This is not an April Fool’s Day post.

It is, instead, one of the hardest posts I’ve ever had to write, and it ultimately won’t say much.

Late last week, my family was struck by one of the most catastrophic and unexpected family emergencies we have ever had to face. I can’t say much more, except that it doesn’t directly impact anyone in my immediate household (though the indirect impacts will be considerable), and everyone here is alive, physically unharmed, fed, clothed, and housed, at least for the time being.

Things are still developing and I can’t really talk about them in any meaningful sense. Just know that this will be a long road for us.

I’m hopeful that this won’t change much, as far as my online presence is concerned. I’m still writing, I’m still watching movies when I can, I’m still reading books about monsters. In fact, one thing that would be helpful was if I could pick up a little more steady work. Over the last few months, I’ve lost two of my regular clients, and our finances are in a precarious position as a result of that and a number of other external factors.

One-off jobs are great, but a client who was looking for recurring monthly writing or editing work would be even better. Also, if anyone has any leads on remote jobs or staff positions that would be a good fit for a “monster guy” who knows how to write pretty well, those would be very much appreciated.

Those who might want to chip in financially can message or email me directly, or you can always become a member of my Patreon, which has the added bonus of giving you access to me rambling about old monster movies every month. If you want a free taste, last month I wrote about the weird silent flick Seven Footprints to Satan and its relationship to the A. Merritt novel from which it was (very loosely) adapted.

I’m also still writing columns various places, including my Dark Seance column on midnight spook shows and gimmick films over at Signal Horizon. In my latest installment, I write about giveaways and how much I want a Witch Deflector of my very own.

And, of course, I do a lot of other stuff. Reviewing movies (both horror and otherwise), writing about board games, hosting movies at the Stray Cat Film Center, and much more. I’m working on a lot of projects, when time allows, and you can always buy some of my recent books via Word Horde – Glowing in the Dark collects some of my best nonfiction writing on horror films, while Notes from Underground is my latest (and most unusual) fiction collection.

I’m hopeful that I will be able to share a little more about what’s going on in the future, but for now, I ask only that you send any positive energy you can spare, and treat my inevitable failings in the coming weeks and months with what forbearance you can muster.