So here we are, and 2024 is almost over. What a truly bizarre year it was. There were some goods thing, but wow, oh wow, were there some not-so-good things. At any rate, it’s time for the annual tradition in publishing: the award eligibility post. Every year, I always talk about how strange it is to do these posts, but hey, at least it’s a good way to take stock of the year. So let’s get to it, shall we?

The Haunting of Velkwood was of course my big release for the year! There have been so many wonderful things that have happened with my haunted neighborhood. It’s been named a best horror book of the year at Esquire, Library Journal, and Paste Magazine. The novel has been featured at Book Riot, CrimeReads, Men’s Health, Goodreads, and Gizmodo, among others. It’s also gotten amazing reviews at Paste Magazine, Cemetery Dance, New York Journal of Books, Nightmare Magazine, as well as a starred review at Booklist. In the spring, I even went on my first ever in-person book tour, which was such a whirlwind experience. I also just received word this morning that the book is also a finalist for the inaugural Haunted Minds Book Club Awards alongside so many incredible novels from the past year!

I know I’ve already said it many times before, but this is such a personal book, so it makes me so happy to see the positive reception to it. Needless to say, thank you to everyone who’s picked up a copy of The Haunting of Velkwood! It truly means the world to me!

In addition to Velkwood, I was extremely fortunate to have ten short stories published this year. These anthologies were all so terrific, and it’s such an honor to share the table of contents with so many fantastic authors. So here they are, in all their horror glory!

“5 Deleted Scenes from Vampiro Lamia.” (Euroschlock Nightmares: Lurid Tales of Cinematic Continental Horror. Muzzleland Press.)
A beloved cult actress dies shortly after completing her final film. It turns out, however, she lives on in more ways than one in the deleted scenes of that obscure movie. Soon, a devoted fan finds themselves invited to a once-in-a-lifetime screening of the extended cut. Now if only that fan can survive to the final frame.

“A Private Detective’s Checklist for How Not to Die.” (Howls from the Scene of the Crime: A Crime Horror Anthology. Howl Society Press.)
My ode to 1940s classic noir, this sapphic take on a hard-boiled detective in a sinister big city injects a serious dose of horror as Private Investigator Tallulah Collins unravels her latest case alongside a beguiling femme fatale, all while trying her best not to join the mounting body count.

“Your Mother’s Love Is an Apocalypse.” (Mother Knows Best: Tales of Homemade Horror. Black Spot Books.)
Cosmic horror and bad moms collide when a woman is called back to her old hometown to help prevent her supernatural mother from destroying the world. She soon finds herself remembering the things that tore her and her family apart, all while the cosmic threat grows increasingly dangerous and personal.

“Be Kind, Please Rewind.” (It Was All a Dream 2: Another Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right. Hungry Shadow Press.)
An unlikely final girl with powers all her own refuses to accept the status quo of her slasher killer story. As she harnesses her own supernatural abilities, she quickly teaches the killer how to run in terror too. This story had been kicking around my mind for literally years, so it was such a bloody joy to finally put it to paper.

“The Last Call of the Cicada.” (The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks. Greymore Publishing.)
Three girls, who have been best friends all their lives, find themselves tracking their existence through a plague of cicadas that descends on their town every seventeen years. But when the girls turn forty and the snooping locals sour on them and their bohemian lifestyles, the cicadas suddenly become stranger and more sinister than anyone bargained for.

“A Ticket to the Funhouse.” (Fear of Clowns: A Horror Anthology. Kangas Kahn Publishing.)
When a carnival comes to town, long-buried memories resurface for Christy, a middle-aged woman who’s still struggling to find her place in the world. The funhouse in particular draws her in, and she quickly finds herself in the thrall of a mysterious tarot card reader who promises her something better… if only she’ll stick around the carnival for a little bit longer.

“The Only Face You Ever Knew.” (Elemental Forces. Flame Tree Press.)
Catherine and Veronica are a happy, recently engaged couple. That is, until Veronica vanishes in plain sight in the middle of the grocery store. What follows is a surreal journey for Catherine as she desperately tries to find Veronica—and then convince her of their shared life together.

“The Mouthless Body in the Lake.” (The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories. Crooked Lane Books.)
On a lonely Christmas day, a young girl finds her own mouthless doppelganger frozen in a nearby lake. As the years go by, she keeps visiting her double, only to find it changing the same way that she does. With her life facing one dead end after another, she begins to suspect that perhaps her doppelganger holds the secret that could unravel her entire existence once and for all.

“The Monster and the Maiden.” (Enter Boogeyman. Acheron Books.)
A little girl meets the boogeyman who’s hiding in the dark places of her house. Over the next decades of her life, she’s constantly cowering from it, even though she soon learns that sometimes your own family is the greatest monster of all.

“Cleveland.” (Winter in the City: A Collection of Dark Speculative Fiction. Ruadan Books.)
In the cold of a Cleveland winter, a woman begins to listen to the strange melody of the cityscape. And the cityscape seems to be listening to her as well. As the holiday season approaches, she finds herself drawn deeper into its embrace, knowing all too well that she could disappear into the bitter, brutal darkness.

So that was my year. 2025 already has plenty of promise with several more short stories slated for release. Plus, I’ve either finished or am in the process of finishing several new books, so stay tuned for details. At the very least, I’ll be keeping myself busy, which is very possibly the best way to stave off the existential dread.

Happy reading, and happy New Year!