Writing Update 6/17/26

• Okay, back with a bit of a writing update for the month of June. Bunch of random stuff to share with you. No real rhyme or reason to it. Busy month for life events and such.
• Had a fantastic SpringCon here in the Twin Cities. Almost sold out of the first book in the Greenland Diaries, had just my display copy leftover. First time since 2021 that I attended the MCBA’s annual convention and comic show at the State Fair grounds here in Minnesota. I had a great time selling books, talking to people about writing, and commiserating with so many talented creators. The MCBA does a fantastic job, like always, hosting this event. There were comic book heavyweights there like Dan Jurgens and Gordon Purcell. There were a few old friends of mine as well. Since I’ve started doing conventions 13 years ago, the amount of authors who have come and gone from these events is astounding. I’m starting to think I have a dangerous level of stubbornness inside of me. FallCon is on the horizon. You can learn more FallCon right here. All the MCBA events are fantastic.
• Next event for me is CONvergence in July. You can learn more about that event right here. I’ll only be on one panel this year titled “The Year in Anime.” I signed up for more, but they seemed to have cancelled them. I’ll be in the dealer room all weekend though, selling books and whatnot. More details forthcoming. Excited to be a part of it.
• I had a bunch of poems get published in literary magazines the last few months. I have updated my publications page, and it feels really good. Need to keep going, but feels nice to take a deep breath and see my achievements. You can find my revised publications list right here.
• Pausing on any new self-published projects for the next few years. I’m still writing them, but letting time catch-up with the amount of material I’ve released. No point in releasing constant sequels if nobody has read the first books, or rushing stories out with lower quality standards. I have learned my lesson from that before. Having done countless revisions to all my Greenland Diaries books, Beware the Ills, and Monsters, Monsters, Everywhere, well, I don’t want to keep backtracking about stuff.
• Funny thing about writing is that nothing is ever actually done. You will end up revising and redoing your stories over and over again, even if they’ve been published. Updated editions, revisions, all that stuff. In fact, I have revised ALL my books countless times. Readers that bought the initial editions would probably find the revised ones completely different.
• Media has been all over the place for me. Playing through Saros, which is a spiritual sequel to Returnal. So far I absolutely love the game. Story is not as good as Returnal, but its easer and has better inventory options. Reading “Angel Down” which just won the Pulitzer. Fantastic novel. Listening to “Dungeon Crawler Carl” and loving it. Also, enjoying Anne Sexton’s poetry still, just have a thousand poems or so to get through. Wife and I are watching Psycho Pass, which is utterly incredible. Before that for anime we did Kaiju Number 8, and finished My Hero. So. Much. Media. Also, Obsession was a fantastic horror film.
• Alrighty, that’s all I got for now. Currently my son is recovering from hopefully his final eye surgery. Poor kid has been through it. Beware the Ills and the Greenland Diaries are running to their entirety here on my blog. When Beware the Ills is done, well, something else will fill that monstrous void. Thank you all for continuing to read my work and for supporting me.

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #fictionWriting #horror #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Revisiting my post “World Map” where I talk about JRPG maps

@patrickwmarshauthor.wordpress.com

As above, I wrote a blog post last year about the world maps I had leftover from Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger. I grew up in the heyday of JRPG’s on the Super Nintendo. They had profound effects on me as a person and writer.

If gaming has led to your artistic identity and inspiration, then read my post. You can’t shortchange what inspires you.

Hit it here if the box above is not working to take you to the original blog post that this was suppose to attach to.

Sorry. First time blogging from the time capsule feature on WordPress. Hiccups abound.

#author #blogging #books #chronotrigger #fantasy #fiction #gaming #horror #jrpgs #monsters #patrickWMarsh #reading #writing

Read my Poem “Extra Skin” Published by the Mourning Paper

My poem “Extra Skin” was published by the awesome literary magazine the Mourning Paper.

This poem is about a interdimensional entity living in a warehouse. The monster is continuously stalking around the shelves and corridors, looking for people to come travelling through. When this happens, the creature throws its skin at them in an effort to understand itself.

You can read “Extra Skin” right here

My sons initially gave me the idea for this poem. They are obsessed with the Back Rooms, and its various lore, and they were talking to me about a creature that likes to give out its skin. I took the concept for myself and put my own spin on it.

I’m thoroughly honored to have my poem published by this excellent literary establishment.

The Mourning Paper is an excellent magazine. I highly suggest not just reading my work, but exploring the publication thoroughly. The many excellent writers and artists deserve your time and attention.

Hit it here to read more of the Mourning Paper.

Happy reading!

#ampoetry #author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “Stay the Same” Published by Malefica Press

Happy to have my poem “Stay the Same” published by the literary magazine Malefica Press.

Malefica Press publishes all things horror. They have a great catalogue of content, and I’m honored to be a part of it. What is really fun about this publication is they included an illustration with it as well. It fits the theme of my poem perfectly.

The poem I wrote “Stay the Same” is about a haunted scarecrow that tries to be different, and not fulfill its dark purpose. I love exploring complexity with monsters, it both therapeutic and interesting to me as writer. When those two creative forces coincide, lots of creation happens. The crows that spend their time around this scarecrow have some interest in whether he can continue this murderous journey he’s been on. They’re a vested party.

You can read “Stay the Same” right here.

I will continue to state, that you should not just read my poem, but also checkout the various material from Malefica Press. It is an incredible lit magazine, and I want to continue to support it. They have a ridiculous amount of excellent content to read for free. Please jump into that dark rabbit hole. You can find them right here.

Thank you for reading my work, and have an excellent day!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #horrorWriting #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #poetryCommunity #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “Sit Down” Published by the Mourning Paper

I recently had my poem “Sit Down” published by the Mourning Paper.

They are a gothic, dark literary magazine that releases a variety of work from various writers. They have lifestyle, literature, and poetry, which is where I factor into this equation.

The poem that was published was called “Sit Down” and it is most certainly a horror poem. It is about a little girl ghost who imprisons families at a dinner table inside the house she used to live in. Recently, I’ve been exploring the concept of ghosts and the dead having motivation for their hauntings. I have been trying to experiment with the human reasons these nonhuman entities might have. I just never liked the idea of ghosts being mindless or emotionless plot devices in media.

You can read “Sit Down” on the Mourning Paper right here.

As always, with these posts about publications I highly suggest you read the rest of the material this fine publication has to offer. I don’t want to just promote these places because they published me or support literary horror. Too many literary magazines like the Mourning Paper are undervalued, and I don’t want them to vanish into obscurity. As I submit my work to many different lit magazines I see them vanishing into nothingness fairly often.

So please explore and support the Mourning Paper here.

Thank you for reading my work and have an amazing day!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorCommunity #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poems #Poetry #poetryCommunity #poetryWriting #theMourningPaper #writing

Read my Poem “The Ordinary” at Altered Reality Magazine

One more poem to share on these Wednesdays. The final one in that trio of publications. Super grateful to Altered Reality Magazine for sharing my voice. I’m always honored.

This poem is another departure from the last two. It isn’t horror or science fiction, but pure fantasy with a hint of social commentary. I steal inspiration from Norse Mythology, my favorite of the big mythologies you’re forced to learn about in high school.

Also, in that same period of my life, I played a very influential video game called Valkyrie Profile which introduced a more personal and specific level of storytelling in the Norse mythology setting. That’s why I decided to get nostalgic with Odin in this poem and explore his line of thinking.

In “The Ordinary” I talk about Ragnarök, or the twilight of the gods, and how Odin is jealous about our simplicity compared to the cosmic battle he must fight at the end of times. He’s jealous of how easy we’ve got it on Midgard, even compared to the glory and majesty of this great war.

You can read “The Ordinary” right here.

And one more big thank you to Altered Reality for their acceptances. Again, please visit and read their whole catalogue. They’re awesome.

Happy reading, and have a great Wednesday!

#alteredRealityMagazine #author #blogging #books #fantasy #fantasyPoetry #fiction #horror #monsters #mythology #norse #norseMythology #patrickWMarsh #poem #poems #Poetry #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Visit me Selling my Books at Art A Whirl 2026

Alright, pretty self explanatory. I’ll be at Art A Whirl all weekend selling my books.

Art A Whirl is an awesome event, and this is my first time at it. So I guess I assume it’s awesome? I have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard amazing things. I know that is busy, fun, different, unique, and very artsy.

To learn more about Art a Whirl hit it right here.

I’ll be there for the whole thing. Admission is FREE. Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday 12 – 8 pm, and Sunday 12 – 5 pm. I’m in the Artspace Jackson Flats 901 18 1⁄2 Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418. I’m inside the building, in front of some office door. I hope nobody gets entombed by my books, but so be it if it happens.

I’ll have all my books for sale. All revised editions. The best these books have to offer. Now is the time to get invested in the series. Also, buy other stuff around the place. It isn’t all about me. I love my monsters, and my books, but there is so much to see at this event. I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Hope to see you there!

#artAWhirl #author #blogging #bookEvents #bookSales #books #events #fantasy #fiction #horror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “A Junkyard Father” Published on Altered Reality Magazine

Hello again! I recently had a trifecta of luck at Altered Reality with some poems, and this is my second one that was picked up for publication by them.

This week the poem is a little different than my previous one. No haunted forest or paradoxical monsters.

Instead, I choose to focus on an image that has haunted me ever since I watched it. The toy scene in Bladerunner (director’s cut of course) in Sebastian’s attic has stuck with me ever since I watched it back in 2004. I often wonder what would those cybernetic creations do if Sebastian never returned.

Who would take care of them?

In “A Junkyard Father” I follow this same idea and principle. A scientist has created sentient toys in some robotic future, and he is confronted with the concept of mortality. When he dies and leaves this world, they’ll be nobody to take care of them. The toys will outlive him, and still require maintenance. He’ll die when they could potentially live for centuries.

How will they cope? Who will be there?

You can read “A Junkyard Father” right here.

As always, you should check out the whole of Altered Reality. They publish great stuff from a variety of voices.

Thank you for reading my work, and have a nice Wednesday!

#author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #literaryHorror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poem #Poetry #scienceFiction #theGreenlandDiaries #writing

Read my Poem “Windchimes” Published on Altered Reality Magazine

Hello! Recently I was lucky enough to have my poem “Windchimes” published by Altered Reality last week.

This was one of the first horror poems I had written after a long absence from poetry. I started writing poetry again back in the beginning of 2024. The women I was dating at the time was a poet, and she often would send poems for me to read. At the time I was still thinking I could only do one thing as a writer, like self-publish fiction. That isn’t true. You can be varied. You get to practice your craft on multiple highways.

Anyways, she was curious about my poetry, or if I could even still write it. So, as it happens that sometimes men are simply motivated by women, I decided to try my hand at it, and poetry clicked again after about a decade of absence.

“Windchimes” is about a group of monsters in a haunted forest who hang windchimes in the trees to warn people travelling through that they are there, and that the woods is dangerous. It is about how evil attempts to warn you about its intentions, so you avoid it. Or at least you would try It focuses on how frustrated the evil entities are with this paradox. I love this poem, and I’m happy to see it has a home.

You can read it right here.

Also, Altered Reality is an excellent publication. Please take some time to explore its various voices. You can find it right here.

Thanks for reading!

#alteredReality #author #blogging #books #fantasy #fiction #horror #horrorPoetry #literaryHorror #literaryMagazine #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poem #poems #Poetry #publications #writing

Writing Update 4/29/26

• Back. I’m not just some mindless story promoting, blog posting bot from the depths of some tungsten hades. I’m still here, lurking in the shadows like some sort of specter in a two-story window of a Victorian mansion. I’ve got a bunch of new stuff to report in terms of what I’ve had published, working on, and other various tidbits. Here. We. Go.
• I’ve got a new book coming out this summer. It is called The Unnamed: A Collection of Stories from the Greenland Diaries. There will be a ton of stories about my monsters. Over 30 stories from the Greenland Diaries universe. They will take place before the Drum, during it, immediately after its destruction, and decades after it appeared. The stories do cover the Unnamed, but also human survivors, and the Reanimated. I’m not sure when I’ll have it fully available on my bookstore, but it should be no later than July. I will be selling it at CONvergence, and also having a book release party for it August. More details coming soon.
• I had a trio of poems published over at Horrific Scribblings. There was the Lucky and Broken, which is about Medusa’s lair and her stone victims. The Sounds, which includes a troll who hates the sounds of happiness. Then the Bloody Blade, which follows a cavernous sword and its samurai master. You find all three right here to read. It is a great publication. Super honored.
• I will have a table for Art a Whirl coming up here in the Twin Cities. Not sure the exact details yet, but it is coming up soon in May on the 15th, 16th, and 17th. I’ll be selling books in this cool studio place. I’m excited.
• My poem the Breadcrumbs was published by Carmina Magazine. It is about a dragon musing over the constant string of knights willing to die at his doorstep looking for glory. You can read it right here, but also should check out the awesome lit magazine overall.
• October is looking like a busy month for me. I know that is a long way off, but I’ll have quite a few events going. Three different events it looks like. A couple different readings. Might add one more event. October is a big month for a literary horror writer like myself.
• Another poem of mine was published by a literary magazine. This time it is Mouthwatering and it is available at Star*Line. This is a paid magazine, so you need a subscription. Still an amazing place, and I highly suggest supporting them. Carnivorous fish torment a seaside town. As one does.
• The amount of media I’ve been digesting has been all over the place. Finally beat Expedition 33. One of my favorite games of all time. Easily in my top five. Incredible story. Awesome gameplay. Unforgettable music. I’ll be replaying it for the rest of my life.
• Been watching a lot of anime since I converted my wife to it the last year or so. I can’t even remember all the ones I’ve watch recently. One of them was My Hero Academia Vigilantes. I was a big fan of the original series, and this one is a bit more subtle and humorous. Fun to be back in that universe again. I appreciate that Knuckle Buster doesn’t have a quirk. He just beats the crap out of people.
• Listened to some Stephen King recently via audiobook. Really good storyteller. I had not read much by him in my life, but really appreciated a lot of his short stories. Had to stop listening because one of them was simply too dark to continue. Maybe I’ll get back to it. I’m listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl right now with my wife. It is fantastic. I’m really enjoying it, especially since we’re playing through Minecraft Dungeons together for the second time.
• Still making my way through ALL of Anne Sexton’s poem. Still marvelous, sad, dark, depressing, and all of that. Started reading a collection of Wallace Steven’s poems as well. Quite a contrast between the two. Stevens continues to be one of my favorites. So does Sexton.
• Alrighty, well, that’s all I got for now. I hope you all are staying healthy and safe. Thank you for reading my work and continuing to support me. Plenty of more announcements on the way. Take care!

#amwriting #author #blogging #books #darkFantasy #fantasy #fiction #horror #monsters #patrickWMarsh #poet #Poetry #theGreenlandDiaries #writing #writingUpdate