The thrift gods smiled on me today. Scored this Hobart-era Kitchen Aid for 60. Ran it for a while, purrs like a kitten, no weird smells or overheating. Now it’s cleaned up and ready to whip my cream…so to speak. #thriftshop #cooking

Beta testing a new story. Time to work on something new until the critiques roll back in. #writing

Blocking out a new story tentatively titled A Knight in the Service of Bedlam. It's turning out extremely weird in the best possible way. #writing #horror

Me: And when the protagonist lights the gasoline the killer snowmen burst into flame but don't melt... Brain: Snow won't burn. Me: Not with that attitude! #writing #horrorauthor #booksky

On the 1971 song Spaced Cowboy, from the album There's a Riot Going On, Sylvester "Sly" Stone yodels...a lot. Who says this isn't the best timeline?

I see you... it's mashed potatoes. Let's just be honest with ourselves and put in the whole god damned stick of butter. 🍽️

Story drop!! @talestoterrify.bsky.social will be presenting my short,very dark, very bleak, quite mean story "Zero Tolerance." On Friday. Not joking about the bleak-dark-meanness. If that's your wheelhouse, tune in tomorrow at talestoterrify.com (you've been warned) #horror #writing #podcast

My snowed-in project has been baking focaccia. It's all been tasty. But I believe I've finally reached the place I wanted it to be on Friday. I posted the recipe on my website FrankOreto.com #cooking #baking 🍽️

All this cold weather has got in my head and birthed a story. "In the kitchen a man stood over the bloody, unmoving body of my wife...a snowman." #horrorauthor #writing #booksky

Good morning. 12 inches later, all is well at casa d'Oreto. No work for me due to the weather. So cleaning, cooking, and writing are on the agenda. Hope everyone is warm and cozy for the day. #cooking #writing

I'm hunkered down, watching the snow pile up and praying that we can get rid of of that horrible ICE build up in the streets. And cooking, always cooking. I went withHungarian mushroom soup. Fresh pack pickles and bread baking later but for now more snow watching. 🍽️ #cooking

Wifey and I got all our shopping done, including hitting our fav Indian restaurant for dosas and chai. I shall now nap until this whole blizzard unpleasantness has passed.

My neighbors are panic buying at the grocery store in preparation for the storm. Amateurs! I'm picking out which neighbors will be easiest to cannibalize. #prolevelprep

Still trying to find the right market for my messianic-dentists-take-over-the-world story. I suppose we all are... no? Nobody? Okay, just me then. #writing #booksky

Why is it that my impostor syndrome kicks in hardest right after I make some real progress writing?

I had a grand old time telling tales on @storyhour.bsky.social with @karldandenell.bsky.social can't wait to watch the YouTube video and see what weird faces I made.

I'm very excited to be telling a story here tonight!

I love editing my stories. It's like having a conversation with old friends...and correcting their grammar. #writing #booksky #horrorauthor

So, I made an author website. Up until now I'd mostly used the wearable sandwich board and bell combo to get the word out about what I'm up to. But I'm told that just isn't enough. Go figure. You can take a gander here frankoreto.com. #horrorauthor #booksky

It's year of the quick breads. Right now we're working our way through a bag of self rising corn meal. So lots of cornbread variations. Tonight it was savory cornbread casseroles. One meat one vegetarian. Turned out pretty great. 🍽️ #cooking

Hello my little bread to be...🍽️ #baking #bread

Got the day off and I'm spending my morning on final edits on my novel. The Rising Dark (Double indemnity meets Call of Cthulu by way of The Breakfast Club.) #horrorauthor #writing #booksky

So. A coworker was talking to her husband about books and mentioned mine. Turns out a woman who works at the Pittsburgh jail with the husband is reading it. He recognized the cover. I'm thrilled. My dream is that it ends up being passed from cell to cell. #booksky #horrorauthor #writing

It's a new year. Now we make Bigos! 🍽️

When did all the sex-bots move into the neighborhood?

Just enjoying the fact that I had a short story collection published this year. That's so cool. #booksky #writingsky #horror

Moravian chicken pies are completed. Christmas is saved! 🍽️ #cooking

Wrapping gifts and cooking prep have replaced my writing time for the last week and a half. I did find time to throw down some story outlines as ideas came to me. Not much but it's something.

Due to a complete lack of financial planning I'm considering prison as a best retirement option. Free room And board, gym facilities. But I don't want to kill anyone. So if you need to fake your death, maybe we can work something out. DM me for details!

Spent the evening researching what cerebral spinal fluid tastes like. For... you know...reasons. #horrorauthor #writing #booksky

Got my burgundy velvet swoveralls in the mail today. Xmas is saved. And I look so fancy

Good night editing. Got my new story "Of Jackals and Wolves" to the point I could send it to other readers to rip apart. Why should I have all the fun.

Absolutely no writing or editing yesterday. But I did hang out with my daughter Josie on discord and watched an episode of Star Trek with her, so I win life. I also slept in a Stokercon t-shirt that night. So, that's almost like writing, right? #writing #horrorauthor #balance

I went through a first editing run for my thrift shop story, "Of Jackals and Wolves" I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. Still a ways to go, but the bones are good.

Rough draft completed! Moving on. #writing #horrorauthor

I wrote a story from scratch today. A writing exercise that was supposed to be 200 words ended up as a 1400 word story. Wrote, edited and ready for beta reads. it's called The Weight of Their Disappointment. (Which may also be what I feel from my beta readers) We'll see. #writing #horrorauthor

When the universe goes mad laugh louder. My imaginary friend Cyril told me that. And it's not bad advice.

For the first time, I was called on to make a Turkey for an actual thanksgiving dinner. My Josie and I whipped something up and I don't think it turned out half bad. 🍽️ #cooking #HappyThanksgiving

Another scene down. Got to kill a bad man, ruin a promising relationship and put a pretty bow on things to wrap it all up. But that's for another day. Goodnight #writing #horror #booksky

Another scene down in my horror short story tentatively called "A Sky Dark with Starlings" two more scenes and a wrap up. Then it's on to this year's Xmas story. #horror #writing #booksky

I like to write a spooky Christmas story every year about this time. And I always worry I won't think of one. Luckily inspiration struck and I wrote a two page outline/synopsis for this year's story this morning. It's plum Dickensian. Now I just have to write it! #booksky #writing #horror

Writing in five minutes if anyone wants to join me. #writing #horrorauthor

You deserve this. Yeah you, over there, with the face. Now let's dance around this living room like we mean it! #ohyeah! youtu.be/fx841-D0wSM?...

As a writer I sometimes feel like a spy. But the secrets I steal are the banal oddities of everyday life. Like... "The kindergarten teachers met together once a week in Ms. Baxter's home room, five mature,professional, women scrunched knees to chest in tiny plastic chairs." #writing #horrorauthor

So, I get ideas from juxtaposing my everyday experiences with the weird and horrific including my day job. How worried should I be about my boss seeing a thinly veiled story about my workplace? 1 super worried, use a pseudonym. 2 not worried at all. No one reads your stuff, Frank #horrorauthor

Started writing a new story this morning. Tentatively titled "A Sky Dark with Starlings" But now I have to drink coffee and get to work. #booksky #writingcommunity #horror

Finished the first draft of my thrift store soul eating story. Rough as hell but it's complete and ready to edit. Time to put it aside for a week and start the next one. Feels so good. #writing #horror #booksky

Made Hungarian mushroom soup and thought up the ending for my thrift shop soul eating story. So, first eat soup then finish rough draft🤞🤞🤞 #cooking #writing #horror #booksky 🍽️ ✍️

These are a few of my favorite things Writing Cooking Reading Thrift shops

I choose a random-record from the goodwill boxes as my thrifting soundtrack. This week it was Charlie Rich's "Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)" An album whose core message is Charlie Rich really wants to have sex with you... a lot. Made for oddly awkward shopping. #thriftshop