I hope it’s not too horrifying. I think the skeleton means well and anyway it just seems an appropriate image in the sense that it reflects (and celebrates whenever possible!) the down-to-the-bone feeling here on planet earth; it seems like a lot of us are feeling that way.
I’ve been working on my fiction (specifically a novella about a woman who, in anguish and despair, sells her soul to the devil) but thinking of you and wanting to send some kind of holiday something. I decided on this link to an oral story I told for the Moth Radio Hour; if you haven’t heard of this wonderful entity, it is basically a forum for people to tell a story about dramatic, weird, funny or transformative things that have happened to them. Some of the stories are ordinary, some are remarkable. The Moth is performed live in various venues across the country; some of the episodes are then broadcast on more than 500 different radio stations. My Moth story was part of a live NYC reading in 2017; it is somewhere between ordinary and remarkable, at least for me. It is about an unexpectedly beautiful Christmas experience during a hard time in my life—even if, technically, the beautiful part happened after Christmas. I hope you enjoy it.
May I humbly speak for every gentle reader of your substack and say we cannot wait for your new novella about a woman who, in anguish and despair, sells her soul to the devil.
love your story of being the Grinch, I glad you got to tell it live, the Moth is such a supportive community and hearing you, your laugh, it is beautiful. I did the Moth, NYC on my birthday, Day of The Dead - it's a powerful thing to tell who you are live, no script, but very much feel the Moth's net. Merry Xmas Grinch. Luv, Winged Assistant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAHHXE0HOw