Here’s the latest news about my writing work! Scroll down to learn more about what I’ve been up to.
Sometimes, a famous writer’s use of a word that’s also in the title of your humble, little-known book is a promotional opportunity too good to pass up. If you’re curious, have a look at my latest ODD Substack post, the lighthearted “Stephen King Loves ‘Milksop’!” And if you don’t already subscribe to ODD, please do! It’s free, and you’re free to make fun of it (and me).
What does it mean to be a journeyman writer? In my newest Old Dog Dumps post, “Steady Pace or Flying Leaps? The Path from Apprentice to Journeyman Writer,” I share a bit about my long writing apprenticeship. Here’s a taste: “Milksop is Evan Mulder’s coming-of-age story—the tale of what happens to him the summer he turns 18. The story is my coming-of-age as a novelist—I’ll be 65 when it comes out. Arriving at this coordinate on the map of my life has involved one long apprenticeship, a steady-paced journey, but also some big leaps.” I hope you enjoy this window into the story of my writing life, and, as always, if the spirit moves you, please share your thoughts, as well as the post!
For almost 25 years, I’ve been part of the author team producing The College Writer for students in composition courses in colleges and universities. This academic-writing handbook has helped hundred of thousands of students become better readers, thinkers, and writers.
Given the state of the world, it’s safe to say that better readers, thinkers, and writers are needed!
Now the lead author of The College Writer, I’m pleased as punch to share that the 8th edition has been published and will be available as of January 1, 2026.
Here’s my latest post in Old Dog Dumps (ODD): Dispatches from a Journeyman Writer. “Of Cows and Turtles: Two ODD Writing Milestones” shares an update on my editing of Milksop as it gets closer to publication, along with the exciting news that I’ve finished a first draft of my second novel, tentatively titled Awkward Turtles. I have a lot of work still to do on it, but check out this post for a taste of what misadventures Evan Mulder will get up to in this tale.
My first novel, Milksop, has been acquired by Chicken House Press! Check out the acquisition announcement here. A huge thank you to Alanna Rusnak of Chicken House.
I completed a first draft of Milksop in 2023 through the Novel Development Program of The Novelry. For more about Milksop, check out my Substack post, “Today’s ODDity: I’m Publishing My Debut Novel. I’m 64.”
Milksop will come out some time in spring 2026. Stay tuned for a publication date!
It’s ODD, meaning Old Dog Dumps: Dispatches from a Journeyman Writer. In irregular posts, I’ll share what’s happening in my writing life, along with thoughts on writing and reading. Please subscribe: it’s free! To get a taste of my ODDities, check out my welcome post, This Is ODD! (BTW, in the photo, that’s our cat Lucy sleeping with our giant, Stanley. RIP, Stanley!)
From September 2023 to April 2024, I participated in the Humber School for Writers Graduate Certificate Program. I had a wonderful experience working on my second collection of stories, The Healing Arts, under the mentorship of Joseph Kertes. Stay tuned for news about the publication of this collection, a companion volume to Moonshine Promises.
“Bandits,” which was originally published in my first collection of Mulder tales, Moonshine Promises, has been reprinted in a collection titled Christian Environmentalism and Human Responsibility in the 21st Century: Questions of Stewardship and Accountability (Routledge). To accompany this story of pesky, egg-stealing raccoons, I also wrote an afterword, “Paragon of Animals.” Many thanks to the editor, Katherine Quinsey, for including my work in this collection in honour of my colleague of many years, Deborah Bowen.
My story, “The Homely Dreams of a Silly Soul,” published in the summer 2022 edition of Solum Literary Journal, has won the 2023 Word Award for best short story in the Christian short pieces category from the Word Guild! Not so homely, but still pretty silly.
Two of my recent stories have been shortlisted for 2023 Word Awards by The Word Guild! “The Homely Dreams of a Silly Soul,” published last year in Solum Literary Journal, has been shortlisted in the Short Story–Christian Market category, while “Parking Spots,” published in December 2022 in Blank Spaces, was shortlisted in the Short Story–General Market category. Winners will be announced September 16! Both stories will appear in The Healing Arts, my new collection of Mulder tales. Stay tuned for publication news!