Hidden in Plain Sight: The First Clue to My Next Horror Novel

“In fevered haze, the warmth I hold,
Neo-citron sips, as night’s grip takes hold,
The seaside’s breath, both damp and cold,
Through window’s crack, dark tales retold.

The purple dusk, the waves deceive,
Whispers carried by the breeze,
Of slumbering gods beneath the seas,
A chill of fate, where hope deceives.”

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well! Thanks for taking a moment from your frenetic doomscrolling to see what nonsense I’ve cooked up today. They say to fail to plan is to plan to fail, but what about planning the absurd? Is it as sure to fly as a feathered bird? Or perhaps the challenge of the spoken word is that it rarely gets properly heard. Alas, I digress.

It is September 1st, and a clock is ticking. On October 1st, I will reveal the cover for my new book, and the preorder page will go up on the spookiest of days—October 31st! I’m excited. But today, I will share the title with you and give a sneak peek at a couple of other unfinished projects.

I’ll start with a story. When I used to go back to Canada, I’d be hungry for everything familiar—new shoes that fit (my huge canoe-sized feet make shoe shopping a challenge here in China), ketchup chips, and other Canadian-specific oddities… not to mention copious amounts of coffee beans. These days, I’m proud to say that I can take care of myself in China, so my shopping list has been whittled down to just two things: interesting socks and quality books.

I’ll save the sock talk for my next post. Today, I want to share some of the books I brought back with me, including a few signed by literary heroes, friends, or in some lucky cases, a combination of the two. First off, here’s a glimpse of my library at home—not the campus apartment, but the one I slip away to in Chongqing when I have a moment to breathe away from students and lecture halls.

I’ve always dreamed of having a beautiful library, and while this one doesn’t have a ladder yet, it’s pretty awesome to have so many great books to inspire me when I’m relaxing in China on the weekends.

I’ve expanded my shelf of published books to include a ‘signed by author’ section—many of them are also lovely hardcover editions. Here, let me show you a couple: