Book Launch and Fall Events

It’s going to be a busy fall.

Out of the Drowning Deep Book Launch – September 3 – Doylestown Books – 6pm

My novella, Out of the Drowning Deep, will officially be released in a lovely hardcover edition (with endpapers!) on September 3, 2024. To celebrate, I’ll be in conversation with Violet James McMaster at Doylestown Books that evening at 6pm. We’ll be discussing the book, and I’ll be signing copies. I’m hoping to bring some form of cake to bribe/thank people for attending. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, it would be lovely to see you there!

Brooklyn Books and Booze Reading – September 17 – Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room – 7pm

A few years back, I read as part of this series in its former home at Ample Hills Creamery. Now, instead of ice cream and reading, it’s booze and reading – both wonderful combinations if you ask me! I’ll be reading along with Rob Cameron (who I coincidentally read with last time at Ample Hills), Ed Zuckerman, and Carlos Hernandez. It promises to be a fantastic evening, and if you’re in the Brooklyn area, I hope you’ll join us!

Capclave 2024 – September 27-29 – Hilton Washington DC/Rockville

Capclave is one of my favorite conventions and I do my best to attend every year. It’s small and laid-back, with programming focused on books and reading. Here’s my schedule for the weekend:

• Food for Thought – Saturday – 10am – Ingeborg Heyer, Mary G. Thompson, A.C. Wise (M) – When someone is hungry, very little else matters. What are the biological effects of hunger? Food as a motivation? Using food to drive action? It isn’t always about taste, but sometimes it is.
• Author Reading: A.C. Wise – Saturday – 2pm
• Oh! The Horror! – Sunday – 10am –Martin Berman-Gorvine, John Hartness , Darrell Charles Schweitzer, A.C. Wise (M), L. Marie Wood – If being frightened to death gives you life or you just live for that traditional sense of creeping dread, join other hollow-eyed horror fans as we gather to discuss some of the recent years’ best horror works (TV/film/books/podcasts/games). Bring your own salt, red brick dust, and holy water, and don’t forget your list of faves as we try to scare the living daylights out of each other.
• In Defense of the Standalone – Sunday – 1pm – Scott Edelman, Mark Roth, A.C. Wise (M), L. Marie Wood – Too many stories develop into series. How does a standalone novel advance the craft? Do we love them or hate them and why? Can a series be a standalone novel such as Connie Willis’ All Clear and Black Out? 

The full schedule for the convention is available here.

Spooky Season Conversation with Caitlin Rozakis – October 6 – Hockessin BookShelf – 4:30pm

Caitlin Rozakis, author of Dreadful, and I will be in conversation at Hockessin BookShelf, talking about our work and generally kicking off Spooky Season as we discuss Dread Lords, squid monsters, and terrible angels, among other things. Come join us!

The Bog Wife Conversation with Kay Chronister – October 16 – Main Point Books – 7pm

Kay Chronister’s latest novel is a gorgeous, moody, Gothic, centered on a family trapped in a crumbling home and bound by an ancient compact with the bog surrounding them. The Bog Wife officially comes out on October 1, 2024, and on October 16, I’ll be in conversation with Kay at Main Point Books. She’ll also be signing copies. It’s the perfect novel for Spooky Season, so I hope you’ll join us to hear Kay talk about it in her own words!

World Fantasy Convention – October 16-20 – Sheraton Niagara Falls

The day after Kay’s event, I’ll be headed to Niagara Falls to attend the World Fantasy Convention. It’s a fantastic event, celebrating fantasy and horror, and I’ve really enjoyed each iteration that I’ve attended thus far. My schedule for the convention:

My Debut Novel Is Published! My Career Is Finally Taking Off – Right? – Friday at 11am – Redjacket – Lauren Teffeau, Liza Trombi (M), Tobi Ogundiran, A.C. Wise – The moment has finally arrived, and expectations are high. For some writers, their debut is the ‘BANG’ beginning of a starry career, but for others, it fizzles out. Are authors truly prepared for either outcome? Is this the one-off chance to make it? What can you do if your debut is not as you expected?

Obscure Sub-Genres – Friday at 1pm – Porter/Deveraux – Beth Dawkins, Lydia M. Hawke (M), Michael Martinek, Kate Ressman, Vanessa Ricci-Thode, A.C. Wise – The broad tent of fantasy and horror literature has spawned many fantasy subgenres that range from mythical and gritty to modern and otherworldly. What is hopepunk? Cozy fantasy? Romantic horror? What sub-genres are on the rise?

Mass Autograph Session – Friday at 8pm

Reading in the Dark: A Horror Genre Celebration – October 26 – Cecil County Public Library

I will be at Cecil County Public Library along with Kenneth W. Cain, Bob Ford, Amanda Headlee, Todd Keisling, Stephen Kozienewski, Kelli Owen, and Wes Southard, signing books and chatting about horror! More info about the event here.

Haunt Sweet Home Conversation with Sarah Pinsker – October 30 – A Novel Idea

Another perfect read for Spooky Season is Sarah Pinsker’s novella Haunt Sweet Home, which comes out on September 3, 2024 (book birthday twins!), bringing together reality TV and a haunted house in unexpected ways. It’s both eerie and sweet, and again, a perfect Halloween read. I’ll be in conversation with Sarah at A Novel Idea on October 30. More details to come!