NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES - Preorder Live!

Turn Up the Sun Update, Rapture Publishing and more...

Preorders are now live for Night of the Long Knives, my new novel from Earthling Publications.

A deluxe, numbered, limited edition hardcover of 500 copies signed by me and Ronald Malfi, who wrote the introduction.

Featuring cover artwork and interior illustrations by Vincent Chong.

Description:

The Cabin at the End of the World meets I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Night of the Long Knives is the thrilling and horrifying new novel from the author of Heavy Oceans, Midas, and Burn the Plans (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2022.)

After enduring a personal tragedy, Andy Ferris loses himself in making videos that explore the history behind local hauntings—videos that grab the attention of a wealthy eccentric with an obsession for collecting objects that belonged to famous killers. Hired by this man to locate a particular weapon, Ferris finds himself entangled in a mystery that spans history and drags him through a museum of death, a doomsday cult, an underground bunker, and brings him face to face with a serial killer as he unravels the truth behind an insidious conspiracy.

Preorder here from Earthling Publications. Publishes in December.

As an added bonus, if you order by end of day Thursday 9/26, you’ll get a free signed, limited edition postcard!

I am enormously grateful to all the wonderful writers who were gracious enough to offer quotes about the book. To Philip Fracassi, Andy Marino, Clay McLeod Chapman, Shaun Hamill, Ian Rogers, and Ronald Malfi…thank you all so much.

Turn Up the Sun: Dark Room Series Updates

I am excited to let those who ordered the deluxe, limited edition of my novella collection Turn Up the Sun that the printing issues have finally been resolved! The books look beautiful and will be printed shortly. I’m hopeful I can begin shipping these sets sometime in October.

For those who’d like to purchase a slipcase to house all four volumes, I’m very happy to partner with Jake Goldberg who is 3D printing a sleek and classy slipcase that perfectly fits the four books, and compliments the black and white design.

Orders can be placed through my website shop, and Jake will make and ship the cases directly to you.

Order slipcase here:

Rapture Publishing

My good friend Mitch Hull has recently launched a publishing imprint focused on making the absolute best weird chapbooks around.

I highly recommend heading over to Instagram and giving him a follow, or even better, click the button below to sign up for the Rapture newsletter. In fact, something tells me this week would be a really good time to sign up. Like, right now. Some cool news is coming.

R.I.P. Tom Spanbauer

I was very saddened to hear the news about Tom Spanbauer’s passing. I had the honor of studying minimalist writing with him for two years. Two years that deconstructed and rebuilt my understanding of voice, storytelling, and writing from a place of brokenness.

During our first session together, Tom asked me to write a non-fiction piece about “a moment after which you were different.” I’ve never liked writing about myself, or non-fiction in general, but I did what he asked. At our next session, Tom grilled me about what I’d written and why it was such an important moment for me. The truth, it wasn’t a meaningful moment at all, and he knew it from the writing. From the way I told the story. He encouraged me to dig deeper to where the blood is, where it hurts to write from. I did what he asked. I revisited a memory I’d kept buried for years, and through the story, I took a shovel and dug up that rotted corpse and put it on the page. It hurt. And that’s what he wanted it. He knew the difference immediately in how my voice shook as I read it for him. There was blood all over the sentences.

“Tell all your stories like this,” he told me.

I’ve tried, Tom. From that moment on, I’ve tried.

He taught me that the pain in a story speaks to the pain in a reader. I think I knew that in an abstract way, but Tom helped specify and define what it meant.

I am forever grateful for Tom’s gentle yet firm guiding hand. For the way he would not let me, or any of his students, settle for the surface. He knew that what matters is always found deeper, often buried, and sometimes even further down than we’d like to dig. But that’s where the blood is. That’s where the stories are.

He will be missed tremendously.

Tom Spanbauer

1946 - 2024

As always, thank you to everyone who reads the stories. I am so grateful.

Until next time.

TJ