MONTH IN REVIEW (April 2016)

Wow. Time is just flying along. I can’t believe it’s May already. I wish the weather would get its ass in gear here in the Northeast. It’s May and I STILL HAVE THE HEAT ON! I guess that’s not too surprising, but whatever. I’m ready to trade in my sweatshirts and jeans for basketball shorts and T-shirts.

Anyway, I thought it’d be cool to post monthly updates on what’s going on in my writing and reading life. That way you can stay in the loop about what’s going with current WIP (SUNFALL fans will find this particularly useful) and also, see what I’ve been reading. I’ll even give a brief review or two, something I hope to do more of on here anyway.

Let’s get started!

Current Works In Progress: I started writing a novella back in late March. I don’t want to talk too much about it, but it’s definitely one of the strangest, weirdest things I’ve written. The novella, however, kind of got away from me and it’s approaching 50k words, which I guess could technically pass as a novel. So, yay! I’m hoping to shop this around a little when it’s finished. I dunno. I love self-publishing, but the traditional route is looking more and more attractive these days (and less time consuming!). But that’s another blog post for another time.

SUNFALL: SEASON THREE – Chad, Pete, and myself began work in early April. We’ve spent the month plotting and gathering our thoughts. This will probably continue through May. Then, our words will find paper. We’re hoping to get this out early next year (fingers crossed).

WORLDS BETWEEN MY TEETH – My short story collection (with two bonus novellas) is almost done. I’ve gotten it back from my editor, finished formatting it, and now I’m sprinkling some final touches on the afterword. I’m hoping to get this beast out early next month. Definitely before Scares That Care in late July.

WHAT AM I READING? – If you’re my Goodreads buddy (and if you’re not, be friends with me!), then you know what I’ve been reading. But if not, here’s some stuff I got into this month.

The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale – Holy crap, what a story. Joe sure knows how to spin one. I can’t believe I’ve never read this before. Parts II and III are definitely near the top of the TBR.

Abducted by Robert Swartwood – If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller you can devour in one or two sittings, this is it. Swartwood’s thrillers are top notch. I put it up there with another fine book, Man of Wax, as his best to date.

Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig – Book 2 in the Miriam Black series. I LOOOOVED Book 1. I didn’t not like book 2, but 1 was a better offering. The story was better, the characters were more interesting (especially the villains), but 2 was a decent tale that kept me engaged, and Wendig did a good job with Miriam’s character, enough to make me want more. I’m looking forward to picking up the next books in the series, and I hear there’s a TV show in the works, which is also intriguing. I think it’ll do well on the small screen, especially since everyone is going GAGA for the supernatural stuff.

I’ve read more, but those are the highlights. I also started Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key (amazing) and got to Brian Keene’s The Complex (another Keene classic) earlier in the month. Both are solid reads.

I’m about 90% done with Jonathan Janz’s Children of the Dark, which is by far one of my favorite reads this year. I hope to review it when I’m finished! Janz is one of my favorite horror writers to come on the scene and I’m slowly working my way through his catalog. The Nightmare Girl was my favorite read from last year, and I can’t recommend his work enough.

So that’s it! A busy and productive April.