What a wild time. I can’t believe I’m here sharing more good news with you, but I’ll take it where I can get it. I’m so, so happy to announce that I’ve sold two more novellas in The Extra universe to the wonderful Shortwave Publishing!!
The image above is the Publishers Marketplace deal announcement (with design fun by Alan Lastufka). Although the formula for PM listings (all one long sentence with a bunch of clauses, code phrases for deal types, etc.) might be baffling for people outside of the book industry, take it from me that many a writer has read the deals every day and dreamed of the time our book(s) would appear there too. It is such a cool feeling. So a quick less-weird way to tell you about these novellas that are in the same universe as The Extra:
The Extra: 10 people head out on a backpacking trip, but 11 set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra? (September 9, 2025)
The Other: A couple on an outdoor retreat meet their doppelgangers and soon must put to the test how well they truly know each other. (2026)
The Spare: A young woman is replaced by her nonexistent twin when this spare infiltrates her family’s reunion. (2027)
What a busy few years I’m gearing up for! Thank you so much to everyone who’s making time and energy to celebrate with and support me! And of course, thanks to editor Alan Lastufka for putting faith in me with these two extra titles.
And let’s wrap with one more big happy thing. Huge thanks to Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of BURN TO SHINE and COLD WAR (and one of the kindest and most hardworking authors around), for his amazing early blurb for The Extra:
“With THE EXTRA, Annie Neugebauer spins a disturbing tale of paranoia, identity, and horror packed with twists you absolutely won’t see coming! Highly recommended!”
What a dream. It’s my first book blurb ever, and such a thrilling one! I’m so grateful for the excitement around this debut. Line up your copy of The Extra now, and subscribe to my blog to make sure you’re first in line for cover reveals, preorder links for the sequels, and all the good stuff!
I’m not huge on New Year’s resolutions, but I do love the changing of the calendar as a chance to pause and take stock. I value intentional gratitude, need reminders to appreciate my successes, and enjoy dreaming ahead.
At the end of each year, many authors begin sharing their awards eligibility posts online, which is a way of summarizing what things they had published that calendar year for people who vote in various writing awards. For 2024 I only had one piece published that wasn’t a reprint, so I was feeling a little low about it. Then I started building a list of things I did this year, and it helped me put things in perspective. Reprints are awesome; work doesn’t expire, and having them published again can reach a whole new group of readers. Sometimes the things happening are behind the scenes, “old,” or forthcoming. It’s all well worth celebrating!
Here are my writing highlights from 2024.
I sold my first short story collection. You Have to Let them Bleed is scheduled for publication in spring of 2025 by Bad Hand Books. This will be my debut book. You can preorder your paperback with a signed book plate.
“This is one of the most exciting high concepts I’ve heard all year, and frankly I need this injected into my body more than an antidote in a zombie pandemic.”
Because of The Extra, I signed with a film agent! There has been some cool movement there. I will share what I can when I can.
“The Pelt” by Annie Neugebauer was probably the best horror I have read in a long time. The story builds slowly, but at a nice pace that doesn’t drag. It takes the horror similar to The Yellow Wallpaper, but ups the ante. It has the same vibes, but make it country and darker.
The ending was woah. It took me a few minutes of staring into the void to even start my rapid texting of people to demand they read it. It was so good. […]
I could go on all day about this story. It was by far my favorite story in the collection. The others were great, but “The Pelt” was perfection.
Because of FEARS, I participated in a podcast interview on FEARMONGERS with Clay McLeod Chapman, alongside Ellen Datlow, Josh Malerman, Hailey Piper, and Dale Bailey. I was honored to talk shop with these greats.
Thanks to selling my first books, I finally took the plunge on something I’ve been saying I would do for years; I had professional photographs taken for author headshots. These were done by Melissa Spurrier, who is wonderful, and I loved the experience. Here are a few favorites.
A neat milestone: I sold my first literary fiction story with no speculative/horror elements. I’ve only written a few such stories, despite loving the genre, so I’m delighted to have “The Grief Machines” coming out soon in Swing. You can preorder Volume 2 Issue 1 now. It’s a story about grief, love, and sharks.
I received news of the second foreign language translation for my short story “So Sings the Siren.” (The first was into German!) For those who speak Spanish, it will appear as “Así Canta la Sirena” in Déjate Caer, La Tuerca Andante in January.
“13 Tourist Destinations for Horror Lovers,” my nonfiction essay, was reprinted in the excellent Gamut Magazine. Subscribers can read it here.
I sold another short story (chock full of weird and disturbing speculative/horror elements) to a stellar literary journal I’ve worked with before. Details about “A Song of Being Left Behind” coming soon.
I finished drafting my tenth novel. (Fifteenth(ish) book.) It’s a fresh genre for me, and maybe the most fun I’ve ever had writing something. It took ten months of slow determination to type it from my brain onto the screen. I’m really proud of it.
I also wrote a new short story.
Last but not least, seeing as this is my only item eligible for 2024 writing awards, which is what started this whole summation, my poem “Getting the Gigs” was published in the HWA Poetry Showcase Volume XI. It might make you look at laughter differently. (Sorry.)
So, not too shabby a year after all. I can’t believe how much I have to be grateful for. I’ve gotten to work with so many incredible people doing such fantastic work. I’m so lucky and glad to be here doing what I love.
Next year? Well, next year my first two books come out, along with at least two additional new stories. Beyond that, only time will tell. Here’s hoping it tells a tale worth sharing.
Thanks for being here with me. I hope 2025 brings you good things.
A while back I found these bleeding color tattoos (pictured below) and just had to get them because they’re perfect for my short story collection You Have to Let them Bleed–where the frame story is about a collector who sorts by color, with each section bleeding into the next. Then I wanted some temporary tattoos to match The Extra, too, so I searched and found some that fit the mysterious + outdoors motifs of the novella. But I had to order them all by the set, so now I have way too many book-themed tattoos for one person. How about I give them away??
I have two books coming out next year. They have nothing to do with each other, so don’t pick one; get both! They are both available for pre-order now! Right this moment! Of course you can get them when they come out, but preorders are so important. If you go ahead and preorder both, I will mail you a little thank you that includes my bookmark (signed and personalized) and a temporary tattoo themed to each book. That way when the books get to you (collection anticipated to ship in the spring and novella anticipated to ship in the fall), you can rock your new tat for a bookstagram and/or Facebook pic (or just for fun) and hold your place with my bookmark.
PS- The tattoo on my wrist below the bleeding colors is real! Not included in the swag (yikes)!! Also there are a variety of each book’s tattoos, so yours may differ from the ones pictured here.
Supplies are limited, so I will cap this if I run out of tattoos and/or bookmarks. If you order a copy of both books, just fill out the Google Form below with your mailing info. US only. Honor system here; I’m not checking receipts.
This giveaway is just for fun, to show my gratitude to everyone who supports my double debuts next year, and is not connected to either of my publishers. (Which also means these goodies are coming in addition to any/all extras my two publishers are offering, such as signed book plates, etc.)
This week I had someone ask me if I have any of my stories in audiobooks or podcasts. Some readers really prefer listening. Others like a mix of both. If you’re like me, listening gives you extra time to read because you can do it while you drive, fold laundry, walk, etc.
It’s long overdue that I gather up my audio stories in one easy-to-find-and-click place. To help you browse more easily, I’ve put these in order of increasing length. Turns out that between these 8 stories I have 3 hours’ worth of listening available! You could take a nice day trip to see fall foliage with all these bookmarked. 👀 So, this autumn as you sit by the fire, rake leaves, bake treats, carve pumpkins, or go on long walks through the woods, here are the stories of mine you can put right in your ear holes.
Platform: Pseudopod Listening time: 6 minutes (starts at 12:50) Cost: free Of note: My shortest flash to date, and a great taste of what my work is like
Platform: SoundCloud Listening time: 8 minutes Cost: free Of note: My most well-known story, a Bram Stoker Award finalist for short fiction and selected for Year’s Best Hardcore Horror. Also a great starting place if you’re new to my work
Platform: Tales to Terrify Listening time: 13 minutes (starts at 10:25) Cost: free Of note: My other Bram Stoker Award finalist story, more suspense/mystery driven
Platform: Audible Listening time: 18 minutes (starts at 17:55, Chapter 7) Cost: free with trial if new to Audible, 1 credit for subscribers, or $19.95 (for whole anthology) Of note: A selection for Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, and not for the weak of stomach
Platform: Apex Magazine Listening time: 56 minutes Cost: free Of note: The longest one here, but so well produced by Apex. Venturing into the hinterlands where horror becomes dark fantasy, with a high dose of suspense
Sometimes I look at things like this and feel in awe of how much cool stuff I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. There are some intensely talented folks here, performing my stories and producing them for people to listen to. I hope you find something here to enjoy. Happy fall, and happy listening!
Annie is a novelist, blogger, nationally award-winning poet, and two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story author. Her debut collection, You Have to Let them Bleed, and her debut novella, The Extra, are both set for publication in 2025.
