So 2024 is already dwindling away, and seriously, what a year it’s been. First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for their support through my recent health scare. Your comments on my social media definitely filled me with love during a very frightening time. You’re all the best, and I’m so lucky to have such a great group of people around me.
Now onto better things: namely, writing news! It’s been six months today since The Haunting of Velkwood made its debut. It seems both like it was yesterday and a whole lifetime ago. That being said, I’m so thrilled that the book is still out there, finding new readers! It was featured once again as one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of the Year (So Far), and that truly fills my heart with ghostly joy. I was also recently interviewed not once but twice at Cemetery Dance. Truly, that’s beyond thrilling. Thank you so much to Esquire’s Neil McRobert, and Cemetery Dance’s Haley Newlin and Daniel Braum. All of you are absolutely amazing supporters of the horror genre, and I’m so happy that you enjoyed Velkwood!
As always, my novels aren’t the only thing I’ve been working on lately. You can check out all my recent articles at The Lineup, which include a post about Bram Stoker nominated works that deserve a place on your TBR as well as a list of the best 1980s horror remakes.
And then there’s a topic that’s forever near and dear to my heart: short fiction! I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of some very exciting anthologies this year! Last month, It Was All a Dream 2: Another Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right was released; it features my story, “Be Kind, Please Rewind,” an unusual reworking of the Final Girl trope. This one took me a few years to get it to where I wanted it, so I’m so delighted that it’s finally found a home in such a very cool book!
And just this week, the incredible anthology, The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks, was released from Greymore Publishing. My insect tale, “The Last Call of the Cicada,” is featured in a truly spectacular table of contents, which includes everyone from Candace Nola and Christa Carmen to Stephen King and Cynthia Pelayo. Such an honor to be part of this one, and I’m planning to do a roundtable interview series here on my blog in the coming weeks with some of the contributors.
In terms of what’s on the horizon, the fantastic Fear of Clowns: A Horror Anthology is due out in just a couple of weeks, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that one! And finally, The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories, edited by the always extraordinary Lindy Ryan, is due out later this year. Suffice it to say, I’ll be posting more about all of these super cool anthologies on social media, so be prepared to hear more about it from me!
Also, on an entirely different note, I hate to vaguebook, but there’s been some behind-the-scenes movement on a couple of projects that would be completely amazing and utterly life-changing if they keep progressing forward. Suffice it to say, my visit to Los Angeles in May was a very positive one. So stay tuned for those details if and when I can share them, and if you’ve got the energy, send a couple good vibes my way in hopes of everything taking the best possible turn.
So that’s about it from my writing world at the moment. Otherwise, I’m at work on several new books, including a novel and my second short fiction collection. So much writing to do, so little time! I hope everyone out there is doing well and planning lots of horror fun for the fall!
Happy end of summer, and happy reading!
Then 
Next up, I’ll be doing a virtual event at Mysterious Galaxy on Tuesday, March 26th at 9pm ET. A few of the details on this one are still forthcoming, so please stay tuned for the link as well as my in-conversation partner! I had such a blast at the Mysterious Galaxy event for Reluctant Immortals, so I’m so thrilled about coming back for Velkwood!
So that’s the schedule for my second-ever book tour! I’m so delighted to be making so many appearances over the next few months. And of course, I’m also doing lots of interviews for fabulous podcasts and websites and guest essays, so there will be plenty of chances to catch me hanging out in person and virtually! Needless to say, I’m beyond thrilled to be sharing The Haunting of Velkwood with the world! I most certainly hope that lots of you enjoy meeting my ghosts very soon!