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Free Southern Noir Sampler

Want the stories behind the stories — the darker trails, the unsolved mysteries, the midnight thoughts?
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DEAD AFTER DARK

The Blog: Unapologetically Writing

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Magnolia with hidden blade

Magnolia with hidden blade

Femme Fatales & Steel Magnolias: Women in Southern Noir

Discussing women characters in Southern Noir

Nov 252 min read

Eleven Months In: What It’s Really Like to Be a Nobody with a Book

Eleven Months In: What It’s Really Like to Be a Nobody with a Book

Eleven Months In: What It’s Really Like to Be a Nobody with a Book

Brute honesty about indie publishing

Nov 142 min read

Cemetery of What-Ifs

Cemetery of What-Ifs

Building a Universe Out of What If

Building fictional universes based on the single What-if.

Nov 113 min read

Lady holding a cake

Lady holding a cake

Scandals and Society: How Gossip Fuels Tension in Southern Noir

Gossip fuels tension and society in southern noir

Oct 142 min read

Lady holding pie with bless your heart

Lady holding pie with bless your heart

“Bless Your Heart” and Other Warnings: The Weaponization of Southern Manners

The Weaponization of Southern Manners

Oct 12 min read

grandma with a Bible and a shotgun

grandma with a Bible and a shotgun

God, Guns, and Grandmothers: Unpacking Southern Cultural Tension in Crime Fiction

God, Guns, and Grandmothers: Unpacking Southern Cultural Tension in Crime Fiction

Sep 22 min read

rural scene

rural scene

Writing the Land: How Setting Becomes a Character in Southern Fiction

Writing the Land: How Setting Becomes a Character in Southern Fiction

Aug 192 min read

man in a sheriff's uniform

man in a sheriff's uniform

Lawmen, Outlaws, and the Murky Middle

Lawmen, Outlaws, and the Murky Middle

Aug 52 min read

Cartoon woman in shoe store

Cartoon woman in shoe store

Try. Fail. Try Again. Not Every Publishing Shoe Fits — And That’s Cool

Try. Fail. Try Again. Not Every Publishing Shoe Fits — And That’s Cool

Jun 242 min read

woman sitting on porch

woman sitting on porch

The Art of Slow-Burn Suspense: Letting Crime Unfold in Small-Town Stories

The Art of Slow Burn Suspense: Letting Crime Unfold in Small-Town Stories

Jun 102 min read

Cartoon of a confident woman in glasses standing in front of a smirking dragon. A bright yellow stamp with a red slash reads “NO DRAGONS."

Cartoon of a confident woman in glasses standing in front of a smirking dragon. A bright yellow stamp with a red slash reads “NO DRAGONS."

Why I Write the Way I Do (And Why I'm Not Chasing the Crowd)

Some writers chase trends. Some chase dragons. I chase the story that won’t leave me alone. The ones that get stuck in my head and people...

May 272 min read

Two older Southern women sit in rocking chairs on a front porch, sipping drinks and trading gossip. One says, “That still ain’t gonna help her.” The other replies, “The only way that girl can talk southern is if she channels Faulkner from beyond the grave.” The scene captures the dry wit and judgmental charm of small-town conversations in the rural South.

Two older Southern women sit in rocking chairs on a front porch, sipping drinks and trading gossip. One says, “That still ain’t gonna help her.” The other replies, “The only way that girl can talk southern is if she channels Faulkner from beyond the grave.” The scene captures the dry wit and judgmental charm of small-town conversations in the rural South.

Writing Dialogue with a Drawl: Using Language to Build Character

I write like I talk. Sometimes that’s polished. Other times it’s got dirt on its knees and a drawl that won’t quit. Either way, it’s...

May 133 min read

Black and white illustration of a woman sitting alone on a porch swing under a large, twisted tree. The branches loom over her as birds or bats fly in the sky. The atmosphere is quiet, tense, and slightly ominous—capturing the eerie calm of a rural Southern setting at dusk.

Black and white illustration of a woman sitting alone on a porch swing under a large, twisted tree. The branches loom over her as birds or bats fly in the sky. The atmosphere is quiet, tense, and slightly ominous—capturing the eerie calm of a rural Southern setting at dusk.

The Smell of Blood and Honeysuckle in the Morning

The Smell of Blood and Honeysuckle in the Morning

Apr 293 min read

Black-and-white cartoon of a woman with a gun approaching a crossroads near Hawkins Cove. She faces three signs: Law (marked with a sheriff’s badge), Justice, and Revenge. Southern noir dilemma in one picture.

Black-and-white cartoon of a woman with a gun approaching a crossroads near Hawkins Cove. She faces three signs: Law (marked with a sheriff’s badge), Justice, and Revenge. Southern noir dilemma in one picture.

The Sheriff, the Snake, and the Shotgun: Unraveling Law & Justice in Southern and Rural Noir

The Sheriff, the Snake, and the Shotgun: Unraveling Law & Justice in Southern and Rural Noir

Apr 153 min read

frazzled woman

frazzled woman

The Adventure So Far, Again – Part 2

The Adventure So Far, Again – Part 2

Apr 14 min read

Upset grandma

Upset grandma

Confessions of a Dark-Hearted Storyteller

I had a moment of realization recently—a full-on Come to Jesus epiphany. I don’t write soft crime. I don’t write polite mysteries with...

Mar 42 min read

Woman annoyed

Woman annoyed

The Adventure…So Far – Part 1

It's not all fun and games trying to sell a book

Feb 193 min read

shocked woman watching a screen

shocked woman watching a screen

True Confessions of a True Crime Junkie

So, fellow true crime junkies—what’s your favorite case, book, or documentary?

Feb 53 min read

woman with a stack of notebooks

woman with a stack of notebooks

Spinning Yarns, Making Mayhem, and Finding My Happy Place

Talking about my happy place and writing stories.

Dec 14, 20243 min read

girl on a roof with wings

girl on a roof with wings

Uncorporate: Trading the Boardroom for the Blank Page

Walking away from corporate life for the uncertainty of writing books.

Nov 27, 20244 min read

WHAT AM I READING?

It by Stephen King (1986)

Cup and books

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

> Pivoting marketing/sales campaigns (yuck, but it's necessary - I'd rather write 😉)

> Creating a new channel on Substack

> Designing the release campaign for Nashville book 2 - Losing Shane

> Nashville series book 3 moved into line editing (I'm shooting for a Q1 2026 release - fingers crossed)

> Writing book 2 of my Cromartie trilogy (part of Nashville series)

Quill and ink

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