Personal / Website News
General Life/Project News
This weekly news report is a bit on the lighter side. Part of that is its the holidays, but the main reason is Michele and I are knee deep in projects that will bear lots of fruit in 2022:
- Michele and I are conducting a top secret interview with another person for a book to be published in 2022.
- Prepping for an interview with another author for my website.
- I am starting an essay for a magazine that’s due at the end of January. My biggest magazine writing gig yet!
- Knee deep in coordinating the interviews for this month’s HP Lovecast Podcast which is focused on the book Attack From the 80s.
- Plotting the first three months of HP Lovecast in 2022 (take a look at the podcast page for a sneak preview).
- AnnRadCon coordination.
- Editing a previous essay of mine to submit to a journal.
So as you can see, there is lots of big stuff going on behind the scenes! Stay tuned as these projects come to completion. In the meantime, here is some general personal and peplum news.
McFarland Mythology & Folklore Book Sale
My publisher, McFarland, is having a sale on their books classified as mythology and folklore. Until December 19th, if you use the code MYTHOLOGY25 during check out, you’ll get a 25% discount on these books.
Included in this sale is my book, The New Peplum. If you’ve been curious about the book, (maybe as a Yuletide gift?), check it out at McFarland’s product page.
AnnRadCon CFP December Deadline
The CFP for the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference closes at the end of the month.
Details of the CFP can be found at the StokerCon website.
General Neo-Peplum News
Frozen Shield’s Ínia Review
Hal C. F. Astell has reviewed the new Frozen Shield folk/Viking metal album, Ínia, at his website, Apocalypse Later.
Kara Cooney’s Afterlives New Episode
If you have not been listening to Kara Cooney’s podcast, Afterlives, you should!
New episodes drop every Monday. Last week’s episode is called “A Leaders Power and Trickle Down Economics” and can be heard on Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
Recent Acquisitions
I’ve scored lots of neo-peplum and adjacent loot this past week! Hey, it’s Yuletide season, I can treat myself, right?
First up, arriving in the mail last week, is a vinyl copy of the Ex Der album, The Thirteen Years of Nero, autographed by Maurizio Iacono. I love it! The new album is stellar and I love the song “Imperator.” Both Ex Deo and Warkings are the two prominent metal acts that are just slaying the neo-peplum genre when it comes to music.
Next up, we had a friend and academic colleague visit us on their road trip. We decide to treat them by taking them to one of the Zia’s in Phoenix, which of course we love to go to and scavenge for cool loot. First up, got some new Blu-rays to upgrade my copies of 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire.
For only $9.00 I plucked up this Troy DVD boxset. This was too good to pass up, it full of so much swag. I think I’ll do a separator unboxing post showing off its stately contents.
Lastly, I purchased King of Kings by Leaves’ Eyes and The Witch of the North by Burning Witches.
Leave’s Eyes is symphonic Viking metal that, to me, sounds like a cross between Corvus Corvax, Qntal, and Die Prophezeiung-era E Nominee. I really dig it.
Burning Witches isn’t really peplum-metal, but there’s trace elements of Norse, Viking, and Medieval, so I’ll allow it. Very catchy all-female heavy metal.