One of my former students published an entire collection of Haiku about my other dog Arlo and now it’s a “Top New Release” in Haiku and Japanese Poetry on Amazon. I guess people really REALLY love dogs.
Haiku Coyote: Tales of Monster and Magnificence
I started writing as a way to process/express the sorrow that plagues my community. So many of us have lost loved ones to addiction. My hope is that TURKEYFOOT does our story justice. I’m so happy for this novel to find a home with
@ShotgunHoney
The preorder link for Turkeyfoot is live! I’ll be posting blurbs, podcast interviews, and a schedule of readings/workshops soon! This Friday the amazing
@ReckonReview
will be revealing the cover!
@RonEarl
killed it with this one!
@ShotgunHoney
Ignore our big heads and look at that beautiful paperback!! Super cool surprise visit from
@RonEarl
! Preorder this story of sorrow, beauty, and hope today wherever you buy your words!
So grateful to the wonderful
@mgnlcs
&
@ReckonReview
for the Turkeyfoot cover reveal! Check out
@RonEarl
's amazing cover for this novel and read a short essay I wrote about my personal connection to the story and how I started writing in the first place! Preorder a copy today!
Today we have an essay from
@RA_Childers
, the author of the forthcoming novel TURKEYFOOT from
@ShotgunHoney
. We are also so excited to be able to reveal the gorgeous cover designed by
@RonEarl
. See it here:
I’ve been so blessed to call
@silasdhouse
my teacher, colleague, and friend. He’s introduced me to so many amazing people and supportive writing communities. Thank you for everything, Silas.
“This harrowing debut is equal parts grit and empathy. Turkeyfoot is full of complex characters, pitch-perfect dialogue, and a sense of place so vibrant you can hear the birds singing, see the mist-shrouded hills, and smell the smoke of the off-brand cigarettes."
—Silas House,
Blurbs coming in, edits being made. How can it be that my novel, my baby, is actually going to be published in September? It feels like watching a big tomato ripen on the vine and I can still remember when it was only a seed.
I was taught the sandwich method of workshopping writing, start with something you like, then get to what needs work, end on something nice as well. You can apply this to a lot in life. We all need a healthy mix of optimism and reality to keep going.
I always break out the cowboy boots for the first day of classes before promptly swapping back to my dirty new balances after realizing how much my feet hurt.
Absolutely gorgeous poster for the 2024 Kentucky Book Festival. I am so excited to be a part of this event, come see me Saturday, November 2nd
@JosephBethLex
and grab a signed copy of Turkeyfoot! Available for preorder now!
I spent like 2019-2021 literally just outlining my half written novel on those giant oversized sticky notes and I rolled them up and carried them around with me like they were family heirlooms I couldn’t replace. It wasn’t very productive. Please don’t give up. You got this.
One of my favorite trees are these Persian Silk Trees (sometimes called Mimosas or Asian Silk Trees). Interesting history behind them, but the reason I like them is because my cousins and I would strip the leaves for imaginary cash and then pretend to smoke the stems like cigars.
This week I got to spend not one, but two nights on the phone looking through my manuscript with an author I greatly admire and who’s work has strongly influenced my own. What a blessed life. TURKEYFOOT; THIS SEPTEMBER! IT IS COMING FAST Y’ALL!
This time last year I was making major edits to my manuscript (collapsing 2 characters into 1). It was like blowing up a log jam, the plot began to flow naturally.
Now I’m making edits to send to said manuscript’s publisher. Great things coming from
@ShotgunHoney
and
@gritlit
!
Endlessly grateful to
@DavidJoy_Author
for taking time to read this novel. A kind, generous writer who will tell you exactly how it is whether you like it or not. Don’t spin all of his gravel out if you go visit him.
So grateful to celebrate my friend Matthew Parsons’ debut poetry collection last night. Mountain Roosters is a powerful examination of masculinity in mountain culture and it’s filled with witty wordplay as a bonus!
“Turkeyfoot ties together a cast of characters fully fleshed and deeply scarred. Here, no one is ever more than one person removed. All are linked like bloodkin.”
—David Joy, author of Those We Thought We Knew
Preorder today!
My debut novel Turkeyfoot will be out next month, but I realize many of you don't have a clue what I write about. Soon I'll share some blurbs, the cover, pre-order links, events, and all that good stuff. In the meantime, here's a tiny glimpse into what this novel is gnawing on.
Kentucky loses in the NCAA tournament. This is always the time of year when I just allow myself to be consumed by literature in order to dull the pain.
Dad and papaw always told me to find a job in an office as opposed to breaking my back pouring concrete like they did. Here I am making coffee and deciding which book to start the day with.
Me trying to prepare for incoming first year college students, Appalachian Literature, and a book tour. That first pumpkin spice latte of autumn is gonna hit so good.
The official Turkeyfoot launch party will be at Berea College's Loyal Jones Appalachian Center on Wednesday, September 11th @ 6PM! I'll read a little, take some questions, and sign some books. The college's Visitor Center will be set up with copies of the novel for sale!
I love how we’ve gone full circle from getting important news at local markets and community spaces to the rise of bloated internet trash media to now the most reliable place for important news being your local Facebook yard sale group.
Writers could learn a lot from hoopers. Shooters shoot, writers write. Sometimes you’re gonna go out there and go 0-10, sometimes you’re gonna be green lighting everything you put up. You just gotta trust your skill, form, process, and lace up.
Hello,
#WritingCommunity
this intro is for my dog Arlo, as you can see he’s extremely literary. He once completed an entire virtual writing residency with me and even inspired a collection of haiku about his life.
Sometimes writing requires getting knee deep into the research; just got off the phone with Dairy Queen. Confirmed my character can order coffee at his local DQ in the afternoon if he so desires.
My favorite thing about my 2 year old’s “ooh what’s that?” phase has been answering every single time in earnest. We’re basically going into stores and taking inventory at this point.
Trust your process, even if that means you don’t do anything for a couple months and then suddenly one weekend your new antagonist’s entire persona, motives, and lines of dialogue start dancing through your head.
One of my favorite writing workshop moments was when this guy wrote a lengthy poem expressing his love for beans and cheese. Little did I know later in the semester he would go to bat for my short story while everyone else was tearing it down.
#PositiveVibesOnly
#beans
Today was a good day. Started with watching the rain with my family while we enjoyed iced coffees, successful cover reveal and essay put out into the world, seen the Goodyear blimp over I-75 (good sign) and now… well now I’m going to an Elvis tribute concert.