2023 Highlights

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Phew, what a year! Considering I spent the majority of the year in major pain and illness due to pregnancy, I still had such an amazing 2023. I got to spend a lot of virtual time with bookish friends and even a bit of in-person time! And oh my gosh… the number of signed books I acquired is out of this world! I even had the honor of having a book dedicated to me and I still can’t believe it!

Let’s dive in!

January 2023 –

January brought the first month in which I was a full guest on Dead Headspace with Patrick and Brennan! This month, two Dead Headspace recordings that I took part in went live, the Best of Season Three and with author Rachel Harrison:

January started the year off on a crazy book haul. I got a ton of books signed either by ordering directly from the author or a local bookshop.

• A Fresh Start by Somer Canon
• All Hallows by Christopher Golden
• Churn the Soil by Steve Stred
• Cruel Summer by Wesley Southard
• Decimated Dreams by Brennan LaFaro
• Hallowed Oblivion by Katherine Silva
• Hark! The Herald Angels Scream Anthology edited by Christopher Golden
• How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
• The Cursed Among Us by John Durgin
• Southern Fried and Horrified by Ronald Kelly
• The Hag Witch of Tripp Creek by Somer Canon
• The Haunt of Southern-Fried Fear by Ronald Kelly
• The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva
• Vicki Beautiful by Somer Canon
• You’re Mine by Somer Canon

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February 2023 –

To start February off with a surprise from Brennan LaFaro, Brennan wrote up a lovely feature on his January newsletter giving me a shout-out. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Postcards From The Falls by clicking here!

This month I also had the honor of my blurb being added to Aquino Laoyza’s website!

And on Dead Headspace, I had the opportunity to chat with C.J. Tudor and Erika T. Wurth!

This month with books, I tried to slow down a bit, but failed horribly. I got a crazy stack of books signed by ordering directly from the author or a local bookshop or having them gifted to me.

The gift that totally made my whole month was Wasps in the Ice Cream from Tim McGregor himself!

I also acquired the following signed copies:

• AHH! That’s What I Call Horror! An Anthology of 90’s Horror edited by Chelsea Pumpkins
• The Betrayed by Wesley Southard
• Bishop by Candace Nola
• Deep by Aquino Loayza
• Inside the Devils Nest by John Durgin
• My Glass is Runn by Die Booth
• Spirit Houses by Die Booth
• Taboo in Four Colors by Tim McGregor

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March 2023 –

Something super cool happened in March! I received a book in the mail from Michael Clark and found out that I was included in the acknowledgments section.

For events, I had the chance to chat on a Facebook Live event to celebrate the launch of Hell On High by Michael Clark and chatted with Caitlin Marceau on Dead Headspace.

This month, I acquired the following signed copies:

• The Backrooms by Matt Wildasin
• Hell on High by Michael Clark
• Homesick by Samantha Kolesnik
• Illusions of Isolation by Brennan LaFaro
• Red London by Alma Katsu
• The Trees Grew Because I Beld There by Eric Larocca

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April 2023 –

To kick off the month of April, I saw that the amazing Alma Katsu added my book selfie to her newsletter! Look at all of those fun photos! I’m so glad to see that the book launch for her latest book, Red London, is going well.

Later on, Steve Stred did something similar and shared it across social media! I am so in love with this book launch format of asking for book selfies and photos! Such a great marketing idea!

I also got to continue celebrating the release of Michael Clark’s Hell on High! It’s always a pleasure to chat with Mike, so I’m very grateful I was able to jump on with the Dead Headspace crew.

In April, I also snagged the following books that were signed by the authors:

• It Looks Like Dad by J. Krawczyk
• LingHun by Ai Jiang
• This One’s Gonna Hurt by Cody J. Thompson
• Bone Saw Serenade by Cody J. Thompson

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May 2023 –

This month, I had the chance to visit Visiting Hello Hello Books in Rockland, Maine! For such a small space, this bookstore really packed in an excellent variety! I already cannot wait to visit again whenever I’m back in the area of my hometown.

This month I snagged five signed books:

• Tales From The Southern-Fried Crypt by Ronald Kelly
• The Devil’s Pocketbook by Ross Jeffery
• Fear by Ronald Kelly
• Conjuring the Witch by Jessica Leonard
• Our Own Unique Affliction by Scott J. Moses

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June 2023 –

I had such a blast one evening in June hanging out with Michael Clark and The Book Monster, George! We continued the celebration for Mike’s latest book, Hell on High.

Baby Wade was here as well, and these two gentlemen treated this pregnant lady to some amazing fried pickles after the event!

This month I snagged three signed books:

• Inside Out by Lor Gislason
• Bound in Flesh edited by Lor Gislason
• The World You Loved by Brennan LaFaro

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July 2023 –

July held two events that were an absolute blast!

First up was an Instagram Live with Katherine Silva! Joining us was the wonderful Aquino Loayza. This was my first time doing an Instagram live, so I was nervous. Plus, I knew I would be panting as I was very pregnant at the time. But of course, the nerves were unnecessary; this was so much fun! I’m so glad I got to jump on to celebrate Kat’s latest book!

Next up, another event I wasn’t sure I was going to make as my baby shower was the same day; Meeting Paul Tremblay at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, NH! This event was amazing, per usual for Water Street, the author friends I had there as well were lovely to chat with, and meeting Paul was amazing!

This month I snagged six signed books and got one I previously owned signed:

• Buyer First: Grow Your Business with Collaborative Selling by Carole Mahoney
• Disasterpieces by Wesley Southard and Wile E. Young
• Dogs by Mike Sullivan
• Pitfall by Ronald Kelly
• The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay
• The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
• The Shrouded Tome: Ten Forgotten Fables by Ronald Kelly

One of these special books was actually dedicated to me. I couldn’t believe this when Ronald Kelly told me, but seeing that in print forced me to finally believe it! What an incredible honor.

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August 2023 –

In August, things really started to slow down. There were SO MANY author events I wanted to go to with George, Paul, and Mike, but I was just too far along in my pregnancy to go anywhere.

But of course, pregnancy won’t hold me back with my online book ordering! In August, I acquired the following signed copies, two of which were special editions! This month’s signed copy haul was really special as these are some of my favorite people! I highly recommend checking out any of their works.

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September 2023 –

The main highlight of September was the virtual Buzz Book Expo! First of all, I love the three people who run this event so much; Mary SanGiovanni, Somer Canon, and Matt Wildasin. I also really appreciate that the event is virtual! I’ve been missing out on things for the last couple of months due to my pregnancy, so being able to post up on the couch, watch along, and join the virtual chat was amazing. I even won a giveaway from Thunderstorm Books!

This conversation was just too sweet as well. How cool is this community?!

This month, I also launched my Running List of 2024 Horror Book Releases. I cannot believe how many books I added to the list before launch, and then how many I added thanks to everyone who commented on the first round of social posts!

If you have a book coming out in 2024, please feel free to visit the running list and comment with your book title, the publisher or self-pubbed, horror sub-genre, and when it comes out!

This month was a killer month for signed book copies! My goodness, I am so grateful to now own each of these:

• The Only Safe Place is the Dark by Warren Wagner
• Twelve Gauge by Ronald Kelly
• Things Left Behind by Brian Keene and Mary Sangiovanni
• Last Stay by Brennan LaFaro
• Lacuna’s Point by Tim Meyer
• Desperate Wishes by Candace Nola
• Hazards Exist That Are Not Marked by Kristin Dearborn

I was also treated to this lovely note from Mr. Stephen Kozeniewski!

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October 2023 –

This month brought the arrival of this amazing Thunderstorm Books edition of Brennan LaFaro’s complete Slattery Falls series, titled I Will Always Find You. I am SO honored to have this on my shelf!

Also this month, my blurb for Hot Iron and Cold Blood was shared around from the publisher. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have blurbed this wild collection!

I said: “Weird Horror and Western Horror fans alike, you need this anthology. Begin your read and prepare to get lost in the dust and gunfire!“

I was also so excited when my Kickstarter package arrived for the bound edition of Our Final Halloween! I had been taking part in this Kickstarter right from the first issue, and seeing it bound is wonderful! The Class of ’84 page is too cool!

The mail from the gents that organized made me laugh, as usual!

This month, I snagged a ton of signed copies of books, including:

• Lost Oblivion by Katherine Silva
• Horrors Untold Volume 6 by Matt Wildasin
• Hardened Hearts Anthology edited by Eddie Generous – signed by Somer Canon!
• Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman
• The Perfectly Fine Neighborhood Anthology edited by edited by Kayleigh Dobbs, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Wile E. Young – signed by Stephen Kozeniewski!
• Everything The Darkness Eats – Hymns For A Decaying God by Eric LaRocca
• Shadows Over Main Street Volume 3 edited by Doug Murano and D. Alexander Ward
• When the Clock Strikes 13 Anthology edited by Kenneth W. Cain – signed by Somer Canon!
• Our Final Halloween Collected Edition
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
• What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman
• Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
• I Will Always Find You by Brennan LaFaro

This month, Alex and I finally welcomed our little dude to the world. I can’t wait to see if he has an interest in reading when he gets a little older! He’s already loving his high-contrast books at just a month old!

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November 2023 –

November flew by in a total blur! Not much going on on the reading and blogging side of things other than snagging a couple of signed books:

• The Demon of Devil’s Cavern by Brennan LaFaro
• Spirit Houses by Die Booth

Spirit Houses by Die Booth was a limited edition for the 10-year anniversary! I’m SO pumped I got to snag a copy. Look at all the goodies Die sent!

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December 2023 –

December came and went SO fast this year! This was another month with minimal blog-related things. However, getting to read holiday books with our little guy was definitely the highlight of the month!

Thanks for reading!

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for being a part of my 2023, and have a wonderful 2024!