I’ve always been fascinated by multimedia storytelling. Not because I think books need gimmicks. I don’t. A novel should absolutely stand on its own. But when I’m deep in a story, I sometimes become obsessed with the objects inside it. I think this is because I visualize each scene so clearly in my head, as if I’m storyboarding a movie.

And as I write, I eventually get to the point where I want to see what things look like. For real.

The first time I really indulged this tendency was with Mister Tender’s Girl. A big part of the story involves a creepy online message board dedicated to stalking the protagonist, Alice. There were photos of her. Messages about her every movement. A whole community obsessed with her.

So I had an actual message board built. Password protected. Fully functional. Readers could log in and experience the same unsettling rabbit hole Alice discovered in the novel.

Was it necessary? Absolutely not. Was it fun? Fuck yeah, it was.

A few years later, I wrote The Dead Girl in 2A, which included a fictional and disturbing children’s book called The Responsibility of Death. The book played an important role in the story, and after a while I wanted to see what it actually looked like. So I hired an artist to create pages from it. I asked my publisher if we could put the images in the book, and she said, “Why not?”

Sweet.

Then came Tell Me What You Did. That novel follows true-confession podcaster Poe Webb, and throughout the story she’s secretly recording herself on her phone while interviewing the man stalking her. While writing the book, I kept thinking how cool it would be if readers could actually watch those videos.

So I hired an actor to film them.

The novel includes QR codes that readers can scan to see Poe freaking out as she speaks to her stalker. Those QR codes are still getting scanned more than 10,000 times a month, and I get messages every day from the villain’s phone number printed in the book.

Which brings us to When They Find Me.

This time I somehow convinced myself that what the book needed was a series of illustrated storyboards depicting scenes from the novel. I became ridiculously invested in details that most people would never notice, and I couldn’t have been happier.

The finished illustrations are gorgeous, but what excites me most is that they’re more than decoration. They mean something. They’re part of the story. Some readers will glance at them and keep going. Others will stare at them and start putting pieces together.

I don’t add multimedia because I think books need help. I add it because I’m curious. Writing a novel is already an exercise in creating things that don’t exist. Every now and then I get the urge to drag one of those things into the real world.

And so far, I’ve never been very good at resisting that urge.

A sampling of images from When They Find Me

Last month I told you about Death at the Rialto, the murder mystery dinner I wrote for a charity auction in Albuquerque. If you missed that story, you can read about it here. The short version is that I had never written a murder mystery dinner before, said yes anyway, and then spent months figuring out how the hell to pull it off.

Jessica and I made the trip to Albuquerque a couple of weeks ago, and I can happily report that it exceeded every expectation I had. It was honestly kinda surreal.

For months, this thing existed only in my head and on my laptop. Then suddenly I was sitting at a dinner table watching actors bring the story to life in front of a room full of people dressed in 1930s attire.

The sets were gorgeous. The costumes were incredible. The murder “worked” exactly the way I hoped it would. Best of all, two of the actors sat among the guests throughout dinner, fully in character the entire evening. They were interrogated relentlessly by suspicious audience members and never once broke.

As a novelist, I’m used to readers experiencing my stories privately. A person sits on a couch, opens a book, and enters the world alone. This was different. This was a room full of people experiencing the story together, in real time, and I had the unusual privilege of sitting there and watching it happen.

It was one of the most rewarding creative experiences I’ve ever had.

Big news for When They Find Me.

My November 2026 book has officially been selected for Buzz Books Official from Publishers Marketplace, which is a huge honor and something I’m incredibly grateful for. Buzz Books highlights a small group of upcoming titles that the publishing industry is especially excited about, and to see this story included among them means a lot.

When They Find Me is one of the most intense books I’ve ever written. A blizzard. A house in the remote mountains. Two days before Christmas. A knock at the door. Five hours to survive.

I spent months living inside this story and its twists, and knowing it’s already finding early enthusiasm before publication is both surreal and deeply encouraging.

Thank you to my publisher, the Buzz Books team, booksellers, librarians, early readers, and everyone who continues to support these dark little stories I somehow get to write for a living.

I’d love for you to pre-order, as pre-orders are SO important. You can do so at the button below.

New episodes of my podcast Making It Up are out! Over the past month, I chatted with:

Episode 235: Lee Goldberg
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg joined me to talk about growing up around parents who worked in media, positioning yourself for opportunity, and the differences between writing for television and writing novels. We wrapped up by making up a cinematic thriller inspired by Tod Goldberg’s Only Way Out.

Episode 234: Kate White
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate White joined me to discuss her transition from editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan to full-time novelist, staying aware of market trends, and the research she conducted on grief for her latest work. We ended by making up a dark story inspired by Emily Littlejohn’s Lost Lake.

Episode 233: Emily Carpenter
Bestselling author Emily Carpenter joined me to talk about Southern Gothic fiction, researching witchcraft and psychics, and how a distinctive voice can elevate even the simplest premise. We finished by making up an intriguing story inspired by B.J. Magnani’s We’ll Always Have Poison.

Episode 232: Jeffrey James Higgins
Retired supervisory special agent and bestselling author Jeffrey James Higgins joined me to discuss interviewing styles, overly descriptive writing, and the challenge of balancing reader expectations while experimenting with different genres. We wrapped up by making up a surprisingly funny story inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger.

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

REVIEWS 

On the Page

A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre (2014)

I’ve found myself back in a nonfiction phase lately, which means I’ve also found myself revisiting Ben Macintyre. If you’ve never read him, he writes some of the best Cold War espionage nonfiction I’ve ever come across. His books somehow manage to be deeply researched while still feeling like thrillers.

Right now I’m about halfway through A Spy Among Friends, which tells the story of Kim Philby, one of the most infamous double agents in history. Philby was a high-ranking British intelligence officer who spent decades secretly working for the Soviet Union, betraying colleagues, friends, and countless operations before finally defecting to Moscow. What makes the story so compelling isn’t just the espionage. It’s the friendships at the center of it, and the staggering level of trust Philby managed to exploit for so long. If you’re interested in Cold War history, espionage, betrayal, or simply want to read a non-fiction writer at the top of his game, this one’s worth a look.

On the Screen

Widow’s Bay (Apple, 2026)

Jessica and I are nearly finished with Widow’s Bay, and it’s the best new show I’ve watched this year.

The premise: a skeptical mayor tries to modernize a small New England island town that may or may not be cursed. But what makes the show work is the way it blends horror, mystery, and comedy without being gimmicky.

Matthew Rhys is fantastic. He’s a master of facial expressions, and some of the funniest moments come from the camera simply lingering on his reactions. The humor is real, the scares are genuinely creepy, and the whole thing has a nostalgic vibe that reminds me of Stephen King adaptations from the 1980s. Even the title font feels like it belongs on an old paperback.

It would be easy to write this off as a fun multi-genre show, but the characters are surprisingly rich and the performances are excellent. The laughs make the horror hit harder, and somehow the whole strange thing just works.

Photo of the Month

Driving back back from Albuquerque, Jessica and I stopped for coffee in Pueblo and saw someone walking an ostrich. I asked to take a picture and then shared it with our kids. Everyone’s repsonse was pitch-perfect to their character.

Update from my Kids
Sawyer is studying meteorology at LSU and is interning for a National Weather Service substation in Louisiana this summer. Last week he got to launch his very first weather balloon!

Update from my Pets

Scully was “gifted” a bag of chicken heads and isn’t sure what to think about them.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

One of the things I love most, outside of writing novels, is helping other writers with all the ups and downs of the journey. Through Unbound Writer, I offer one-on-one coaching for writers at every stage, whether you’re trying to finish a manuscript, improve your craft, develop your author platform, or simply figure out what comes next. We also host retreats, workshops, and seminars designed to help writers grow both creatively and professionally.

If you’ve ever wondered whether coaching might be helpful, I offer a complimentary 20-minute phone call so we can get to know each other, talk about your goals, and see if we’re a good fit. You can learn more about everything we offer at Unbound Writer, and I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…