Lowfield gets another review!

I'm very grateful to see this review of my latest novel, Lowfield, in Canadian Writers Abroad. The piece, by Eleanor Proudfoot, is titled "Spooked in PEI," and here is an excerpt for your enjoyment:

"Mundane elements of the landscape (such as the construction pillars of the bridge) are recast as ominous, and I was immediately sucked into an eerie atmosphere that felt real and compelling. Gems of sentences build a picture of the landscape: “Prince Edward Island did not wear early April well,” and with this we get the slow build of intrigue. Our main character clearly has some form of PTSD, but Sampson skillfully gives the reader just enough detail for us to want to keep reading to find out more."

Have you picked up your copy of Lowfield yet? Christmas is right around the corner, and the novel makes a great gift for the horror lovers on your list. It's available wherever better books are sold.

Video: My Reading at the Brockton Writers Series

So I completely dropped the ball and failed to acknowledge and share around this video of my reading at the Brockton Writers Series back in September. Oops! Anyway, here it is! It was a lovely night and now you can enjoy a part of it. Please don't forget to like, subscribe, comment, vote, get a Pap smear, thank your mom for all she's done for you, take your blood pressure, support local journalism, and pet a cat. 

I'm back guest-columning for Rebecca's newsletter

 Okay, I'm back guest-columning for Rebecca's newsletter, this time to ask the question: am I becoming a baseball fan? (And to sing the praises of our pal Jacob McArthur Mooney's new novel.) 

Here's an excerpt of what I have to say:

"And by the time the postseason started, I shocked myself by tuning in. Who was I now? Was I becoming a baseball fan? I can easily say that what won me over was the Jays’ remarkable sportsmanship, their examples of positive masculinity and the fun the team seemed to be having, even when it looked like their World Series dreams were being dashed. I became just as obsessed with the absolute joy in Ernie Clement’s smile as I was with the 'Springer Dinger.'"

M. 

Grain magazine No. 200 is here!

And I have a new short story, called "Exactly Nine Years," included in it! I'm so excited to see this piece, from my RECENTLY COMPLETED new short story collection manuscript, out in the world. I'm chuffed to see this piece in Grain's 200th issue (as I was to see my story "Fall Back" in The Fiddlehead #300 last summer), and this also marks my second time in Grain. I had poem appear in an issue back in 2017.

This new issue of Grain contains a number of familiar names to me, including Lorna Crozier, Lisa Bird-Wilson, and Aaron Schneider. It also has a super-cool cover that features thumbnails of all 200 previous covers of the magazine.

I can't wait to tuck in to see what's on offer, and I hope you will do the same. Grain is available wherever better Canadian magazines are sold.

M.

My review of Hemo Sapiens, by Emily Weedon

Just in time for Halloween, I'm back in the digital pages of Canadian Writers Abroad, this time reviewing Emily Weedon's stellar horror novel, Hemo Sapiens. This novel gives us a fresh take on the vampire story, one that incorporate tropes from the world of motherhood and the health and wellness industry. Here's an excerpt from my review:

Weedon, using skills honed as a screenwriter, unfurls her tale with cinematic aplomb, bringing a grimy, noirish version of Toronto to life through evocative details that speak to a specific kind of 21st-century urban decay. This novel’s message is clear: Sure, it’s the vampires who drain us, but don’t discount the greater rot that we’ve brought upon ourselves.  

Check out the full review, linked above.

 

Interview: The Get Lit book show!

I'm back on Jamie Tennant's excellent book show, Get Lit, this time talking about my new novel, Lowfield. In this interview, I get pretty candid about the origins of this tale of horror/paranormal suspense and its dealings with sexual violence, toxic masculinity and the relinquishing of one's power and privilege when combatting evil. Probably one of the best interviews I've given. Thanks, as always, to Jamie for his insightful questions. Give it a listen! 

Guest Post on the Brockton Writers Series Blog

As mentioned in my post last week, I'm super stoked to be reading at the Brockton Writers Series on September 10. As part of that, I've contributed to the Series' blog with this post, called "What I Learned Writing a Horror Novel." I hope you enjoy it!