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ObscuraJournal 9/29/26 | Bob Pastorella

ObscuraJournal is now back at my patreon, along with ObscuraDigress, which is exactly what it sounds like. My patreon is free for these kind of blog posts, so please sign up so you don't miss a thing. Thanks!

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I've been tinkering away at my dark fantasy novel, THE FUSE. Slowly, without a net, which means I have very little notes and nothing even re

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I picked up Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra on vinyl. Used, so I got what I paid for. The occasional pop and crackle doesn't distract much from the stellar music. Is it indulgent? Of course, but it's also great, and if you've never heard it, definitely give it a listen.

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This Is Horror | Michael David Wilson @thisishorror.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

If you chew some pecans and a fig newton at the same time, it tastes like pecan pie. It's probably the cookie part, but it's really good.

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Reposted by Bob Pastorella

As always, This Is Horror Podcast patrons get episodes ahead of the crowd. Today, Marcus Kliewer talks about writing horror Stories for Reddit, stop motion animation, the story behind We Used to Live Here, and much more. www.patreon.com/thisishorror...

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TIH 680: Marcus Kliewer | This Is Horror

TIH 680: Marcus Kliewer by This Is Horror on Patreon. Join This Is Horror's community for exclusive content and updates.

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HATER is more relevant now in our current social climate than ever before. You still have time to get your questions in ahead of our recording with @davidmoody.bsky.social, only at @thisishorror.bsky.social.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 28/09/2026

I'm trying to decide what my 31 days to Halloween theme is going to be this year. I posted 31 vampires last year, stuff that scared me as a kid the year before that. I got it!!! 31 days of horror movie soundtracks.

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FINALLY! I'm tempted to keep it sealed, wait until it goes out-of-print again, and mark it up 2000% like all the previous collectors, but nah ... this one is about to get on the turntable pronto!

Alice in Chains UNPLUGGED. Squeaky approves.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 25/09/2026

I keep going back to Deep Purple. Still haven't really checked out the newer albums beyond The House of Blue Light, but the two I dislike the most are Stormbringer and Come Taste the Band (very provocative title there!). Listening to Who Do We Think We Are and Burn lately, two really good albums.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 25/09/2026

Finally caught EVIL DEAD BURN today. Another solid entry in one of the most successful horror franchises. RISE was better, but yeah ... pretty fucking gruesome.

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Joe Koch @horrorsong.blog · 21/09/2026

Suppose it's not much to some of the more popular authors, but 6 reviews this early means the world to me! Thank you, energetic early readers! 💛 www.

goodreads.com

Dead Boys Don’t Cry

Shirley Jackson nominated author Joe Koch’s Dead Boys D…

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 24/09/2026

Many of the bands I thought were pretentious little darlings when I was growing up are some of my favorite bands now. I have attained the 'get into Emerson, Lake & Palmer' part of my life. Most of this is actually new to me.

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🌈 Hailey Piper 🌈 @haileypiperfights.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Actually I'm going to say, while it might upset some writing in the genre (specifically men who write women for insta-vulnerable, as if that isn't mega sexist): More horror protagonists should be men who spend a lot of the story screaming and crying and terrified. Let them be vulnerable characters.

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GHOULISH BOOKS WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS @ghoulish.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

oh shit! huge webstore restock just arrived and we are ready to ship these delicious little treats out to anybody with an adventurous enough sweet tooth. everything here (and more!) can be found at www.ghoulish.rip. ghouls, get ghouling. 🫡

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 23/09/2026

Today is John Coltrane's birthday. Both he and Miles Davis would have been 100 years old this year. Celebrate two of the most influential musicians ever by listening to any of their many collaborations, or each individually. KIND OF BLUE is a stone cold classic, and a great introduction to both.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 23/09/2026

I never really listened to Porcupine Tree, so now that I'm actually paying attention I'm discovering yet another band I should have listened to sooner.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 21/09/2026

I'm still working on my dark fantasy story THE FUSE. Trying omniscient narrator, which seems easy enough, but is also notoriously easy to fuck up. The reader and the characters do not need to know everything. That's my mantra.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 21/09/2026

Next music deep dive is Stephen Wilson. Porcupine Tree will feature as well, might just start there. Wilson has a new album releasing in early November, first single is proggy af.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 21/09/2026

Going with the ebb and flow of things, the new Green Lung (which is fucking excellent) sent me down another Rainbow kick, and here comes Deep Purple feeling a little left out so sure, why not.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 15/09/2026

I just discovered Widespread Panic (the band, not the ever constant feeling right now, which is also valid) and I think another deep dive is in order.

GHOULISH BOOKS WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS @ghoulish.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Reposted by Bob Pastorella

For years we have threatened to release a GHOULISH BOOKS WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS sh!rt and now the time has come to make good on that threat. Ships in November. Pre-order now: ghoulish.rip/product/ghou... Artwork by @bettyrocksteady.bsky.social

neon pink text: GHOULISH BOOKS WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS. there's a monster hand holding a knife dripping green blood.

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🌈 Hailey Piper 🌈 @haileypiperfights.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

THIS MOVIE DOESN'T END THE WAY WE WANT is out today! In 1994, three girls go to the movies to see an obscure film. Only one comes out. 30 years later, the survivor learns the movie isn't done with her yet. Now playing in a bookstore near you 😈📽️ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827994...

Hailey Piper in a red dress holding a copy of her book This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want, cover art by Julia Lloyd, showing a fedora over a suit, but there's no one inside except the light of a projector. Out of the book juts a ticket for Blood-Curse of the Toad Man.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 15/09/2026

A key takeaway from the panels I attended at ArmadilloCon was the subtle use of the 'dark' fantasy sub-genre. Maybe I didn't notice it before, but I noticed the emphasis this time. This is a good thing, part of the beginning of the general relabeling that occurs with genre saturation. Bring it on!

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Gwendolyn Kiste @gwendolynkiste.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

So thrilled to see In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts on Goodreads' huge list of fall horror! And tomorrow is the big day! My Gatsby ghosts will officially be unleashed on the world! Expect lots of phantoms, melancholy, and plenty of gooey ectoplasm! www.goodreads.com/blog/show/31...

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 14/09/2026

Ryan's novel FREIGHT deals with a subject I originally didn't think would make for a good story, and boy was I wrong! Morally corrupt and complicit characters, I highly recommend this dive into a side of the trucking industry I never knew existed.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 14/09/2026

Folks, I'm going to have to cross pollinate among SM platforms for extended reach. I'm here, they'll have to pry this from my dead hands. You'll also find me at threads, insta and my patreon. Those later platforms have reach I don't have here, which is weird and strange and beyond my understanding.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 14/09/2026

ArmadilloCon was a BLAST. Loved seeing good friends and meeting new friends. The con ended, everyone left, and I found myself wandering the hotel alone. Fortunately, there was no penalty for leaving early, and they didn't make me pay for tomorrow, so I made the drive home, safe and sound.

Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 11/09/2026

Look at all these ghoulish books at the Ghoulish Table. Get yours now at ArmadilloCon!

GHOULISH BOOKS WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS @ghoulish.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Reposted by Bob Pastorella

find the Ghoulish Books table at Armadillocon in Austin, TX all weekend!

armadillocon sept 11,12,13 holiday inn midtown

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 11/09/2026

As expected, the new Green Lung is excellent. Definitely going to pick it up on vinyl, it's a keeper.

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Bob Pastorella @bobpastorella.com · 11/09/2026

I'm all for letting Taylor Momsen sing for Soundgarden anytime she wants. And yeah, she was Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch movie, but damn she can sing.

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Eric LaRocca @ericlarocca.com · 10/09/2026

There’s a really excellent preorder sale happening through B&N right now. My 2027 novel, BRUTE, is included! My publicist at Saga just emailed me this lovely graphic to help spread the word. Btw this book is very nasty and unpleasant… but what else did you expect from me? @sagapressbooks.bsky.social

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I listened to the new Sleep album again on the drive, then THE SCIENCES for comparison. I do like the new album, my only complaint is the guitar, which lacks Pike’s snarl. Is it a Sleep album? As long as you refrain from defining it, sure. I do like it though.

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Austin, I am in you. That sounded a lot more professional in my mind.

New Green Lung album releasing tomorrow, hell yeah baby!

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