Summer 2026 Appearances

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Barnes & Noble, Danbury
• Saturday, July 25, 12–2 pm
• I will at the Barnes & Noble at the Danbury Fair Mall, 7 Backus Avenue in Danbury, signing copies of all three of my books. Need a beach book or just some free AC? Come grab some summer reading.

Atlas of Deep Ones Publication Launch Event
• Friday, August 14, 6:30 pm
• As part of NecronomiCon 2026, join editor Gevera Bert Piedmont and sundry authors to celebrate the publication of Atlas of Deep Ones, an anthology of poetry and prose devoted entirely to everybody’s favorite mythos gill-men. I will be MCing readings by contributors Mark DiStefano, Stephen Gousie, Andy Martin, John Opalenik, and yours truly, followed by a Q-&-A with Bert about the editorial process. Find us at the Graduate Hotel in Providence, Ocean State Suite B, second floor.

Let Me Tell You of the Days of High Adventure: Exploring The Hyperborean Age (Panel)
• Saturday, August 15, 3:30 pm
• Pulp writers of the 1920s and 30s often set their stories in prehistoric eras and places supposedly lost to time. Authors like Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith leaned into the public fascination with exploration and adventure prevalent in the first half of the 20th century and mixed it with pseudo-history such as that espoused by the Theosophists. I will be part of a panel discussing the creation and use of imagined pasts in fiction. Joining me are fellow panelists Luke Dodd, Larissa Glasser, and Eric Williams, as well as moderator Zack Davisson. Come see us at the Omni Hotel in Providence, Waterplace Ballroom, second floor.

Samuel Smedley and the Privateers of the American Revolution
• Thursday, September 10, 6 pm
• As part of the Hagaman Memorial Library’s year-long celebration of the US’s 250th birthday, I will be presenting the story of Samuel Smedley, captain of the ship Defence. During the American Revolution, Connecticut established its own state navy to protect its coastline. Yet more money was to be made in attacking British merchant vessels traveling between England and the Caribbean, and so what began as a defensive measure quickly evolved into something different. Come here this incredible story at the Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main Street in East Haven.

Fall 2025 Tour

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Historical Fiction Authors Event
• Wednesday, September 3, 5–6pm
• I will be speaking at the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore, 413 Main Street in Middletown, along with two other authors of historical fiction. Bring your questions about research and the processes we use to turn facts into narratives.

Bank Square Books
• Saturday, October 4, 5–6pm
• I will be giving a short talk and signing copies of The Island of Small Misfortunes at their new location, 80 Stonington Road in Mystic.

Best Video Film & Cultural Center
• Thursday, October 9, 6:30–8pm
• This is going to be a super fun event with the HWA New England chapter. We’ll be talking about our favorite horror films as well as our most favorite obscure films (Icelandic horror and noir will definitely come up!). The event will take place at 1842 Whitney Avenue in Hamden.

BOO-ZY Book Fair
• Saturday, October 18, 12–6pm
• Hosted by Coles Road Brewing, Oh My Ganache Bakery, and others, there will be food and vendors. The event is located at 817 Farmington Ave in Berlin. Costumes encouraged.

Brown’s Harvest
• Sunday, October 26, 10am–4pm
• Join me and other authors at Brown’s Harvest Family Farm, 1911 Poquonock Avenue in Windsor, where you can pick pumpkins, take a hayride, grab a cup of fresh cider, and buy a spooky book or two.

Norwalk Author Celebration
• Saturday, November 8, 9am–4pm
• The Norwalk Library’s ninth annual book sale! Seventy authors will be selling their books at the main branch, 1 Belden Avenue in downtown Norwalk.

How to Write a Master’s Thesis

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Last week, I walked across the stage of Yale University’s Woolsey Hall to accept my master’s degree in Archaeological Studies. I completed the coursework for the degree decades ago, but during the year I took my classes Mrs. Kuhl became pregnant and our oldest son was born days after I handed in my last final exam.

The only thing left for me to earn the degree was to write and submit my master’s thesis. The plan was that I would write the thesis while taking care of our baby, then we would find childcare and I would go back to work full-time. Yet what was intended to be a six-month temporary measure stretched into a 20-year career as a stay-at-home dad, freelance writer, and author.

Finally, last fall, I approached Yale about the possibility of returning to finish the degree. I was astounded at how receptive they were. “It’s not a big deal,” said Dr. Richard Burger, the head of the Council on Archaeological Studies, about writing the master’s thesis. When I expressed some unease about completing it by the March deadline, he simply said, “You’re a writer, aren’t you? You have a leg up on everybody else.”

This set off a mad scramble to write and submit my master’s thesis before the end of March. Having never written a thesis before, I searched the internet for tips and advice, particularly for anthropology and archaeology theses. I was both disappointed and surprised. Different colleges have different expectations; for example, a number require theses two or three times longer than what Yale asked for. My googling discovered only a single testimony about the thesis-writing process, and the writer’s biggest takeaway was to add all images and photos to the document last. Good advice, although I wished for counsel that was a little more substantial.

Here then are some of my conclusions about writing a master’s thesis. They aren’t so much advice as they are experiences that I hope others can learn from. Take from them what you will.

Continue reading “How to Write a Master’s Thesis” →

Spring 2025 Appearances

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Spring has sprung and with it a bunch of dates where you can catch me.

Branford Book Festival
• Saturday, May 10, 12–3pm
• Come find me and dozens of other authors signing books in lovely downtown Branford. The Thimble Islands off Branford’s coast is the setting for my new book, The Island of Small Misfortunes.

Why Horror? Panel
• Thursday, May 22, 6pm at the Bridgeport Public Library
• The New England chapter of the Horror Writers Association will be discussing the appeal of our favorite spooky books and why we like to read and write them.

Westport Barnes & Noble
• Saturday, June 7, 2pm
• I will be signing copies of The Island of Small Misfortunes.

StokerCon 2025
• June 12–15, at the Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Meeting Center
• I’m the Author Readings Coordinator for the con, so I’ll be there Wednesday through Sunday emceeing readings and attending panels. I will also be the moderator for the New England Gothic panel on Saturday morning at 9am.

More to come.

Happy Publication Day

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Happy Publication Day to The Island of Small Misfortunes. This book was a journey for sure. I wrote the bulk of it pre-pandemic, then finished it in the early months of 2020. The manuscript was a total mess until the very end, when suddenly everything fell into place like a game of Tetris.

I’ve discovered with time that every book I write is a reply to the previous one. A Season of Whispers, for example, resulted after I became burned out (temporarily) by Smedley and nonfiction in general, which led to a period where I mixed history and fiction. Likewise, with Island I wanted to lean more heavily into the metaphors and language of Season while chasing the ambiguity of history, both personal and otherwise. One friend said she caught Raymond Chandler vibes off protagonist Sequoia Owen, which I now see is the bleed-through from that emphasis on description by metaphor.

Many thanks to my publisher Regal House Publishing for believing in the book and to my publicist Layne Mandros at Books Forward PR for a great campaign. And how about that cover? I could not believe the artist created it in Starry Night Post-Impressionism, my absolute favorite painting style. My jaw dropped when I first saw it and still does.

All of my books are messages in bottles thrown into the ocean. May the scribbled note inside The Island of Small Misfortunes bring you some enjoyment.

The Island of Small Misfortunes is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and bookstores everywhere. Please consider purchasing it directly from Regal House or support your local indie bookstore through Bookshop.

I will be touring to promote Island this spring. Stay tuned for dates.