’Tis I. The one who’s enjoying the heck out of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat and thinks you should watch it, too.
Summer is by far my least favorite season of the year, simply because of the torments of the Texas heat. I can’t stand it. Come July 1st every year, I pretend it’s officially fall.
Listen, the summer solstice has passed, which means the days are now getting shorter, right? The shadows are lengthening and deepening. I’m not making this up. “Science” agrees. *tosses Halloween confetti* So happy fall, y’all. Fuck this sticky, humid bullshit, with its hurricanes and mosquitos and lack of humane temperatures. I’ve got the AC cranked and my fingers stuffed in my ears, so I’m just gonna pretend summer’s hell isn’t actively burning at my doorstep.
Keep reading below to hear more about how my June went. (aka the *first and last month* of summer. I am not accepting commentary on this.)
💕Aimee
Summer Travels with the Kids
This has been our first summer fully at home with our autistic twins, who started public school back in August after years of ABA therapy. I’m delighted to see them enjoy their first full summer break, but man, it’s been a huge change to have their boisterous energy in the house during the workday.
Since my husband travels often for work, we decided to pack the kids up and tag along with him. (That way, they don’t get bored, and I don’t go clinically insane with them by myself.) We’ve been to Dallas a few times this month, as well as other locations around our home state of Texas.
My favorite by far was visiting the Stockyards in Fort Worth! I’ve lived in Texas for the majority of my life, but I’ve never been to the Stockyards. If I had to distill everything about Texas into a few city blocks, this would come close. A solid Tex-Mex restaurant, and I would have been satisfied. So much fun. And I bought my first cowboy hat!
What I’ve Been Loving This Month – Books, TV, Music
A few years back when it first aired, I was a huge fan of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, having loved the 1994 film and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles books. Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid are wonderful as Louis and Lestat. Their acting, their chemistry, the writing. *chef’s kiss* Now they’ve moved on to The Vampire Lestat, and I’m loving the new show so far. It is absolutely absurd in the best way possible.
In anticipation of the show’s release, I’ve been reading/rereading The Vampire Chronicles this year, most recently The Tale of the Body Thief and Memnoch the Devil. Though I’ve read the earlier books more than once, both of these were new for me. (Minor spoilers ahead—>) Reading about Lestat drinking the blood of Jesus Christ on his way to the cross was not on my 2026 bingo card, but here we are, I guess. These books are every bit as bold, overblown, and ridiculous as the show, but I’m here for it all. Lestat is one hell of a character.
I also read Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, which was absolutely fantastic. By far, my favorite book that I’ve read this year.
I often gravitate toward theatrical media, including music. Something else I’ve been enjoying this month is the new album by one of my favorite bands, Muse. The Wow! Signal has absolutely blown me away. I’ve been a Muse superfan since 2006, and I think this might be their best album they’ve released in that time. Listening to it feels like taking an epic trip to space. Favorite songs include Hush (featuring Ellie Goulding), Hexagons, The Dark Forest, and—gah, it’s all good! Go listen.
New Short Story – The Devil And His Shadow
Earlier today, I posted a vampire short story called “The Devil And His Shadow.” Here are the author’s notes, which tell you a bit more about it:
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Author’s Note: I wrote this short story (~5,600 words) back in February after emerging from a three-year depressive period—an attempt to fall back in love with writing and to explore some of the darker emotions I’d been working through. The feeling that part of “me” had been erased or forgotten during my depression found its way into the prose as the character of August. The thing that broke me out of my depression was anger, which I personified as the character of Luca.
To anyone who’s struggling with depression, hang in there. There are a number of things that can help, but for me, it was getting active again. Forcing myself to participate in the life I was avoiding. That’s (indirectly) what this story is about.
I’ve loved vampires since the original Interview with the Vampire movie came out in 1994. (I was much, much too young to be allowed into the theater, but my wonderful sister, who is six years older than me, snuck me in.) After reading Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, I later found Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Lost Boys, The Hunger, the Sookie Stackhouse book series, which became True Blood, and so many other wonderful stories. Blade, The Dresden Files, Underworld, and don’t get me started about how much I love AMC’s new reimagining of Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. I could go on and on.
My favorite vampire stories contain a deep exploration of humanity. This short story is no exception. Metaphors abound. I hope you like it.
What I’ve Been Writing
With the kids at home this summer, I’ll be honest with you. I’ve been too busy vacuuming up hundreds of thousands of Cheerios and stepping on Legos to get much writing done. I need deep concentration and quiet for actual writing, but I’ve still made good use of the time I do have by plotting a new novel! Now that I have my last book finished and ready to send off to beta readers, this new manuscript is now Priority #1. I’m so excited.
I plan to keep the details a secret for now, but let’s call this new manuscript Project Vampire. (What, did you think I was consuming all this vampire media for no reason?) 🧛
See you in July for another update. Wish me luck writing with the kids home!
