The Haunted States of America

In July, a middle grade anthology will be published by Godwin Books/Henry Holt, with a scary story from each state. Included inside is “The Michigan Triangle,” my story about Lake Michigan, lighthouses, ghosts, and sinking ships. Thank you to Kort Nash, editor, for working with me on this, and to SCBWI for choosing my story to represent Michigan.

The cover and illustrations within were done by Solomon Hughes.

It’s available for preorder! Click on the cover image above to buy it from Bookshop, or search for it wherever you buy books. Here’s the publisher description:

Fifty two different stories. Fifty two different Authors. Endless fright for all ages.

From the Jersey Devil to La Llorona, each story included introduces a new chill inducing, stomach churning monster, spectre, or poltergeist certain to keep you up at night. A broad ranging collection of authors have united to unearth the scariest lore from each state in the US, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico. Make sure to strap in for this spooky cross country tour, but be extra careful not to let any of these terrors follow you home.

Godwin Books/Henry Holt

The Haunted States of America Cover and Pre-Order Link

The Haunted States of America (Godwin Books/Henry Holt) has a cover, a very scary cover, illustrated by Solomon Hughes.

The book will be available July 9, 2024. Inside are 52 middle grade horror stories, one for each state. Puerto Rico and DC, too. “The Michigan Triangle” is my story about lighthouses, cousins, and the sunken ships in Lake Michigan.

Preorder it here.

Motorcycle Man

Thank you to Wayne Bradshaw and the Sūdō Journal team for selecting and publishing “Motorcycle Man” in their fourth issue, the final issue with Wayne as editor. About this issue he says, “With the theme of “Touch Wood,” this volume of stories, essays and poems embraces the spirit of spring, to be read while wondering what “spring” means in northern Queensland, waiting for the next catastrophic flood, or recovering from you third bout of COVID-19.”

Mouse Breath: A Rodent Horror Story

Crow Toes Quarterly has published “Mouse Breath: A Rodent Horror Story” in their beautiful magazine for children who don’t scare easily. It’s a print magazine, but their website has some very fun excerpts and bios on it. Try the “About Us” page to begin, where you’ll meet the makers of this magazine, including the Staff Villain, who accepted this poem (or was it Ogilvy? Christopher? Poinsettia Park? I’ll thank them all!).

“CROW TOES QUARTERLY: ART & LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN WHO DON’T SCARE EASILY is something of an anomaly… like Ambrosia Salad or Ice Tsunamis. It was and then it wasn’t and now it is again. Bigger, better and stranger than ever! CROW TOES QUARTERLY is an e-publication and limited-run print publication of art and literature for 8 - 13 year olds. It is also a magazine for all those adults who still have that 8-13 year old trapped inside of them… the adults who grew up reading stories that didn’t pander to certain safe ideals, stories that didn’t think readers were too dumb to understand, or stories that didn’t filter content that might cause a nightmare or two. CROW TOES QUARTERLY is a boutique magazine crafted by hand in a hut halfway up Enola Mountain in the Angrian Province of Du Manhg. It is filled with art and literature from established and amateur writers and artists from around the world. It is published four times a year and survives solely on subscriptions, donations, purchases of past issues and the crumbs at the bottom of potato chip bags. It is a publication that respects the art of storytelling and the power of creativity and imagination. Because of that, CROW TOES QUARTERLY does not include advertising in its publication. It also doesn’t include fluffy bunnies, rainbows, those big wet cat eyes, smooching, and mushy hearts (unless they’re in jars).”

“CROW TOES QUARTERLY: ART & LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN WHO DON’T SCARE EASILY is something of an anomaly… like Ambrosia Salad or Ice Tsunamis. It was and then it wasn’t and now it is again. Bigger, better and stranger than ever! CROW TOES QUARTERLY is an e-publication and limited-run print publication of art and literature for 8 - 13 year olds. It is also a magazine for all those adults who still have that 8-13 year old trapped inside of them… the adults who grew up reading stories that didn’t pander to certain safe ideals, stories that didn’t think readers were too dumb to understand, or stories that didn’t filter content that might cause a nightmare or two. CROW TOES QUARTERLY is a boutique magazine crafted by hand in a hut halfway up Enola Mountain in the Angrian Province of Du Manhg. It is filled with art and literature from established and amateur writers and artists from around the world. It is published four times a year and survives solely on subscriptions, donations, purchases of past issues and the crumbs at the bottom of potato chip bags. It is a publication that respects the art of storytelling and the power of creativity and imagination. Because of that, CROW TOES QUARTERLY does not include advertising in its publication. It also doesn’t include fluffy bunnies, rainbows, those big wet cat eyes, smooching, and mushy hearts (unless they’re in jars).”