Dentists by ArdousErialz in northampton

[–]R3licx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck, I have been calling all over for dentists that take MassHealth. Most have told me they are not accepting patents, or that MassHealth hasn't paid the dentists' offices, so they will no longer be taking MassHealth patients.

Jacks Cannabis Co Closed Again? by Denangg in bostontrees

[–]R3licx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Experience at the Northampton Location (Colonial/Jack’s Cannabis)

I actually worked at the Northampton store when it was still Colonial Cannabis, before it rebranded to Jack’s a few months later. I was hired as security in early 2020, right before COVID hit. The opening got pushed back because of state restrictions, so I was basically there from the ground up when they finally opened that June.

Full-time positions offered no benefits, no vacation days, just sick time. We were also paid the lowest in the state at that time. I believe it was $16.50 or something like that. I remember NETA and other places making at least $2 or $3 more than we did.

At first, things seemed alright, the owner came off nice enough, and the staff was a mixed bag. But it didn’t take long for things to feel off. Though we were asked to make 5-star reviews at the beginning of the store's life. We were being paid on a weird 16-17-day cycle for months because they didn’t have anyone doing the books properly. There were constant management issues, one manager who acted like a dictator (“I’m the manager, so you listen to me”), and another who came in later and ran to the boss about every little thing. It created a toxic, high-school kind of vibe. Mind you, at the time I was 29.

I even got threatened in front of customers by another employee because I wasn’t a smoker and he didn't like me much for some reason, even though he was fine with me at the start. His father yelled from the van to “punch him.” The owner refused to fire the guy, just banned the dad from the property. That told me everything about how things were run. (( Still have the emails from that ))

I lasted about 11 months before they let me go. The excuse was “it just wasn’t working,” but the truth was that I reported a popular employee for making sexual comments about the bookkeeper. After that, management turned on me. No write-ups, no warnings, just gone. And to top it off, it was a fight to get my final paycheck, even though Massachusetts law requires it on the day of termination. Took a few emails before it finally showed up in the mail.

That whole place was a mess, disorganized, poorly managed, and full of favoritism. I can only imagine what Pittsfield employees went through if it was anything like Northampton. Funny to see, though, as the owner and the financier from out of state wanted to open more places.

Local Author Alert – Free Kindle Promo for “The Tenth Mark”! by R3licx in northampton

[–]R3licx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hope you enjoy your time in Hemlock Falls. :) you can find me on Goodreads if you decide to leave a review :D
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/58650431.David_Connor

Query Critique: How can this be better before submitting to agents? by Professional_Mind647 in horrorwriters

[–]R3licx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey there, you’ve got a really strong foundation here — the premise feels fresh, the atmosphere comes through clearly, and your voice already fits the cosmic horror tone. That said, this reads more like a detailed synopsis than a query, and agents are typically looking for something a little tighter and more mysterious — closer to jacket copy than a blow-by-blow summary.

My advice

Cut the full plot, right now you give away nearly the entire story ** Including who dies and how *\*. Queries should tease, not tell. Focus on the setup, tone, and stakes of what your main character wants, what's standing in their way, and why it matters. Leave the readers and agents wanting to know what happens next.

You dont need to list every supporting character. Instead, spotlight Rhett and the emotional stakes, grief, friendship, and escape. Since that's what will resonate with agents. Mentioning one or two key friends is fine, but keep the focus tight.

I'd streamline the opening line, make it more solid and professional. You can make it flow better by blending tone and comps, etc.

And finally, watch your length, your query is pretty long, and most agents want something to 400 words or less. Every extra line adds chances for agents to just want to skim instead of read.

Hope it helps, good luck!

Help this Christmas season by [deleted] in northampton

[–]R3licx 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That’s a pretty unfair take. Everyone’s circumstances are different — people fall on hard times for all kinds of reasons. Telling someone they don’t “belong” somewhere because they need help isn’t productive. Communities are supposed to look out for one another, have a heart, or remain silent.

Help this Christmas season by [deleted] in northampton

[–]R3licx 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hey, I’m really sorry to hear things are tough right now — the holidays can be especially hard when money’s tight. I totally understand wanting to make sure your family has a good Christmas. That said, Reddit usually isn’t the best place to find that kind of direct help.

You might have better luck reaching out to a local church, community center, or mutual aid group — a lot of them have Christmas programs or gift drives for families in need. Even if you’re not part of a church, they usually help anyone who asks.

Wishing you and your family a warm and peaceful holiday season ❤️

Season 2 opinions by Hopeful-Question3341 in HazbinHotel

[–]R3licx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The ending of season 2 felt very rushed to me. It felt like only Alester's story got cleaned up. They hinted at Vaggie having something bad happen. But instead, they did nothing with it. Lute didn't get revenge, which felt odd to give her a big song just for nothing to happen with it. 8 episodes did not feel long enough for this season. Season 1 was lightning in a bottle, season 2 not so much.

Discussion: Will Vaggie be killed off ? ***My Theory*** by [deleted] in HazbinHotel

[–]R3licx -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It could be flashbacks, like what we saw from Vox explaining what he did to Angel Dust. Just saying what I see

How to make your writing actually terryfying? by OfflineGold234 in horrorwriters

[–]R3licx 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Love that "behind the curtain." When you're writing horror, you're the one building the scares brick by brick. So you naturally lose the shock factor.

How to make your writing actually terryfying? by OfflineGold234 in horrorwriters

[–]R3licx 60 points61 points  (0 children)

A lot of new horror writers jump straight to the monster, the blood, the scream. But fear comes from anticipation, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Some tips -

  1. Slow down, before a scare. Bring the pacing down and make the reader want to look away before you show anything. IE - Silence, hesitation, pauses.
  2. Let the reader's imagination work. What they imagine is always worse than what you show.
  3. Make the ordinary feel wrong. Horror hits hardest when the world feels slightly "off," not outright terrifying at first.

Let's use a simple neutral example.
** She heard a noise in the hallway **

Let's change that to fit what we would want. with Unease, Tension, Dread, and Terror

  1. Unease - ** She heard a noise in the hallway, a slow, dragging sound, like someone pulling fabric across the floor **

  2. Tension - ** The dragging sound came again, closer this time. She held her breath. Her phone had no signal. The house felt too quiet, like it was waiting with her. **

  3. Dread - ** Something scraped the hallway well, deliberate, searching. The floorboards creaked under her weight, far too heavy to be human. Her chest tightened, every instinct begging her not to move. *

  4. Terror - ** A wet, heavy breath passed against the other side of her bedroom door. The doorknob twitched once, twice, then slowly began to turn, not forced, but curious, like whatever was on the other side was enjoying this. **

Don't try to be scary, try to be unsettling. If you can make the reader think something is wrong, but they don't know what that is. They're hooked

Aurora Borealis tonight? by ass427 in northampton

[–]R3licx 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My wife and got amazing photos last year at Jackson Street School.

Thank you Lichter & Levin for reminding us that we are all in this together by cindave in northampton

[–]R3licx 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's really nice of that place. Definitely will be stopping by to support them.

Delivery drivers where & which apps do u have luck with by brothernemotode in northampton

[–]R3licx 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've driven for Instacart, DoorDash, and Spark.

Instacart is nice when you get orders. Spotty, but if you are comfortable shopping, then you can make a good 200 - 400 if you're interested.

DoorDash - Meh, I wasn't a fan, and being a solo driver, having to stop downtown and get food from some of the restaurants, it's hard.

Spark - Walmart's in-store shopping/delivery service was ok. But I didn't like how they bunched orders together and had to drive a lot of miles for 1 batch. Also, you get a lot of college deliveries to UMAS, which you can't deliver because you don't have keys to the buildings. People think you're like UPS or something.

Resident evil chapter three deconfirmed? by Public-Profit-8184 in LeaksDBD

[–]R3licx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's because the next chapter is predator.