Listening (again) to the latest album from @themountaingoats.bsky.social and it reminds me of first hearing Lambchop’s excellent C’MON records. It has got a fresh, lush palate all its own but churns with the band’s ever-present edge and energy. Case in point: youtu.be/pv53gRqjvxY?...
For award consideration: On Fire and Under Water: A Crime Fiction Anthology is eligible for a Best Anthology nomination for the Anthony Awards, as well as a vote as a finalist for the Derringer Awards.
I would so appreciate if you would nominate On Fire for the Anthony Award for Best Anthology. Ballots are due by the end of April.
And if you’re a Short Mystery Fiction Society member, please vote for it for the Derringers!
Cover for the 2025 album, Disquiet, by The Necks.
Lost in the latest Necks’ album this morning. There are no bad records from this band — in fact they’re all great — but this is right up there with their best work.
Cover of Zachary Cale’s 2025 album, Love’s Work, which is a yellow-filtered image depicting an angular sand castle on a beach.
Love’s Work by @zacharycale.bsky.social is one of the best instrumental records of last year. Beautiful tones and textures on guitar, space for all the elements to stretch out, a hint of atmosphere at the edges. Beautiful stuff. #np
ABOUT THE BOOK Inspired to “take a break from life” by the idyllic housesitting situation they were offered for the summer, Aaron and Amber find themselves in Aaron’s hometown of Tacoma, Washington. Amber works her remote job, Aaron tries to write and goes for runs along the waterfront, and they explore their temporary summer city on daily walks and regular excursions. Soon, noticing that the landscape seems to keep shifting around them, Aaron starts drawing a map of it all, attempting to document and make sense of the changes. When Tacoma starts to open up bigger and bigger with possibility and wonder, Tacoma starts to fold in on itself, becoming both more self-referential and more like the spontaneous, fantastical stories Aaron has been writing. A friend rides an orca to come visit. Pirates guard a wormhole in the forest. A secret doorway in the Tacoma Mall tunnels back to Aaron’s childhood bedroom. Blending autofiction with fantasy, meta with magic, and earnestness with absurdity, Tacoma presents a recognizable but also magical world where we ask, if nothing is real, then why not have as much fun as possible? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Aaron Burch grew up in Tacoma, Washington.
cover! synopsis! preorder! out in feb!!
"Blending autofiction with fantasy, meta with magic, and earnestness with absurdity, 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘢 presents a recognizable but also magical world where we ask, if nothing is real, then why not have as much fun as possible?"
autofocusbooks.com/store/p/tacoma
my book’s out today or whatever
Writers of the Cambridge area! There is still time apply for the 2026 Writers in Residence program! A writer for adults & a writer for kids will get a place to work, the staff discount, & some other fun stuff. Deadline is 8/31! portersquarebooks.com/porter-squar...
Book cover for Andrew Bertaina’s memoir, Ethan Hawke and Me, focused on the excellent Before Trilogy directed by Richard Linklater.
Great mail day courtesy of @andrewbertaina.bsky.social and @barrelhouse.bsky.social. Can’t wait to read this one.
A great one. I re-read TJ’s “Cold Snap” recently after a long while away and had the same experience.
Mayor Vaughn in Jaws promising this is going to be one of the best fourth of Julys Amity Island has ever had. Hard to tell why I’ve thought about this scene for like 10 years running.
Cover of Sad Grownups, an excellent story collection by Amy Stuber. The cover has a white background with a staggered stack of blocks rising up the middle in a purple, dark blue, light blue, green pattern. The title -- Sad Grownups -- and Amy Stuber's name are stacked in block letters in the middle of the cover, with "short stories" in dark blue or purple just under the word "Grownups".
I feel like the past few years have seen an impressive run of deep, rangy, unpredictable, and just downright excellent story collections, and SAD GROWNUPS by @amystuber.com is one of the finest.
a.co/d/4yfliJN
Cover of my novel, Ringing in Your Ears. The background is yellow, with an unraveling cassette tape laid over it. The title and 'a novel by Matthew Fiander' is written in black lettering in the bottom left-hand corner.
Hey all! The ebook version of Ringing in Your Ears is out now. You can pick it up for a low price or -- for a while, anyway -- check it out on #KindleUnlimited. Link in comments.
It's also worth noting that there is lots of content/developmental editing and proofreading work outside of publishing, and it likely pays better.
Very happy to have a new story, 'Smudge Pot,' up in the inaugural issue of Magazine1. Check it out! #writingcommunity #fiction
In grad school, I read Largehearted Boy constantly and hoped I could write one of these cool author playlists one day. Welp, it's finally here 15 years later. The RINGING IN YOUR EARS playlist at LHB. I could not be happier. Hope you dig it.
largeheartedboy.com/2023/10/29/m...