Blackspire

The first missive from the new outpost.

Welcome to the first official update since the move! It’s been a full week since I announced Blackspire’s departure from Substack, and five days since I deleted the account. It’s been pretty strange not being part of that community, but maybe the best thing about it is the time that I’ve managed to get back since I’m not scrolling endlessly through Notes :).

Ossuary No. 13 Soft Launch

One of the biggest pieces of news (at least to me) is the soft launch of Ossuary No. 13. It will be a print-only horror zine that’s mailed directly to subscribers. There’s no other way to get access to the stories, poems, and art that will be included (no digital archive?! nope.).

The first issue will hit mailboxes in late September. Submissions “officially” open June 22 and close on September 1, but the soft open means that you can sub early if you’ve got something that might fit. The first issue’s theme is “undeath” (whatever that might mean to you).

• Interested in submitting something? Go here.
• Want to subscribe? Go here.

Catch Me Elsewhere

As part of getting away from Substack, I’m trying to get active in other places, like Wattpad. Here’s where you can find me:

• Wattpad

• Wrizzit

• Tumblr (yes, it still exists!)

• Ko-Fi

Other Authors Setting Up Their Own Sites

There are lots of other authors setting up their own independent sites (some have left Substack, others are still there). Some of those you’ll want to follow are:

• https://rmgreta.wordpress.com

• https://hyliancorvid.wordpress.com

• https://www.dripfedsun.com

• https://maknight5.wordpress.com

• https://brokenswordpublications.com

• https://www.nathandanielhatch.com

(more to come!)

Plans Moving Forward

With the move away from Substack and getting Ossuary 13 set up, I haven’t had a whole lot of time for writing, but I’m getting back at it. Here’s what you can expect.

• An Empire Drowned: Book 2 of The Empire of the Waves Cycle is still coming. It’s up to about 40,000 words or so. I’d initially hoped to have it out by the end of 2026, and that may still happen, but it’s looking more and more like early to mid-2027.
• The Phoenix Meridian: Brad and I are still (very slowly) plugging away at the last book in the trilogy. No release date in mind, but it’s still in progress.
• More Western Folk Horror Stories: With the conclusion of The Eater & the Eaten, I realized just how much I love horror, and folk-horror in particular. I also really enjoy writing westerns, so you can expect some more in that vein from me. I’ve got the rough idea for at least 2 (one involving vampires and one with a wendigo) set in the same universe as Eater/Eaten. These will likely be serials.
• A Halloween Surprise: I’m working on a werewolf-related short story that I hope to debut around Halloween. It won’t be a western and will be set in the present day (or at least close to it).

Thanks for reading and coming along on the journey!

– Walt