Keeping the Faith

I've recently begun to have second thoughts about the stated purpose of pronounced WOO-BIN. While there is a certain nobility to recording and presenting a slowly vanishing accent for posterity, I have the nagging feeling I ought to be doing more. Instead of taking notes as a historic indicator of regional identity fades into the long night, perhaps I should take a more proactive stance.

Perhaps I should move from passive archivism to active evangelism. It would be a Sisyphean task, to be sure. I harbor no illusions about its chance of success, yet if it holds back the rhotic tide of accent-neutral blandness for a few extra moments it would be victory enough.

All I require is a suitable vector for my plans, and I believe I have found it -- the audiobook format. What better way to proselytise than under the guise of passive entertainment? And what better way to reach a massive audience than by taking advantage of the huge market for quasi-softcore vampire fiction?

I am fortunate to have connections in the scene. The renowned Christopher J. Sims, whose Solomon Stone series is easily the gold standard of the vampire-fiction-written-by-comics-blogger subgenre (not that his competitors have set a high bar in that regard), courteously granted me permission to use an excerpt from his magnum opus for my test run.

Stone Me Deadly

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On a less megalomaniacal front, pal Thirdmate of the HMS Impossible has started up The Old Swampers' Almanac, a new blog dedicated to the lore and custom of the wild, wooly, and oh-so-historic South Coast of Massachusetts. Check it out.

None But the Bright and Shining Moon Can Say

October has begun, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place to enjoy the spooky season than New England. We've got the foliage, we've got centuries old churches and cemeteries, and we've got the willingness to capitalize upon a historical horror brought about by pettiness and superstition!

Y'know, I'd take the spooky set's arguments about showing the proper respect to the victims of the witch trials more seriously if these same people weren't flocking to Salem to open souvenir stands and mystical boutiques aimed at dunning wads of cash from eager tourists.

Blessed be the revenue stream!

In any case, here's another macabre marketing pitch that is much nearer and dearer to my heart...

Good Evening!

Ye Olde Standby

It had to happen eventually, and present circumstances being what they are, it might as well be now.

The Classics