It’s Friday! That means it’s time for the Friday Link Pack, my weekly post covering topics such as writing, art, current events, and random weirdness. Some of these links I mentioned on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Do you have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! (Include a website so I can link to you as well.) Let’s get to it…

WRITING:

The New Intimacy Economy
Lately, Facebook, Uber, and many other startups try to infer a close intimacy with their users. Meanwhile, Hollywood stars also dabble in the ‘intimacy valuation market’ feigning at friendships. In this great write-up, Leigh Alexander explores the concept that in reality,  every content creator is now a community manager.

World Fantasy Award Drops H.P. Lovecraft As Prize Image
As a guy who writes cosmic horror inspired by the creations of Lovecraft, my feed lit up this week when this news broke. Some people were upset; others were ecstatic. In the end the reality is: it’s not a big deal. This decision doesn’t effect Lovecraft’s popularity, influence, or legacy anymore or any less. If anything, as author Anne M. Pillsworth pointed out on Twitter, “I think no one author can comprehensively represent a genre, any genre, so I’m good.” I’m good, too.

Can You Promote A Book Without Making Yourself Miserable?
Eventually, everyone has to promote their book, that goes for both indie and traditionally published authors. The process is time-consuming, exhausting, and it can be miserable. To that end, Jane Friedman explores the question we’ve all been wondering.

Genre Snobbery Is A ‘Bizarre Act Of Self-Mutilation.’
In this interview with Wired, author David Mitchell discusses how books transcend genre despite people intentions to pigeon hole them, the influence of Ursula K. LeGuin on his writing, the creative boon of Dungeons and Dragons for writers, and the future.

Signed Copies Of Red Litten World Are Back!
Yep! If you’ve been waiting to get a signed paperback of Red Litten World, your wait is over. Signed copies are back in my store.

ART:

The Art Of Katharine Morling
Working in ceramics Morling’s work takes simple two dimension sketches and renders them in the third dimension. Excellent pieces, I especially love the matchbook.

The Art Of Oscar Gregeborn
The detailed digital art of Gregborn looks more like some intense and complex watercolor. His work explores strange landscapes that look as vibrant and detailed as it does alien.

Marc Da Cunha Lopes’ HPL Series
Influenced by Lovecraft, this beautiful series of photographs reflect his work, but with a twist. I love the last photo; it reminds me of a cephel from my series. (It’s also the image featured at the top of this post!)

RANDOM:

The Abandoned Buildings Of The Eastern Bloc
Explorations of abandoned and crumbling buildings of the former German Democratic Republic left after the Soviet’s reign. Haunting and strangely similar to the world of Fallout 4.

Living La Vida Loca In Japan
A cartoonist documents his friends trip to Japan. Wonderfully charming.

MIT’s Weird Snake Bot Could Be The Future Of UI
A transforming robot that can mimic the touch points of any interface and become whatever its user needs on a whim. Strange but… oddly cool?

Stefano Boeri’s “Vertical Forest” Nears Completion In Milan
There has been a lot of exploration in the vertical garden, serving various needs. Stefano Boeri’s take combines the mass of trees one would find in one hundred acres and lays them out vertically. Love seeing stuff like this, I hope this works out.

WEIRD WIKIPEDIA:

Loveland Frog
“The Loveland Frog (aka the Loveland Lizard) is a legendary humanoid frog described as standing roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, allegedly spotted in Loveland, Ohio. A local man reported seeing three froglike men at the side of the road in 1955, and a police officer claimed to have seen a similar creature on a bridge in the city in 1972.“

H.P. LOVECRAFT STORY OF THE WEEK:

What The Moon Brings
In this very short story, (like… it’ll take you two minutes to read) the narrator takes a peculiar walk under an even peculiar moon.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Argh!