Good.

Dawn and I are leaving for vacation next week and I ain’t found the perfect vacation read yet. Any of y’all got suggestions?

Them: Where do you get your ideas? Me:

This draft of LED TO SLAUGHTER is two scenes away from being done.

Over the past 8 years, Peanut has appeared in nearly everything I’ve written. For anyone keeping count, that’s 8 novels and 15-20 short stories. He’s a central figure in the Tugalo County universe but he’s never gotten his own POV chapter. Well… the big bastard finally talked me into giving him one.

Part 3 of LED TO SLAUGHTER is where God says, Let there be violence.

Had a blast with my buddies @blacktopkid.bsky.social and @itsmarkyall.bsky.social at the wonderful Magic City Books in Tulsa today! These guys make my heart full and my gut achy as hell from laughing so much. Thank you for giving this ole gal life. 💜

Ya know, if Zuckerberg is gonna pirate my books he could at least have the decency to leave an Amazon review.

Come see @blacktopkid.bsky.social, @itsmarkyall.bsky.social, and me next Saturday at Magic City Books! It’s going to be a fantastic time you don’t want to miss!

A little daddy-daughter reading time last night.

Me: I’m not going to write any sex scenes for this book. Also me: I wonder how much sex I can fit in this one chapter

This weather can rot in hell.

“The downfall of American didn’t start when they took prayer out of schools. It started when they removed coffee grinders from the grocery store.”

Preorder I SEE YOU'VE CALLED IN DEAD by John Kenney (hardcover or ebook) at bn.com from 2/5 to 2/7 and get 25% off with code PREORDER25. Note, this discount is only available to B&N members but free memberships are available

Authors, if you see this, it's a sign to post the first line of your book. “A dead man stood at the center of the room.” (LED TO SLAUGHTER, current WIP, will hopefully be in my agent’s hands by February or March)

Half of my writing process is asking @browneallover.bsky.social and @jamesdfhannah.bsky.social to poke holes in my ideas only argue with them about why they’re wrong until I slowly come to realize that they’ve made some solid points and could be right. I’m a real pain the ass that way.

Yall come join the fun March 22nd when I’ll join @heatherlevy.bsky.social and @blacktopkid.bsky.social to talk murder at Magic City Books here in Tulsa. And for anyone wondering, Shawn and I have a handshake deal to not get drunk and talk about The Allman Brothers Band for the whole event.

Dawn: I thought you said you have a headache? Me: I do have a headache. Dawn: Then why are you drinking bourbon? Me: Because bourbon makes headaches go away.

Achieving any level of success in publishing has more to do with luck than merit. But you ain’t gone get lucky if you ain’t willing to make some sacrifices and do the work.

I see you @bamawriter.bsky.social. For real though, if you don’t hijack inauguration coverage to complain to the whole damn country about your favorite college team getting left out of the playoffs then I question your dedication to said team.

“Write hard and clear about what hurts.” —Ernest Hemingway

25% of the way there.

When I’m not exactly sure how to start the next scene…

One of Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 One of Brit & Co’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025 One of Electric Lit's Most Anticipated Queer Books of Spring 2025 One of Crime Reads's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 One of BookBub's Best New Historical Fiction of January

Like to of died this morning after I accidentally deleted 700 words from a new chapter. Thank God for the undo option. I was fixing to bellyflop into the afterlife.

I am not spending eternity on a damn Carnival cruise ship.

Thrilled for They All Fall the Same to be included among Book Riot Read or Dead’s six most anticipated books of 2025 and especially alongside S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes as well as books by Stephen Graham Jones and Laila Lalami. Listen to Read or Dead here: bookriot.com/listen/most-...

Me: Hey, read this. It’s the most perfect run on sentence I’ve ever written. Dawn: Sorry, but you’re not fucking with my ADHD this early in the morning.

A Violent Gospel with the photobomb.

If there’s a better writer alive than Jesmyn Ward then I ain’t read them.

A conversation every crime fiction/mystery author hopes to have with their literary agent: Agent: Can you make this murder scene even more Southern Gothic and creepy? Me: Absolutely. Agent: Like, can you go full True Detective, season 1? Me:

“THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF is a sexy, dark Ripley-esque novel about a couple of Shakespearian actors enjoying the stage and an unconventional marriage... leading up to opening night, where someone is sure to get hurt.” www.montecitojournal.net/2025/01/07/n...

I don’t know why Michelle is talking about Dawn and I like this but just this morning I shrugged during a conversation and said, “Well, it’ll all work itself out.”

Happy book birthday Isa Arsen THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF publishes today! One of Brit & Co’s Most Anticipated "THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF got under my skin in the best kind of way. A captivating, bewitching, and utterly original read." —Tova Mirvis, author of The Ladies of Auxilliary

It’s pub day for @browneallover.bsky.social! THEY ALL FALL THE SAME is as if WINTER’S BONE is told from Teardrop’s perspective and is right up the alley for fans of Justified or Mud. It’s damn good and utterly rereadable. Y’all hurry up and grab a copy. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759649...

Every writer needs a @browneallover.bsky.social. The man helped me nitpick a sentence during the most important game in Lions history. Ain’t no way I’m doing that for a fellow author during a Georgia game. Buy his new book releasing this Tuesday: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759649...

I know a book is going pretty well once I start color coding my notes.

First writing session of 2025. Back in Buffalo Plain, Oklahoma. The fictional city from the first version of LED TO SLAUGHTER. It’s where a Bible college that is trafficking young people is based.

“I love being alive and I will be the best man I possibly can.” —Duane Allman

There are a handful of writers out there who are so damn good at what they do it makes me a little jealous. Michael Farris Smith is apart of that handful.

“Christmas is a together sort of holiday.” —Winnie The Pooh

Much appreciation to Josh Kendall for the early hookup. Michael Farris Smith is not only one of our best living writers but a personal hero. Digging in today.

A couple of years back I swore off comic book movies because of how burned out I was by keeping up with the MCU. But that damn dog in the Superman trailer just brought me to tears. Now I’m excited to see a comic book movie for the first time in forever.

Mental health check-in with a gif

Obligatory Allman Brothers reference in the new manuscript.

I’ve never heard an Allman Brothers show as smoking as The Warehouse 9/16/1971. The band plays like they’re at war.

I’ve never listened to the Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead version of Sugaree because once I heard Susan Tedeschi sing that song I knew I’d never hear anything more perfect.

A former coworker of mine use to say that nothing good ever comes under a cowboy hat. If you spent any time in our line of work you’d learn it’s the damn truth.

Friend: One of my employees is working on his first novel. He loves to write. I’d like to get him a small gift to help and encourage him. Any recommendations? Me: Time off with pay.