Hey everybody, M. here,

I was getting ready to run out the door and go out of town for a few days when the news dropped last week that I was permitted to announce my upcoming appearance in Cthulhu Dreams, so I didn’t have a chance to post about the Kickstarter for the anthology, which launched that day and is still going for another week and a half or so. I mentioned it on Facebook the other day and figured I ought to share it here as well.

I don’t think this author blog gets much traffic (does any non-slop content get meaningful traffic online anymore?) but if you do happen to end up looking at this in the next few days and you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos he created, and the work he inspired, check out the Kickstarter and consider backing it. There are some sweet rewards including a limited edition Kickstarter-only hardcover of the book, and if you’re so inclined, you can also grab some other horror anthologies from Inkd Publishing, including a full set of their Behind the Shadows anthology series. And backing it does help support all the authors in the book and this cool up-and-coming indie press.

So if you’ve got some money earmarked for Cthulhu fiction, this is a good place to spend it, and you’ll be one of the first to get your hands on my new reality-warping horror story A Special Way of Doing Things.

More details on the story itself and the release date coming soon!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Wanted to share some news I have been waiting to share for a while. My new story A Special Way of Doing Things will be appearing in the upcoming Cthulhu Dreams anthology from Inkd Publishing. They just released the TOC this morning and you can check it out below:

Much more news on this one to come, take care everyone!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain, containing my story #FireofLove, has been out for a little over a week, and if you’ve had a chance to read it (or are planning on reading it and don’t mind a minor spoiler or two),the Burial Books blog is featuring a short piece I wrote about my inspiration for the story, particular stylistic choices I made while writing it, etc.

I also now have a copy of Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain in my possession, so if you didn’t see the pictures of it that I posted over on my Facebook page you can take a look at a few of them right here.

I’ve been a sucker for the early Powell & Peralta and/or Zorlac Skateboards aesthetic since back when I was a little kid and it was all relatively new, and that is definitely the feel I’m getting from this cover. Even the freaky title text jumps out to me on this one (I think even a little more in print than can be observed online). Totally sweet. And it’s got a TOC to match! I’ve only just begun digging into it and I’m happy to report that I am once again among some top-notch tales in this book.

Along with an image of that beautiful cover, here’s a sneak preview of the first page of my story so you can get a feel for what you’re in for.

So if you want a nice big hunk of horror to read as the summer wears on, pick up a copy from Amazon or from Burial Books directly (and check out all their other great new indie-horror offerings, including the two volumes of the Inanimate Things series).

After you finish reading that one, keep your eyes peeled for more news on my sci-fi comedy Kayfabe, which will be appearing in an as-yet-untitled science fiction anthology from Burial Books sometime next year.

Other than that, I should have an additional announcement coming up in the next couple of weeks; still too early to give any details but hopefully I’ll be able to talk about it very soon.

Take care everyone!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Happy to announce that Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain from Burial Books is now officially available in print and e-book form, so if you didn’t pre-order one and want to get your hands on my new twisty-turny tale of terrors memetic and demonic, #FireOfLove, and a huge table of contents of other excellent new horror stories, pick up a copy today!

More news to come!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Just signed the contract and I’m very excited to announce that I’ve got a new story coming out in Chthonic Matter Quarterly next year, in the Summer 2026 edition. The story is called What’s Behind The Walls, and not only is it a new one, it is what I’ve been calling a “thematic followup” to Sticky, my psychological/cosmic horror story that appeared in the Winter 2024 edition of CMQ last December (and which you can still buy in paperback or ebook format if you haven’t yet!).

Way too early to get into details, just suffice it to say that you should get ready for more paranoia, more full-throttle anxiety, and plenty of other many-splendored things. Much more news to come on this one, stay tuned here or on Facebook to get the latest!

Only Two More Days Until…
Since I’m already posting I figured I’d mention that there are only two days left until Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain horror anthology arrives from Burial Books, containing my story #FireOfLove and a ton of other tales sure to speak to your most primal fears and freak you out in some deep and fundamental ways. That’s what it’s all about, right? So pre-order yourself a copy today!

And as I announced just the other day, I’ve also got a story coming out in Burial Books’ science fiction anthology next year, my science fiction/comedy Kayfabe, More news on that one in the coming months as well.

Time for me to go get back to reading Edward Gibbon, as I have finally picked up book 5 again after stalling out for a long while. Take care everyone!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Wanted to share the news real quick that I just signed a contract on a new story. Happy to report that my science fiction/comedy story Kayfabe will be appearing late next year in the upcoming science fiction anthology from Burial Books.

Those who have been following my posts here (or on Facebook) will know that my horror story #FireOfLove is going to be in Burial Books’ Weird Tales To Haunt Your Reptilian Brain anthology, out next month (pre-order now!) and I’m stoked to be lined up to appear in another one of their books!

Much more news on this one to come, take care everyone.
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

With summer officially here and time flying by, it struck me that I had yet to post on this blog the amazing cover for the upcoming Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain anthology from Burial Books.

I shared this cover art over on Facebook when it first dropped a while ago, but if you haven’t seen this amazing illustration by artist Maciej Kamuda (which to me is reminiscent of the classic album cover art of legendary Septic Death front-man Pushead and in my opinion would look as sweet on a skateboard as on a book) there it is.

The book comes out on August 1st, and contains my tale of viral videos, vengeful souls, and demonic forces, #FireOfLove, alongside a ton of other tales that make good on the title’s promise. You can (and absolutely should) pre-order yourself a copy of this beast right this second, so when it officially arrives in August you can dig right in.

Weighing in at 415 pages, it’s going to be a nice big one to have on the shelf, and it looks like people who are getting advanced reader copies are already saying great things about it over on Goodreads. Get hip to it if you want to be horrified!

I should have more to share on Weird Tales… as the summer continues on. Beyond that, there’s some other stuff I have in the works that I’m not quite talking about yet. Might be a while still but suffice it to say there’s something brewing. Keep an eye out here and on my Facebook for more updates. Take care everyone!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

Just wanted to post a quick note to share that the horror anthology that I’ll be appearing in later this year from Burial Books is officially going to be called Weird Tales to Haunt Your Reptilian Brain. Should be a cover release and more news coming in the next month or so–keep an eye out here or over on my Facebook for it! Take care everyone!
-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

So we’re now just about a month into 2025 and I’m finally getting around to posting this update (though I did put some of the images that you will find below up on Facebook earlier in the month). Truth is I’ve been a little distracted, but I’m happy to report that not all of it has been the type of unproductive distraction I’m always complaining about. I’ve made a concerted effort to get back to reading as much as I used to and have been doing alright in that respect. I’ve also been making my way through the movies I picked up during the Vinegar Syndrome Black Friday sale, thus far having watched the excellent philosophical sci-fi flick Phase IV, an early-’70s curio which was the only film shot by film title designer Saul Bass, and the less essential but nevertheless interesting (and sort of Larry Cohen-adjacent) late-’80s building horror flick Dark Tower, both about which I might write more later (really, I might. I know I always mention this but I keep feeling like I’m on the verge of doing some writing about movies again, I just haven’t quite made the commitment yet).

Anyway now on to the important stuff.

Pictures of Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Winter 2024 issue
I received my contributor copies of Chthonic Matter Quarterly #8, the Winter 2024 issue, in the mail a few weeks ago. This has to be one of the most excellent looking publications I have appeared in thus far, and you can see the beautiful book right there pictured among some of my most paranoid favorites.

Right there on page one begins my story Sticky, a tale that adheres itself to your fingers/eyeballs/cortex and won’t let go. So pick one of them up in print or for your Kindle and get yourself thoroughly sticky with my tale of anxiety, isolation, and love or something like it. And it contains seven other strange and horrific new tales from some great authors to enjoy as well.

Stories that came out in 2024
Another year-end/year-beginning recap post means, of course, another one of those pictures of all the anthologies I appeared in over the course of the year. So you can see the three anthologies I was in last year all lined up. I think they look pretty excellent next to each other, and I think each of them has some of the best anthology cover art/design of anything I’ve been in so far.

First pictured is Necronomi-RomCom (Dark Edition), the edition of the two-book duology from Transformations By Obsidian Butterfly which contains my body-horror rom-com Hearts Synchronize, in which our hero’s search for love and metaphysical truth brings him into contact with horror and hilarity from beyond space-time. If anything, I am almost certain this story is the only piece of Cthulhu Mythos fiction wherein experimental composer Iannis Xenakis is mentioned, or if not that, then the only romantic comedy in which he is mentioned. (My story also appears in the hardcover omnibus edition of Necronomi-RomCom, which contains stories from both the Dark and Light editions and has a cover that does a super creative visual mashup of the covers of the two books.)

In the middle is Die By The Sword Vol. II which contains my story The Eye Within The Eye, a direct followup to The Tears of Blood which appeared in the first DBTS anthology from DMR Books. The story continues the adventures of Ulxedomus, the Crown Prince of K’Zal, as he seeks revenge against his brother the usurper. This one’s filled with even more weird phenomena, bloody battles, mad monarchs, clashing steel, and brooding romanticism than the first one!

And then last and certainly not least is the latest issue of CMQ, containing my story Sticky which I discussed at greater length up above, but I’ll repeat it–check this one out!

2024 may not have been a high-volume year for me in terms of having stories come out, but I think each of these stories, in their own way, represent some of my best work that has appeared in print to date. So don’t hesitate to grab one and give it a read! (Buy Necronomi-RomCom here, buy Die By The Sword Vol. II here, buy Chthonic Matter Quarterly Winter 2024 here.)

On the way in 2025 so far…
So what’s on the way in 2025? My new story #FireOfLove is slated to appear in an upcoming horror anthology from Burial Books sometime later this year. They’re an up-and-coming indie publisher who are behind the successful Inanimate Things anthology series, and I’m really excited to be appearing in one of their books.

What’s the story about? It’s maybe a supernatural horror story, maybe a twisty noir thriller, maybe a meditation on the meaning of meme-ified mayhem, and maybe all three of those things and more.

So keep an eye out for more word on that one later in the year, and hopefully there will be much more news to come as the year gets moving. Take care everybody!

-M.

Hey everybody, M. here,

The first day of winter is here, and with it comes the Winter 2024 issue of Chthonic Matter Quarterly, which contains eight new tales of horror including my story Sticky. The story is a paranoid tale of apartment dwelling, grody coatings, cosmic despair, and love or something like it, and as is always the case when I have a story published, I’m tempted to reveal too much, so I’m going to stop myself before I get into spoiler territory.

Suffice it to say that I’m thrilled to see this one in print and honored to have it appear in a beautiful publication like CMQ, which is home to some of the most interesting and innovative weird horror coming out today. The magazine, if you’re not familiar with it already, is the brainchild of author, editor, and publisher CM Muller who previously published the popular Nightscript anthology series.

So pick up a copy in print or for Kindle and buckle in! And if you dig my story or any of the others, don’t hesitate to put a review up wherever you do your reviewing. If you’re on Facebook, give me a “like” or a “follow” over there as well. That platform seems intent on making itself less useful each passing second for indie authors (or anyone really) to reach people, but it still represents the totality of my social media footprint at the moment, so another few likes, follows, or shares is always appreciated.

Time to go take care of some stuff, I’ll probably be back here with a year-end wrap-up pretty soon, take care everyone!
-M.