Eric Butler's Blog, page 4

The wife and I finished a rewatch of The X-Files and settled on the 1st of 7 made-for-TV movies, Stone Cold. This series is based on the Jesse Stone books by Robert B. Parker. I'm not sure where they aired originally but you can find this one(and the others) on Amazon Prime - for a limited time.

It's a by the book procedural that doesn't feel the need to be anything more. While this one was rated "R", I didn't see anything that actually deserved the rating. They are "adult" issues, but nothing more than you'd see on SVU. We are 2 movies into the series which ran from (2005-2012), and they've done a good job of keeping us entertained.

This made me think of a few other series that we enjoyed based off of Mystery Novels.

1st up is Justified.

The show follows a US Marshall who returns to where he grew up. It's based on the Elmore Leonard book Pronto which introduces us to the Raylan Givens character.

I'm sure everyone who wants to see it, has ... but just in case. I am a Olyphant fanboy, and will never not suggest his shows and movies. It's got a much harder edge than the Stone movies (so far), and the cast of characters are way more colorful. The dynamics of what makes Olyphant's character tick is fascinating to watch. Stream it on HULU ... another season is in the works.

2nd we have Longmire.

This is based on a series of books I haven't checked out yet, but they are on my list. Craig Johnson has 19 books in the Walk Longmire series, so I'm not sure how many of the stories made it into the 6 seasons.

This series focuses on an aging sheriff in a small town - kinda like a modern day western.

We were late to the game with this one, and just streamed it in 2022. It was a show that had me rushing to see what was going to happen next. Stream it on Netflix.

Lastly, I'm going to say Haven.

This one is loosely based on Stephen King's The Colorado Kid. It's more like Warehouse 13 and The X-Files had a baby than The Dead Zone or It. While there is a compelling mystery in the beginning, it's the characters that keep you coming back to this show. If you like a bit of science fiction in your crime solving, this is the show for you. It used to be on Netflix, but it looks like right now you can only stream the first season for free (on something called VIX). Or you can buy them on Amazon or Google Play.

That's right. You can now show off your love of the Goatman, Donn, TX, and my short Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny.

I'll have hoodies, t-shirts (unisex and woman's v-neck cut), notebooks, and drink ware. I'll expand in the coming months, but for now I thought this was enough. The stuff is printed through a 3rd party and sent by them to save on time and shipping. There a ton of sizes and colors to choose from so there's something for everyone. Click on the merchandise page and follow the instructions to find my stuff.

Merch Page.

Grab all 3 over at Godless & Amazon*

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Godless

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Amazon

,The Surrogate - Godless

,The Surrogate - Amazon

Book Trailer Coming Soon

,There's Something In The Water - Godless

,There's Something In The Water - Amazon*

*eBook is a Pre-order on Amazon but you can order the paperback

My 3rd Godless short is now available on the platform, and is up for preorder on Amazon for April 3rd. Micah is already working her magic, so the audio book will be available around the same time - fingers crossed.

,Godless

,Amazon - preorder

You can also grab the first 2 stories at Godless and Amazon.

All three of these give you an unique look at the monster sub-genre. Get your drop cloth and cover up to stop the gore from staining your clothes.

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Godless

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Amazon

,The Surrogate - Godless

,The Surrogate - Amazon

If I'm being honest, the plan was to have another Goat-Man story out this month, but I decided I wanted to spend more time cleaning it up. It's not going out until I'm sure it's ready. That said, I had already committed myself to having something for Drew over on Godless on March 13th.

Enter There's Something in The Water. This is the 3rd in my series of Godless shorts. It's a creature feature that re-imagines the Irish myth of the Dobhar-chu. It's kind of like a dog, otter, and serpent had a baby. I think you'll enjoy my take on this cryptid.

You can order it on eBook on Godless on 3/13/23.

You can pre-order the eBook on Amazon on 3/13/23 with a release date of 4/3/23.

I'll have links on Monday,

and more importantly, I like to watch other people cook to learn new techniques or discover a better way to do what I'm already doing.

I think there are 2 reasons I like to cook. First, my dad cooked a lot of things when I was a kid. He wasn't afraid to try new things or to make mistakes (in the kitchen), and he often included me when he worked. I learned early on that it was okay to dabble. Second, when my parents divorced, I was often left to my own devices, and while I ate a ton of fast food, I learned to appreciate a home cooked meal.

As a child of the 80s, I consumed a ton of TV and unlike today when you can just look up what you want to watch, when you want to watch it, I got to watch what was one when I turned on the TV. One of the shows that helped me on my culinary journey was The Frugal Gourmet.

Yeah, yeah, I know. He was accused of some terrible stuff (and settled out of court) but when I was watching, I didn't know anything about that. So, I only have good memories of his show. The weird thing is I can't think of any specific dish I learned from him. What I did learn was knife technique, and specific info on different food and how to make them delicious.

After I got married, the Food Network was my jam. And while The Iron Chef was my favorite show to watch ( it was just so wild ass), it was Good Eats that taught me the science of cooking.

Did I get it at first? No, it took a few before I recognized the genius of how he was hiding all the learning behind some amazingly low budget action. However, it didn't take long for Food Network to go the way of MTV, and stop showing what made them famous.

So now, when I want to watch a cooking show, I just go to YouTube. These are my 3 favorite cooks.

1. Sam the Cooking Guy

I discovered him in a 6 episode series that ran on the Discovery Network sometime around 2005 (maybe). It was a show where he focused on healthy cooking and at the time, I was all about losing weight and trying to get healthy. Sam was super down to earth, and more importantly, honest about things. If something tasted terrible, he told you - yeah, I'm looking at you fat-free mayo.

The only problem was, it was six episodes. You won't find that on YouTube as he releases 2-3 episodes a week. He also makes a wide range of food, and since he's not classically trained, he uses short cuts and doesn't feel the need to apologize for it. I watch him for ideas and shortcuts.

You can find his channel here.

2. Mike from Pro Home Cooks

I'd never heard of this guy when I stumbled onto a video where he makes an adult PB&J from scratch. He used to be a part of a cooking show that aired on MTV of all places called The Brothers Green. He has more of a wild-ass, no recipe approach to things and I like how he not only shows you how to jump hurdles in cooking, but also what to do when you're to blame for placing those hurdles there.

He has a fantastic 15-minute meal series, and I've picked up more than one idea from watching him flailing around the kitchen.

You can find his channel here.

3. Jim from Sip and Feast

Jim might be my favorite one to watch now. I'm always on the look for great Italian-American dishes, and he has provided quite a few to our regular rotation. There's just something comforting about his videos, and I like how he includes his whole family in the process. While he does have specific recipes for each dish, he also reminds you that you are making this for your family to eat, so don't be scared to improvise when needed.

You can find his channel here.

There are a ton more people I like to watch so I'll probably do another episode or 2. For now I hope you enjoy these 3.

I'm working on a couple of projects and hope to have more news for you soon.

The Godless Reads episode where I read my short story, "The Best of Friends", is almost to 3000 views. If you haven't checked it out, and want to hear what I sound like after a couple weeks of Covid, head over to YouTube. ,Click Here.

Like everyone else seems to be doing in the Indie Horror World, I'm working on making it possible to purchase items from the website. There will be signed books, T-shirts, and a few other fun & unique items. The plan is to have it up and running before Scares That Cares 2 (March 31st) but we'll have to see what happens.

My first 2 releases on Godless.com have gone over well, and are both available on Amazon now (if you've been waiting). There will be a 3rd one on March 13th, but I'm not sure what it will be just yet. At this rate, we'll all be surprised together.

Go and get your copy now

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Godless eBook

Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny - Amazon: eBook, Paperback, Audiobook

,Surrogate - Godless eBook

,Surrogate - Amazon: eBook, Paperback, Audiobook

In their search for a surrogate, the Wilkenses thought they struck gold with Alina. All she wanted was a flight to the United States and a warm place to stay during the pregnancy.

But some things are too good to be true …

Available on:

,Godless - eBook

,Amazon - eBook, paperback, audiobook

This week on What's In The Box? Donna and I discuss Dog Soldiers and the book it inspired Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers. After watching the movie, I went over to the special features (the main reason I love getting Blu-ray collector's editions) and watched another movie - The Making of Dog Soldiers. So with that in mind, I wanted to share some of my favorite behind-the-scenes movies that you can stream right now.

1 - Pennywise: The Story of It.

Blurb - A documentary surrounding It (1990), based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name, which featured a notorious villain known mostly as Pennywise.

I just watched this one over the last week, and really enjoyed it. I remember when this movie debuted on ABC and all the hubbub leading up to it. It's a decent deep dive into all the ins and outs of the first filmed version of Pennywise. Check it out on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and VUDU free.

2 - Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Blurb - The history of Mattel's definitive action figure toy line.

There's a series on Netflix, The Toys That Made Us, that spends an hour on He-Man, and while it's good, this movie is better. It's a super deep look into everything He-Man. Check it out on tubi.

3. The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story.

Blurb - A documentary film about the Nickelodeon Network, telling the story of its humble origins deep into the SNICK years.

As a child of the 70s & 80s, I was raised on Nickelodeon. It's funny to go back and see all the hits and misses of the channel before they hit their stride (mostly after I was no longer in their target demographic). You can watch this on HULU.

4. Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown.

Blurb - A chronicle of the life, work and mind that created the Cthulhu mythos.

I've written about this documentary before, but I wanted to include it in case you missed those posts. I feel like this is one of the best films on the subject of Cthulhu and its creator, Lovecraft. Watch it on Amazon Prime & tubi.

Coming to Amazon this Friday - The Surrogate. You can still grab the eBook on Godless, but you can get the paperback & eBook on Amazon.

,Godless

,Amazon Preorder

You can grab my newest Extreme Horror story on ,Godless and pre-order it on ,Amazon.

Here's the book trailer to give you an idea of what it's about ...

Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny is now available on audibles for only $3.95! Click ,here to order it now.

Or you can grab the ebook on ,Godless or ebook/paperback at ,Amazon.

To distract me from the pain of the 49ers not making it to the Super Bowl, I released my 2nd Extreme Horror Short, The Surrogate, on Godless.com. The plan is to have these shorts debut on Godless and a few weeks later they will be added to Amazon and expanded to paperback and audiobook.

I wanted to share this awesome art Drew put together for the Godless advertisement of my newest release. The man is amazing with all the extra production he provides with the Godless projects.

If you want to get it on Amazon, the preorder is up and costs $1.99. You can get the eBook immediately at Godless for only $.99.

The audiobook for Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny should be ready any day and I'm hoping by doing a pre-order on The Surrogate, we can get that audiobook done even faster. Click on the links to order the books.

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny Godless

,Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny Amazon

,The Surrogate Godless

,The Surrogate Amazon Pre-Order