Hi everyone, and welcome to my end of year newsletter.

First of all, a massive thank you to all of you who have subscribed and read my monthly ramblings. Without readers, writers are nothing, so I appreciate you all and hope you’ll continue to accompany me on the journey in 2024 and beyond.

Moving away from Substack

I’ve only just moved over to this platform in August and I have to say, I’ve enjoyed using its functionality and the extra engagement it has facilitated. But recently, it’s come to light that Substack is becoming home to an increasing number of overt nazi organisations using the platform to generate funds through subscriptions and also to mobilise people and spread their message.

I waited to see how Substack would react to the initial investigative piece in The Atlantic and, after reading this excellent, nuanced article, didn’t want to be reactionary. Then Substack responded like this:

Yeah, I don’t understand that either. Giving money to nazis and enabling them to build a platform is a … *checks notes* … good thing?! Nah. Thanks, bye.

So, from January, you’ll see a different look to my newsletter as it migrates to another new host. I hope, though, that in Hallmark Christmas Movie style, it will be my ‘forever home’. (feel free to vomit at my use of this term! 😉)

Back to the writing

Though still on the topic of nazis, tangentially, at least. My current work in progress is a novella which remains untitled at this stage. It’s about a spirit painter and she’s begun painting things which come to pass - premonitions, if you will. These involve fire. And folk with nazi leanings within that fire.

I’m enjoying the hell out of writing this, and hope you’ll enjoy reading it when it hopefully sees the light of day next year. The dynamic between the two principle characters, sisters estranged because one has been living abroad, has been great fun to explore. The draft is at 17k words right now, so I hope to get it finished by the end of January.

2023 in review / 2024 in the headlights

This year has not been my most prolific in terms of releases, but I am pleased at least with the work I’ve managed to get don, as evidenced in this skeet I posted at Bluesky yesterday:

I feel good about the work I’m doing now, and the non-writing work I’ve done this year should give me more time to press on with that next year:

And, as you see here, a number of firsts await me in 2024.

First up is that I’m delighted to say I’ve been asked to participate in a panel on Ritual in occult horror. I’ll be alongside writers Eden Royce, Stephanie Ellis and Robert Ottone, with moderator Lindsey Trout Hughes discussing all things Ritualistic in occult horror. Anyone who’s read my novelettes, Cinders of a Blind Man Who Could See, or Curfew, or indeed my novella The Balance, and various stories in Paths Best Left Untrodden will know how much ritual is a part of what fascinates me in horror and the supernatural, so I couldn’t be happier to have been invited by Lauren McMenemy of The Society of Inkslingers. Ticketing information is available at the instagram post above or just click here.

Next up is my debut novel, Shadow of the Hidden. I had hoped to have a cover reveal for you this month, but some of the details are still being ironed out. I will ensure that you get your eyes on it very soon though. We have a great middle eastern artist on board who I feel has really captured the essence of the story and setting.

Author Con 3 is something I’m very excited about in the new year, too. I’ll be sharing an author table with Mike Clark, author of The Patience of a Dead Man series of books, as well as his gripping adventure horror Hell on High. It’s taking place in Williamsburg, VA between April 12th - 14th and I would absolutely love to meet both fellow authors and readers there, so if you’re in the area, do come along. Ticket proceeds go to the Scares that Care range of charities, so you’ll be doing something good for the wider world, as well as for yourself. Tickets are available here.

Recommendations

Reading - The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean

Full disclosure, I haven’t even finished reading this yet, but halfway through and I can already tell it’s going to sit alongside Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter as an all time favourite ghost story. The writing is superb, the story plays with you in ways that have you feeling as haunted by it as its cast. If you haven’t read this, there really is no better time than Christmas for a ghost tale. Pick it up here.

Watching - A Murder at the End of the World (FX/Disney Plus)

I’d heard nothing about this when my writer buddies Paul M. Feeney and Dan Howarth started talking about it in our writing group. A true crime blogger/writer gets invited to a retreat by a tech billionaire in remote Iceland. Then her estranged ex-boyfriend shows up and things start to go wrong. With a clever plot that twists one way and the other throughout, you’re kept guessing until the end. Watch the trailer here.

Listening - Songs of the Dusk by Insomnium

I’ve been listening to Insomnium since before I had grey hair (about 208 years ago at the last count). In all seriousness, it was 2009’s Across the Dark that first really resonated with me. But they’ve been so consistent, while also being so diverse over the last fifteen years. That said, this new E.P. is still a highlight for me. Great writing and execution. If you enjoy that Gothenburg sound of death metal that grew up in that area of Sweden in the 90s - hard yet melodic - you’ll love this.

Bargains and Freebies

Fellow writer Miranda Kate has put together this gargantuan list of spooky dark fiction titles which are on sale throughout the month of December. There are three of my books in here along with Miranda’s, and others by Jack Rollins, Newton Webb, Stephanie Ayers and a bunch of others. Check out the full list here.

In this FREE book promo, you can pick up free books and stories by me, Robin Knabel, Daemon Manx and various authors on the Dark Lit Press roster, as well as others. Check out the full list here.

Well, that’s it for this month. See you in January at a new venue, but with similar content. If you enjoyed this newsletter, do share it on social media. Word of mouth marketing is by far the most effective. That goes for my books and podcasts, too.

Speaking of podcasts, my co-host Paul Stephenson and I spoke to Alan Baxter for All Creatives Now this month and it was every bit as fantastic as you’d imagine. Check it out below:

Enjoy the Christmas/winter break, take care of yourselves - I know this is a tough time for many people - and I’ll see you all in January.

All the best,

Kev