I got word that my story from the Claw Machine anthology, “Narrowly, Narrowly Caught,” has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize!  This is my story in which a high school reunion and memories of grad night collide, and a claw machine reveals more than seems possible.  I leaned into my economics background and my interest in arcades for this one.  It’s the closest I’ve come to one of my stories having an actual soundtrack. 

It’s also a story in which I challenged myself to make the act of prepping a salad as tense and meaningful as I could, as evidenced here (yes, that is my actual, deplorable handwriting): 

Needless to say, I’m honored that the editor selected my story! 

My newest story, “The Queen of All Roses,” is part of The Muddy Goose Guide to the Weird Northwest: A Playable Adventure anthology from Demagogue Press.  The front cover has a playable version of the Game of the Goose, and the stories and poems have characters embarking on dark journeys involving real landmarks in Oregon and Washington.  Technically, this book had a special pre-release edition earlier this year at Worldcon, but it’s officially available today. 

So, what did I write about?  I may have created a cryptid… 

“The Queen of All Roses” took inspiration from my late nights commuting home from grad school on the MAX light rail train, plus input from my California nieces and nephew on arriving in Portland’s recently updated airport, and how I grew up visiting the International Rose Test Garden in Portland’s Washington Park. 

In fact, my younger son joined me on a research trek to the rose garden for this story.  We got an appropriately eerie day, with lots of fog. 

I also drew upon a stop our family made during our road trip to the Bay Area last year.  We checked out the Darlingtonia Trail to see a bog of pitcher plants. 

If you want to know how I meshed all that in under 3,500 words, you’ll just have to read it! 

I had a great time this past weekend at the Speculative Sundays reading!  Joshua Gage’s poetry is fantastic, and Akua Lezli Hope is always a gracious, engaging host.  In case you missed it, here’s the link to the recording.  And remember, there’s still one more session of this reading series for Speculative Poetry Month coming up this Sunday, featuring poets Angela Acosta and Alicia Hilton, two of my occasional “TOC (Table of Contents) buddies.”  We’ve cooked up some free giveaways that attendees can sign up for, too, if you’d like to see more of our work.  

Soon I’ll be transitioning to some fiction updates, including the Muddy Goose anthology. 

I briefly studied dramatic monologues in college and always thought it would be fun to write one.  This is a type of narrative poem where we hear from one speaker who gradually reveals more than they might realize as they speak.  Fun, right?  I decided to write one using a ballad form. 

My resulting poem, “The Emerald Tapestry,” has just been published in Corvid Queen, the online fairy tale magazine from Sword & Kettle Press (who also published my Elgin Award-winning chapbook!). 

One more reminder that I’ll be one of the readers for Speculative Sundays, a free online poetry reading series, this Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4pm Pacific time.  Come end your weekend strong with some poetry! 

And as I’ve mentioned, I have a new story in the anthology The Muddy Goose Guide to the Weird Northwest.  We’re cooking up a fun event to be hosted online by Vintage Books (they’re the bookstore that hosted an event for the Claw Machine anthology earlier this year).  Mark your calendars for Dec. 2 at 7pm Pacific time for this new one. 

I realize I’ve been keeping quiet on my actual writing these days.  Autumn is usually good to me.  Last month I broke through a block that had me stymied for a while, and I penned a few poems, started a couple new stories (I like to have multiple going at a time), and got an influx of research for a story that’s been eluding me for years.  My process is slow, so I’ve got to enjoy whatever progress I can claim.  And always aim to make the end product worth the wait. 

It’s the time of year for spooky poetry!  Once again, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has assembled some treats for you in the form of audio readings of members’ dark verse, curated this year by Miguel O. Mitchell.  You can hear me reading my poem “Peter Pumpkin Eater’s Most Delectable Carving.” 

If that leaves you wanting more, tickets are now available for Akua Lezli Hope’s Speculative Sundays free online poetry readings.  I’ll be bringing a mix of fantasy, science fiction, and horror on Nov. 16.  Here’s the full lineup for next month: 

I have a new story in the upcoming anthology The Muddy Goose Guide to the Weird Northwest alongside a bunch of great horror and dark spec writers from Oregon and Washington.  The book is available for preorder now.  I’ll save the details about my story, “The Queen of All Roses,” for when the book is fully released, but for now I’ll leave you with these three words:  nocturnal carnivorous rose. 

What better way to spend a Saturday in late October than at a reading and meet & greet with a bunch of friendly horror authors…  If you’re in the Portland area, come on out to my hometown of Beaverton for the second annual Horror Authors Book Party, this Saturday afternoon at the Beaverton City Library from 1pm-3pm. 

We’ve got a great lineup of readers, including Dan Finnegan, Andrew Fuller, Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito, J.B. Kish, Richard Leis, Elizabeth Mitchell, Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq, H. A. Spector, Kelsea Yu, and myself.  Come say hi, grab some candy, hear some spooky tales and poems, and maybe buy a book.  Join us if you dare! 

Here’s where you can find me at OryCon this weekend: 

Writing Beyond the Basics

October 17, 2025, 7:00pm-7:50pm PDT

Dig deeper into your writing, beyond placing characters in settings with a problem. Let’s talk about developing character voice, knowing your own voice, changing up pacing, how form follows function, sensory engagement, and more.

Panelists:  Theresa “Darklady” Reed, Katherine Quevedo, Jake Stein, Benny Loy, M. P. Hopcroft

Katherine Quevedo Kaffeeklatsch

October 18, 2025, 3:00pm-3:50pm PDT

Come have small group time with Katherine Quevedo. Due to the limited space we ask that you sign up at the Info Booth!

Pacing Your Story

October 18, 2025, 7:00pm-7:50pm PDT

Speed the story up, raise the stakes, increase the tension, or slow it down to dive deeper. But not too often. Readers, like runners, want to keep moving, but can’t handle a constant rush. What techniques, large and small, make your story a marathon, not a sprint?

Panelists:  HL Bernabe, Katherine Quevedo, Manny Frishberg, Jake Stein

It’s been a while since my friend Elizabeth Beechwood and I taught our workshop on Creating Nonhuman Characters, but I have some good news for those looking to delve into this topic:  Elizabeth has released a nonfiction book, How to Write Animal Characters, that includes insights, examples, and exercises to help writers bring their animal characters to life, especially as viewpoint characters.  She’s been studying this topic for a long time and has put together a fantastic resource.  She coined the term The Wilding—you do not want to miss that section! 

In other news, my friend Laura Burge is part of a team putting together an exciting new event, Wholehearted Writers Week.  This will be an online writer’s conference in January offering a blend of live and asynchronous discussions, a great lineup of speakers, and an emphasis on community and professional development.  I’m a huge proponent of professional development (it’s the business major in me), and I wholeheartedly (ha!) encourage folks to check out this event and consider applying.  If you do that by the end of this weekend, there’s an early bird discount. 

And finally, the OryCon schedule is still locking into place, but one thing I’ll share is that I’m scheduled for a kaffeeklatsch.  If you’re attending the con and would like to hang out in a small group setting, I hope you’ll join me!