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! 

Upcoming Readings in September

For those of you living in the Greater Toronto Area, I want to let you know that I've got a couple of readings scheduled for next month. If you're free on one (or both!) of these dates, come on out and say hi. They are:

• Wednesday, September 10 - Brockton Writers Series. I'll be sharing a stage with Chrisopher Yusko, Steffi Tad-y, and Farah Ghafoor at this long-running reading series. The event takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 at the new Glad Lit location, 32 Lisgar St in Toronto. In the lead-up to this event, I'll be writing a guest blog post for the Brockton Writers Series website, so stay tuned for that!
• Saturday, September 13 - Launch for The Ampersand Review No. 8. This is an afternoon event, happening from 12:30 to 2:30pm at the Mississauga Hazel McCallion Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Mississauga, Program Room 3B. Not sure yet of the lineup, but I'm certain it's going to fantastic!

So if you're able to come out for one of these events, I would love to see you there!

M.

Acceptance: Grain magazine

Well, it would seem that I am on a roll with short fiction. I received word a couple of weeks ago that a new story of mine, called "Exactly Nine Years," has been accepted for publication in Grain magazine! The piece will appear in Vol. 53.1, Fall 2025, which is Grain's 200th issue.  

This marks the second time I've appeared in the pages of Grain: I had a poem published in it back in 2017. Over the decades, the magazine has become a literary institution on the Prairies and beyond, and I'm so pleased to have another piece accepted by the good folks who run it.

"Exactly Nine Years" will mark the fourth short story I've published over the last year and a bit: I had a story in The Fiddlehead last summer (in issue 300 - gotta love those round numbers!), one in the Devouring Tomorrow anthology published this spring, and one this summer in The Ampersand Review. Which is all so encouraging, considering that, prior to this flurry, the last short story I had published was, gulp, back in 2014!

Anyway, stay tuned as I share more deets about this issue of Grain when it's published later this year.

M.