We are at an unusual point in the American calendar this week, with three days of significance. Yesterday, February 12th, was the Abraham Lincoln's birthday, which was once celebrated as a national holiday in the USA. Friday, today, is Friday the 13th, a day devoted to superstitions surrounding the unlucky number 13. Tomorrow, of course, is St. Valentine's Day, a day of love. Admittedly, the only thing that's weird or unusual is the appearance of Friday the 13th in the middle of two other, long-established dates that have been on our calendar for a long time. To celebrate, I'm doing what I hope is an interesting take on Lincoln, a president who…

FREE GIVEAWAY ALERT – 30 COPIES! — As I’ve mentioned here before, my wife, Denise Kiernan, is releasing her newest narrative‑nonfiction title, OBSTINATE DAUGHTERS: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution, (Penguin Random House) on June 23, 2026. From Feb. 2 – Feb. 23, 2026, you can enter to win one of 30 brand‑new hardcover copies in the official Goodreads giveaway.

Here’s the link:

Back in the fall I backed a Kickstarter for Cory Doctorow’s latest book, Enshittification. I finally finished it and did a quick review on it for SleuthSayers, the mystery blog. What struck me most about Doctorow’s work is how neatly it captures a feeling that’s been bubbling beneath the surface for me, my wife, and countless others: the sense that the services and products we once trusted are slowly degrading into something far less useful.

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

First things first…

Yes, I know it is 2026, and the holidays are technically behind us. But our house and front yard are still festooned with decorations, and I don’t think I’ve taken enough photos of the Christmas Village that took so much effort to put up this year. So when it came time to write a post for SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, this week, my head was still stuck on Christmas. In one of my first posts of the new year, I always try to share some sort of inspirational message for writers. Today I am sharing an anecdote of how I came to write my first published story, and the strange thing that happened immediately afterward.

You can read my article at this link. It is called…

I promised to share some videos of our Christmas Village when we finally tricked the whole thing out, with some attention to the larger train set that snakes through the village. I have a number of videos for you in this post. The first two show two different M&M-themed cars. There are few others showing scenes from the village, and there’s a rerun of our mantelpiece trolley.

Earlier today my wife Denise Kiernan revealed the cover of her next book, which is called Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution. For those you asking, “Well, what’s it about?” I respond, “That’s what it’s about.”

In 2026 the United States will mark its 250th anniversary, which is linked to July 4, 1776, the date that most Americans associate with the nation’s founding. Denise’s book arrives in bookstores June 23, 2026, and she’s planning a number of bookstore and speaking events in what will probably shape up to be a crazily patriotic year.

I have a bit more to share with you, but first…ta-da, here’s the cover…

This week I’m participating in Advent Ghosts, an annual flash fiction event run by writer Loren Eaton. You'll find links to all the stories participating in this event at his blog, I Saw Lightning Fall. Every single one of these stories is exactly 100 words.

Loren will be adding links to more stories as we get closer to Christmas, and as writers submit them.

So be sure to check back. Here’s my story…

One of my rituals of the Christmas season is taking the time to read O. Henry’s charming, heartfelt story, “The Gift of the Magi.” It is only 2,000 words long, and a great snapshot of life in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. My particular favorite is the last paragraph, which at first glance seems a little redundant, until you realize that it needs to be. That said, I have an article at SleuthSayers today that focuses primarily on the “mystery” inherent in the story’s very first paragraph.

Denise is on a roll. She recently spoke about her breakout bestseller The Girls of Atomic City with Ralph Pezzullo, the engaging host of the podcast, Heroes Behind Headlines. That podcast episode is now live on two platforms, if you want to dig into their hour-long discussion. It’s a great way to see if you would like to read the book. Ralph marched Denise through some of the key points of the story, and how these women of the Manhattan Project came to create the fuel for the world’s first atomic bomb without their knowledge…