Today's the day. COLD, BLACK & INFINITE is unleashed upon the world! Available pretty much wherever books are sold. Here's a good primer on the book, where to buy, and more: toddkeisling.com/news/cold-blac
I'll be posting about the book throughout the day, so keep an eye on this thread!
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Todd Keisling (Updates Only - Follow on Bluesky)
@todd_keisling
Horror writer & designer. Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of DEVIL’S CREEK, SCANLINES, & more. Rep: . He/him. linktr.ee/tkeisling
Todd Keisling (Updates Only - Follow on Bluesky)’s posts
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Hey. Today is my grandma's birthday. I'm going to see her in a few days and I'd like to show her a ton of birthday wishes, so if you've got the time, wish my mamaw a happy birthday!
I've lived in Pennsylvania for 18 years, and this is the first time I've heard of this. I'm dead now. 💀 🤣
Friendly reminder: People fuck up, make mistakes, say things the wrong way, or simply say the wrong thing. We have all done it, and you are not innocent. I’m certainly not.
Maybe things would be less toxic here if we all remembered that.
Happy Saturday.
I am extremely honored/fortunate/thrilled to announce that I am now represented by Becky LeJeune of the Bond Literary Agency. I haven't felt this excited about my writing career in a while, and can't wait to see what the future holds. Thanks, Becky!
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I am incredibly excited to announce that I am now representing the fabulous @todd_keisling! His work is amazing and I can confirm that it gives me actual nightmares!
When you’re sorting books and discover you own a signed Stephen King… 🤯
I'm happy to say DEVIL'S CREEK has a new home with ! More details as they come together. Stay tuned. 🤘🔥🤘
This motherfucker...
Boom!
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Me, taking out my recycling: 😐
My neighbor: Hey! I loved Devil’s Creek!
Me: Oh yeah? Thanks! 🥰
Neighbor: So I bought the rest of your books!
Me: What?! All of them? 🤯
Neighbor, holding stack of books: Yep!
No punchline. It made my day. 🖤
Today's been the longest day of my professional career. For those out of the loop, I have some bad news: my publisher, Silver Shamrock, has closed its doors following recent controversy. DEVIL'S CREEK will be going out of print. The audio book will remain available. 1/5
Lost my job today. I think the Universe is trying to tell me I don’t belong in the corporate world. 🤷♂️ Onward.
The news is out! My next collection, COLD, BLACK, & INFINITE: STORIES OF THE HORRIFIC AND STRANGE, releases next July courtesy of Cemetery Dance!
COLD, BLACK & INFINITE: STORIES OF THE HORRIFIC AND STRANGE is due for release on 9/26/23 from Cemetery Dance. Advance Reader Copies are available upon request.
Also, the book is available for pre-order from ! Link to follow.
This motherfucker. Don't do this, folks. Just don't. It isn't cute or funny.
AUTHORS: WHY DO YOU WRITE HORROR?!
(Wrong answers only.)
Hey, folks. Erica is having a procedure done this morning. Positive vibes appreciated. ✌️
It's done. All 64k words of it. I don't know if it's any good, but I'll worry about that later. For now, it's done.
Just signed a contract. Details when I can share them.
On a more positive note, I just sold a story. Details when I can share. ✌️
Another preview of the new interior of DEVIL'S CREEK. This is from Part 5, and the corruption has spread significantly.
Trigger warnings aren’t censorship, they’re an empathetic courtesy to readers. I used one in SCANLINES for that reason. I’ll likely use them in future books.
I don’t like conflict. I don’t like drama. I just want to write stories. But right now, I’ve got friends in the…
Gonna put this out there for the readers/fans: I can't speak for all of them, but I know a good handful of former Silver Shamrock authors have yet to be paid royalties owed (myself included). So, any/all book sales are greatly appreciated. Thank you. 🤘🖤
PSA: In light of recent news concerning Chance Forshee, I have made the decision to cancel my appearance at the Bowling Green B&N on August 12th. I do not abide bullying and harassment. My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
Wow...I'm a bit speechless. DEVIL'S CREEK made the final Stoker ballot for Best Novel. It's surreal, seeing my book wedged into a list of giants. I'm honored and humbled. Huge congrats to all the nominees! thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/the
#devilscreek #hwa #horrorishealthy
Hey, writers, stop sending your books to Bloodshot. He's learned -nothing- from the other times he's been called out.
Received a full manuscript request from an agent today. Feels good, man.
Now that the contract is signed, I am beyond thrilled to announce my story “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show” will be produced in audio by the folks at ! They’ve been my white whale since 2007, so getting that acceptance email was a dream come true. #horrorishealthy
Erica is out of surgery and in recovery. Everything went well. Thank you all for the good vibes. 🖤
Yesterday, I had to stand up for myself and declare what my words are worth. It wasn't fun. I didn't like doing it. But I'm fucking glad I did, because a publisher wanted to de-value the work I'd done. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and your work. Demand your worth.
…and then I won an award for best cover art! Holy shit!
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TIH 411: This Is Horror Awards 2020 thisishorror.co.uk/tih-411-this-i
"Would you be willing to do this for free?"
No. Fuck off. Fuck allllll the way off. Keeping fucking off until you reach the end of Fuck Off Road, and take a left on to Fuck Off Lane. Then take the ramp to Interstate Fuck You and keep going until you hit Get Fucked City.
Amid all this industry talk of trends, word counts, and commercial viability, I'm over here writing a sub-70k novel about a community painfully transforming into worm-like creatures and having a blast. Will it sell? Who cares. I'm having fun.
It's true. DEVIL'S CREEK is back from the grave today. Many thanks to everyone who's shared/retweeted its return. I'll be posting throughout the day about the book, the (many) things that inspired it, and more. Follow this thread! #devilscreek #authorsoftwitter
I just want to write scary stories and make creepy art, guys. Why can't people be decent to each other?
Whether you won, were nominated, or made the preliminary ballot—hell, even if you weren’t on any sort of list but wrote something because you needed to, wanted to, had to—the horror genre had an amazing year, and 2021 is going to be just as strong. Now let’s get back to work.
This is my new boy band, Wrong Direction.
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Truth. I look pretty goddamn amazing in eyeliner.
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A sequel to Event Horizon, in the right hands with the right script, would be intriguing.
Today was a shitty day at my day job. Buy this thing I wrote so I can get the fuck out of Corporate America. Thanks. 👍 Devil's Creek amazon.com/dp/1951043030/ #devilscreek #horrorishealthy #corporateamericablows
Finally got to see one of the ARCs in person last night! I can't wait for you all to read this one!
I think this is the first time I've hit number one on the Amazon charts!
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@todd_keisling capturing the #1 New Release, and #9 overall!
mybook.to/coldblackandin
I was just recognized by a trick-or-treater as "that guy who writes books." Day made. 🖤🎃🖤
I won't consider myself successful until everyone in this tiny town knows me as "that horror guy." 😈
Just got an email from the postal worker who helped me with all those Devil's Creek shipments a couple of weeks ago. She wrote to say she got her copy yesterday, and read half of it despite having worked an 11-hour shift. Made my day!
#devilscreek #horrorishealthy
My step-brother has Covid. He was born with weak lungs, and yet refused to get vaccinated…and now he’s suffering for it. He lives in TN, can’t get a hospital room, and is terrified that he’s going to die.
There’s no witty remark here. No politics or told-ya-so. It’s just…
This will appear in the new edition of DEVIL'S CREEK, coming this January from Cemetery Dance.
Hey, Podcasters. I know demand is high for your time, but it's not a good look when you brush off authors with smaller platforms in favor of having a bigger author on your show for the 5th time. And no, I'm not talking about me.
UPDATE: The owner of Silver Shamrock responded to someone last night (not me) and claimed he will pay what he owes next month, that he's waiting for the 2nd quarter to end. He also said he told us all this, but unless I missed something, I don't think he did.
Re: Authorcon - Was anyone else visited by the older lady who insisted on reading the first chapter of a book before deciding if she would buy it or not? While standing at your table? I felt like I was on trial.
So...there was a mishap with my beard trimmer. Now I look like a nerdy metalhead straight out of 1988.
So, yeah. Today’s my birthday. And there’s book news on the horizon. In the meantime, it would be awesome if you checked out one of my books (DEVIL’S CREEK, A LIFE TRANSPARENT, et al). Several to choose from. Or check out my Patreon. $1 subs. Thanks in advance, friends!
My next story collection, COLD, BLACK, & INFINITE: STORIES OF THE HORRIFIC AND STRANGE, has a home. Details when I can share!
Shots from Authorcon:
My table. There's & in the background.
Not pictured: my pen, because lost it.
Just completed the interior for this year's souvenir anthology. It's the most complex and involved interior design I've done to date. I hope you all like it. I think you will. A big thank you to & for trusting me with the project!
It's finally complete. Now it just needs a publisher...
So cool to see DEVIL'S CREEK mentioned in 's 101 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU'RE MURDERED! Thanks, Sadie!
I hate asking for blurbs. It sets my impostor syndrome to DEFCON 1. Like, as soon as I send these asks out into the world, everyone's gonna be like "lol no" & I'll discover everyone's just been humoring me all this time. *sigh* Not fishing for compliments. I just hate my brain.
And the Summer of Dread comes to a close! The Taleless Dog has signed copies of DEVIL'S CREEK and 's BELOW! Many thanks to everyone who dropped by today to say hello! Exclamation marks!!!!!!
THE SUNDOWNER'S DANCE, in a nutshell: Retirement community. High rate of dementia. Moon cult. Meteorite. Cosmic horror. Grief. Regret. Love. Fuzzy bunny slippers. COCOON meets THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE.
My small-town cosmic horror novel, DEVIL’S CREEK, finally has a home. The book will be published by . Many thanks to Ken and Italia for helping to make this happen! I can’t wait for you all to visit Stauford, KY! 😈 #horror #WritingCommunity
For everyone who complained about the length of DEVIL'S CREEK, I'm happy to announce it's no longer 400 pages.
It's 520.
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Just sold a story. Details when I can share. 👍
Story acceptance! Details when I can share! *cackles and flies away* 🦇
Eight years in the making. Not gonna lie, folks. I teared up a little. #horrorishealthy #monochrometrilogy
We just finished MIDNIGHT MASS. I have no words. Wow.
UPDATE: I just received a payment from Silver Shamrock for royalties owed. No statement was attached, but it sounds like he told another author he would be sending out lifetime sales reports.
I don't want to break this up across multiple tweets, so here's a screenshot and appropriate meme.
When a simple email becomes a rough 600-word outline for your next book. Think...VANISHING POINT meets THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, but set against an Appalachian backdrop with the horror of DEVIL'S CREEK. "High Octane Horror," or something equally buzzwordy.
#horrorishealthy
This should go without saying, but I’ll make sure I’m clear: If you support or agree with what’s happened today, if you support the orange bag of shit in office, or if you’re racist or bigoted in any way, please unfollow or block me. Don’t buy my books. Just...just fuck off.
As the author of a book about a cult, I kinda had to own this shirt. Says so in the horror author rule book. It's another great design by the inimitable . #glitchgoods
Good news. Our PCR tests came back negative. No Covid. 👍
This is 40, and I'm going to make it awkward by being really honest.
Got my formal co-signed rights reversion letter back this morning. DEVIL'S CREEK is/will be removed from distribution, effective immediately (if not already--haven't checked). It is currently with two publishers for consideration. It will return. Can't say more than that. ✌️
A preview of the new interior I'm doing for DEVIL'S CREEK. The edges will get dirtier and darker as the story progresses. This new edition releases on January 10th from / .
Re: my last tweet - Thanks for the kind words, friends.
Except this guy. This guy can fuck off all the way over there.
Subbing a story to Black Static for the first time. Fingers crossed. 🤞
#writingcommunity #horrorishealthy
I finally got my print of the StokerCon collage framed. I'm biased, but I think it looks great.
My 7th grade English teacher just messaged me to say she ordered copies of DEVIL'S CREEK and UGLY LITTLE THINGS. 🖤
Nothing more demoralizing than job hunting. Fully qualified for jobs I know will send my mental health into the toilet; unqualified (on paper) for the jobs in which I would thrive. *flips table*
Not gonna lie, folks. It's surreal seeing all the positive reactions to DEVIL'S CREEK. Just saw someone say Kentucky's going to be the Maine of the south, and the gravity of that statement hit me with all the feels. Solve et coagula, friends. #devilscreek #horrorishealthy
Really proud of this interior work.
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We’re printing 12,000 copies of these babies for our first North American print run 
everything’s fine… I’m not going to throw up… tour dates to be announced soon too!
everything’s fine… I’m not going to throw up… tour dates to be announced soon too!
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So this is cool. Today I learned BLACK FRIDAY was a runner-up for the 666 Award for Best Novelette! Many thanks to everyone who voted!
All those signed copies went into the mail today. You guys are insane. I’m insane—and insanely grateful! Signing these books was a privilege. Thank you all so much for the support. I hope you all enjoy your visit to Devil’s Creek! #devilscreek #horrorishealthy
On the way to Scares That Care. Just crossed into Maryland. Stopped at the rest area. Walked into the men’s room…and was greeted by the sight of an old man masturbating at the urinal. 😳
Thanks for all the retweets last night, folks. Some people at my day job think my writing is getting in the way of my work, and that is not the case. I’ve kept these lives separate for 15 years; if I hadn’t, I’d have a lot more output by now. Thanks for the support!