Hello again! Here's all the hot, steaming tea that's fit to drink from MRDland. PUBLICATIONS: "Are You Gonna Be My Ghoul?" in Deadly Duos: Funfair Frights (Dreadstone Books), available here (digital only). This was conceived and partly written at the Royal Adelaide Show last year, and it's out in time for the Show this year! "Pluck a Silken String" in…

Welcome back! That last post got a lot more traction than is usual in these parts—thanks to everyone for checking it out, it was a real labour of love. I've added a couple of names since posting and I might keep doing so as I go. But now we're back to our irregularly scheduled programming, so let's get into it!

This is not who we are. Add your name.

In honour of Women in Horror Month, here's an exhaustive (though still woefully incomplete) list of female creatives in the darkest of fields, along with works of theirs I recommend. I stretch the definition of horror a bit here and there, and whilst this is primarily about authors, I've also included some musicians, actors, directors, producers, critics, icons, and artists — and do keep in mind that there are so many more unsung women working behind the scenes in roles I haven't touched upon: agents, editors, make-up artists, camerawomen, production assistants, cover designers, FX creators, proofreaders, publishers, and a hundred more.

Happy Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day! (Yes, this was supposed to come out on one and then the other, but here we are now. Sheesh.) Okay, first of all let's catch up on the news. Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe has been shortlisted for Best Collection in the 2025 Aurealis Awards! As Meg would say: YEE HEE! Check out the full listings of finalists…

Before we get started on summing up the better bits of 2025... In December, I signed two new book contracts in one week. So now, including the long-awaited Ribspreader novelisation—the cover is coming along and it's looking great!—I will have three books dropping in 2026! One Last Laugh in the Dark is a novella. A Banquet of Broken Hearts is a novel.

Yeah, I've been sitting on this one for a few weeks. It's so hard to stay motivated sometimes beneath the crushing weight of one's own failures and shortcomings—but you want to read about the fun stuff, right? Here goes! The Writing on the Wall: A Horror Tribute to Iron Maiden is out now from Wicked Oujia, featuring my tale "Flash of the Blade", and you can buy that…

YouTube video by Specul8 Publishing

Samhain Screams will be released on the 17th of October—but the Kindle version is available for pre-order today at just $1.99 instead of $3...

Well, I told you it was very imminent... Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe goes live today, September 19, and here we are on my 100th blog post, revealing the cover! Feast your eyes on this: Cover art by Don Noble You can get it direct from JournalStone here, and if you order the paperback, you'll get the ebook immediately to tide you over.

After an extended gestation period, Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe is looking at a very imminent drop. I've been going over roughs by Don Noble based on an idea of mine and I've just approved the final cover and interior layout. It's taken a long path to publication, but I assure you it will be worth the wait! Another thirteen dark and wonderful short stories, blurbed by some of the best in the biz...

YouTube video by Booked On Rock

Wow, you're thinking. Back so fast, MRD? It's only been a month or so since your last post! Well, cool your jets, peeps. No need to be snarky about it. Or maybe I'm just way too sensitive lately... yeah, that's absolutely it. Sorry about that. Anyway, this post has been sitting in drafts during an unusually busy week, so let's get into the facts:

That's right! My first non-fiction book is finally out and you can grab your own copy this very minute! (It's available through Booktopia, Sanity, QBD, Abbey's, Rocking Horse Records, The Nile, WH Smith, Amazon, and many more places, though be careful... some outlets insist it's not available until July or August for some reason.) Keep reading for the story behind the book, plus a piece that didn't make it into the final version.

The 2024 Australasian Shadows Awards shortlists have been announced! Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlists. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at Conflux 19, to be h…