Hello! It has been a very long time since I've sent out a newsletter. I don't have a good excuse, except that there hasn't been much to report. I've spent most of 2022 working on a new novel, but there's nothing to share about it yet.
The one bit of exciting news I do have to share is that Salvation Day has made it to Korea! I don't know where you buy books in Korea! I just know that the translation is available now or will be available very soon, and that it has the most amazing cover. Seriously, look at this:
I adore this cover. The colors, the sci fi vibe, all of it.
To be honest, I've had absolutely stellar luck with my book covers from the start. I love every single one of them, in all their different styles. I am so happy to have another beauty to add to the line-up. The same publisher (Minumin) will also be publishing Dead Space in the future.
Oh, hey, remember Dead Space? My Philip K. Dick Award-winning book! It’s been months, but it’s still a bit hard to believe. That was a definite highlight of my year, even though it didn’t change my life in any material way. I’m so proud of that book.
I’ve been turning over some ideas for more sci fi thriller/horror novels to work on next. I miss it, and getting away from it for a year or so has only made me realize that, actually, most of the time I really do just want to write about people dying horribly in space. I’m rather extremely burnt out right now and trying to recover before I dive into something new, but there are ideas simmering.
I published one essay at the end of the summer: "I Have Decided That Being Bad At Breath of the Wild Means I Am Good At Life," over on Tor.com. The title is fairly self-explanatory, isn't it? I have since moved on from Breath of the Wild and now spend my gaming hours being bad at Hollow Knight. If I end up writing an essay about that game, it will be called "Why Do I Keep Jumping Face-First Into These Thorns That Keep Killing Me." Other people complain about the bosses in Hollow Knight, but all those horrible thorns are my true nemeses.
My Breath of the Wild musings rounds out my essays for the year. Here are the others:
“The Books We Read as Children Always Change Us—Let’s Embrace It” — on the things I learned from a handful of my favorite childhood fantasy and sci fi books.
“The Best Niche Genre? Creepy Books About F*cked Up Films That F*ck People Up” — for which the blog editor kindly told me that we didn’t have to change the title if we put asterisks in the cuss words.
“From Now on I’m Taking All of My Storytelling Lessons From This Wild Epic About Love, Loyalty, and Necromancy” — if you read that in January and thought I would be over my obsession with Chinese fantasy dramas by now, wow, were you ever wrong.
Earlier this year I also published one short story: "With All Her Teeth," in The Dark, one of my favorite magazines for horror and dark, weird short fiction. Whenever I want to read a short story that will freak me out and fill my mind with glorious, terrible images, The Dark is where I go. They’ve got great stuff.
And, of course, this was the year of Hunters of the Lost City, which came out in April, but really is far more suited to December, since it is a book filled with snow. The publisher, Quirk Books, is having a holiday pop-up shop right now until December 14. They're selling several of their books, including Hunters, wrapped up as gifts with little notes or bookplates. Click on the image below to go to the shop.
I hope everybody is staying warm and relaxed as the year comes to an end, and that you are spending your time with the people, pets, foods, places, and hobbies that bring you joy.
"I've spent most of 2022 working on a new novel, but there's nothing to share about it yet."
That's exciting, and I hope you'll be able to share a few details soon! May I at least ask if it's MG, YA or adult?
"most of the time I really do just want to write about people dying horribly in space"
😂 I'm good with it (maybe not every one of them though LOL. A survivor or two would be nice 😉).