My first book, the tour and what’s next
My first book tour was so much fun! Photo courtesy of Matt Price
To sum up 2025 in one word: "Wow!" My short story collection Show Me Where It Hurts debuted in June from JournalStone Publishing, fulfilling my lifelong dream of writing a book. I was also lucky enough to score a blurb from one of my writing heroes, Stephen Graham Jones! Thank you to him for that, and also to everyone who bought a copy. For those who haven't, what you waiting for? Thirty wondrous tales of horror and weirdness await.
Book Tour
And that tour—way too much fun. Over three months in fall, I visited 18 locations across northeast Texas, from nightclubs to cafes to bookstores. After spending so many months alone on the book, it was a treat to meet so many readers and horror fans face to face. My heart is still glowing.
While every stop was special, the most moving visit was when I toured my hometown of Texarkana, Texas. Surrounded by my family and former schoolmates, I conquered a lifelong fear of public speaking to deliver my first live reading—and had a blast doing it. I also made the front page of the Texarkana Gazette, a newspaper I grew up reading. One of the Gazette's reporters, Karl Richter, featured me on his podcast, which is linked here on Substack. Truly, visiting my hometown was an event I'll never forget.
Thanks to Texarkana Gazette for the support on my tour
Prize Winner
If you visited my table on the tour, you might remember seeing an entry form for a contest. Sign up for my email list for a chance to win a Sonicare toothbrush valued at $160. The toothbrush was donated by my friends at Neville Dental, and was the perfect tie in for my book with its gruesome choppers on the cover. Congratulations to Anetrice Clark from Rockwall, Texas, who was chosen as the winner at random out of 150 entries. We met at a Barnes & Noble back in December so I could gift her the prize, and she couldn’t have been sweeter.
Who’s lucky? Anetrice Clark of Rockwall, Texas, that’s who!
Pushcart Nomination
Then, one November morning, I woke up to a big surprise in my inbox: one of my stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, "The Garden Gnome," published in Noncorporeal III: Nightfall. Like, whuut?? Huge thanks to Ink'd Publishing for thinking enough of the story to nominate it. Winners are announced later this year, so send some energy out into the cosmos for me. Pray, cross your fingers, stick another pin in the doll, whatever works.
My story “The Garden Gnome” in this anthology was nominated for a Pushcart Prize
Coming Soon
So, what's next? I'm writing as much as I can while holding down a full-time job. At the moment, twenty new stories are floating around the publishing world, looking for a home. I'm also hard at work on a second collection. It's still in the early phases, but a manuscript should be ready by spring, at which point it will be sent out to publishers. Don’t expect anything soon—the wheels of the publishing world move slowly. But with any luck, a new collection will be out next year. And yes, it will include the Pushcart-nominated story—can't wait for y'all to read it.
Review Me
Finally, I’m always grateful for reviews on Amazon and Good Reads. If you read Show Me Where It Hurts and enjoyed it, please consider leaving a few comments online. Even a sentence or two makes a world of difference.
Thanks again for all the support. Until we meet again, keep it spooky!
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