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My New Web Series
Find out more about today’s Vocab Menace video post PHARO and PHAROS below.
In almost every interview with a writer, the interviewer will ask, “Where do the words come from?”
They’re always talking about “the muse.”
My answer is “My brain assembles factoids into narratives. Oh, and childhood trauma. Also, adult trauma. And….” Then I gesture vaguely around, alluding to all the nonsense that pervades our common experience. The news, social media, and falling down rabbit holes on Wikipedia provide plenty of raw material to construct delightful fictional conflict.
When I think about where words come from, I take a more literal approach. I own a huge Webster’s dictionary from 1939 (pictured). I forget how it came into my possession, but I’m sure it must have come from a library sale or used bookstore. This particular edition was the inspiration for Jaimie Spencer’s beloved dictionary in my apocalyptic trilogy, This Plague of Days. I had to apply duct tape to keep it from falling apart.
My kids have big vocabularies. Partly, that’s osmosis from growing up in a home packed and stacked with books. Also, we always spoke to them as if they were little adults. As babies, they were no doubt confused at times. Nonetheless, I figured they’d catch up and eventually understand my words and sense of humour.
Recently, I decided to make a video series out of my fascination with words.
It’s easy to post on social media with rabid urgency, “BUY MY BOOKS! BUY MY BOOKS!” Easy, but not effective. I’m always looking for new readers, of course. Every author is. However, I’m allergic to marketing. I do it, but I don’t enjoy it. Exploring the meanings of words and where they come from, though? That gets the happy neural juices flowing.
Vocab Menace was born.
Why call it Vocab Menace?
- Words can be fun and interesting.
- Your challenge each day is to slip these rare or unusual words into casual conversation as if it’s no big deal.
Imagine the satisfaction you’ll derive from all that simmering, smarmy, and artificial sense of superiority!
Where to find Vocab Menace?
Hey, man, it’s 2025. Ya gotta be everywhere! I post on Substack, Medium, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook. (I don’t post on X. Fuck that. X sucks.)
Like, subscribe, and share. All that stuff is sexy.
PLEASE NOTE: I’m away from social media next week (July 28-August 1).
I’m taking a deep dive into isolation to work on my new novel, but Vocab Menace will continue after that brief hiatus.
About today’s post: PHARO and PHAROS
In today’s video, I promoted Lighthouse Legacies by Chris Mills.
Description:
Imagine living your life perched on a tiny island, without electricity, exposed to the fury of the sea, and always at the service of the mariner. This is how lightkeepers and their families spent their lives, even up until the 1960s. We are very close to losing the last of the people who lived this isolated life and experienced the heyday of lightkeeping in Canada. Lighthouse Legacies lets us share in the memories of those who kept the lights.
These stories are presented largely in the words of the people, with context and history by author Chris Mills. Each chapter deals with an element of lighthouse life and is complemented by photos from lighthouse family collections, the Coast Guard and Mills’ own collection.
You can purchase Lighthouse Legacies directly from Nimbus publishing here. (You’ll also find it on Amazon.)
My novel, AFTER Life Inferno, is free to download until midnight tonight! It’s the first in the AFTER Life trilogy about weaponized AI escaping from a genetic engineering lab in downtown Toronto. The fate of all humanity is at stake.
(The basis of the tale was inspired by a fan’s story of how authorities are ordered to handle a lab leak!)
Scan down the right-hand side of this page and you’ll find links to all my apocalyptic epics and killer crime thrillers. Enjoy!
And thank you for being a reader. Thor knows we don’t have enough of them.
How I’m Turning My Life Around
The ways we live depend so much on how we feel. I’ve had a massive life change recently, and it’s boosted my writing career, too. I’m sleeping better. I’m also up very early in the morning, eager to start the day. I used to need a crowbar to pry myself out from under those cozy covers. Now, I’m up and at ’em. A healthier Rob is a more productive and happier Rob. This allows me to serve my readers better, too.
What changed?
A couple of months ago, I joined a program called LifestyleRx. It’s sponsored by the Canadian government to improve citizens’ health. It’s geared to people with diabetes and pre-diabetes, though the strategies apply to just about everyone.
It cuts way down on sugar, but they don’t push any one diet. You don’t have to do keto or become a vegan. It’s just sane, science-backed tactics. You’re encouraged to eat healthier, move more, de-stress from the distress, and live a better quality of life. Their mantra is, “Better, not perfect.”
When I took my medical training, the goals were, “Add years to your life and life to your years.” I’m finally doing it, and this feels very sustainable.For those interested in trying it out, a few more details:
- You get extensive, free blood tests (and you take waist, BP, and weight measurements).
- Consultation with a physician (who shares the test results with your GP).
- Weekly group calls with other patients like you. The doctor and a dietitian are on the call to provide information and guide the discussion.
- The option for one-on-one counseling with a dietitian. (This costs, but is often covered by insurance)
- A community that shares the journey, plus plenty of healthy recipes and general support.
- Weekly accountability (which is crucial for me).
- An education program with videos and printouts.
I’m getting a lot out of LifeStyleRx. Besides losing weight, getting stronger, and feeling better, the biggest change is my level of energy. That translates to more creative energy.
If you can’t do LifeStyleRx, there are plenty of other ways to do something similar. I encourage you to do so. It feels wonderful to get out of bed every day with a feeling of purpose and the newfound ability to achieve that purpose.
But wait! There’s more!
I’m on Substack now, and here’s my latest piece. This gives you a hint of my writing process behind the scenes. I’m doing the daily diary as fiction thing! Confused? You’ll see at the link.
(It’s on Substack, but all access is free, so don’t worry about that.)
Author’s Crashing Out is Great Drama (but what can I do?)
You know what authors used to do to promote their work before the internet era? They toiled, mostly in obscurity, and if they were lucky, their publisher put them on tour to bookstores. Lucky ink-stained wretches sometimes got on big media (back when media wasn’t social). Some fiction writers even got on TV!
If you want some more joy in your life, watch old YouTube vids of author nonsense. For instance, here’s the great Truman Capote.
Or witness Norman Mailer versus Gore Vidal!
It’s different now.
The last time a fiction author made it on to a major TV spot was Jon Stewart’s interview with Kurt Vonnegut. He was a great sci-fi author, but he only made it to air because (a) he was about to die, (b) he had a lot of brilliant observations, and (c) he’d just published his non-fiction book, A Man Without a Country.
These days, with our fragmented attention and millions of distractions, authors are pretty much screaming into the darkness. We hope to be heard about our fiction, but our voices are muffled under Reality’s onslaught.
So what do we do now?
When the great exodus from X happened, a plethora of other platforms rose up to compete. Bluesky is fairly popular. I’m on there (@robertchazzchute.bsky.social), though I have mixed feelings about its functionality. Thing is, there is no single destination for social media attention.
One commentator suggested a simple solution: Be everywhere. That was well-meaning, but if I were everywhere on social media, when would I have time to write the next book? I can’t be everywhere. I don’t have the bandwidth. Who does?
That said, I need to be available in more places, so I started up on Substack. This move is not about monetization, at least not for a long time. It’s about sharing more, spreading the word to new readers, and curated ubiquity.
I’d probably get more views if I engaged in high drama like Truman and Norman, but I’ll opt for engaging with readers in a more sane way.
Today, on Substack, I wrote about The Terrible Dread. If you dig it, please do subscribe.
You’ll also find me on Medium. Plenty of fun to read on my profile here.
Oh, before I go, let’s not forget this scream into the darkness. I just launched Vengeance Is Hers!
This is not a guide for aspiring vigilantes, but it might inspire you!
Welcome to Poeticule Bay, Maine, a village where justice is scarce, and secrets have deadly consequences. When a gay student is brutally attacked and exiled from his home, the police turn a blind eye. Fueled by rage, Molly Jergins launches a relentless campaign against the school bully and his sinister family.
As Molly’s quest for retaliation spirals into chaos, the lines between hero and villain blur. To hunt monsters, must she become the very thing she despises? In the end, will revenge prove the best success?
Robert Chazz Chute! Where are you?
Answer: Everywhere!
I’ll soon pitch my next thriller to agents. I needed to expand my presence on the infobahn to appear everywhere with annoying rapidity. To that end, I’ve been writing on Medium. I have to admit, I’m having a good time with it. Plus, I’m on a couple of podcasts this week!
First up, the MMMM pod with my friend and author Andrew Butters. MMMM stands for Music, Musings, Moments, and Misfortune. Every Monday, Andrew posts about one of those aspects. I am his first guest, and ours was the fourth episode. (That qualifies as a Moment.) We had a great time talking about writing, reading, the worst thing I forgot, and the greatest frustration we share.
Next up: My interview with Buddy Gott on Pop & Prose!
This recording got hilarious fast. The subject is novelty songs. We came up with some good ones, a couple of horrible tunes, and two of my favorites.
Spoiler: “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” is my favorite.
This novelty song is my favorite, but Buddy and I talk about so much more! You’ll find us on Pop & Prose here:
You can also find Pop and Prose here:
Spotify
Here are posts I’ve placed on Medium. Enjoy!
- Quit the Gym! Build Your Own.
- No One Tells You This About Life
- How I Beat My Insomnia
- How Do You You Forgive and Forget? Hint: You Don’t.
- We Do Judge Books By Their Covers
- I Am Canadian. Will I Ever Visit the US Again? (pay walled)
- What I Do Every Day to Get Healthier (pay walled)
- Five Great Novels About Fascism to Read Now
- The Things I Wish I’d Said
- I Am a Recovering People Pleaser
- How Medium Helped Me
- About Me: Robert Chazz Chute
- Three Minutes a Day to Genius
New on the Menu
The writing workshop in Toronto is coming up in a couple of weeks. I am preparing to pitch literary agents for Vengeance Is Hers. Four agents I would consider partnering with are at the workshop. I have three others in mind, as well. Part of the prep work is to have the partial ready for their review. I have a sample ready.
Hot tip:
If you are pitching to agents or just want to give away a sample of your work for a book fair, a signing, or some other such trial by fire, get a QR code. I do have a presentation package for agents, but I won’t be lugging around a manuscript like some early 19th century peasant. I’m a modern ink-stained wretch. Instead, I’ll just give the QR code to link to the partial. If they want more, I’ve provided an email for further inquiries.
What’s New?
I have added menus to this website. Above, you’ll find links to my bio and what reviewers say about my work. The pitch and partial for Vengeance Is Hers is found under For Literary Agents. Of course, if you aren’t a literary agent but want a sneak peek of a badass story about a young woman on a righteous quest for revenge, enjoy a taste of vengeance!
Commonly Misused Words
The misuse of words grinds my gears. I have a short list of the worst offenders I’ve heard recently.
- “An exuberant amount of money.” No, it’s an exorbitant amount of money.
- “Pundint.” You mean to say, pundit, no second n.
- Erudite sounds like it looks: Air-oo-dite. It’s not “aeriodite.”
- You don’t “flaunt the law.” You flout it.
- Library has an r in it. Not “Lie-berry.”
- Elon Musk AKA Phony Stark, is not an inventor. He’s an investor who considers you not at all. (That’s not altogether fair. He thinks a lot of you are parasites.)
Which misused words irk you?