Where Have I Been?

Well, it certainly has been a while since I wrote one of these. I think for the last long while, I’ve been so focused on writing, and also, after February 2020, just making it day after day. I’m here now though, and that’s what matters.

Last month, my debut novel, Shutdown, was rereleased in a second edition. There wasn’t any real changes made other than a new afterword, and a cover that my partner, Gillian, and I, put together. Then, last week, my new collection of short stories, Blood on the Ground: Six Shots of Southern Discomfort was released. This one features 5 never before seen stories, as well as a reprint of The Creek (which has been changed somewhat, though I think it is for the better). The stories are all tinged with southern horror, and I think it’s some of my best, and strangest stories.

Now that that is said, what is still to come?

March of 2022 will be the release of the fourth Dillon the Monster Dick novel called Heads, You Lose. If you have liked the strangeness of the first three novels, hold onto you hats because this one gets weird.

Over the span of the pandemic and a little before, I’ve been hard at work on some new novels and novellas. Maymon, Gone Crazy…Be Back Soon, The Desolate, The Place Where the Shadows Live, and The Shadow of Memory are all done, but still need to be heavily edited. I’m currently working on book 5 (A Touch of Death) and book 6 (Dillon and the Gates of Madness) of the Dillon the Monster Dick series. Book 6 may be the final book in the series as far as I can tell. Things are moving fast and dangerous in that world, and even though I originally saw it as a 7 book series, I feel like pushing it to 7 will make it less powerful and satisfying.

With those all done, then what?

That’s the question of the day. Over the last two years, during all the turmoil, I have been wondering how much longer I want to keep publishing books. Don’t get me wrong, I will always write, but I just might do it for myself instead of everyone else. After my Patreon account came and went, and just seeing the shift in the world, I wonder how much people want to keep reading the type of work I put out. Maybe the answer is a shift in my story telling. I do have some comic book ideas, as well as a YA series, but I think I will not make any promises. Time will tell.

At the end of the day, I write because that’s who I am. I love creating new worlds, making characters come to life, but for me the process of passing on to the world what I write isn’t always easy. I think the hardest part revolves around my dyslexia and dealing with all the edit and judgement issues because of it. It is something I kept hidden from so many for so long, but it really effects my self-esteem to say the least.

I will try and post some more blogs in the upcoming year, as things get closer to release, but hey, no promises. All we can do is the best we can do.