Posted on October 9, 2018
Naked Shingles: My Next Book
UPDATE: Naked Shingles is out now. You can buy it here.
My next book is a short story collection centered around unsettling themes. It’s going to be hard to read – and it’s been even harder to write – but I think it’s important. Maybe nobody will read it. Probably nobody should. But I still think it’s important.
Naked Shingles
The flagship story, She. (read it for free here), if there even is such a thing in an anthology, is a sort of #WhyIDidn’tReport metaphor, and writing it damn near killed me. If you enjoyed being slightly creeped out with the (mostly safe) spookiness of “A Trick of Light and Shadow” or laughing along with my many hilarious mistakes in “A Lifetime of Questionable Decisions” and think my next book will be along the same lines, you’re gonna have a bad time.
Even if you like disturbing fiction, you’ll still have a bad time. That’s kind of the point.
These stories delve deep into heavy, heartbreaking themes. There are no happy endings. It’s not a horror collection in the traditional sense, but every story is horrific in its own right. But more importantly, they’re all about what happens after the horror is over. Horror novels and movies exist to, yes, scare you – but then leave you feeling better than when you went in. When the credits roll, you survived the roller coaster – but it was always just a ride.
For the characters in horror stories, the nightmare doesn’t end when you finish the book. It’s just getting started, and they’ll carry that damage with them for the rest of their lives.
Trauma. Abuse. Assault. Terror. Disillusionment. Every story in this book shines a great big spotlight on the central idea of looking for justice and coming up empty. Some of the stories are fantastical, while others are all too real.
The entire book should come with a trigger warning, so I’ll forgive you if you want to pass it up. Of course, if you think you’re up to it, you’ll be able to check it out soon. Very soon.
Keep an eye on my author page, my books page, or follow me over on Twitter for the exact release date when I announce it.
You won’t have to wait very long.
Want some books? 'Course ya do!
NOTE: I know times are hard and yeah, I need to make a living too, but if you want to read any of my books but can't afford to buy them right now, hit me up.
I'll take care of it.
Humor | Nonfiction
Available now from the following retailers
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Have you ever lived through an experience that was so humiliating that you wanted to die, but when you tell it to all your friends, they can't stop laughing?
Have you ever made a decision that seemed like a good idea at the time, but you're still living with the hilarious consequences years later?
If so, then grab a snack, get comfortable, and prepare to have all of your own poor life choices seem just a little bit more bearable.
You're welcome.
Short Stories
Available now from the following retailers
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The nine stories of rage and sadness collected here range from the most intimate of human experiences to the wildest realms of magic and fantasy. The first story is a violent gut-punch to the soul, and the rest of them just hit harder from there.
Those who tough it out will find a book filled with as much hope as despair, a constant contradiction pulling you from one extreme to another.
Life might knock us down, over and over, and will the beat the ever-loving snot out of us from the time we're old enough to give it attitude until the day we finally let it win and stop getting up.
Always get back up.
Gaming | Nonfiction
Available now from the following retailers
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This isn't just a book. It's a portal to other worlds where there be magic and dragons and hilarious pirates. Okay, not really. But this book is about those portals, except they're called video games.
The Life Bytes series of books take a deep dive into one man's personal journey through childhood into kinda/sorta being a responsible, competent adult as told through the magical lens of whatever video games he was playing at the time.
Part One starts way back in 1975 and meanders down various digital pathways until, oh, around about 1993 or so.
If you're feeling nostalgic for the early days of gaming or if you just want to understand why the gamer in your life loves this hobby so much, take a seat in your favorite comfy chair and crack this bad boy open.
I'll try to not be boring.
Horror
Available now from the following retailers
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What you are about to read is not a story. There is no beginning, middle, or end.
What follows is nothing more than a series of journal entries involving shadow people, sleep paralysis, and crippling fear. It’s not pretty, it doesn’t follow story logic, and nothing works out well in the end.
You've been warned.
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