A gut punch...not because it was terrible...

Schindler's List

Done! Now wondering if this is part of an experiment … lol😅

existential dread. Her work is perfect for critiquing performative morality. O'Connor didn't write happy stories. She wrote true ones. She showed you that the only thing more dangerous than a sinner is someone who thinks they're a saint.

Flannery O'Connor (1925–1964)
Southern Gothic, grotesque, and profoundly unsettling. While technically literary fiction, her short stories carry the emotional punch and dark absurdity of the best pulp. She excelled at showing the spiritual poverty of the mid-century.

She wrote about the darkness in men and the survival tactics of women in a cynical world. "She captured the exact moment the light goes out in the room, and you realize you're alone with the wrong person."

Dorothy B. Hughes (1904–1993)
A key figure in American noir fiction, specializing in bleak, atmospheric thrillers with a distinctly psychological edge. Her novel, In a Lonely Place (the basis for the Humphrey Bogart film), is a masterwork of post-war disillusionment.

Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995)
The ultimate chronicler of paranoia, criminal psychology, and moral ambiguity (most famous for The Talented Mr. Ripley). Her characters are stylish, deeply flawed, and often get away with murder.didn't judge the villain. She just handed him a martini and a sharp knife.

she perfected the anxiety of being trapped in a life you didn't choose, long before anyone had therapy for it. "She knew the greatest monster wasn't in the haunted house; it was the neighbors."

Shirley Jackson (1916–1965)
Master of quiet, psychological dread and suburban paranoia. Her work (like The Haunting of Hill House or The Lottery) excels at finding the rot beneath the veneer of American politeness.

What a prince!

Andrew’s statement is very carefully worded. I think saying he was “stripped”of the titles is not exactly true. I think he isn’t going to use the Duke of York…leaving the door open to using them in the future. Optimistic perhaps and definitely a PR stunt in the hopes is takes the heat off him.

Would like to see you do a body language breakdown of the generals and admirals during Trump’s and Hegeth’s speech.

That’s how you convert hearts into donors. That’s how you turn “aw, that’s nice” into “take my money.”

Bottom line: Stories make the cash register sing. Stats just put people to sleep.

Here’s the kicker: when you make donors feel something, they don’t just give once. They remember you. They come back.

So skip the corporate tone. Write like a person. Tell the story like you’d tell it to a friend in a smoky bar at 2am.

Cut the fluff. No donor ever said, “Wow, I love how many buzzwords were in that appeal letter.” Keep it raw. Keep it real.

If the story doesn’t punch someone in the gut—or warm their heart—you’re not doing it right.

The science is simple: brains light up when they hear stories, not statistics. A number is cold. A face with a name? That’s heat.

Instead of saying “we helped 10,000 families”… try “Maria finally slept through the night because her kid had a full meal for the first time.” Boom. Connection.