Not gonna lie, 2022 was a tough one. There were some transcendent highs, some crushing lows and everything in between. Below is a list of all the shit I accomplished this year - not to boast - but as accountability & affirmation that this writing/events path I’m trying to carve out isn’t a complete waste of time. The enjoyment of someone liking your story or book; coming to an event I’ve helped put on far outweighs the slog of the hustle. Cos there were more story rejections than acceptances and bugger all book sales, but that just makes me more adamant to keep pushing.
So here’s some stuff I did:
- ‘The Bus’ short story included in the vampire anthology ‘Dead of Night’ Edited by Marcus Hawke.
- ‘Phosphorescence’ short story included in ‘Slice of Paradise’ from Dark Lit Press.
- ‘The Burning Boy’ reprinted in the Xmas Edition of ‘Bitter Chills.’
- ‘Chops’ short story written for ‘Campfire Tales’, an event I co-produced with Ricky Dey for Featherston Booktown. Sold out both shows & produced a zine including the stories & artwork by T. Wood.
- Released ‘Red Ruin’ a NZ set survival horror novel co-written with Ian J Middleton.
- ‘Happy Jack’s Pumpkin Patch’ story included in ‘October Blood’, a Halloween anthology from Hawke Haus Books.
- Guested on a number of podcasts & an ongoing Horror Nights correspondent slot on Radio NZ.
- DJ’d at the premieres for Scream & X at the Roxy cinema. DJ’d a John Carpenter set before a screening of The Thing & at Terror Fi Fest.
- Co-ran a monthly Vinyl Club & helped put on a Halloween Ball.
- Wrote articles, film & comic reviews for www.sodaandtelepaths.com.
2023 is gonna involve more hustling: another collection of short stories, the next book in the Red Ruin series, a novella, a kids book, more Campfire Tales & some more music - potentially some live soundtrack things.
So Happy Nu Yeah y’all & keep grinding in 2023!
Peace & blood,
D