Dia dhuit and welcome back to another issue of the Midnite Gazette, the only newsletter banned from three random neighbourhoods in Melbourne. I’m hoping you’ve all had a great time since we last spoke. The sun is out and summer is upon us. I know some people don’t like summer because it’s too warm and I can agree, but if I’m to choose between sweltering heat or 16 hours of darkness a day, I’m picking the heat.
I had planned to do a rehash/reboot of an old topic for today’s instalment but I wasn’t really feeling it so I’m just going to give some updates and then tell a little story about some funny lies I’ve told (the reboot topic was discussing two pitches for licensed comics I got a chance to make but sadly didn’t get so if that interests you let me know and I’ll do it). Let’s jump into it, but first we need a word from our sponsor for this issue; dry spaghetti.
This issue of the Midnite Gazette is sponsored by dry spaghetti. If you are a person of esteem and respect, then you like spaghetti bolognaise and if you are like me, you like to eat wet spaghetti with that dish. But did you know that if you go to a shop and buy spaghetti that nobody can stop you opening them and eating the dry pasta like a bag of crisps? It’s true, I believed this to be illegal until I was corrected by the people at dry spaghetti. So get down to your local shop and give it a try!
Updates:
The Osaka S.P.D. updates keep coming and they don’t stop coming. Hugo has finished the art on issue #2 so I’ve to do a lettering edit of the script and then send it off to Rob for the lettering so that issue is pretty much almost done. There might be some edits needed to the letters, but they are pretty rare with Rob. He usually steps into the ring and finishes it in the first round. Issue #4 script is done and I’ll send that off for editing soon. There isn’t too much of a rush on it so I’ve jumped into the issue #5 script. The final script is always a scary prospect, but I’m very confident of this script and the overall story. The final issue starts at a Formula One pace and doesn’t let off the accelerator for the whole twenty-four pages. I had concocted a new ending recently which was inspired by an idea Hugo had mixed with a moment from Tokyo Ghoul with a sprinkling of inspiration from the concept of the planned third book in the Osaka series.
As some of you may know I’ll be going to ThoughtBubble in November and I recently got an email saying they needed a logo from me. It was a bit late notice but decided to just throw something together myself. Wanted an Irish feel to it so just chose a Celtic knot and the Tree of Life which I have a tattoo of. It’s not really any good but I threw it together in like less than an hour so I’m happy.
As for non-writing updates, I actually got away for a holiday recently, heading off to Magaluf in Spain for one of my closest friends’ stag party. It was a really great time, and though I didn’t get much rest, it was nice to switch off for a few days. As I’ve said before, I’m pretty much obsessed with writing. Even if I haven’t sat down at a computer and typed something in a week or two, it doesn’t mean I’ve had a break. I’m constantly thinking about stories, characters and scenes. Often doing a lot of “writing” in my head. To people who may sometimes struggle to switch it on, it probably sounds amazing, but honestly, it’s pretty exhausting to not be able to switch off, especially around bedtime. I think it’s a symptom of my ADHD, so it’s just something I need to manage. Thankfully, the stag party allowed me the chance to completely switch off and just have the craic. Here’s a photo of me using a cocktail umbrella as an earring. I might make this my new author pic.
I don’t want this newsletter to run on too long, so I’ll just shotgun the stuff I’ve been reading and watching. I read All-Star Superman for the first time and completely understood the hype. So many moments capture the essence of Superman perfectly. I’m glad James Gunn seems to be using it as the basis for his Superman movie. This started a bit of a Superman kick and I started reading Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. I’ve never read a Supergirl comic before but I’m really liking this though I’m not a fan of her companion’s dialogue, which gets a bit exhausting. I finally finished reading Ireland’s Immortals, which was a 500+ book about Irish mythology. It was absolutely class, and it makes me want to write some books inspired by our amazing mythology.
I also watched Pearl and adored it. Mia Goth is on the path to superstardom and she was robbed of an Oscar nomination.
Lovely Little Liars:
As I said, I had a topic, I wanted to do but I am a little busy at the moment so decided against it though I still want to keep the updates coming as often as possible so I’m still putting a newsletter out. However, I didn’t want to just give updates, so I thought let’s tell a little story.
A little known fact about Irish people is we fucking love lying. Like not the bad kind of lying, like stealing someone’s money and saying you didn’t or being a filthy cheater or anything. Nah, we love little harmless lies. Just a lovely wee fib to wind someone up. It probably has to do with our affinity and fear of fairies since they love a good trick, though their tricks are much more sinister. Anyway, the past week I actually saw two threads on Twitter of Irish people discussing lies that they’ve told people (mostly Americans) for no reason other than it’s funny. This reminded of my favourite fib that I’ve told and after telling my girlfriend the story recently I thought why not share it here?
So, the story begins in my second year of college. I live in a house with some mates and we have a good few people over. We don’t have many channels on the tele, so we usually just stick whatever on. Someone flicked through our seven channels and saw Little House On The Prairie and just decided to put it on. I immediately said “turn that off”. I’m not sure why, I’ve never even seen the show. I just decided it was my enemy, and it needed to be switched over. Anyway, everyone else was wondering why I wanted it changed and I didn’t have an answer so I did what anyone else who isn’t shit craic would do. I made up a lie.
I told everyone that I can’t watch Little House On The Prairie because when I was younger, I had a babysitter who always made me watch it. I explained that when I started Primary School, the first two years I finished at 2.30pm and I would go to my babysitter’s house and she would make me toast and a cup of tea. But then after those two years I finished at 3pm. However, my babysitter was on a schedule which she didn’t change, so when I’d arrive at her house my toast and tea would be already sat there since 2.30pm. She had also sworn off dairy, so there was no butter on the toast. Finishing at a later time meant my cartoons I would usually watch were already over, so my babysitter made me watch Little House On The Prairie. So every day for a few years I would sit watching Little House On The Prairie while eating cold, unbuttered toast and drinking cold, black tea. Horrifying.
Of course, this was all a lie. My late Granny Betty looked after me after school and she always had raspberry jam covered toast and a hot cup of tea ready and I could sit and watch Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon and whatever else was on. But that story is heartwarming and lovely which isn’t funny. So instead I concocted a dastardly deception.
This is also the same group of friends who I convinced that the scar on the palm of my hand was from being stabbed in a fight (it was because a picture frame broke and it stabbed me so I guess it was kinda true if you accept humans and picture frames can fight). I’m not too sure why they believe me about anything anymore.
Anyway, I hope you liked that little anecdote and I hope you enjoy your weekend. Stay safe, stay hydrated and keep it sexy x
- Andy
dry spaghetti is a drimnagh specialty