Well, 2023 is just about finished, so I suppose it’s time for the obligatory awards eligibility post.
Man, what a year…
Safe to say I was busier with my writing this year than ever before, and I’m grateful to everyone who read one of my stories, bought a book, or came out to one of my signings to celebrate and say hello. I love being a writer, and the great friends you make along the way are the best part of that.
I had four new stories published in 2023, and here are links to those stories:
“Constellation Burn” – Bourbon Penn
https://www.bourbonpenn.com/issue/29/constellation-burn-by-josh-rountree
“Thaw” – Darkness Blooms
https://www.thedreadmachine.com/darkness-blooms/
“Till the Greenteeth Draw Us Down” – The Deadlands
https://thedeadlands.com/issue-27/greenteeth/
“See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” – PseudoPod
https://pseudopod.org/2023/09/08/pseudopod-882-see-that-my-grave-is-kept-clean/
And, this summer saw the release of The Legend of Charlie Fish, a long novella, or a short novel, depending on who you ask. The book was published by Tachyon Publications, and the whole thing was a dream come true.
I’ve had the opportunity for book signings and conversations all over Texas, and in New York City! Thanks to all the wonderful booksellers who supported these events: Vintage Wine and Books, Nowhere Books, Interabang Books, Galveston Bookshop, Murder By The Book, and The Mysterious Bookshop.
If you haven’t read The Legend of Charlie Fish yet, please give it a shot:
https://tachyonpublications.com/product/the-legend-of-charlie-fish/
“Odd, creepy, funny, The Black Lagoon meets the Six Gun universe. High up on the way-cool factor. You need this.”
—Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Award–winning author of the Hap and Leonard series
As an unlikely found-family flees toward Galveston, a psychic young girl bonds with Charlie Fish, an enigmatic gill-man. Meanwhile, they are pursued by bounty hunters determined to profit from the spectacle of Charlie. But the Great Storm—the worst natural disaster in U.S. history—is on its way. Josh Rountree’s strikingly original debut novel ranges effortlessly between the Gothic, pulp, literary, Western, and comedic. With his vivid imagery, evocative storytelling, and uncanny wit, Rountree enters the fine tradition of Texan storytellers, wading into True Grit by way of The Shape of Water.
As always, Floyd Betts rides into town alone. He arrives for his father’s funeral, but he is returning to Galveston, Texas, with two orphaned siblings he has rescued. Nellie, who is descended from a long line of witches, has visions from other people’s minds. Hank, her impulsive younger brother, just wants to break out his outsized revolver.
Along the way home, Floyd, Nellie, and Hank encounter a dubious traveling salesman, Professor Finn, and his henchman, Kentucky Jim. They are struggling to capture a fish-man in order to put him on cruel display. When Nellie taps into the peril of the gentle Charlie Fish, Floyd’s makeshift family expands to include the lost, two-legged amphibian.
With the circus charlatans in pursuit, ominous winds are picking up from an impending hurricane. Meanwhile, all Charlie Fish wants is to return to his home at sea.
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Can’t say much about 2024 yet, but I’m still plugging away, and hope to have just as much fun as I did this year.
Wishing everyone the best in the new year!