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Sep 7, 2023
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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Thank you :-)

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Sep 6, 2023
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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

You're right — there should be a Halloween special ;-)

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Susie W. Jones's avatar

The Great Molasses Flood. January 15, 1919.

21 people swept away. 150 injured. Boston. Imagine looking down the street and seeing THAT coming your way.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Yes, I'd heard of that... it sounds very bad in a very weird way.

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Susie W. Jones's avatar

So, with that in mind. I worked for a county in Florida. Drove the tractors that mowed the side of highways and backroads. I worked with someone named Buster. He drove a dump truck. He got off work, settled into his trailer, joint in one hand, can of beer in the other. He hears the sound a train. Now, he knows that he doesn’t live that close to the train tracks. Gets up, looks out the window in time to see a tornado heading right towards him. Sits back down in his lazy boy chair, takes a puff and a drink. Next thing he knows, down the street, still in the fn chair AND holding the beer. Old southern saying, what do rednecks and tornado have in common? Sooner or later, they both end up in trailer parks. True story.

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Anji  Doyle's avatar

Kind of a sticky situation to find oneself in...

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Dion Dan's avatar

January in Boston...it couldn't have been moving that fast - right?

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

LOL yeah, does feel like there might have been a chance to get away ;-)

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ꫀꪗᧁꪶó's avatar

We might need a short story collection with these stories!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

I'm trying to think of a way of doing it ;-)

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ꫀꪗᧁꪶó's avatar

Sounds like a fun project! It will be very interesting! A short story collection with a connection:)

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Ian Stock's avatar

You make it seem so easy!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Ha :-) Anything fun feels easy...

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Anji  Doyle's avatar

I am glad that I don't live in Santa Cruz! My small town in Wales is scary enough and it has a wide range of colours in daily life!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

I've barely scratched the surface of the weirdness here ;-)

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Anji  Doyle's avatar

Well it is certainly an appropriate place for an active imagination.

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charninatatiana@yahoo.it's avatar

Hi, Michael!

I really like travelling. I have really experienced so many ways to travel. This with the pyramids I missed. I absolutely have to try it.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Wouldn't that be fun?

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Tara Penry's avatar

I hope The Fourlorn are finally at rest and that Elizabeth Trelawney remembered to pack plenty of pup kibble and water in the pyramid. Gosh, I sure root for the neglected old souls of Santa Cruz!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Thank you for doing so :-)

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Kyberian's avatar

I am enjoying these a ridiculous amount. They seem to make much more sense than reality.

Have you considered making/getting them made into an interactive map app, or maybe even a mobile phone artificial reality tour? Sort of like Pokemon Go on acid - wander round with Santa Cruz with the app and when your phone chimes, look through the viewfinder and see into this strange history.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Ooh, that's a fabulous idea. The app is beyond me, but an interactive map might be possible...

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Kyberian's avatar

Could always waggle an eyebrow at Santa Cruz tourism department and see if they give you money and a technical boy to make the app. Then have him code an easy to use content upload system so you can add updates whenever you want, and sell it on to all the authors so EVERYWHERE can be spooky and weird.

Though I prefer the map as Santa Cruz is far, and I wanna see!

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Paula Grainger's avatar

Woah, I love that idea!

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Mary Panttaja's avatar

I so love these stories. It’s the little things: “with her dog, Buster”.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Glad you like them :-) I enjoy doing them precisely because of the little details that pop into my head!

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Mary Panttaja's avatar

They are so illuminating, and change the visual narrative.

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Dion Dan's avatar

Your turn to feed Mary this holiday season!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Careful — with your cooking, she might decide to stay ;-) Hope you guys are well: we just got back from the Boulder trip yesterday. Hope to see you very soon!

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Paula Grainger's avatar

I'm actually secretly hoping she might show up.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Careful what you wish for ;-)

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Paula Grainger's avatar

More!!!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

There may be ;-)

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Julian Simpson's avatar

absolutely loved this series

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Thanks J :-)

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Charles LeFranque's avatar

The AI for Henry’s story is beautiful. Btw, I’m glad to see you here. I’m feral.flutter and finally quit Twitter and miss my tweeps. Look forward to more Santa Cruz deep lore.

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

Ah, hello there! I'm still sticking out out on Twitter but the numbers of the people to hang out with are dwindling... very nice to see you here!

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Quinn Piper's avatar

Construction on my pyramid to begin soon.

Shhhhhhhhh!

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Michael Marshall Smith's avatar

If you get one working, send me the plans.

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