About five years ago, I got it in my head to start a newsletter. In part, I wanted to talk about my work! As an author, I write speculative fiction, especially paranormal horror, sci-fi, and dark fantasy. (I do some monster romance too.) As an editor and reader, I engage with the same cool content daily. But I really wanted to pair my author updates . . . with oddity lists. Sharing my passion for the creepy, eerie, uncanny side of creativity would feel incomplete without also sharing the creative work that inspires me.
I’m a millennial. I remember getting the internet.
Our house had a “computer room,” which was where our one boxy desktop lived. Talk about formative memories. Holed up in there, with Kiss FM blasting on our Sony boombox, I discovered horror.
I’d always liked the spookiest Voyager episodes. I loved the monsters on Inuyasha (plus the angst, duh). I snuck X-Files episodes whenever I could. I was way more into Animorphs than Goosebumps, but it was the Andalites and dark, gloomy pools of Yeerks that drew me in. I’d listen to the library’s cassette tapes of A Wrinkle in Time on repeat just to re-experience that “dreamcore” scene, those blank-faced kids bouncing their balls in time.
Finally, online, I found analog and digital horror, the immersive epistolary storytelling of CreepyPasta and NoSleep. I wasn’t just hooked. I was home.
My oddity lists try to capture that weird, nostalgic 2000s-era internet magic.
Horror is a huge genre, and I kind of love it all. But in particular, I’m still into the uncanny: the eerily monstrous, the quietly strange, the unexplainable. I like open endings. Slow burns. I’m a sucker for horror told via found footage, journals, letters, and blogs. And even when it’s not explicitly “horror,” I like content that has those vibes. Things that are a little disorienting, a little haunting.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve recognized this love for the uncanny in all kinds of arts. Music and dance, folklore, performance art, tabletop and indie games. Mainly, I’m a writer. But that’s never stopped me from drifting wherever things are Gothically unnerving.
I believe creativity is a renewable resource. Creatives are strongest when we’re feeding each other. The more variety, the better.
If you’re somebody who just loves the “odd,” I hope these oddity lists lead you to creative people you want to support. And make no mistake: supporting creativity is activism, especially creativity that makes the general public a bit uncomfortable.
If you’re a creator, I really hope these oddity lists spark something for you. Your work matters. Your voice matters. Please keep creating.
One side note: Being imperfect is hard.
I’ve got big perfectionist tendencies. Agonizing about inconsistencies and organization is my day job. But over the years, I’ve loved a lot of content that felt entirely human, errors and all. I might’ve even loved it because it felt so human.
I plan to keep updating these lists over time! But for now, I’m at peace with them looking a little on the “homemade” side. I promise they’re baked with love.
In January of 2025, I decided to do themed oddity lists. By about April, I realized how ambitious that was . . . aaand forged ahead anyway. The result is eleven oddity lists that each have a distinct vibe and focus. Expect book recs and reviews, old and new art, a bit of music, and some general “oddities.” I hope it’s fun to see how the lists grow over time!
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Enjoy these oddity lists?
Join me for more! The Author-Oddity Newsletter goes out twice a month. In addition to my (now un-themed) oddity lists, I share my adventures as an agented author and editor in publishing. And if you’d like to read more about my work in 2025, check out A Year in Review: Failures, Growth, Lessons.