And once more, the weather has shifted here in the UK. We’ve had a few more spells of hot weather, some rain and even the odd thunderstorm! My cup has been running a bit empty lately, so my progress in writing has been limited at best this month. I’ve got a week off work coming up at the beginning of September, so fingers crossed this will help me recharge and reset.

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Another month with little to no mojo in writing, I’m afraid. I’ve continued with Stocking Stuffers, but that is pretty much it this month. The short story I’ve been writing for this collection is finished now, and is with my good friend and fellow author Richard Dee for a quick read through. I still need to write the three outstanding drabbles for it, but the cover is done, and promo material is underway.

Hush hasn’t seen any progress in the last month, but I feel that could be changing soon. And as for the daily(ish) drabbles – I think things might be changing there. I’ve been thinking about my time on Medium. 2024 was a fantastic year, earning above the membership fee each month. Nothing groundbreaking, but a little bit for me. Since the start of 2025, however, changes have been made. It’s now harder than ever to get eyes on my work. This, in turn, has led to a sharp downturn in earnings. I’ve had two months this year where I’ve earned more than my membership (by 6 cents and 82 cents), the rest have been markedly under, around $1 or $2 max per month. It’s not sustainable, especially when I’ve been committing to one 100-200-word story a day, 5 days a week. With this in mind, I think I’m going to take a break from Medium and focus on my other writing. I’ve got loads of drabbles from 2024 and 2025, so I think I’ll still be collecting them into short eBooks of around 100 each, or thereabouts. I will see how many I have in total.

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The Orwell Collection by George Orwell

What an incredible listen this was, especially with the incredible narration of Stephen King. From the tale of communism and propaganda in the amazing Animal Farm to the dark dystopia of 1984 with the thought police and the crackdown on free thought, free love and free speech. Both paint dark worlds. One is a picture of the past, a past that slowly seems like it could be repeating itself. The other world is a form of a future world, parallel to our own. And yet, in a lot of what is going on in the world, it’s eerily familiar. Definitely an eye-opening pair of stories from one of the great literary authors.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This one’s been on my Kindle for longer than I can remember, so I decided, in a year in which I aim to branch out and read new books, now was the time to dive in. And it did not disappoint. A high fantasy set in The Final Empire and primarily, the central city of Luthadel, it follows a group of rebels attempting to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Headed by Kelsier, they recruit and grow, including street thief Vin, who, it turns out, has magical abilities. It’s an intricate novel, with a dark, oppressive world, and the magic system is fantastically crafted. The characters are all flawed in their own ways. As an opener for a series, it’s a brilliant entry that sets up the world that really hooks you in and sets up the rest of the series.

Misery by Stephen King

This one is a reread, the most recent of who knows how many reads. It’s a Stephen King I’ve read a lot. I’ve watched the film many times, too. James Caan as Paul Sheldon and the amazing Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes are outstanding. The film is tense and gripping. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the book. The darkest, most disturbing scenes in the film are tame compared to the reality played out in print. What makes Misery such a captivating book for me is the fact that it’s not horror or paranormal, not in the traditional sense, or in the way King is most associated with. It’s dark, psychological and tense throughout, with explicit threat hovering over the entire story. It’s a classic, and despite my knowing cover to cover, it always gets my pulse racing.

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Inside Out 2

I often go into Pixar sequels with limited expectations, as they sometimes feel like a lesser attempt at capturing what the original achieved. Not bad by any stretch, but not as good as what came first. Toy Story is an obvious exception. But Inside Out 2 surprised me. It introduced a host of new emotions in addition to the original cast, yet didn’t feel stretched as a result. And focused on a smaller span of time than the original actually worked really well. The wrestle of emotions through puberty is really well captured in this second outing, while also leaving things open for a return to see how an older Riley handles what life throws at her.

The Thursday Murder Club

With a stellar cast of the best of British, The Thursday Murder Club made for a fun film. Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley star as cold case-solving residents in a retirement home trying to prevent the sale and redevelopment of their beloved home by the nefarious David Tennant. With cameos from Tom Ellis and Richard E. Grant, and a fantastic turn by Daniel Mays, this made for a fun watch. I’ve not read the books, and some have said it wasn’t as good, but I’d say it’s nonetheless an enjoyable film to watch.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

This one is another iconic film that I’ve watched many times over. And with this year being its 50th Anniversary, it seemed the perfect time to rewatch it. It’s a crazy film with an utterly ridiculous story and bonkers songs, and yet I love it. Tim Curry shows the world just how epic he would go on to be. Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick all shine too. Throw in a soundtrack of incredible songs that I know word for word, and this will always be one of my favourite films.

The Life of Chuck

Wow! I went into this one not sure what to expect, especially as I’d read that it’s told in reverse chronological order. I was pleasantly surprised with this film. It’s not what many would expect from Stephen King, but it made for a wonderful story. Tom Hiddleston aside, there is some really very good casting in this. Early on, my wife and I speculated as to the core thread of the film, and it seems like we got it spot on. It’s not a film to watch while distracted, but it was well worth watching!

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My gaming in August was a bit different; I’ve not fully focused on anything too much. I’ve dipped in and out of a variety of games, but nothing in any detail. A few bits have caught my attention over the last few days, but I’ll be digging into those more in the next month, so look out for those next month!

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Another slow month on a number of counts, but I think I needed to step back and reassess. As we enter my favourite part of the year, the “Ber” months, I can feel my mojo and mood improving, so I’ll be hoping for a better month next month!

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