Tomorrow is September 1. Which means today is New Year’s Eve. Not the official one, obviously. Nobody is going to stand outside tonight in twenty-degree weather wearing a stupid hat and counting backward from ten. There probably won’t be champagne. Ryan Seacrest is unlikely to turn up. And if somebody starts singing Auld Lang Syne, […]
The Other New Year’s Eve Read More »
A thriller is supposed to make you nervous. Cozy fiction is supposed to make you feel safe. Put them together and you get something resembling a relaxing panic attack. Except… what if cozy doesn’t mean nothing bad can happen? What if it simply means that when trouble comes, you won’t have to face it alone?
Can a Thriller Be Cozy? Read More »
Once upon a time, “cozy” meant somebody had been murdered in a picturesque English village, but at least there was tea. Now cozy has escaped the mystery shelves and wandered into fantasy, science fiction, and even my own *The Summer Garden*. So what exactly makes a story cozy—and what genre will it invade next?
Is Everything Getting Cozy? Read More »
August may look quiet from the outside, but behind the scenes authors are tending stories the way gardeners tend their plants—patiently preparing for the season ahead.
The Dog Days of an Author’s Summer Read More »
Ever noticed how some books sit half-finished for weeks—or even months—not because you stopped enjoying them, but because life simply got in the way? The best stories are patient. They’re always ready to welcome you back.
The Books We Never Actually Finish Read More »
Writers rarely work on just one book at a time. While readers see the finished novel, there’s often an entire queue of stories in progress behind it—drafts, edits, serials, and ideas waiting for their turn. Here’s a look at what’s currently occupying my writing desk this summer, from new thriller adventures to ongoing serial fiction and the next novel waiting in the wings.
What’s On My Desk This Summer Read More »
Readers often wonder whether buying books directly from an author’s website really makes a difference. The answer is simple: it does. Direct sales help fund editing, cover design, and future books, while creating a closer connection between readers and the authors whose stories they enjoy.
Why Buying Direct Matters More Than You Think Read More »
Some of the most important things in life begin as something small and uncertain. A packet of seeds. A first chapter. A conversation. Standing in the garden this spring, watching green shoots push through the soil, reminded me that growth is often invisible until suddenly it isn’t—and that the things we plant today may become far more than we ever imagined.
The Things We Plant Read More »
A retired widower. A community garden. A cast of unforgettable neighbours. While Fall From Grace continues to take shape, Mark Posey has also been nurturing a very different story. The Summer Garden is a warm, character-driven serial about grief, friendship, second chances, and the surprising ways people keep growing long after they think life’s most important seasons have passed.
Something New is Growing Read More »
Some years are quieter than others. Some years are meant for rest.
And some years? Some years hand you a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a horizon full of work worth doing.
In this reflective new post, Mark Posey writes about turning sixty, building twenty raised garden beds, rebuilding the future of Stories Rule Press, and why this season of life feels less about chasing and more about building — steadily, patiently, one load of compost at a time.
The Year of the Horse Read More »
This weekend, I’m trading the keyboard for lumber, screws, and soil as I builds twenty raised beds in the backyard. There’s a quiet satisfaction in work you can see at the end of the day—and a surprising connection between gardening and writing. Both are acts of optimism: you do the work now, trust the process, and hope something good will grow.
Twenty Raised Beds and the Quiet Joy of Starting Something Read More »
Writers spend months — sometimes years — alone in a room inventing characters, places, and entire worlds. It can start to feel like writing is a solitary act. But the truth is, a story isn’t finished when the writer types the last sentence. It comes alive when someone reads it. When a reader laughs, gasps, misses their bus stop, or stays up far too late turning pages — that’s when the story truly becomes real.
Why Readers Matter More Than Writers Sometimes Think Read More »