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Literary Horror

What do I actually write?

I get this question a lot in my personal life, at conventions, and even when I ship out books at the post office. I have always struggled to answer it because I carried a certain amount of shame around it. That shame came from multiple places. Some of it came from people in my life degrading the things I write about, dismissing them in favor of other genres that better matched their own interests, like nonfiction.

Another source of that negativity is the stigma attached to writing horror. Occasionally, people assume you are dark, weird, disturbed, or antisocial because you write horror. Again, another subverted stereotype for people to be comfortable with their own insecurities. I am relatively simplistic as a man. I like football, working out, hunting, fishing, and gaming. I have a wife, kids, a dog, a minivan, and a favorite brand of paper towel. If you sat down to have a beer with me, you would have no clue about what I write, unless I mentioned it specifically.

I have found it difficult to start conversations saying that I write about faceless monsters reanimating corpses to metaphorically portray a generational abandonment wound.

With my monsters, I have attempted to abandon them countless times in my writing career. I have wanted to be someone else because of the reasons I listed above, and also because many people I respect and admire have nudged me toward giving them up. They have never directly said those words to me, but their actions and opinions often pointed in that direction. I understand they were trying to share what worked for them or how they defined success, but I cannot do it.

I write literary horror.

I did not know that was a genre until I researched it, and I was surprised to find such a clear distinction. However, it is exactly what I write. It is not pulpy, slasher, or even traditionally scary. It is horror, but my voice relies more on literary technique than specific plot mechanics or motifs. Much of my work lives in magical realism, slipstream, and poetic spaces. Monsters are the foundation of my stories.

I use them in multiple ways. They are mirrors for human behavior. Metaphors for sociological issues. Conduits for processing my own personal traumas. Some of the reasons I write this way are clear to me, and others I am still discovering. That is part of the beauty of taking this adventure as a writer. I am learning new things about myself and my style as I continue. I feel very lucky and privileged to be doing it. Literary horror is a specific genre, but using monsters not for shock or spectacle, but to communicate human emotions and lived experiences, is the only way I know how to write.

So the purpose of this random blog post about what I write is simple. I have never really said this out loud or clearly named it before. Maybe that means I am a little more confident in who I am and what I am doing. I have finally accepted this role for myself. Whatever the case, I just wanted to talk about it, so that is what I did on my blog.

Monthly Update 2/18/26

• Back with another monthly update. These are much easier to consistently write than weekly ones, because even though I write about faceless monsters and reanimated flesh, marketing and creating consistent content is a challenge for me. I took one marketing class in college, and I’m wishing I would have taken more. Word of advice, if you’re going to do the whole self-publish writing thing, take some business classes. I took a few, but not enough. I mean knowledge attainment isn’t what it used to be in this age of the internet. You don’t need to go to college to learn things. However, if you need to fill up your schedule, and you’re looking to write and release your material, some business courses couldn’t hurt.
• Again, for all you loyal readers, but maybe not you newcomers, I publish my apocalyptic horror novel the Greenland Diaries: Days 1 – 100 on here every Monday, and my dark fantasy novel Beware the Ills every Friday. I will fully publish these books in weekly segments. When Beware the Ills is done, I’ll add the Greenland Diaries on Friday as well. I’ve enjoyed releasing these books. You catch-up and read the Greenland Diaries right here. And, Beware the Ills right here. They’re both great stories. Beware the Ills is my favorite (but not my most popular, sob).
• I released a poem on here called “The Warehouse Window” for you to enjoy. With this poem, I talked about my life working in a warehouse and what that is like for me, especially when I think about my sons and how their days might be going. It would be great not to work a 9 – 5 job, and live off my writing, but that isn’t a viable option right now, but maybe in the future. Anyways, you can read that poem right here.
• Not much in terms of traditional publication news. Had a good January for this, but I sort of held-off on submissions until after I got back from Florida. I tend to share the successes a bit more, since they’re few and far between. If I shared the rejections on my blog, well, I would never have to worry about creating posts. So much red…
• Really, truly, I swear on the altar of a dark entity, I’m going to start posting more on Instagram and other social media. I just don’t have a ton of interest in any of it, but I know my readers would like to know what is going on in my life a bit more. I fit the standard self-deprecating mode of an emotionally alienated child. I feel only comfortable sharing my life when making fun of it. I know I’m not alone with this tendency. I’m a remnant of the children should be seen and not heard generation. That created a level of invalidation that has made some therapists a lot of money. Anyways, when it comes to social media, I’ve noticed this anxiety of mine crops up. Oh well. It is what it is.
• I recently published the flash fiction piece “The Leaning Gun” from the world of the Greenland Diaries. This was a fun piece to write. It has an unlikely protagonist, and an interesting interaction between them and the Unnamed. These flash fiction pieces are a great way to test sample this series. Read it here.
• Also, I keep my politics aside when it comes to my writing, though if you read and understand my themes, there shouldn’t be any secret about what some of my beliefs are. That being said, ICE needs to get the hell out of Minneapolis and Minnesota. They’re torturing people and punishing those who are protesting well within their rights. I’m from Minneapolis. Currently, I live in Saint Paul. It is far worse than you can imagine. This fascist behavior is punishing the population. Friends of mine, who are citizens but happen to have different backgrounds, are afraid to leave their homes because of ICE’s predatory and outrageously overt racism. I don’t care what side you are on, human beings deserve to live a life of dignity, and not be tortured. Looking different is not a crime.
• Another piece of flash fiction I released on here was called “A Streetlight Requiem.” This story follows the Puppeteer, which is the catalysts for the illusions and various other nightmares from the Greenland Diaries. You’re given a unique perspective of a rare monster from this series. Read it here.
• Well, perhaps the biggest update I can give this last month is I got married. Happier than ever to be settling into a new life with Cait. She’s incredible, and I’m beyond blessed to be with her. I love her so very much. I don’t know how I got this lucky, but I’ll take it. Thank you all for your continued support reading my work, clicking my posts, reviewing and buying my books, and so forth. Be safe. Be healthy.