New demons, old demons, we all have demons

and some photos!

Hello, everyone! I hope this finds you well. Let’s skip the small talk and get straight to that thing from last week, shall we? So yeah, unless you’re not on social media (keep it that way!), you already know about the collapse of the New Demons anthology. I was invited late last year by Joe Lansdale, whose work I’ve loved for ages. I also met his son, Keith Lansdale, in October of 2023 at ArmadilloCon and he was as nice as his dad. We traded books and had some nice conversations. In short, I’ve always been a fan of the Lansdales and jumped at the chance to work with them on something. Plus, the anthology was going to be full of amazing writers—S.A. Cosby, Chuck Wendig, Joe Hill, Tanya Pell, Christopher Golden, Brian Keene, Alma Katsu, Stephen Graham Jones, etc—and it was going to be nice paycheck. Then it all went downhill.

As some of you know, I spent a week in Santa Fe (March 11-15). Right before I left, I heard some things about Patrick McDonough, one of the co-editors of the anthology. None of those things were good. Patrick had always been nice to me, but a person who’s nice to you might kill someone else or harass them or whatever, so I made a mental note to look into things as soon as I got back from Santa Fe. The week was great. I went to the Meow Wolf, which is awesome, walked around Santa Fe, and went to the Bandelier National Monument (some pics below). I also listened to a lot of great music because I drove there and drove back (about 11 hours and almost 700 miles each way). Anyway, I came back and got to work. By then, a lot of folks were angry. A lot of folks were also talking shit about me and some of the other contributors. You know, always behind our backs because that’s what cowards do. But cowards seem to forget that the stuff they post is basically public, so many friends sent me concerned messages and screenshots. Meanwhile, I focused on what mattered most: digging around. I talked to women who’d had encounters with the guy. I talked to writers, two editors I’ve worked with, and two podcasters. I talked to old friends. I had people send me info (one of them even made a 20-page Google doc with screenshots, stories, etc.). The result? Well, I had to pull out. Yes, it was a great project and yes, it was a nice paycheck, but cool projects come and go and there’s always a next check, but doing the right fucking thing is forever…just like doing the wrong thing will haunt you until you die. With a heavy heart, I wrote a letter. Then I posted about it online. Other writers dropped out. The project was dead before the end of the day. It was a sad thing, not because the anthology didn’t happen but because people have been hurt in the past and that always sucks. Onward, my friends. Also, remember that my email and DMs are always open. I think writing is like a big room, and no one in the room can be comfortable and safe until everyone in the room feels comfortable and safe. Y’all need anything, I’m here. Seriously. Oh, and to those who talked to me, shared their stories, emailed, and sent me DMs, thank you again.

Anyway, Debbie Downer, right? Nah, there’s also good news: I’m writing a lot! I said this on social media the other day, and it’s true:

Every novel has its own identity, its own swing, its own rhythm. Sometimes you have to spend a lot of time looking for it and understanding it so you can make music. Sometimes it comes to you and imposes itself. The latter is happening to me now, and I love it.

Yes, this next novel—sad, violent, haunted in many ways—is cooperating a little. I’m riding that wave. The moment House of Bone and Rain comes out, I’m out of a contract, and that scares the shit out of me. So yeah, I’m a writer and writers write, so that’s what I’m doing. Oh, and here are some of the photos I promised! More of those soon.

More from me soon, including some movies I’ve watched and some book stuff. Stay tuned. Thanks for reading. Stay cool and take care of yourselves and each other. Cheers.