This turned up earlier this week and I hid it from myself and forgot to post it:

Somebody went to a lot of trouble to do that - or at least it looks that way. Maybe it was some slacker working in a corporate job who figured 'fuck it' and spent a morning doing his own thing that was worthwhile. I'd like to think that's how it was put together anyway.

So if you're struggling with some writing, what we can gather from this diagram is... just keep going. Even when all hope is lost, keep putting one word after the other because you never know how things might turn out. More than anything, perhaps this is a diagram of hope.

Meanwhile, my love of noir and pulp novels is no secret. I think everybody loves pulp really - they just don't like to admit it in public. Whether you're a public or a closet lover, if you're also into comic books, Hard Case Crime and Titan are about to release a couple of noir/pulp serials - Triggerman and Peepland. While they appear to be pushing Peepland as the flagship title in the series, it's Triggerman that I'm liking the look of... here's some sneak things that they unleashed earlier today:

There's a lot of scraps around the web trailering both titles so I won't kill the treasure hunt for you but it looks good to me.

The crows upgraded their gift allowance this week too. After feeding the rabbits, I accidentally left a whole bunch of things on top of their houses along with a whole bag of fresh straw. The following morning, I let Hector out and wandered up the garden with him and found this sitting on top of one of the roofs:

At first, I thought it was a metal dog stolen from a Celtic hoard but on second inspection, it appears to be a plate from the front of a drawer - the fixing that the handle attaches to. I wish I had stuck with my first inspection now, but the thought is there. I'm not sure how good this next photograph is but here they all are... doing their thing:

I tried to make out the sky writing and what they were trying to say but I wasn't quick enough... maybe next time.

That's all for today... Friday's Burn Baby, Burn playlist will be with you sometime late Friday night along with some other random scraps of happiness for the weekend. Meanwhile, I must deliver my next instalment of Beautiful Creatures to Sean, go through some pictures I took of a Gateway To Everlasting Fire I found, finish up a travel piece on Siberia that I'm working on for The Mag, rustle up a synopsis for a big push on the 'finally completed forever' Family Of Noise (did I not mention that before?), and ummm... that's probably enough.

Oh yeah... and put out the trash for collection. I'll do that now.

Looks like it's Other People Sunday. I'll probably forget next Sunday but it seems like a good day to blog about all the things I've seen this week, that I've taken notice of. First up is the soon to be released (September 8th, so not that soon) illustrated edition of Joyland from Hard Case Crime. Joyland is likely the best thing Stephen King has written in twenty years. I loved every moment of it, so much so that I took some time out to review it here.

Any book cover illustrated by Glen Orbik is a good book cover but this one captures the entire Joyland world in a pretty little snow-globe all of its own. All of which leaves me with just one unanswered question...

Where are the Hard Case posters?

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Talking of posters, back in this neck of the woods, one of my favourite artists - Richey Beckett - has just released this fine looking piece in his store (from David Robert Mitchell’s new horror movie IT FOLLOWS):

There's another variant of the poster that looks like this:

Maybe that will match your curtains better. Regardless of your taste in decor - go buy something from him. I'm actually running out of room around here but hey, you can always make room for valuable additions to your life, can't you.

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Blast From The Past this week comes in the form of something I had forgotten all about. So much so, that the book I meant to buy a very long time ago has since been updated. Take a look at this:

If ever there was a subject matter that sat close to my heart, it's this.

Men dressed in fur and looking peculiar in a field for no apparent reason other than to disturb passers-by?

Maybe. Maybe not.

These images are from a book called Wilder Mann: The Image of the Savage by an insanely talented photographer who goes by the name of Charles Ferger (because that's his name). There are more from the series on his webpage for the book here.

I would like to interview this man. Sooner rather than later.

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On the record deck this week has been Goon from Tobias Jesso Jr. If you think all the creative male singer/songwriters died somewhere back in 1975, stick your nose in and see what you think.

One man and a piano shouldn't be allowed out into the world unaccompanied. I like it. A lot. There's some fine songs lurking here... and if you do like what you hear, there's a tour on the road right now with some UK dates in the bag.

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On the reading front, I'm on a go slow due to writing but still enjoying ploughing my way through Knausgård (if your still unsure about him, there's a great piece in the New York Times which should help you make up your mind one way or another) and somewhere along the way, I picked up a copy of Tom Wolfe's I Am Charlotte Simmons which despite a royally mixed bag on the review front, is suiting me just fine.

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And here's a playlist if you're a user of rdio.com - because I felt like it.

Le Fin.