CURRENT WIP
ON AIR WITH THE DEVIL!
Did you think that I was done with Josiah? (If you follow me on any platform at all, you know that I’m not. I’m obsessed with this terrible man). And honestly, his narrative has been the breath of chilling October air I needed to get my heart pumping once again. That’s not to say that I got bogged down (pun intended?) by ABERNATHY or anything like that, it’s just that Josiah is so spirited (pun definitely intended), and his energy is infectious. It usually sustains me for months.
But, at any rate, did you see this incredible cover art? Do you follow @/moe_machine on Instagram? Please do, because my lord almighty, I haven’t stopped staring at this thing since it hit my inbox.
I’ll have some more to share about ON AIR soon and probably a snippet or two. February feels so close already, like I don’t have any time at all. And in reality, what is four and a half months when at least one of them is taken up by a slew of winter holidays?
CURRENT EVENTS
ABERNATHY’S RELEASE WAS A SUCCESS!
I had a lot of fun at Blackbird Books & Coffee and if you ever make it out to Raleigh, they’re definitely worth a visit. Honestly, just being back out in the world, stretching my legs and hanging in queer spaces is something I haven’t done for almost a year. It’s good to be back doing what I love and feeling welcomed. Connecting with readers in the community is what it’s all about, after all, and that’s one of my favorite parts of the job. I’m not saying that I couldn’t go full-hermit, maybe one day I will, but it’s not anytime soon.
Thanks to everyone who lets me catfish you on a daily basis. I’m just going to blame the lighting for this one.
It honestly feels like I was asleep for the entire summer, and I’m just now waking up and getting back in the saddle. In reality, I never stopped working, but this is the first time I’ve really felt some motion in a while. I’m getting caught up on a lot of things and I’m revisiting old plans with renewed vigor. And while it isn’t realistic for me to have a release party every time a new book drops, just taking a moment every now and then to really bask in an achievement is really good for the soul, it turns out.
SORTING THROUGH SUBMISSIONS
I’ve been going through a lot of submissions lately! And I’m really hoping to announce some awesome 2026-2027 titles for LMH here, soon. I’ve also been wading through the MLM horror submissions as well as subs for the fourth issue of Smitten Land. Even though our last title for the year drops in October (Southern Sinners!) that doesn’t mean there’s any leisure time. We’re preparing for the gift-giving season, after all, which I am hoping greases our wheels a little bit extra to carry us through into January. I am planning to be out of office for at least a week or two in December, which is something I never do, but we’re trying all sorts of new things.
SPEAKING OF SHORT STORIES…
I’ve got some exciting short story things happening, on my end!
Wailies Don’t Be Whistling Dixie is part of the Alien Buddha Horror Showdown competition, and it was recently published in their The Alien Buddha’s House of Horrors #8. You can actually listen to me read WDBWD here on YouTube (a rare thing, since I am terrible at reading aloud). You can also vote for stories on the pinned post at the top of the Alien Buddha Facebook group. And if you want the anthology, you can find it here!
And speaking of Wailies Don’t Be Whistling Dixie, it is in the process of being adapted for season 2 of The Secret Society for the Dreaded and Dreadful podcast! Find them on Spotify and be sure to follow! I am really excited to see how it translates as an audio drama.
My latest short Mr. Belly’s Infirmary is going to be part of the Dionysian Public Library anthology of psychedelic horror, Fearful Symmetries! I am really excited about it, and that story is weird. I’ll have more information about that one soon! I believe it drops around Halloween.
I’ve said this one before so it’s not really news, but my story Pick His Bones Clean about a Florida swamp siren is going to be in More Monsters Next Door from Critical Blast. I LOVED being a part of Monsters Next Door. In fact, Howling Devil in the Sticks was one of my first short stories to get accepted anywhere once I started subbing again, and it remains one of my favorite stories to this day.
I have a few more sub calls that I’m hoping to make before the year is out. Sometimes, it’s not even about whether or not I get accepted, it’s about completing the work that the call inspired me to write in the first place. Oftentimes, that’s enough.
Don’t come for me, however, if you see me grousing in my stories about getting rejected from a very specific Bram Stoker related call later this year. Some rejections are harder than others.
DARK PULPIT ON YOUTUBE
I’ll be putting the Rev on YouTube! I just need to pull a guest list together. I know it might not seem like it, but I don’t really love doing things ‘on the fly’. I’d like to have a few guests lined up so I can have a few episodes ready to go, and above all, I want it to be fun and entertaining. Lord knows the world is dismal as hell right now. That might be a project that I launch in January, after some things have slowed down a bit.
As a complete aside but not totally unrelated, I just got through recording a podcast episode with River Gardner of Little Horror Haven Podcast. It should be out sometime over the next couple of days, so if you don’t follow @/littlehorrorhavenpodcast on Instagram or Spotify, be sure to go check them out so you can get all the updates!
AND FURTHER…
MAYBE IT’S THE CAFFEINE—
But I am totally jittery today. I think a lot of it is also the fact that I finished getting Hell’s Belles all formatted and ready to go, and it feels really weird to be working on “next year” (as I’ve mentioned already about a thousand times, I know). I realized that all my releases are spaced out oddly. Because so far, my schedule is looking like…
-The Devil in Gulper’s Gorge (January)
-On Air With the Devil! (February)
-Company Man (March)
-Disinherited (May)
-O, Abraham (October)
-[Redacted until announcement] (November)
Notice how like, I completely abandoned summer altogether? Was that subconscious? Summer months are not my favorite for releases (and I try it ever year. This year it was House of Sinners, last year it was Rising Sun) and they always get the least traction. So, maybe next year, June-July-Early August will be out.
And speaking of Company Man…
STREET TEAM SIGNUPS ARE HERE!
If you want to be a part of the street team for Company Man, I’ve got the signup form here. I always appreciate anyone who helps me spread the good word way more than you know. I’d like to be able to show my appreciation beyond just a heartfelt ‘thank you’, but I’m not sure of what would be desirable. If you can think of anything, let me know, okay?
THANK YOU FOR READING ALL MY WEIRD RAMBLINGS, BTW
I know that this newsletter didn’t have as much actual information as usual, but sometimes it’s nice to just talk about things that are on my mind.
Next issue: talking about COMPANY MAN, talking about Halloween plans, and maybe a little snippet from ON AIR WITH THE DEVIL!
