Tag: young adult books

State of the “Caedes-verse”

Long time no see, I know. How are you? I’ve been good. Good and busy.

Welcome to 2023 (which is hopefully, in many ways, better than 2022), the year of some changes both inward and outward.

Since I don’t tend to release numerous projects throughout any given year–typically just one book per year, plus some short stories here and there–I’ve decided to start posting some book and movie reviews, since that’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and since I no longer write for any horror news websites that give me a proper outlet to do so. I’m seeing M3gan tomorrow night, so that will probably be the first proper review I post. On the book front, I got through many, many books in 2022 (or is 89 a rookie number? I dunno) and I intend to start posting reviews for some of those books here. If you dig reviews, subscribe and keep an eye on this page.

2022 was also a big year for The Family Fright Night Horror Podcast, a biweekly show where I talk to various artists about their favorite horror movie for a while before delving into questions about their creative process and philosophies. I had 67 episodes in 2022 (whew!), and from the looks of my calendar of interview dates, 2023’s looking like an even bigger year for the show. You can find all episodes on Spotify, or any other podcast hub out there. If you dig the show and want to support it, you can purchase t-shirts here. If you’re not into snazzy t-shirts that all the cool kids are wearing, you can also support the show by a) telling your friends about it, b) sharing episodes on social media to boost the signal, or c) message me with guest requests or to tell me what you’d like more of on the show. I’m hoping the podcast stays for fun everyone, so I’ll do whatever I can to cater to listeners’ tastes.

On the writing front, I’m currently working on multiple short stories for upcoming anthologies, which means taking a break from upcoming novels (including the final draft of Parasitic Host). The good news is, you can find short stories of mine in a few new anthologies, including Tales from the Monoverse by Last Waltz Publishing, Road Trip God from PsychoToxin Press, and a few others than I’ll announce when the time’s right and the ink is dry on the contract. I’ve always been a fan of short-form horror, and I hope that appreciation for fast and furious storytelling bleeds into my work a bit.

Now, onto what’s coming in 2023:

First and foremost, I’ll be releasing a new novel called Coronation sometime this Summer. This novel’s been teased for a few years now, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Fans of Birthday Girl, rejoice. While this book’s not nearly as gory as my Ash Crowlin work (it will be published under my own name, not my pseudonym), it’s a heartfelt story about sibling love and how far a young girl will go to save her older brother.

I also intend to release a short story collection sometime in 2023, maybe in time for Scares That Care’s Authorcon II in March/April. News on that later.

Looking far, far ahead at late-2023 and early 2024, I should have another novel coming out that takes place in what I call “The Caedes-verse,” which is the fictional town in which Moving Through takes place. I’m not announcing the book yet, because it’s still in early stages and I’m a known liar when it comes to release dates. All I can say is I’m having a blast revisiting old characters and seeing them grow into new stages of their lives.

I will also be updating my “tour” schedule for 2023 later this week. So far, there are only a few stops that I’m committed to, but I tend to rack up another ten or so before Summer begins. I will definitely be at The Texas Authorcon in July and at Scares That Care Authorcon II in March/April.

Movie and book reviews coming later this week! As always, stay healthy and keep reading.

Weddings, Writers, Interviews, and Sequel(s)

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

It’s been a good week. Although I didn’t accomplish my writing goal meant for my retreat (100 handwritten pages in 5 days; 20 pages per day), I got about 60% of my goal while also visiting family and having a great time in my hometown. Also, who needs goals when you’ve got home-cooked meals every night of the week? Love you, Dad!

My cousin’s wedding was yesterday. Although I wasn’t able to make the ceremony due to previously scheduled obligations, I was able to attend most of the reception, which was pretty fun. Admittedly, I was pretty damn cranky the entire time because A) I was tired as tired can be, and it showed, and B) I’m really not much for weddings, mostly because of social anxiety and the pressure to participate and dance. I love revelry, and I’m always happy for people who find love and get married, but I’m much more comfortable watching everyone else have fun and dance the night away while I just sit and enjoy a beer unnoticed. I don’t think I’m an introvert, but I definitely have introvert tendencies like that.

Author Ty Roth was at the wedding. He did a great interview with me this week for his blog, which you can find here. Ty is a family friend and an amazing writer, and I’m always grateful for the time he makes to teach me things I may not already know about the industry, being that he’s been through the ringer and back with publishers.

Yesterday morning I had my sales table set up at an art show just off State Route 53 in Lakeside Marblehead. Although I didn’t sell many books, I was surrounding by chickens, which made me smile like a little kid the whole time. I tried to catch one and pet it, and I’m happy to report it’s just as hard as the movie Rocky has led us to believe. Fast little creatures.

I also found out earlier this week that I’ll be in the same reading/Q&A block as author Kristopher Triana at Scares That Care VIII at the end of July. Triana is one of my favorite horror authors, and I got to hang out with him on my podcast recently. You can find his episode here. I’m VERY excited about this!

I started a Patreon page for The Family Fright Night Horror Podcast. This is a great way for listeners to get involved with the show while helping to offset hosting fees for the podcast (which add up FAST) and help me purchase updated equipment for better sound quality. If you’d like to check out the different reward tiers and share the page with friends who might also be interested in the show, click here.

Exciting stuff is happening with Moving Through and its sequel, Clive (working title). The hardback edition of Moving Through is coming out in October, and I’ll probably have one or two other things ready to share by New Year’s Eve.

See you again soon!

Books and a Break

This week’s been everything I’d hoped for. Although I was supposed to be in the Virginia woods this week on a writing retreat, I instead decided to drive to my hometown of Coshocton, Ohio to surprise my older sister before she leaves for two years to Chennai, India! She and her husband are diplomats, and they’ll be away overseas with my nephew for way too long for me to pass up an opportunity to see them for a full week, so I made a last-minute change of plans and went back to my roots, singing “Country Roads” at the top of my lungs the whole way (yes, I got a few weird stares from passerby, but it’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?)

Fortunately, being home hasn’t hampered my ability to get some serious writing done and dusted. I’m nearly finished with a new short story, which I’ll give details about at a later date, and I’m pre-writing Clive (the pseudo-sequel to Moving Through) while putting the finishing touches on Parasitic Host, my upcoming comedy-horror novel. I’m also journaling every day again, which has been nice, and I’m reading a few helpful books on technique and self-editing. I pride myself on always learning, both from past experiences and from people who’ve been doing what I want to do much longer than I’ve even been alive.

Speaking of journals, you can now buy copies of my Moving Through inspired journal here on my Amazon page. They’re a good place to vent…and I’m pretty sure I’d be snapping 24/7 if not for that outlet. Mostly joking.

I’ve gotten a lot of reading done this week as well, and though I’m currently working on proper review for these books to post on Amazon, here are some brief thoughts on what I’ve been reading.

Bishop by Candace Nola

This book is engaging for so many reasons. Not only do we get a werebear fighting a proper wendigo (one that true to the original mythos), but we also get fully-developed characters who make smart decisions and aren’t simply slaves to the plot. This is a character-driven novel, and I had a blast reading it.

Midnight In the City of the Carrion Kid by James G. Carlson

Oh boy, now THIS is my type of book! Part “Silent Hill,” part Naked Lunch, 100% weird the entire way through! It doesn’t let up even once throughout it’s rather brief length, and it packs a real wallop that should make any bizarro horror writer envious.

Rotten, No One Survives, and The Survivor by Buzz Parcher

I was recently at an indie writers convention in Northeast Ohio, and while I didn’t sell too many books, I did meet probably my favorite new indie horror writer, Buzz Parcher. He and I have very similar tastes in the splatterpunk subgenre, and I’m absolutely certain his name is one you’ll be hearing plenty of over the next few years. These books are brutal, funny, fast-paced, and they push the envelope in every sense of the phrase. You can watch my TikTok review here.

I’ve been pretty active on TikTok lately with book reviews, and new episodes of The Family Fright Night Horror Podcast are airing 2-3 times weekly, so there’s plenty of new content while we wait together for Parasitic Host to hit bookshelves. I have a lot of great news I wish I could share, but I don’t think now’s the best time to do so, since things change sometimes. But when the time comes…you’ll know what I’m referring to!

‘Til next week, adios!

“Moving Through” is #1 in Pre-orders!

Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered their Moving Through eBook, it’s now NUMBER ONE in its category! This was a great thing to wake up to, and although I’m certain the number will fluctuate as weeks pass, I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to pre-order! If you’re interested in getting a digital copy of Moving Through, click here. Every order helps!

In other writing-related news, I’m working on my fourth draft of Parasitic Host, my horror-comedy novel planned for later this year. I can’t say much about the story yet, but I’m excited to see what everyone thinks of this one. It’s in an entirely different category than Moving Through, leaning more toward “New Adult,” and it involves a monster with an identity crisis, unlikely college romances, and a multi-level marketing scheme. More on Parasitic Host later…

I have a radio interview with FM 99.3 WTNS tomorrow morning to talk about Moving Through. If you’d like to tune in and hear it live, I’m expecting to go on around 10 a.m. EST. You can check it out here. I’m especially excited about this interview because WTNS is known as “The Spirit of Coshocton,” where I grew up. The city of Coshocton was very influential on me as a writer, and for as small as the town is, it’s been home to successful Country artists, record-holding athletes, painters, and other writers. Gotta do my hometown proud!

I’ve been catching up on movies lately, since I need a break after working several hours a day at my day jobs and on my books. Tonight, I’m watching Pretty Boy, Marcel Walz’s follow-up to 2019’s Blind. Both movies were written by friend and fellow author Joe Knetter, who’s one of the kindest and most down-to-Earth dudes I’ve ever met, and also one of the funniest. I interviewed Joe for my show “CryptTeaze Family Fun Night” last year, and you can check out part one of the interview here.

Do you have any movie recommendations for me? Send ’em over!