Thank You For 2023!

Whoa – that year went by fast, didn’t it?

I have so much to be grateful for, and so many people I would like to thank for what has happened in the last 12 months. I wish I could reach out to all of you individually, but I imagine 2024 would be gone as well by the time I got to you all, so this first blog post of the year will have to do.

First, thanks to everyone who read my books. You’re always going to be the people who make me feel most proud. To everyone who let themselves be creeped out by At The Gate, and to everyone who dove headfirst into my Columbus Archives, especially the latest one, A Form Of Revenge! I love sharing my stories with you and I’ll never get enough of hearing that you love them. Some were sad to see that the Columbus Archives came to a final conclusion, but let me tell you that it only opens up new opportunities for me – some of which are already in the works for 2024. I can’t wait!

Of course, I can’t forget my latest release, the short story The Hunt, in the the anthology Empire of Beasts by Lost Boys Press. Being part of that incredible book has been one of my favorite achievements of the year, and the feedback has been great! If you’re looking for a unique fantasy read to start 2024, look no further!

Last year also saw my return to the stage and to a huge reinvestment in my first creative love: music. I’ve played the guitar since I was 11 and though I never put the guitar away, I stepped off the stage last time at some point in 2019 (with the exception of a few, very occasional gigs here and there). But in 2023 I picked it back up in a major way and suddenly found myself playing live with not just one, but two bands! If you enjoy death metal, you definitely need to check out Dark Delirium. It’s dark, hard and brutal, and I absolutely love laying down the rhythm with these guys and rocking out on stage. If you prefer something more mellow, don’t worry at all! You can listen to me sing my original songs with my acoustic three-piece Maryon. It’s melancholic singer-songwriter pop and I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally getting out there and it sounds beautiful. I’m really looking forward to developing it further in 2024.

I haven’t reached all my goals yet (who has?) and I’m very excited about the opportunities that have and are coming my way. I can’t wait to face them head on. So lastly, thanks to all of you who follow me here on my site. Perhaps my biggest achievement of 2023 was the massively increased traffic on my blog – it’s gone up by 298% since my next best year, which was way back in 2019.

Thank you for coming with me on my journey – can’t wait to share 2024 with you.