This past summer during the rollout of The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake (Lethe Press), I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts with Amanda Stevenson-Holmes for her South magazine story, "Three Paths to the Page." Our discussion dipped into my experience as an educator, but mainly focused on the tension between “day-job” obligations and artistic endeavors—how "friction fosters fiction."

“Clint Smith’s The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake offers up a solid reminder that not every cabin-in-the-woods story is a slasher tale—and that our genre is infinitely better for that variety.” 

“A single punch in a middle-school hallway, then decades of aftershocks. [Clint] Smith dissects male violence not as spectacle, but as a wound that never heals.”

“Smith has channeled his imagination into a new novel. THE SACRAMENTS OF BLACKGUM LAKE weaves together dark and foreboding waters, personal struggles and the legend of John Dillinger into a compelling page-turner.”

Literarily speaking, this is a professional first: my story, “Watching the Crawl,” has been adapted into a fully-produced episode on Season 24 of The NoSleep Podcast

I’ll join other writers from Central Indiana at the annual JCPL Local Author Fair. In addition to discussing previous releases (The Skeleton Melodies, and Ghouljaw), I’ll be showcasing my latest novella, The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake (Lethe Press)

My short story, "Hog Butcher For the World," plays leadoff for CHTHONIC MATTER QUARTERLY, #13.

For the time being, I’ve concluded my research into the life of John Dillinger and his rogue’s gallery of associates.  And when I appropriate the term “research,” what I’m really talking about is examining the final year of his short yet intriguing life.

Justin Steele, in publication partnership with Sam Cowan, has revealed the cover art for the forthcoming Dim Shores anthology, Suffering the Other. The amazing design comes courtesy of RewX (Andrew S. Fuller). Suffering the Other is a charity compilation benefitting the Transgender Law Center and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). After production costs, all proceeds will be split between the two organizations.

Some of it’s due to practical (read: mundane) distractions, though more of it’s intentional, but I’ve resided on the margins of “the socials” lately, conducting deep dives elsewhere...

Recently in from the estimable editor, C.M. Muller: Proud to announce that my story, “Hog Butcher for the World, is slated to appear in an early, 2026 installment of Chthonic Matter Quarterly.

I’m in the clear to make an official announcement: My story, “January Sick,” will appear in the Dim Shores anthology, Suffering the Other, a charity compilation benefitting the Transgender Law Center and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). When the call went out last spring, I began constructing a story I thought would hold its own in a predictably competitive field (and I’m keyed to now be in league with so many formidable voices); but the central intent was to produce a story that pulled no punches.

It’s early on in the process, but I’m antsy. With appreciation and pride, I’d like to announce that I’ve signed a contract with Lethe Press, which is set to publish my novella, The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake, in January, 2026. I’ve been working to distill this story since the summer of 2021, and am gratified that it’s found a home with such a reputable publisher. 

In a year yielding a cascade of creative disappointments, inclusion in Cosmic Horror Monthly No. 58 has provided a guyline of encouragement. (Thanks to the creative team at CHM: Charles Tyra, Jolie Toomajan, and Carson Winter.) Featuring arresting cover art by Teo Lehog, check out the April, 2025 issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly, containing my story, “Onward and Downward.” Fellow contributors include EC Dorgan, Marisca Pichette, and Max Zoska. Cover art by Teo Lehog

Meta pirated millions of books to train its AI. Search through them here.

Cover Design by HR Hegnauer Now available for Order! Once you’ve gone through Paypal, you’ll be rerouted back to a page with your .epub link. If you run into any issues, email nopresspu…

“I remember feeling shocked that there was still so much sunlight outside, that the sky hadn’t turned black already.” There are uncountable undercurrents of illumination within David Surface’s stor…