TWO-BOOK DEAL WITH TOR NIGHTFIRE

MARCH 8, 2022

A landmark day for my writing career.

I am beyond thrilled to have found a home at Tor Nightfire (an imprint of Macmillan). This has been a dream of mine since I first started writing stories in the 3rd grade, and a bright, lighthouse-sized goal since I published my first short story in 2015. And quite honestly, this could not be a more perfect situation for me and my work.

Working to become a published writer has been a helluva journey, and (as most writers can attest) there have been a million ups and downs to be weathered. Tragic moments where things fell apart. Times when I was this close to hanging up the writing gig forever. In the past, I’ve written extensively about my journey, in blog posts such as my five part series about the first five years of my professional career. I’ve also written about the need to write through depression, or anxiety. I’ve written about perseverance.

And now I get to write about breaking through. Which is amazing. Frankly, it’s surreal.

Of course, now one must prevail. Must continue to maintain. To fight, and work, and hopefully continue trending in the desired direction. Onward and upward, indeed.

Since the Nightfire agreement calls for two books, I’m happy to share that not only will readers worldwide finally be able to purchase Boys in the Valley (hardcover, eBook, audiobook) at some point during the summer of 2023, but that soon following—likely in early 2024—there will be a second novel “to-be-decided”. And yeah, there’s a few options floating around. A couple novels that are finished, and an idea or two that have been pitched, so I’m eager to find out which direction we travel. Personally, I’d love nothing more than to spend the next decade writing novels for Nightfire. Of course, that’s a lofty goal and, perhaps, even a bit naive. That said, it never hurts to dream, right?

So, this deal tops off a slate of books that are on the way, and hopefully more to come. As of this announcement, my current release schedule looks like this:

More information on these titles is available on my books page.

In addition, it’s my aspiration to have a few more releases intermingled among those listed above. I’d love to put out another story collection in the next 2 years. I’d also like to release 2-3 deluxe limited editions of certain titles.

For those in the UK or other countries, there will hopefully be announcements forthcoming for non-US and translated editions in the upcoming months. If interested, you can join my newsletter, or follow me on social media, to make sure you’re getting the info.

Well, that’s it. I have no more update to offer. So, if it’s cool, I’d like to thank a few people who helped make this all happen.

First, a big thanks to Elizabeth Copps, my literary agent, for putting this deal together. Elizabeth is my third agent, and, like many things, it took some trial and error to find the right fit. E, you’re the best.

A HUGE thanks to Kristin Temple at Nightfire for believing in me, believing in my work, and for giving my books a home. I can’t wait to work with Kristin and the Nightfire team on these upcoming releases.

Thanks to my wife, Stephanie, for helping me navigate the rough waters of being a writer. Some smooth sailing will be nice for a while. Thanks to the all the folks in my Fracassi Freaks Facebook Group for the support, and for cheering me on as all this went a bit crazy. A warm, grateful thank you to Paul Miller at Earthling Publications, who originally published Boys in the Valley in a gorgeous limited edition. And a big hat-tip to Sadie Hartmann for her stellar review of Boys that caught the attention of Stephen King… a nice push in the right direction.

Lastly, thank you to all the readers and reviewers who have taken a chance on my work. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you, and I promise that I’ll continue working hard to frighten, to thrill, to sometimes offend, and to touch your heart when you least expect it. I’ll do my best to keep you on your toes and, dare I hope, entertained.

PF

PS - If you’d like to read even more about this deal, please visit the Nightfire blog for their announcement on the publisher site. Thank you!