One Week on the Best Sellers List & the LATFOB

 

My novel Try Not To Die in Roswell spent a week as an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Teen & Young Adult Interactive Adventure Fiction category. It's an obscure category, but #1 is #1, and I will take it! In the world of publishing, the wins can sometimes feel few and far between unless you’re moving hundreds of thousands of copies. Gotta take the win when it comes. 

Appearance - Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

I will be at the LA Times Festival of Books, for the first few hours on Saturday (4/18) morning at the Horror Writers Association Booth (#912). I will have plenty of copies of TNTD in Roswell for sale as well as all my other books. Come by and say hi. 

In other news, my short story Monsters, Psychobabble, and a Katana was picked up by the anthology Witches Save The World. My drabble, The Loyalty of Fools, was accepted into the anthology Dark Tales from the Outside to be published by WATG Press later this year. 

Last bit of News

My story, One Last Lullaby, is now available in the WATG Press anthology, Eerie Lullaby. I had a lot of fun creating this short story. It mixes a classic lullaby with the world of vampirism.  

AMAZON - Eerie Lullaby

Good Start

The Good News 

I'm having a good start to the year productivity-wise. So far in 2026, I'm scheduled to appear in four anthologies, two magazines, and I've placed in the top three of a drabble contest. So, feeling pretty positive. 

My Drabble - Diving Partners, is now available in WATG Magazine #2, available for download for a limited time. Download your free copy at : WATG MAG #2 

My flash story Pieces on the Board has been picked up by Unpopulare Publications for their 4th issue of Tales of Blood and Roses. The publication has been on hiatus for a while, but they are back with some amazing new cover art by Sarah Robbins. The publication does have a BackerKit set up if you'd like to contribute. BackerKit. 

Try Not to Die: With Satan Inside - Available for pre-order

This spring I will join extreme horror author Wrath James White and nine other writers in the new anthology Who’s Satan Inside? - May 2026. This anthology expands the dark universe of Try Not to Die: With Satan Inside, featuring eleven authors who have all contributed to—or are soon contributing to—the Try Not to Die interactive horror series. The stories stand alone, but together they form a descent into temptation, submission, and irreversible consequence.

You can pre-order your copy here - TNTD With Satan Inside

Happy New Year

 It's been a fun year. I had several new stories published, and my new book, Try Not To Die in Roswell and Beyond, was released in October, becoming the 20th book in the popular TNTD series from Vincere Press. I'm pleased that it hase recieved some favoritable reviews and has been bouncing up and down the Amazon Best Sellers List(s). 

 TNTD in Roswell and Beyond will be on SALE until January 3rd. The Kindle edition is now only 99 cents. 

2026 - This year, I am looking forward to getting the next Midnight Men book, On the Road Again, out. I am putting the finishing touches on it this month, and I hope to jump back into my kind-of, but not really, sequel to Night of the Living Trekkies. No Zombies, but a few of the surviving characters. 

I have a few stories coming out this year, including a dark, gory, and gross one in Who is Satan Inside? - A collection of short stories supplementing the Try Not To Die with Satan Inside by Mark Tullius. My story is titled, Satan, Come Home, and it is by far the grossest thing I've written. It's an extreme horror anthology, and, not being very familiar with that horror sub-genre, I went for an extreme gross-out. Anyway, I'm sure it will raise an eyebrow or two, and besides the humor, it's definitely not my usual.  

I'm also looking forward to the release of the Clive Barker tribute anthology, Le Fantastique, which features an amazing collection of contributors, including Jonathan Maberry, Del Howison, Poppy Z. Bright, Clive Barker, and many more.  Keep an eye out for this one. 

Interviews, New Audio, Best Zombie Books, and other stuff

Things always get busy at the end of the year. I've had two interviews released in the past few weeks. NewInBooks asked me a series of questions about my book, Try Not To Die in Roswell and Beyond, which came out in October. And WATG Press released a series of interviews with authors that contributed to their first anthology of flash fiction, OUTSIDER MONSTERS. Mine came out last week, and I got to talk a little about what kind of monsters I wrote about. 

Read the NewInBooks interview here

Read the WATG Press interview here

Best Zombie Reads 

Earlier this year, the Website Top Sci-Fi Reads put out their list of the best 24 zombie books: A List of Must-Have Zombie Novels, and yes, one of my books made the list. My first novel, Night of the Living Trekkies, is #6. The list also includes notable authors and icons like George A. Romero, Stephen King, Max Brooks, and Jonathan Maberry. 

24 Best Zombie Books: A List of the Must-Have Zombie Novels

New Audio Production

A new audio version of my short story The Day Hypnotism Died is now available on YouTube from producer, writer, artist, Datt MfManiels. The story has been done in audio before but this productions feels fresh and is a multi cast production. Its a fun listen. 

The Day Hypnotisim Died - YouTube - Datt MfManiels, aka, CreepyFace

Cover Reveal - CLIVE BARKER Tribute

The updated cover for the Clive Barker tribute anthology has been revealed. I am very proud to be on the same cover as names like Clive Barker, Stephan King (quoted), Jonathan Maberry, Del Howison, Poppy Z. Brite, and many others.  

ANIMAL ATTACKS - Evan Baughfman

Fellow horror scribe and playwright Evan Baughfman has released his collection of short stories inspired by animal attacks. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek and contributed a blurb for this imaginative and fun read. 

Get your copy of Mauls of the Wild on Amazon

HALLOWEEN

It's been a busy October. Book releases and signing events galore. My 5th book, Try Not To Die in Roswell and Beyond, with co-author Mark Tullius published by Vincere Press, is now available and getting some nice reviews: 

Goodread
I really appreciated the references/homages to popular science-fiction stories such as "Men in Black," "Stargate," and "Star Wars," as well as visits to extraterrestrial hotspots, Roswell and Area 51. My favorite "death scenes" involved McDonald's and a dinosaur!
- author and playwright, Evan Baughfman

This was just a heck of a good time. No matter how many times I die in this series, I want to dive back in and try again. I loved this one.
- Angela

For all the nuance that was present in the book, it also had a healthy sense of humor. I appreciated this, as the narrative could be rather bleak, if one thought about it. A large part of the sense of humor came through in the plethora of pop culture references, and it extended to the good ending, which was a fitting capstone for the book.
- Jacek

AMAZON 

Try Not to Die In Roswell and Beyond is a Sci-Fi Horror Interactive Adventure filled with plenty of death scenes and aliens with every choice. Whether you are a Sci-Fi nerd or not, you can’t help but love the snarky humor, brotherly love and creative death scenes that will be found within this out of this world edition to the TNTD Series.
- S. Dyer

This book was great fun and featured lots of cultural references to Star Wars, Star Trek, MIB, video games and aliens! These added a lot to my enjoyment of this book as I tried to survive all that was thrown at James (and me!). I also enjoyed the sibling dynamics between the two brothers and the humor throughout the book.
- Neesie315

I have two stories in teh new Horror Anthology OUTSIDER MONSTERS. Its currently available in e-book on Amazon. 

Midsummer Scream 2025

 

Another Midsummer Scream 2025 has come and gone, saw old friends, met new friends, saw people I've met before but forgot who they were - so kind of like meeting new friends - anyway, a good spooky time was had by all.  Midsummer Scream always reminds me of what I wanted to get done this year, writing-wise, and sounds an alarm telling me how far behind I am. I'm working on wrapping up my second Midnight Men book and finishing up another work that relates to my first novel, Night of the Living Trekkies. I wanted to get both done this year, but stuff happens. 

Last month saw the release of my first poem, well, I've written several poems, but this is the first one where an editor didn't read it and toss it directly into the trash. Instead, they purchased it and published it in Gathered Here Today: An Open Casket of Art and Poetry. My poem is called Nightmare, and it's available in ebook, paperback, and hardback. 

Gather Here Today - Amazon

A few October appearances

October 12th

I will join author and publisher, Theresa Halvorsen, at In Bloom Bookery in Temecula to promote the charity anthology, Dread Coast, to benefit the California wildfire recovery fund, aiding those affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

In Bloom Bookery
42031 Main St, suite # c, Temecula, CA 92590 

October 19th

I will be at the Belmont Shore Book Fair with Try Not To Die series creator, publisher, and my co-author, Mark Tullius, kicking off the release of our new book, TNTD, in Roswell and Beyond. We will be joined by author, playwright, and TNTD in a Dark Fairy Tale creator Evan Baughfman.

More Pics - Midsummer Scream 2025

Hanging out with author and screenwriter John Penny (Return of the Living Dead 3, The Kindred)

MERCHANDISING

The merchandising has begun. It's TNTD in Roswell and Beyond The Puzzle. I can't take credit for putting it together. My wife did 90%. I basically did "AND BEYOND" and then got tired.
Check out the TNTD store at: The merchandising has begun. It's TNTD in Roswell and Beyond The Puzzle. I can't take credit for putting it together. My wife did 90%. I basically did "AND BEYOND" and then got tired. Check out the TNTD store at: https://marktullius.myshopify.com

Clive Barker Tribute

 A Clive Barker tribute anthology, Le Fantastiqe, will be released early next year, and one of my stories will be included in the TOC. Below is a draft of the cover (not finalized), but I'm hoping that at least they go with the current layout and bylines. But even if they don't, it's great to be in the TOC. 

Graveside Press will be publishing their Illustrated Poetry anthology in the next few months (before fall 2025) with my poem, Nightmare. I've seen the layout but not the cover, but I'm looking forward to it. 

Try Not To Die in Roswell and Beyond is on track for an October 14th release. Co-author and publisher Mark Tullius and I are working on final edits, including all the death scenes. It has been an interesting experience finding ways to kill your main characters over and over again. AMAZON Pre-Sale

And we are just a little over a month away from the release of Dread Coast, a charity anthology to benefit the California Wildfire Relief Fund. I'm very excited to have a story in this one with New York Times Best-Selling authors Johnathan Maberry, Peter Clines, Scott Sigler, and USA Today bestselling author Luke Dimas, who all live and write in Southern California. All of us SoCal residents have been up-close witnesses to the devastating impact of repeated wildfires sweeping through the state. Twenty-four authors in the Southern California writing community have donated their work for the project. AMAZON Pre-Sale

Well, I have just under a ten-story out on submission, which means I will hopefully have some sales announcements to make soon, or be buried in rejection. One of the two. Until next time.