New Novel and Other News
A genre-bending novel, illustrated story, and McSweeney's horror tale on the way
For the past few years, I’ve been working on an odd auto/meta/genre-bending novel project that I frankly thought I’d never finish or sell. It’s a satire of New York publishing and millennial writers but also includes gonzo space opera tales. “Pale Fire meets Star Trek” was my personal pitch. Well, I’m delighted to say that I did in fact finish it and even more delighted to say I sold it (thanks to my brilliant agent Angeline Rodriguez):
My Metallic Realms was my attempt to blend all the things that made me want to be an author when I was younger. The inventive structures and audaciousness of authors like Vladimir Nabokov and Percival Everett (especially Pale Fire and Erasure respectively), wild and weird cosmic science fiction, and sentences that are both fun and funny. The novel has homages to everything from Warhammer 4000 and Star Trek: The Next Generation to the works of Italo Calvino and Ursula K. Le Guin. At the very least, I think it’s a lot of fun.
When I get closer to publication, I’ll write more about the genesis and drafting for anyone interested. But for now I’m feeling thrilled enough to be a bit corny and give the advice to any writers reading this to simply write the weird-ass novel they’ve always wanted to write and don’t worry about “the rules” or “the market.” Sometimes it works out.
Because I try to keep these personal news newsletters to a minimum, I’m going to shout out two other publications I’m honored to share.
The first is that I’m extremely thrilled to be a part of David Small’s new work, Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories. Small illustrated—in his unique and gorgeous style—three strange and eerie stories. One by Small, one by French cult writer Jean Ferry, and one by me. It was quite special collaborating with Small and I think anyone who loves graphic novels and/or weird fiction might want to put this on their radar. It comes out March 2024.
Lastly, I have another weird horror story appearing in McSweeney’s 71: The Monstrous and the Terrible edited by horror genius Brian Evenson. This issue is overflowing with some of my favorite contemporary authors of the dark and strange: Stephen Graham Jones, Mariana Enríquez, Nick Mamatas, Erika T. Wurth, Gabino Iglesias, and many more. Although I haven’t gotten my copies yet, subscribers have started getting them in the mail and—in usual McSweeney’s fashion—the issue is stunning to look at with endpaper art and three different monstrous slipcases. You can subscribe or order here.
That’s it for now.
EDITING TO ADD: Got the McSweeney’s today and it’s as gorgeous as advertised:
If you like this newsletter, consider subscribing or checking out my recent science fiction novel The Body Scout that The New York Times called “Timeless and original…a wild ride, sad and funny, surreal and intelligent.”
Other works I’ve written or co-edited include Upright Beasts (my story collection), Tiny Nightmares (an anthology of horror fiction), and Tiny Crimes (an anthology of crime fiction).
Congrats, and apropos of 40k references: I'm waiting for a prestige outlet longform profile of Dan Abnett explaining his unprecedented output to the lit fic crowd. There is something there.
Looking forward to the new book!