Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Just One of the Bookhouse Boys...

I don't typically post much political stuff here on my blog; I tend to reserve that for my other social media accounts, where interaction is more immediate, if oftentimes mortifying. I prefer my blog to be a little more zen—books, movies, geocaching, personal news, local events, et. al. I am sure as hell not gonna break with that tradition today because, from the local to the national level, the endless, devastating waves of semi-literate noise erupting from the public brain trust has about pummeled me to the ground.

Therefore...

This weekend, March 28–30, I'll have a vendor table at Scares That Care AuthorCon V in Williamsburg, VA. I'll have copies of all the titles you see in the montage above, but I'll be showcasing my newest novel, The House at Black Tooth Pond; I'll also be doing a reading from it on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. EST (partnered with the inimitable Richard Dansky). More details here.

I've got a book signing scheduled for May 17 at our local bookstore, Magnolia & Main Books, Ridgeway, VA, so if you're within traveling distance, I'd love to see you! Owner Traci Morton did a nice little Q&A session with me at the shop a couple of weeks ago, and you can check that out here.

Many of y'all may be aware that I am a regular panelist on Mike Davis's Lovecraft Ezine Patreon Podcast on Sunday evenings, which usually includes a guest author. Mike also provides tons of other content, including a Friday night hangout, where we shoot a lot of cosmic horror shit and generally cut up. Recently, we've been having group "re-reads" of some of H.P. Lovecraft's fictions with discussions about the stories, the author, the historical contexts, and all such cool things. This week (tomorrow), we'll be discussing "The Call of Cthulhu." The Lovecraft Ezine is one of several projects I support by way of Patreon, and I highly recommend it for anyone who has even a passing interest in HPL or cosmic horror in general (visit the link above and go to the "Patreon" link to get more info).
 
I've read some very cool books lately, the most recent being Rebecca Cuthbert's fiction collection, Six o' Clock House & Other Strange Tales. It's a smorgasbord of the scary, the wacky, and the quirky, with several short tales that read more like vignettes—snapshots of memorable (if fictitious) people, places, and events, told in the author's unique and engaging voice.
 
For several months, I've been on an F. Paul Wilson binge, and if I haven't read everything he's ever written, I've surely gotten through a vast percentage of his body of work. I've been a fan of The Keep since I first read it in the 1980s, and a while back (thanks again to Mike Davis), I decided to continue with the entire Adversary/Repairman Jack cycle, including the "early years" and "young adult" entries about Repairman Jack. His latest that I've read is The Upwelling, and I have its follow-up volume, Lexie, in the TBR stack. I've known Paul for many years (he tuckerized my name in The Tomb, which I kinda love), and it's fair to say I've become more enamored of his work than almost any other living author.
I reckon that's about it. Maybe tomorrow, I'll feel more cantankerous. Bye bye for now!