Month of the Emerald

A letter on Askari activities.

May 06, 2026

Dear friends and colleagues,

The season grows warm and then cool and then warm. We work toward our goals and negotiate their meaning. At our worst, we negotiate the meaning of meaning. Then we go on.

Forthcoming

We’re having a party soon. It’s probably going to be June 6th. It’s not announced yet. It’s a secret.

There’s a manuscript about a young man coming of age I’ve been shopping. They’ve been telling me coming of age is a women’s genre, and his voice is so boyish. Whether I sell it or put it out myself I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve been working hard on a vast, ambitious work. It’s a poem in a hundred cantos, twenty-four books, like Milton and Homer. If all goes as well I can start sharing it with you in August.

I’ve also been working on the start of an enormous story of a nation. One could call it epic fantasy. The first cycle of three books is coming along. Perhaps summer will see it released. This one is too complex in scope to be worth selling to a traditional publisher. If it finds a home it will be in the hearts of peculiar readers with a penchant for military logistics and heartache.

In a matter of months I’ll be able to tell you about the film we’re producing and shooting come September. It’s going to be a delight and we need your support. It’s hard work, Herculean, making a film.

There are so many things I want to share with you. I don’t think I’ll ever have enough time. Weeks tumble by.

A Cancellation comes out from New Ritual Press on May 30th in paperback. I think it has a very smart cover and turned out well. It’s such a sad, immediate story. I think of it constantly. We recently got a chance to bring it to life for a day, in a small way, and I’m excited to share that soon.

Press

I realize I have been remiss in sharing press about my work. Here is a roundup.

The talented ARX-Han wrote a review of Scenebux recently for The Metropolitan Review. He had previously reviewed Quarterlives for DECENTRALIZED FICTION. There was also some Scenebux coverage by Mythos Noir, Big Reader Bad Grades, and the LilRB. The other day, author David Polonoff interviewed me for X-R-A-Y.

As for my own appearances, I went on Art of Darkness with my publisher Dan Baltic in March to talk about the book and my journey. The episode is here. I also did Synthesized Sunsets and Method and Madness for Scenebux. For Quarterlives, earlier, I did a written interview for Pulp, Pipe & Poetry with Frank Kidd and a podcast appearance on Book Club from Hell.

Rambo Van Halen also wrote a particularly personal review of Current Affairs.

Life

Los Angeles continues to welcome travelers and transplants, even in the face of the collapse of the local film industry. It’s quiet here. Many people are leaving, but the restaurants and parks and freeways are open for business. This town has reinvented itself before and it will again.

Here are a few photos from life. Each day is something to cherish.