Apparently em dashes are seen as evidence of AI writing. Well, based on examples I've seen, they're random, stupidly used em dashes, because AI is ignorant and artless, but more pertinent to this post, you'll have to pry my "em dashes in place of parentheses" preference from my dead hands.

Part One of my biggest Patreon exclusive is live! @comptonwrites.bsky.social and I give our competing rankings of the Alien movies. Some of my preferences are sure to annoy the hell out of you. Subscribe - support - enjoy

If I ever hit the Powerball, I think I would sink a lot of money into creating a HELLRAISER musical with PHANTOM of the OPERA production levels.

#austin friends. Come celebrate the launch of my speculative thriller and send me off on my mini book tour in grand-ish fashion! In convo with @comptonwrites.bsky.social 👀 Aug 26 @ 7 PM at First Light Books. Dream-come-true stuff (assuming we make it to August). thethirdplace.is/event/peter-... 🙏🖤🙏

Whenever I'm feeling haughty about all the garbage everyone else consumes on social media, I remind myself that I'm strangely addicted to "marathon cheater drama" videos. Am I interested in running a marathon? No. Will I watch and rewatch hours of videos about marathon cheaters? Damn right I will.

Delighted to be part of a new upcoming anthology, WHERE DEVILS STAND, edited by the terrific @comptonwrites.bsky.social, about places where the devil is said to have been! Look at those authors 🤩😈 @tananarivedue.bsky.social @cynthiapelayo.bsky.social @claymcleod.bsky.social and so many more!

Good morning. Today is National Indie Bookstore Day. Instead of shopping at Amazon, B&N, etc give stores like Vortex Books & Comics, Park Books, Midtown Scholar, Butcher Cabin, Bucket of Blood, Poisoned Pen, Cupboard Maker, Mysterious Galaxy, etc your business. Most have online stores, as well!

Today through Friday (4/25), Barnes & Noble has a sale on pre-orders for DEVILS KILL DEVILS for Rewards & Premium members. 25% off for Rewards Members, with an additional 10% off for Premium Members. Use code PREORDER25 at checkout. #BNPreorder www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-kil...

Hell, I even have a vampire novel...

Fuck this shit. Talk to your local librarian about any number of really great recent horror books by BIPOC authors. Spite House by @comptonwrites.bsky.social comes readily to mind, for example.

Getting a tree trimmed at the house. Guy comes to give us an estimate talks about cypresses, elms and oaks with impressive enthusiasm. I immediately wonder if he's ever had to deal with a monster tree, or haunted tree, or cursed tree. A story he's never told. Gonna ask when he's done. #horrorbrain

Had a blast in San Antonio with @celsohurtado.bsky.social, @tvayyyy.bsky.social, and @comptonwrites.bsky.social. Great seeing @sgj.bsky.social, @cynthiapelayo.bsky.social, @itoromo.bsky.social, and everyone else!

I’ll be in San Antonio tomorrow hanging out with @itoromo.bsky.social, @tvayyyy.bsky.social, and @comptonwrites.bsky.social. Hope to see some of you there!

I think Val Kilmer was almost too good. He could be funny, quirky, heroic, villainous. A character actor with leading man looks. He was made to be a show-stealer. Here's something I wrote a while ago about Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo being perfect rivals. johnnycompton.com/perfect-riva...

Nightlight: A Horror Fiction Podcast is back for it's 8th season and I'm honored to kick it off with my story, "The Spirit Bed", 1st pubbed in WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE? @omgjulia.bsky.social & @nadiabulkin.bsky.social, eds. Read by @missdefying.bsky.social and free to listen! nightlightpod.com

Domestic violence, abuse and sexual assault have been on the rise under this new administration. If you or someone you know needs help (shelter, legal aid, etc...) The national hotline is 800.799.SAFE (7233) or you can visit the website: www.thehotline.org

NEW EPISODE @comptonwrites.bsky.social stops by to talk about his books THE SPITE HOUSE and DEVILS KILL DEVILS, and to dive deep into Robert Bloch's wickedly fun short story "Sweets to the Sweet" and its impact on his work. LISTEN NOW: redcircle.com/shows/41a2d4...

It's @comptonwrites.bsky.social week on The Scares That Shaped Us! Episode drops Wednesday at Noon Central! P.S. "Sweets to the Sweet" is in the collection PLEASANT DREAMS, which @valancourtbooks.bsky.social re-released *this month* so you can go grab it and read!

"Early on, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and I used to watch kung fu movies, leave the theater, do some kung fu fighting, get on the train, keep fighting, and then run into MCs and musically battle them like it was a kung fu fight. That was my weekend habit." - RZA. This should have been the whole TV series.

NEXT WEEK: @comptonwrites.bsky.social joins the show to talk about his books, THE SPITE HOUSE and DEVILS KILL DEVILS, and to unpack the creepy power of Robert Bloch's legendary short story "Sweets to the Sweet." Episode drops 2/19 at Noon Central!

What's the scariest or strangest thing you've seen on a road trip? @iameeadams.bsky.social might have you beat.

I'm at my favorite away-from-home writing spot, alone at a table for six because. A couple of men came up to ask if they could take two chairs, and of course I said yes, but then thought, "What kind of person would say no?" And now I need to write about this imagined, disagreeable individual.

youtu.be/EgDJR4wt3RE?... I'm fond of saying "read less writing advice, read more writing." So this isn't so much "writing advice" as it is "advice about writing advice." It's an hour long, it's a bit rambling, but I like to think it could be helpful.

Happy Black History Month! Celebrating this month as a unified showcase and forever & always! These are just a few of my book recommendations. Enjoy these amazing stories! 🫶🏼 #booksky 🩸📚

Black History is American History.

I'm excited to co-announce with @shortwavebooks.bsky.social that I have a sci-fi horror novella titled CHIMERA SKIN coming. An alien messiah tries to uplift humankind and inadvertently unleashes the apocalypse. A mutated man of science is civilization's last defense.

Other Skies Books in St Paul was even better than I could have expected. It's an overwhelmingly cool space for horror literature lovers. The owner, Josh, is a fountain of information and ideas. I just stopped by to shop some and ended up eating an hour of his day talking horror.

Yes, they will! @comptonwrites.bsky.social @thetobiasagency.bsky.social booktrib.com/2025/01/20/g...

At least 11 librarians in LA lost their homes in the LA Fires. A thread of their gofundmes:

We all know the classics. Vampires, werewolves, etc.. but how do authors avoid cliches when writing? With Mike's Book Reviews, @cielpierlot.bsky.social , @edcrockerbooks.bsky.social , @spookypurcell.bsky.social , @natcassidy.bsky.social , @comptonwrites.bsky.social , & Liz Kerin! #TBRCon2025!

hi, cis folks! meet HB28. it's a sports ban on trans athletes. but actually, it's the first step to something much worse—see below. 45 sec call scripts for democrats & republicans in congress follow. if you've been saying you'd stand with trans people, now's the time.🧵 legiscan.com/US/bill/HB28...

MIDNIGHT SOMEWHERE, a short story collection featuring ten previously published stories and ten new stories, coming in 2025 from Weird Tales Presents. @pseudopod.org is getting the dedication for this one.

Sobelo Books announces a cosmic horror novella call for BIPOC authors. There’s more room in the horror sandbox than ever before, but there are some underexplored corners of it. Claim your corner. What does cosmic horror mean for a person of color? This is the story only you can tell. Details in 🔗👇🧵

That's it.

I had my second conversation with Rick Kleffel of long-running Narrative Species podcast. As always, I'm a little overexcited and talk a little too much and a great host thankfully keeps me somewhat corralled, which makes for a fun listen. narrativespecies.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/j...

It’s the last #FridayReads before Christmas! Let’s boost all signals today. Books are the best gifts! Repost this and let us know what to repost for you. Here’s something for those who like it dark, violent, and full of revenge. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316... bookshop.org/p/books/hous...

TFW you have two clients on the list and two honorable mentions! @jennykiefer.com @comptonwrites.bsky.social @haileypiperfights.bsky.social @cynthiapelayo.bsky.social Congrats all!!!! @pastemagazine.bsky.social ‘s The Best Horror Books of 2024 www.pastemagazine.com/books/horror...

I was always pretty neutral on Biggie, but... "Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet Thundering, shaking the concrete" ...is one of my favorites. He's got someone so scared their heartbeat isn't just audible, it's producing impact tremors.

Next book incoming... DEAD FIRST is a supernatural horror novel mixed with detective noir, a combo I've been in love with since I watched Angel Heart when I was far too young. Coming to you via @putnambooks.bsky.social and Daphne Durham.

God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that. - Dead Man's Shoes

In room 414 at the Gunter Hotel...

“Join a labor union, a social movement, a political party, a tenant union, a community organization, a book club. Literally anything is better than sitting at home and scrolling on your phone and getting mad at the news.”

Just did career day for the first time. 4th & 5th graders. The kids were reading scary books. They're into writing. They have great teachers. They had so many questions we ran out of time each session. I can't tell you how happy it all made me.

Love Lies Bleeding, watercolor and gouache

"Hello ghetto let yo' brain breathe, believe there's always mo' OW!" -Andre 3000

We must must must resist the idea that generative AI is inevitable. It is not inevitable. People don't really like it. It doesn't do its job well. It removes the humanity from one of the most human-forward things. Not to mention it is an environmental nightmare. Keep banging the drum. Say no to AI.

If you’re a HarperCollins author, I strongly suggest getting together with your agent and sending a very strong preemptive “FUCK THIS” their way. lithub.com/harpercollin...

Next year is the 25th anniversary of Deltron 3030. Legendary, door-opening blerd shit. Revisit now, or listen for the first time if you're unfamiliar. "In this modern metropolis that tries to lock us up Under preposterous laws; it's not for us"

We only have 18 so far. So, if you see horror podcast accounts on here that meet the criteria please shout them out. If you host one and are building your page, let us know when it is ready! 👀👀👀 go.bsky.app/8bTJrU

spineless transphobes & their gross comments have inspired me to once again share this very cool project we announced last week ghoulish.rip/now-consider...