month, I've made some very, very limited progress with rewriting the first chapter of Mad Virus. I think it's come from the fact of keeping Mr. Velcro's mind and motives as something more enigmatic. He was the POV for the original first chapter and, as a character, I could no longer imagine him as someone that would allow even the reader to peer into his mind.

Mad Virus, however, has allowed me to flesh out more aspects and philosophies of the world through the introduction of new characters. I will do my best to give every character their due diligence and make sure they're not left as a placeholder. Anyway, the new first chapter just needs its proper love before I move on with the rest of the re-write.

Stuff I've enjoyed lately

(Books) Dostoevsky and McCarthy - I'm not sure if I've brought up my obsessive binging with the works of these two authors. But I have been for close to a year now, and they are undoubtedly two of my most favorite authors whom present a level of philosophical rhetoric that I've been enjoying immensely. Mrs. Vahl also has fun with this by sending me a plethora of Dostoevsky-related memes

(Movies) Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps - I'm compounding these together since I watched both of these on the same night. Interestingly enough, they're both on the same level of enjoyment. Fantastic Four brings a nice, mature story that's not downplayed by unnecessary humor (the retro and space visuals are, dare I say...fantastic). Superman reminds me of one of those simple movies that you turn on to re-watch on one quiet day a decade from now when you're craving something nostalgic.

(Games) Persona 3: Reload - +1 if you're a JRPG fan. An even higher plus for a surprisingly mature story on dying, the grief stemming from it, and how we process it through a multitude of different perspectives with one of the best well-handled endings centered around this theme.

(Movie) Looper - I still have to watch the rest of this movie tonight but HOW HAVE I NOT WATCHED THIS MOVIE UNTIL NOW?! This movie is so damn cool!! What's crazier is that I remember being so hyped about this movie years ago but I just never had the right moment to watch it. Over time, I forgot about it until recently. So clear that this is one of Rian Johnson's best written works.

That's what I have for now. Since you made it to the end...it's the return of some lovely promos. I haven't done these in a LONG while but I'm happy to be bringing them back in the loop.

As an indie author, I'm very happy to share this diverse collection with you all - please check out what these authors have taken the time to invest in here. Maybe you'll find a story you didn't realize was needed in your life until now!

Finally, if you're reading and or have read Mad City - let me know what you think! We had a sale in July to celebrate its 5-year anniversary so I hope you were able to grab a copy then or even before.

Until next time!
~Victor Vahl
​www.victorvahl.com​