7/29/26
Been a few days without reliable Wi-Fi, or very little writing time, or both, so apologies for the lack of updates here.
First I was in Martinsburg, WV to record a podcast with Scott Edelman. Then I was in Lewisburg, WV where I did some work around Grandma’s house and also got in a fight with not one, but two nests of bees who’d taken up residence around her shed and woodpile, resulting in a total of seven stings. (Luckily, having grown up with a father who was a beekeeper and being a beekeeper myself, I’m not allergic).
From there I moved on to Lexington, KY, where I stayed for two days with Laurel Hightower and Frank Reardon, and while there was indeed Wi-Fi, there was no time to write, because Laurel’s kid and I were busy with backyard swimming pools and shopping for ponies and comic books at the flea market and building a pretty sweet fort out of pillows, blankets, a couch, a beanbag chair, and stuffed animals. At night, after the kiddo went to bed, Laurel and I got into the Jameson and Bookers and there was lots of shop talk.
Also, Frank made some kick-ass baked ziti which I ate entirely too much of.
Boston Baked Ziti by Frank Reardon
Today, I move on to Indianapolis and GenCon. I’d planned on stopping in at Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville and signing store stock, but sadly they are closed on Wednesdays. My schedule for GenCon can be found here. I’m rooming with Stephen Kozeniewski and Wile E. Young, which means I’ll be required at the hotel bar each evening to supervise the pair of them.
Anyway, I want to do something a little different for Women In Horror Year today, so hang with me for a minute.
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Women In Horror Year: Day 92
Various by Megan M. Davies-Ostrum
Laurel told me last night that a few years ago, when I mentioned The Day of the Door in my weekly newsletter, sales went through the roof. We’ve also, you and I, seen some things happen for various authors as a result of this current Women in Horror Year Blog series. So, with that in mind, as mentioned above, I want to try something different. I want to will a book that does not yet exist into existence.
Megan’s first novel — a dark fantasy called Rise From These Dark Waters — isn’t available until this October (but you can learn more about it and preorder it here). The thing is… I’ve not yet read the book, but what I have read is a bunch of Megan’s short fiction, primarily in the anthology A Chronicle of Horrors and in the pages of Cosmic Horror Monthly, which Mary and I subscribe to. Indeed, it was her multiple appearances in CHM that put Megan on my radar. Her voice is strong and confident, and her style is perhaps best described as a cross between Tanith Lee, John Urbancik when he’s feeling dark, and Ramsey Campbell. It is unique and powerful, and I can’t believe that some of her short stories haven’t been collected yet. Perhaps mentioning that here will plant that idea in a publisher’s head. Perhaps it will sweeten the pot if I mention here that I’d be willing to pen an Introduction of a Foreword for such a collection.
Megan’s complete Bibliography lists where each story has been published, and almost all of them are very easy to track down. And while you’re at it, pre-order Rise From These Dark Waters here.