Publication Day for The Deading (one day early)

Books are on the way, essays on the way, new happenings underway, and lots of secrets unveiled...

The Deading has begun shipping, flying out of warehouses like little x-wings straight to your homeworld. Those of you who pre-ordered should get them sooner than you think. The official pub day is July 23, and it’s good to be official, but early is nice too (just like this newsletter), so yeah, good news!

Lots going on. New essays coming your way (writing and finding homes for others). I can tell you about a couple of them. One is about crafting weird, monstery, and unsettling bird creatures. That one won’t be online for a few months. Another essay is appearing next week in Crimereads: “Crafting the Real & Surreal in Eco-horror: On not turning away from unreal and mysterious occurrences in nature.” I tell some strange tales in it including an expedition, if you can call it that, to find a rotting whale head! yaghh!

How about something about the book, Nicholas? All right, all right. I got my copies a few weeks ago and did an unboxing on social media. Loved seeing the hardback for the first time, grasping that dream of having a debut novel published, feeling that matte book jacket. Whoop! I remember opening the cover to some incredible end-page artwork. Those drawings are super cool, also done by cover artist Christina Mrozik. Rumor has it she might design artwork for the cover of Ten Sleep. Wouldn’t that be rad? Here’s an image of two of four end-pages. Makes for a great collector’s item.

Photo by Erewhon Books publicist Marty Cahill

More artwork? Don’t forget the map drawing of fictitious Baywood, California. Of course in real life the area is called Baywood Park-Los Osos, I think. Two separate towns, maybe? I don’t know. It’s such a small area, I kind of use the names interchangeably. Either way, in my Baywood, The Deading’s Baywood, you’ll also find a high school and a hospital, which the area doesn’t actually have. The locations for bird sightings in the novel are mostly based on real sightings I’ve had.

Don’t forget this is a weird, eco-horror story. The Deading has lots of weird and unsettling happenings, that well, aren’t real, though maybe one day if we’re unlucky enough, if the ocean decides it’s fed up with us. And, of course, the story has a Chicano birder, Blas, and his brother, Chango (who picks on his little bro for loving birds), and snails and birds, and a strange entity come up from the deep that hides in the swampy willows! There’s so much more, other cool characters, a strange Greek-like chorus that tells part of the story, and a government that is possibly betraying everyone.

What about those birders? It will be fun to see if any local birders get riled up, or curious enough by some of the characterizations in the novel to reach out and ask, “Is so-and-so [insert person] birder XY or Z in real life?”

Oh, I will deny . . .

I plan on denying most any similar question except during late night drinking sessions where I’ve been passed one too many margaritas. Don’t blame me if my tongue loosens. But do know, no character was created in anger or revenge from a real person. The novel is what it is—fiction—and stories become inspired by real life. At the same time, The Deading is meant to be its own strange, contained, imagined world. With that said, I do mention ornithologist Cin-Ty Lee in the “Author’s note,” and ornithologist Alvaro Jaramillo in my “Suggested Readings.” Alvaro gets a mention in the novel by name, just for fun. Still, a made-up character when he makes an appearance.

A handful of teen characters were named but not modeled after real birder friends. And a doggy was named after a former student, with her permission. I do want to mention that birder friend Kai Mills was the inspiration for the dotted path on the map indicating a swimming route. While that dotted line isn’t truly accurate (because who would take a longer route when swimming between two points) the event was real. Kai Mills swam across Morro Bay from Tidelands Park to the sandspit in order to re-find a super rare Common Ringed Plover. The dude is lucky he didn’t get run over by the Lost Isle tiki boat, and moreso, is an inspiration!

Please buy multiple copies of The Deading. Sales are crucial in this industry. As are favorable reviews, word of mouth, that sort of thing. So spread the word. The Deading has received great reviews on sites like Booklist, Shelf Awareness, and Electric Literature. If you cherish the book with any kind of five-star love, please show your amorousness online where you bought your copy, and maybe somewhere like Goodreads or Bookbub. Both if you’re feeling super generous. Right now it seems that people who love literary-style horror really dig The Deading—five stars and all that—while horror readers who prefer violent slashers and monster gorefests walk away without caring about the emotional core of the novel. If you care about the characters, the story, its ecological message, everything, please let everyone know with a favorable review.

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“. . . fantastical, and unnerving, exploring the strained relationship humans have with the natural world. A slow-burn with loads of payoff.”
—Electric Literature

“. . . effectively disorients the reader by offering a heightened you-are-there sense of urgency to the story, and Belardes’ thought-provoking exploration of societal collapse feels completely of the moment.”
—Booklist

“. . . an uncannily realized dystopian horror story.”
—Shelf Awareness

Other news. I have a release date for Ten Sleep: June 24, 2025! Woot woot woot! That novel has reached close to 400 pages during revisions. Cover reveal soon? I hope! Shouldn’t have to wait too long. Personally, I’m hoping it has a freaky taxidermy bear head on the cover. Would be a great reflection of the novel’s dark animalistic spirit and a super important creepy cool character, wink wink. Hard at work on two other novels. One is more slashery, some supernatural and farm worker elements, and set in Pismo Beach. The other I’m still outlining but have a title in my head that I have to use, have to. I’m leaning toward a demon possession tale, or more generic malevolent force story . . .

Goodness, that’s all for now. I guess we’re all kind of anxious lately, a kind of collective uneasiness with mixed general feelings fueled by everything going on politically in the U.S. Maybe we can all wind down with The Deading, a great big escape, a perfect end-of-summer read. Don’t forget to tune in to some Olympics. I’m gonna root for the underdogs, for dreams realized and coming true, for winners and losers, for celebrations of humanity, and will hope for good health for all the athletes, and a safe Paris games.

Take care,

~Nicholas

—Hey yo, click here for bookseller links!