From the VA, to USAID, to DoD, NSF, USDA and all the rest. Minorities, veterans, women, children, spouses of military personnel. LGBTQIA+. Immigrants. HUMAN BEINGS. We are with you. We support you. Do not give up. Don’t let them win. Hold the line. Even if you’re illegally fired, like thousands already, you’ve done nothing wrong. Hold the line inside yourself.
If you or someone else is in a mental health crisis, please call/text/chat with someone at the 988 hotline: https://988lifeline.org It is free, and accessible 24/7. For other resources, please consider contacting your local United Way: https://www.211.org They’re an excellent, one-stop resource to help coordinate you with your community and state to help guide you through available assistance.
This administration is evil. This is not of God. This is not Christian, no matter what they say otherwise. Please, stay strong and resilient.
WE SAY NO TO OLIGARCHY. WE SAY NO TO TYRANNY. WE SAY NO!!!
A fantastic review of my horror novel, Memory Bound from Horror Addicts. Thank you to them for the lovely review.
MB is available on Amazon for order, or free through Kindle Unlimited. Or ask your local library to order a copy for circulation. Reviews and shares are very welcome. Thanks and happy reading! Take care.
I found Memory Bound to be an enjoyable read. If you like paranormal and psychological thrillers this is the story for you. I felt all the characters in the book were engaging and I wanted to know more. The main character’s name was Anne Ditchfield and she has a mental illness. I liked the fact the author didn’t dummy down mental illness and didn’t make the main character seem weak or stupid. I liked the main character’s interaction with the world and people around her while dealing with a haunting.
The story centers around a plantation called Myron Manor which our main character moves into and is rebuilding for Historical preservation. I also enjoyed the author’s descriptions and I felt I was there. I liked the haunting part of the story and felt it had enough of a twist to not seem like all the…
One of my favorite bands is 21 Pilots. They write a lot of deep, authentic music and advocate strongly for mental health. Sometimes the phrase “Don’t believe the hype” (from one of their songs, The Hype) will come into my mind when I find myself distracted by something in the world. “Buy this product” American society says, or “Join this group; network with this person; this is what success looks like–don’t you want to be like them?” Or “worry about this catastrophic event now”, says the 24/7 news cycle. Sifting through this information overload, trying to sort the gold from the fool’s gold is sometimes an impossible task. “Don’t believe the hype,” I will sometimes tell myself. “Just keep walking. Don’t be distracted.”
I have been walking through a difficult season in my life. It’s involved exhaustion, being extremely overworked and other personal challenges. It’s devoured my time and energy and, a long story very short, enough has been enough. I have been stumbling along with the guy in dusty sandals through the ordeal, learning to lean on him and not myself. He is leading the saint and I to calmer waters, but it’s taking some time to get there. These past few weeks have felt like the last miles in a very long bike ride. Pedaling, pedaling, pedaling. Eyes on the finish line, eyes focused forward, trying not to be distracted by any sideline games and foolery.
Writing wise, I have a few updates I’ve been posting. As a recap, I will be publishing a short horror story, “The Letter” this Fall in an anthology with other authors (preorder link here). My first short children’s story, “The Mermaid and the Yellow Jellyfish” is coming out this December as part of Fae Corp’s Kid’s Week (preorder link will be up later). I hope you’ll check out both and leave reviews. I have another short story I’m waiting to hear back for another anthology, and have been continuing to submit my novel to agents.
A more personal achievement–I donated blood for the 25th time recently. This was a goal I had been working towards for the past few years. If you ever thought about donating blood, I encourage you to check it out. It’s a constant need, as blood has a limited shelf life. Each donation can save up to three lives.
I also wanted to share a podcast I came across recently, for those interested in Christian and Jewish history in context of the Bible. It’s called the BibleProject. Currently, I’m listening to a talk on the 10 Plagues and Exodus. The history, the original Hebrew text and words–all so fascinating. So far, I have really enjoyed their balanced, loving approach to presenting and understanding the Bible and Christianity. I’ve also been on an Egyptian history kick, so all boxes crossed there. Good to listen to while bee-bopping on the rider, or doing some gardening. They’re funny, too.
I’ll end it here with a another song that’s been my jam lately. Stay well and happy writing.
A.R. Clayton 