Blog Archives
January
My New Year’s resolution was to keep better track of what I’m doing. I’ll be listing what I get published each month and at the end of 2015 I’ll be able to see how many articles and a rough word count of what I did over the year.
I spent a lot of January working behind the scenes. I read over proofs for my upcoming book Monster Hunters (out June 2015, Chicago Review Press) and spent a lot of time working on the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference (June 6, 2015), and working on promo material for Ballyhoo (a comic I wrote and David Beyer Jr. illustrated).
I did have three articles published this month.
1. “Testing and Taxing Your Brain,” M: Milwaukee’s Lifestyle Magazine, January 2015. Article about local trivia nights, built on trivia questions with answer key at bottom of the article. The link will take you to their digital edition, the article is on page 96.
2. “the Soil & the Sun @ Turner Hall Ballroom,” Shepherd Express, Jan. 29. Concert review.
3. “Neighborhood Spotlight: Boen Richardson: The Right Side of the Tracks,” Riverwest Currents, February 2015. I’m including it here, despite Feb. cover date because it is out on the street (but not online yet).
The photo for this article was taken by Wendy Schreier Photography.
Total 2015 word count: 2,070 words.
2014
2014 was a good but often challenging year for me. I feel I did a lot of things I have not yet seen the payoff for, but hopefully will in 2015. 2014 was a lot of work. Good things happened and I’m looking forward to the future.
Major Stuff
I hit 2014 running, as it was around the halfway point of my deadline to my second non-fiction book, Monster Hunters: On the Trail With Ghosthunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, and Other Paranormal Investigators (Out June 1. Links to: Goodreads, Amazon).
In a way, writing this one was easier, because I had an idea of what had to be accomplished to write a book. On the other hand, it was intimidating because I had a lot of work to do in a fairly short amount of time. In 2013 I traveled to Vermont, Maine, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Florida. In 2014 travel continued to Arizona (for the 23rd International UFO Congress), Illinois, Michigan, and I continued to join local group Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee on cases.
On the trail of the Bigfoot with a member of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization. Somewhere in Michigan, July 2014.
In addition to the field work, I did a lot of research, interviewing, revising and more revising. By summer 2014 I had been reading about paranormal stuff for a solid year, was hammering out the final draft, and losing my mind.
I turned over the manuscript to my publisher (Chicago Review Press) in September. It was a huge relief and the book is currently going through the design phase. I’m looking forward greatly to having a stack of the books on my desk in June!
In October, I also self published a little book called Palookaville (links to Goodreads, Amazon). It’s a short collection of zany poetry and illustrations I slowly amassed over a year or so for kicks. A small project, but a fun one. I saw someone reading it and laughing, that’s all the pay off I really needed on that one.
One project I’ve been really excited about is Ballyhoo. I wrote the script for this comic and illustrator David Beyer, Jr. has been working on the art. We’re envisioning either a graphic novel or a 6 issue mini-series. I’m glad to announce here that David has completely finished the art for what will be issue or chapter one. Our next step is to shop it to a publisher. Wish us luck! I also recently finished first draft of what will be issue/ chapter 2. You can follow our progress at the Ballyhoo blog (which will be updated with new art soon) here: ballyhoocomic.wordpress.com
Articles
Although I was hella busy with Monster Hunters and other projects, I did freelance a few articles over the year. Rather than list them all, I’ll just list my favorite ones.
“Riverwest’s Ghost District,” Riverwest Currents, October 2014
“Milwaukee’s Pinball Wizards,” Shepherd Express, May 21, 2014
“Cream City Cabaret Gets Its Footing,” Shepherd Express, Nov. 25, 2014 (The talented Wendy Jean took the photo for that one.)
“Calamity Janes and the Fratney Street Band End Their Fantastic First Act,” Shepherd Express, Sept. 24, 2014
“Real-Life Superheroes: Inside the Secret Subculture of Costumed Crime-Fighters,” Fortean Times, May 2014. Cover story! Included an excerpt from my book and additional material I wrote on the RLSH subculture.
“Pretty Fly for a Daredevil Guy: the Return of the Human Fly,” Pop Mythology, Jan. 5, 2014. A different version of this article also appeared in the July 2014 issue of Fortean Times.
Events
I continued to do promotional appearances for my first book, Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement (Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook) throughout the year. I made guest appearances at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, MKE Comicbook Meetup, Translator, Minneapolis Comic Con, McMillin Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, Fantasticon, Milwaukee Zine Fest, the Museum of Wisconsin Art, and the Chicago Ghost Con. I got to see a lot of familiar faces and meet some great new friends, too. Lots of fun.
2015
I think the most major event of the year for me will be the release of Monster Hunters in June. To tie in I am planning a one day Milwaukee Paranormal Conference, which will be held June 6 at the Milwaukee Irish Cultural and Heritage Center. Mark your calendar, it’s going to be a really fun day: milwaukeeparacon.wordpress.com
I also have a plethora of freelanced articles that I’ve finished or are currently working on that will be in print soon. I’ve got about seven articles I can think of off the top of my head that are happening between January and March. My New Year resolution is to blog here more often and post links to all articles I write throughout the year and also write more about upcoming events.
In 2015 I also have some other small projects I’m working on, there’s some brain-storming sessions to be had have, and I’m also pretty deep into what I think will be my third non-fiction book.
But that, my friends, is in the future. Happy New Year!
Monster Hunters: Contents
Monster Hunters made it through copy edits and next will be sent to the book designers. To celebrate, I posted the book’s Table of Contents below. Monster Hunters is out June 2015.
You can pre-order on Amazon HERE
You can find the book on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398567-monster-hunters
* * *
Contents
Introduction: Invisible Monsters
1 The Monster Hunter and His Museum
2 Time Stamp
3 The Slaying of the Chupacabras
4 Lake Monster Fever
5 What Was That?
6 International UFO Congress
7 The Terror and Subsequent Pride of Point Pleasant
8 Drama with the Dead, Problems with the Living
9 Squishes
10 We Come to Whup Demons
11 Somethin’ Skunky
12 The Accidental Werewolf Chronicler
13 Night Visits
14 The Case of the Haunted Honky-Tonk
Epilogue: The Bogeyman
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Ghost Hunters & Superheroes
I really had fun this weekend. A lot of the time writing (for me, anyway) involves me being anti-social, staying at home at the desk. So when I have a weekend of getting to see friends, old and new, it is a hella cool time for me. My girlfriend Wendy (a talented photographer, who took the photos below– her website is HERE) and I hit the road and visited West Bend and Chicago for a couple of events I was invited to participate in.
Friday, I participated in the Museum Of Wisconsin Art‘s member show, which was superhero themed. I judged a costume contest along with Real Life Superhero The Watchman (one of the subjects of my book Heroes in the Night, available HERE) and fashion designer Miranda Kay Levy, who you might have seen on Project Runway. She asked me to help judge and you know when an acclaimed designer like Miranda asks me for my fashion opinions, we’re in for a rare situation. There were about 10 or 12 entries in the contest and they were all great, very creative.
Miranda Kay Levy, myself, The Watchman family at the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
I had some waves of nostalgia rolling in to town, as I was briefly a resident of West Bend in 1996. I finished my Senior year of high school there. More importantly, it’s where I met an incredibly unique group of individuals who became my friends. I think my life adventures really began in West Bend.
In addition to the costume contest, I tabled with Heroes in the Night, sold a few copies, and talked with a few people who were genuinely interested in what I was up to. People got to talk with The Watchman, who was there with two of his kids– Wonder Boy and Guardian Girl.
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The next morning, we headed down to the Chicago Ghost Conference. Real Life Superhero Razorhawk (of Minneapolis) had been invited to do a panel on what being a RLSH is all about and he had Chicago RLSH Citizen Prime and Wraith as well as myself as guests. Attendance was low, but we didn’t let it get us down. I got to chat with a couple people I’ve met over the last year or two who will be featured in my next book, Monster Hunters (out in June 2015, you can pre-order HERE).
Razorhawk and I talk ghosts and superheroes at the Chicago Ghost Con.
I also met a few new people involved with the field of paranormal investigation. I did an interview with second generation ghost hunter Alexandra Holzer, which will make for a great future article somewhere. I even got my photo taken with B movie host icon Svengoolie.
Svengoolie!
I am planning a one day Milwaukee Paranormal Conference for June 6 (see website HERE), so perhaps the best thing I got from the conference was taking a look firsthand at things I thought worked and things I thought did not.
A fun weekend hanging out with a lot of great people I’ve had the fortune of meeting, and in many cases, writing about.
Real Life Superhero themed play, “Superheroes,” debuts in Denver
A month or two ago I exchanged messages with Leslie C. Lewis, a playwright from Denver, Colorado. She told me that she was writing a short play titled “Superheroes,” which is part of a line-up of short plays sharing a setting called “The Playground.” Lewis’s entry consists of a team of Real Life Superheroes, the “Dark Star Patrol,” having a post-patrol meeting in the early morning hours at the playground.
Lewis told me that reading my book Heroes in the Night was part of her play research and asked me a couple follow up questions while finishing the final draft. She also tells me she is working on an expanded, full length version of the play.
“The Playground” is produced by And Toto Too Theater Company and runs November 6-22 at The Laundry on Lawrence in Denver. More info here: www.leslieclewis.com/leslie-c-lewis-upcoming-events/
Below, check out these awesome pictures of the cast on the set with their personalized copies of Heroes in the Night!
Top row (L-R): RLSH characters Dr. Intelligent, Brave Fairy, Confucius
Bottom row: Omni, Zygote, Mantis
Heroes in the Night is available here: www.ipgbook.com/heroes-in-the-night-products-9781613747759.php and wherever fine books are sold.
A big congrats to And Toto Too Theater Company. Break a leg!
Book Cover Reveal Makes a Happy Halloween For Me…
I can now reveal the book cover to my next book, MONSTER HUNTERS, which will be out June 2015!
Palookaville Review
“Thanks for Palookaville, which made me smile and laugh– so playful, zany & refreshing & behind the humor, real insights into life & love.”
–Antler, former Milwaukee Poet Laureate. His current collection of poems is titled Touch Each Other.
Palookaville is available here:www.amazon.com/Palookaville-Tea-Krulos/dp/1501011979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414449539&sr=8-1&keywords=tea+krulos
Milwaukee Paranormal Conference
Art by David Beyer, Jr.
Some of you have heard me yak on and on about my next book, Monster Hunters (Chicago Review Press, June 2015). The book is about the lives of people who search for unknown entities which we can categorize under the umbrella term “paranormal.”
I spent a lot of time joining people in the field as they searched for ghosts, demons, Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, UFOs, Skunk Apes (that’s the stinky cousin of Bigfoot) and other things that go bump in the night.
In order to celebrate the June release of the book, I wanted to do something that would be kind of a big deal. Something bigger than myself. And then I thought, why don’t I do something that Milwaukee is currently lacking? By that, of course, I mean a Paranormal Conference.
Here’s what I got so far:
*The conference does have a venue in downtown Milwaukee that is about 99% sure right now. It’s a good spot. I won’t announce it officially until paperwork is signed, though. We are pretty solid on the date which is Saturday, JUNE 6, 2015. It will be a one day, all day event, about Noon-7pm or so.
*The conference will feature a variety of guest speakers from the Midwest, mostly Wisconsinites as well as some guests (hopefully) from Illinois and Michigan. These speakers will give talks on subjects including ghost stories, paranormal investigation, cryptozoology, ufology, and folklore.
I’ve spoken to several (but not all) of the speakers I’d like to feature and have gotten a very positive response. I will soon be setting up a WordPress site for the con and we will begin to reveal guests there in the future.
What else will be going on? I’ll be reading an excerpt from Monster Hunters. There will also be a tabling room where guest speakers and other guests will have books, art, and ghost tour slots for sale. Possibly a documentary screening. We’ll also have a “get your picture taken with Bigfoot” booth. And much more. We’re working on ideas.
This message is just not an announcement. In starting to put this plan to paper, I quickly realized this is not something I would be able to pull off alone. A couple people have already been helpful behind the scenes. Here are some things we need help with:
*Financing. The venue I’m looking at is offering me a fair price for a Saturday in June, but it’s not dirt cheap. Anyone who has done an event knows that other costs will add up quick–printing flyers/posters/programs, printing t-shirts, there will be a lot of fees I haven’t even thought of yet. It will be a lot of money I will have to shell out up front, more than a semi-employed writer dude from Riverwest can afford.
Most conventions would recoup their costs by charging an admission, but see the crazy thing about me is I’m somewhat determined to have this event be Free. Yes, that’s right, admission to the con: free. Or maybe I should say: priceless. Soooooo, that means I need to think of other ways to raise money. One idea I’m keen on is sponsors. If I can find a few local sponsors that would invest in this and have their logo on display on the programming/ advertising, it would go a long way. I suppose a GoFundMe or a Kickstarter might work, too, but the idea of doing one of those makes me kind of googly eyed. What else? Fund raiser/ benefit show? I am open to any advice anyone has on this topic.
*Volunteers. I need ’em. I need a volunteer coordinator, volunteers to help set up and break down, help with the guests, hand out programs, find the Bigfoot, I need tech people to monitor the AV, I need a security person or two, help with the website, help making everything run smoothly. What’s in it for you? You’ll be helping launch an interesting event and we’re going to come up with some cool swag for you.
The next step here is we will get a WordPress site up and running for the con with official name and venue. This will go live on…Halloween (October 31, 2014).
If you’d like to contact me about any of the aforementioned, e-mail is best: teakrulos@gmail.com
Floppy’s Lament
I have a little book that just got (self) published. It is a collection of 21 poems (and 9 illustrations) titled Palookaville.
Yes, I know there is a comic series by Seth titled Palookaville. But he didn’t invent the word, and neither did any of us. A lot of the poems are whacky, funny, just bizarre. Some offer insight into my life, some don’t. There is a limerick, a haiku, and a bunch of formless rants. I wrote poems about topics I’ve already encountered and wrote about (Real Life Superheroes, roller derby, cryptozoology, etc.) and some “life experience” like working in a kitchen.
I started the project because I had just signed on to do my next non-fiction book, Monster Hunters (2015), which I knew would be a lot of intense work. I needed a more care free project for balance. Ballyhoo (see “Other Projects” tab) was at a stand still while David worked on art and I randomly had a great vision of me cranking beatnik poetry on a typewriter. You know Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Burroughs, Whitman, Dr. Seuss, Krulos, right? ha ha.
I found a typewriter on the side of the road one day. It needed a ribbon, so I ordered one, and set to work. I did a small zine version of this for last year’s Milwaukee Zine Fest, then did a few more poems, a few more illustrations and expanded it to this 32 page book. A sample poem and illustration, “Floppy’s Lament” is posted below, followed by ordering info. There is a Kindle ($2.99) and paperback ($4.99) version.
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FLOPPY’S LAMENT
Floppy was a bad, bad fish
he lived in the Amazon River
he drank and drank and drank
he don’t give no shit about his liver
when an animal crossed his scene
Floppy would send him to the cleaner
and he had but one regret: he couldn’t get no meaner
Floppy like to smoke crackrocks
he had a pipe made out of foil
he puffed and puffed and puffed
and his fish blood would begin to boil
then he’d bug out and bite faces
or punch some dude in the wiener
but still he had one regret: he couldn’t get no meaner
Palookaville for Kindle HERE.
Paperback version HERE.
HEROES IN THE NIGHT Auction
This copy is signed by myself and 45 Real Life Superheroes. The signatures were collected by the author in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. The book was then sent with Razorhawk to San Diego to collect signatures at a mass meet up, HOPE.
All money raised from this auction will be donated to HOPE, an organization that distributes supplies to the homeless.
You can find more info on the book’s eBay auction page: www.ebay.com/itm/131289995764?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
Thanks for taking a look!
teakrulos.com 