“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” - John Muir

Hi. I’m Lucas Mangum and this is the third issue of Less Than Pulp, a newsletter for fans of my work. You can check out previous issues right here.

This weekend was packed.

On Saturday, Shane McKenzie came by so our sons could play together. They drew us pictures of Huggy Wuggy from the POPPY PLAYTIME game and some zombies. Shane and I talked shop. While he and I have some differing views on what we want out of stories, I always feel so inspired after chatting with him about this stuff.

On Sunday, I went with my family, some neighbors, and our neighbors’ kids to a campsite in Marble Falls. We didn’t camp, but we made a day of things. For the most part, we sat by the river. I forgot to reapply sunscreen and burned a little. Despite that, it was a great time watching the kids play and getting in the water. The spot is nice, and we’ve gone multiple times. I’m being vague about the place’s name because part of what makes it nice is how quiet it is.

I finished the first round of edits on the DIGITAL DARKNESS omnibus. It will compile the now out of print RUSTED BLOOD, RESTLESS VOID, and RETRO DEAD, as well as some bonus material. The hope is to get it out by Killer Con in August, but I don’t want to rush it. Unlike the individual entries which were written under tight deadlines, I want this to be a lot cleaner and more like one big novel instead of three separate novellas. Above is the planned cover.

This week on MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN PODCAST, Jeff Burk and I discussed found footage movies and related storytelling techniques. We give some insight into the history of found footage and how the technique has evolved. Jeff also provides some great recommendations for obscure found footage movies. You can check out the podcast here or play the episode below.

Reading has been slow lately. Hopefully, I can fit more in this week.

That’s it for now, but if you enjoy this newsletter or think more people should know about my work, be it podcasting or books, please share this around. I’d like to do a giveaway once I reach a hundred subscribers, but I’m still figuring out exactly *what* I hope to give away.

Have a great week, everyone.