Well, it’s that time again, somehow. We’ve reached the end of another year. I know, I wasn’t ready for it either. Let’s take a tour through the highlights of 2023 as we ready ourselves for 2024.

Writing

This was a banner year for me with writing, and I’m not even joking. This year, I:

• Signed with my wonderful agent, Maria Brannan, and went on submission with The Wandering Dolls

• Published a short story in The Crow’s Quill called “A Sacrifice” 

• Published a short story in Tales from the Moonlit Path called “The Creeping” 

• Was accepted into the Negative Creep, a Nirvana horror anthology with “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle,” publishing in 2024

• Won #NaNoWriMo with 52k words on Vae Victus 

• Worked on several other novels and short stories, I can’t even remember them all

Obviously item #1 is near and dear to my heart. Getting agented is something I’ve wanted for years. Now, let’s cross our fingers for a book deal?

Reading

I’ll admit, I didn’t do as much reading as I would have liked. My head wasn’t in the right space. I did read a bunch of craft books over, which was really helpful, as well as some selected favorites:

• The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

  • That twist GOT me. A super tight thriller that goes many unexpected places.

• The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

  • El-Arifi created such a complex world that I was sold.

• The Bone Shade Emperor by Andrea Stewart

  • One of my favorites of the year, and probably going to be an all-timer. SUCH intricate magic.

• The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

  • A beautiful historical fantasy about a much-maligned folklore figure.

• We Can Never Leave This Place by Eric LaRocca

  • Another favorite. A horror novella that guts you.

• Short stories from The Book of Queer Saints, The Deadlands, The Dark, Never Whistle at Night, and more

So I guess not so bad after all.

Watching

I did a deep dive into horror this year! A few of my favorites:

• The Old Ways

  • A creepy exorcism film that fails to demonize the titular "old ways" and instead brings the character into closer relationship with her heritage.

• Get Out

  • Finally saw this someday-classic. Creepy, timely, and perfectly fucked up.

• Evil Dead 2

  • I finally watched it and it's just the campy chaos I expected. Very enjoyable.

• In the Mouth of Madness

  • Brilliant eldritch horror movie with a delightfully unhinged Sam Niall.

• The Mummy (1932)

  • The ultimate fuck around and find out movie. Boris Karloff is a dream.

• The Fly (1958)

  • My boy Vincent Price shines in a supporting role in this classic case of sci-fi horror. A little campy, but fun as hell.

Did I watch other things? Sure. But Halloween month was lit.

Art

This was a year of losing and rediscovering my joy in drawing and painting. I struggled a lot with my art and I’m still struggling, but thanks to Rebelle 7 Pro and figure drawing classes, I think I’m finding it again.

Life

I left one job and started my dream job. Not gonna lie, it’s been pretty great for my mental health. Last year (2022) was rough, but 2023 was all about finding my joy again. And I think we’re on track.

Well

That’s a wrap! See you in 2024 with more updates, craft advice, reading recommendations, and more.

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Cheers!