I’m excited to announce I’ve signed a contract for another novel.

Gabriel’s Trumpet is based my short story of the same name, which will appear in the upcoming anthology Speakeasies and Spiritualists from 18^th Wall Productions.

The anthology features supernatural stories set against a 1920s backdrop of spiritualism, prohibition, and jazz culture. Expect not only horror but also adventure, mystery, fantasy, and pulp with supernatural elements.

Mississippi Delta plantation

Gabriel’s Trumpet is a supernaturally-tinged mystery telling the story of two men. Gabriel Gibbs is a Delta trumpeter who, tales claim, has returned from the dead with extraordinary musical prowess, and is shadowed by rumors of crossroads deals, grave robbing, and other occult dealings. Hot on Gabriel’s trail, seeking the truth about the musician’s background and abilities, is Dr. Marcus Roads, an investigator for the Boston Society for Psychical Research.

Action takes place across a broad swath of 1920s America: Boston, the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, and Harlem at the height of its renaissance. Along the way, Roads confronts truculent authorities, hostile locals, rival investigators, and, just possibly, supernatural agents and their mortal minions.

In his travels, Roads encounters a colorful cast of characters, some stepping out of the pages of history books: Langston Hughes, Harry Houdini, King Oliver, Charles Fort, Walter Franklin Prince, and NOLA photographer E.J. Bellocq. There may even be a character borrowed from classic Weird Tales canon, no names … but your hint is Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Look for both the short story and novel versions of Gabriel’s Trumpet sometime in 2017 from 18^th Wall Productions.