I was thrilled earlier this year when Booklist gave CHILDREN OF THE DARK a starred review. Now, they’ve named my novel one of the Ten Best Horror Books of the past twelve months (August 2015-to-July 2016). Here are just a few of the reasons why this made me so happy:

–It’s Booklist.

–Daniel Kraus (ROTTERS) wrote the article.

–I got to share the list with my buddy (and one of my primary influences) Brian Keene.

–I also got to share the list with Bentley Little and Joe Hill.

–One more name on the list really floored me. You see, back in the fall of my freshman year at Purdue University I bought a book called AMERICAN SHORT STORY MASTERPIECES that introduced me to some of my very favorite writers. Among those were James Baldwin, Flannery O’Connor, Raymond Carver, Phillip Roth, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Bernard Malamud.

Another name in that incredible collection was Joyce Carol Oates.

Her tale “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is one of the finest short stories I’ve ever read. Her other short works and novels are stunning. Recently, I read ZOMBIE for the first time and was amazed at the beauty and ferocity of her prose.

In short, Joyce Carol Oates is one of the finest authors of the past hundred years.

Now, I get to share a list with her.

If you’d have told my gangly, eighteen-year-old self that I would someday experience that honor, I would have probably gaped at you. Then fainted.

I’ll stop now.

So thank you to Booklist for such an amazing honor. And thank you to writers like Joyce Carol Oates for inspiring me.