Heartfelt thanks, @gabino.bsky.social! “OUR WINTER MONSTER is a wonderful mix of pulpy horror and crime… Fast-paced, full of chaos, and featuring a unique monster that isn’t what it appears to be at first… this is a fun novel… with complex, en­gaging, diverse characters.”

Oh man!! What a time to be alive if you’re a horror fan!! There’s so many amazing horror events coming up in Doylestown in the next two months! Between the @doylestownbookshop.bsky.social and Bucks Bookfest so many horror authors are coming through town!

I finished three chapters so far this week, including one of the longer ones. Should be at 60% draft of my weird, fiery demon novel starring Claire (my shadow somehow) by week’s end.

I love bluejays. They’re such assholes. Like, “Oh, you think crows are loud?” Super early: “I AM A BLUEJAY YELLING STUFF.” Me, sleep-laughing, like yeah yeah, I hear you.

My wife’s traveling so I’m spending extra time writing, hanging with our dog and mostly unplugged, just writing and writing with Forensic Files in the background. DEMON-WRITING ZONE.

My new trainer gave me a short but intense deadlift routine for Mondays and said, “Your legs may still be too shocked to do squats on Thursday,” and I was like nah, I’ll be fine, and yeah no: my legs were going nowhere near squats today.

Playing a ton of 80s metal while writing my demon novel. GY!BE and Max Richter and goth, too, but mostly raw red steaks of metal.

Amped to join @rachelharrison.bsky.social and Lindy Ryan for HORROR MAYHEM with Books ‘n Brew on Friday, May 2nd, 6-9 PM. It’s a reverse bar crawl where authors rotate between three Doylestown, PA venues for lively conversations. Get tix! BucksBookFest.org

Book tour and family trip done, now for a full spring of Crazed Novel Writing (with a bunch of popup and virtual events peppered in)

OUR WINTER MONSTER: will keep hawking forever GHOSTLOVE: labor of love getting rediscovered NEXT NOVEL my favorite… this feed will soon immerse you in demons, vintage metal, and ***Claire*** ❄️ to 🔥

Last tour event tonight! Meet me and @robertottone.bsky.social at @stanzabooks.bsky.social tonight at 6 PM!

Signed copies of OUR WINTER MONSTER are available at the mighty Underbrush Books (where I’m doing a virtual event with @claymcleod.bsky.social Saturday night). Shop Underbrush! They ship!

defy the norm. get even stranger. NO SURRENDER

Monsters! Come hang with Dennis Mahoney (OUR WINTER MONSTER) and @robertottone.bsky.social (NOCTURNAL CREATURES) at horror-hub @stanzabooks.bsky.social in Beacon, NY this Sunday. Free RSVP, please join us and tell your local friends. bit.ly/41AnDVS

💙

Working on Chapter 13 (terrified plumber, bleeding) at Honda while our car (aka The Ghost) gets a recall repair. Free coffee!

Bookmail! @gibsonsbookstore.bsky.social Bookmail!! @claymcleod.bsky.social , @ericlarocca.bsky.social , @equinoxsociety.bsky.social & EK Sathue Bookmail!!!! Got my signed copies from their recent event at Gibson’s in today!

Are smaller book events worth an author’s time? Last night, I did a joint event that had a happy crowd and a guy in a black mask doing “Holy Diver” karaoke and everyone talked about weird art and YES such events are 100% worth every second.

J O I N U S

I renamed my half-written demon novel again. Original title got replaced, next title felt flat, the search for a better title yielded terrible titles, and then… I realized the original title was actually perfect. Thus concludes the latest thrilling tale about my weird brain.

We’re coming to New Hampshire, too! These events are vividly weird energetic fun and you should come meet us! #horrorreads #horrorbooks @gibsonsbookstore.bsky.social

We’re coming to Maine! These events are vividly weird energetic fun and you should come meet us! @printbookstore.bsky.social

Excited to jaw with the inimitable Jenny Lawson and her horror group next week. This meeting is exclusive to club members, but the club looks awesome and you can join now and get all the benefits and fun afterward, too. Check ‘em out at:

Valentine giveaway from @sohopress.bsky.social 💕

New update to MS Word 365 on Mac finally allows Copilot disablement.

It’s tempting to doubt the value of private projects in times of high-anxiety. But craftwork, art, learning, fitness, etc. are intrinsically good. Probably, if anything, the value has increased. Especially if you can welcome someone else to share it.

Set myself a goal of having one horror writer a month sign my yellow bookbag. So far I have Grady Hendrix (January) and @claymcleod.bsky.social (February). Was wonderful meeting E.K Sathune, @ericlarocca.bsky.social and, a new-to-me author @equinoxsociety.bsky.social last night. 📚🔪🩸

Amazing event! I love my fellow authors and horror fans. What shocking thing was Clay saying in pic 4?

Ninety two readers risked their lives tonight to see four horror authors mere minutes before a blizzard

🚨🚨🚨❄️

6:30 PM: An Unlikely Story (Plainville, MA) Feb 8. Come meet all four of us! @claymcleod.bsky.social @ericlarocca.bsky.social , E.K. Sathue, Dennis Mahoney #horrorreads #horrorbooks

Thanks to everyone sharing OUR WINTER MONSTER love at @bncoloniecenter tonight 💙

Tomorrow in Plainville, MA at @anunlikelystory.bsky.social! All four of us: Me, E.K., @claymcleod.bsky.social, , and @ericlarocca.bsky.social

Had a lovely time at @portersqbooks.bsky.social (great store!) with @emilyhughes.bsky.social (great human!). Currently stranded in my hotel for an extra day as it snows outside. I’m going write all day with Forensic Files on in the background. I may venture out for an egg sandwich at Bagelsaurus.

Hard staying combobulated in this discombobulating month. I’m focusing on good work, care of loved ones, and efforts to do something effective (however small) with my outrage. To you, dear strangers, I hope you’re well and finding your own combobulation.

Last night, I tested my mic for an upcoming interview, and my test recording was: “I’ve lit a white candle. I have a black mug of black coffee. This is Equinox Society Radio, and I’m a stranger… like you.” I miss doing my old podcast.

Just tore through this in a day, such a totally gripping tale of snowy horror driven by deeply compelling characters really going through (and fighting through) some shit. OUR WINTER MONSTER by @equinoxsociety.bsky.social is an absolute must read and is already a lock on my faves of 2025 list!

I wrote on a Saturday today, rare for me, because I’m usually story-anemic after M-F work, and need the weekend to read and watch movies and regenerate the blood. But my week was very scattered with Our Winter Monster launch stuff, and today it felt good when I took time to write.

blog blog blog blog blog #antimetamachine #ownyourownshit #blog #partylikeits1999

I’d hate to lose you. I blog in case [insert popular app] implodes. Please bookmark or get my free newsletter! EquinoxSociety.com

My Barnes & Noble guest post is up!

Unexpected symptom of public events: despite frequent beverages, I feel remarkably dehydrated afterward. I get home and GUZZLE water.

I did an event with the amazing Erin E. Adams (JACKAL) at the NYS Writers Institute today. We talked small-town horror, and horror in general. Big highlight of my book tour is hanging with lots of authors I dig.

Our Winter Monster: A Novel Source: www.visityamagata.jp

1. Breakfast 2. Book launch maintenance 3. Dietician consult 4. Writing Claire/demon dialogue 5. NIN tix acquired 6. Writing Claire/demon dialogue 7. Dinner with parents 8. Writing Claire/demon dialogue 9. Self-forgiveness for all the stuff I didn’t get done 10. Zzzzz

OUR WINTER MONSTER is out! Had a fun first event, talking monsters with lots of good people, at The Book House in Albany, NY. Front-facing interaction is awesome but surreal when my life is usually Secret Alchemy Alone in Writing Room. Tomorrow: back to secret alchemy. Then Event 2!

“A full-tilt horror story… also a moving, nuanced character study of trauma and grief. Mahoney’s a craftsman.” —Keith Rosson, author of Fever House OUR WINTER MONSTER pub day! Heartfelt thanks to @keithrosson.bsky.social for accepting my book like a colorful carcass presented by a weird cat.

Not the norm: good disciplined day. Meditated, wrote well on schedule, ate healthy, worked out, hung with my wife & dog, read a lot. Sometimes I’ll nail the routine and wonder, “Why don’t I do this every day I can?” And then I’ll blow it the next day. But the routine is good and worth pursuing.

I’m not unflappably cool so with my book coming out on Tue, I’m spending tomorrow in my rad analog office, writing the next book and playing 80s metal vinyl as if it’s any other week. POLL: Do I start with Judas Priest or Def Leppard?

Therapist: what would call asked “success” with Our Winter Monster? Truckloads of readers, of course, but honestly, I’ve already interacted with lots of fellow horror fans, booked a month of fun events, and really love my own book. I’m feeling good and grateful. Anything more is gravy.