December 4, 2023

Man, what a year.

Since I’ve started publishing fiction (way back in 2015), every year has had its own flavor, its own distinct flow. 2017, for example, was a juggernaut. I wrote an absolute ton of fiction that year, was reviewed in the The New York Times, and published (or was published in) a good amount of books. Let me see if I can dig up that photo… ah, here:

But then you look at a year like 2018, where I think I published exactly two things: a limited edition chapbook (Overnight) and a story for Dark Discoveries magazine. Not a banner year, and because my day job that year was so consuming, I hardly wrote at all.

2023 was unusual because I was essentially on the road for over half the year. For a few months I was dealing with family issues away from home, and for a few months I was touring the country to promote my new novel. And while I had a good amount published, I didn’t write, or read, as much as I would have liked.

But hey, enough of the history lesson, Fracassi! Let’s jump into it.

WRITING RECAP

As noted, I didn’t have a ton of time to write this year. I was away from home, and away from a keyboard, for nearly 6 months, so my production was literally cut in half.

That said, I was able to complete a new horror novel called SARAFINA, which will be coming out in Fall 2024 from the wonderful folks at Earthling Publications. More details on that below. Outside of that, I was able to stitch together a few short stories I’d committed to, or had commissioned, and was able to find time on the road to get those done. One of those stories was recently published and the other two are slated for 2024 - one will be a bonus story in a deluxe edition of one of my novels, the other in an anthology.

Normally, as a full-time writer, my expectations are a minimum of one novel and 5-6 short stories a year. A good year for me is two novels (at least first drafts) and 10-12 stories. I mean, this is my job, and I work at it every day, so the output needs to be there or I get down on myself. So, next year I’ll be grinding!

On the publishing front, I’ve had some amazing releases and been part of some wonderful publications. I released my second novel, GOTHIC, with Cemetery Dance, in February, and my third novel, BOYS IN THE VALLEY, with Nightfire (US) and Orbit (UK), in July. Both books have done well, respectively — solid sales and decent reviews.

As far as stories go, I published 7 short stories in 2023. Below is a family picture of my novels and the places my stories appeared in print this year (a web-only story not pictured).

In addition to the trade editions and anthologies shown above, I also published a wonderful pair of deluxe editions of my first two story collections, BEHOLD THE VOID and BENEATH A PALE SKY, with Thunderstorm Books.

Really thrilled at how these gorgeous books turned out. They both sold out somewhat quickly, but are bouncing around the secondary market at reasonable prices, I think. I look forward to working more with Thunderstorm on some not-yet-announced projects coming in the next year or two.

Lastly, as it pertains to future publications, I’ve sold a couple short stories (as mentioned above), am co-editing an anthology, and have sold 4 books slated for upcoming release:

NO ONE IS SAFE (story collection) - April 2024 (Lethe Press)
SARAFINA - Fall 2024 (Earthling Publications)
THE THIRD RULE OF TIME TRAVEL - January 2025 (Orbit Books)
An as-of-yet unannounced novel for Tor Nightfire.

If interested in more info on my books, click here.

If interested in more info on my stories, click here.

READING RECAP

Over the last 20 or so years that I’ve been keeping track of my “Books Read”, on average my final tally lands around 60-70 per year. Sometimes that creeps higher, sometimes lower. In 2023, it was much lower (for reasons explained).

Still, I was able to enjoy just over 40 books this year, despite not having much free time to sit and read.

Of the 40+ books I read, this is a list of titles I’d personally recommend:

The Book of Accidents - Chuck Wendig

Midas - Tyler Jones

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ghost Eaters - Clay McLeod Chapman

Man, Fuck This House - Brian Asman

Nestlings - Nat Cassidy

All the White Spaces - Ally Wilkes

Road of Bones - Christopher Golden

Episode Thirteen - Craig DiLouie

Between Two Fires - Christopher Buehlman

Lute - Jennifer Thorne

Fever House - Keith Rosson

How to Sell a Haunted House - Grady Hendrix

Red River Seven - A.J. Ryan

Maeve Fly - CJ Leede

Holly - Stephen King

Kosa - John Durgin

The Evening and the Morning - Ken Follett

The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman

The Exorcist’s House - Nick Roberts

The Beast You Are - Paul Tremblay

No Exit - Taylor Adams

Whalefall - Daniel Kraus

Red Rabbit - Alex Grecian

Of all the books I read this past year, my very favorite was HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix. I had so much damn fun reading this novel. I was scared, squeamish, and laughed a few times. Come on, what else do you want from a book?! Loved it. Buy it.

I hope to get a lot more time in the reading chair in 2024, so looking forward to the rest of my TBR stack(s) and some quality time with some great stories. I’ve got books at hand by Owen King, Mariana Enriquez, R.F. Kuang and many others. Can’t wait to dive in.

It’s also important I mention the Fracassi Freaks Facebook group, who have made the last two years so incredibly special and overwhelmed me with support, helped me keep my chin up when things were rough, and motivate me every day to create the best stories I possibly can.

Until then, my friends, keep reading, stay healthy, and have an awesome New Year.

PF