Anaxagology for April 2025

The soundtrack for this month’s newsletter is “Breathe” by Midge Ure. It’s the unofficial theme song for my next novel’s protagonist. Breath is a running motif throughout the book.

The novel has always carried this theme of breath, but it took on new meaning for me after I was hospitalized with low blood oxygen saturation. I’m okay now, but the experience made me appreciate something we often take for granted—breathing.

In the novel, my protagonist faces panic attacks, and one of the ways she manages them is by focusing on her breath. The climax of the story involves her breath literally being squeezed from her in a moment of intense danger. After she triumphs, she’s finally able to breathe again—both physically and emotionally.

Breath is life, but it is also the very fragile line between fear and freedom. In these times, when life can feel overwhelming, grounding ourselves in something as simple as taking a breath can help us endure and find our way through.

Take a moment today to breathe. Just breathe. It feels good. It helps. Trust me, I know.

The Tower Debuts at #3

My debut novel The Tower launched as an audiobook original last month and It’s been a ride. Thanks everyone for helping The Tower premiere as the #3 Amazon Hot New Release in Scary Stories for Children!

Here’s some of my favorite reviews so far:

★★★★★ “It's spooky, it's funny, it's heart-warming, it's creepy, it's thrilling, it's scary, and it's so much fun!…It's a Middle Grade horror book geared toward kids, but even as a 40-something, it still kept me completely enthralled from the very first paragraph.” —Amazon User

★★★★★ “Anaxagoras skillfully weaves the mystery, pitting Kolby's cautious yet caring personality up against those of the other "inmates" with him.…Great characters and characterization, a deep and disturbing mystery, and good narration make this a winner.” —M.E. Garber

★★★★★ “I was hooked from the beginning sentence in this middle grade novel….The book is full of suspense and adventure that will keep you entralled until the ending that you won't see coming.” —Leah Orr

Between launching The Tower, seeing early reviews that I didn't expect would make me smile this much, and keeping the wheels turning on the next project (and the next), I’ve been feeling very grateful. When I hear from readers who connect with a story, especially the ones I’m telling in the scary, strange, or magical worlds, it’s a reminder of why I keep doing this. I write because it’s an act of human connection. Thank you for being part of that.

Recently

I’m embarking on a few long-form projects and I’m so excited for everything I’ve got lined up. Some things I can announce, some I can only hint at, and some…are secret. Here’s what I can say about what I’ve gotten up to recently:

“The Everlasting Wound of Polyphemus,” my flash-fiction Greek myth sequel about a blinded cyclops just trying to get along in the modern world, has sold to Factor Four Magazine.

My horror flash told as a series of DoorDash updates, “Your Dasher Has Accidentally Awakened The Crawling Chaos by Gazing into the Loathsome Geometry of the Taco Pup Mega-muncher Meal Box,” will be reprinted in the anthology Connoisseur Vol 1. Encore.

The second draft of my next novel has been polished and sent off to the agent. It’s a costal horror/mystery/adventure. With tentacles.

I’ve mapped out a series of five weird western novellas and I’m currently up to my Stetson in research.

ICYMI

If you’re just joining the party, here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to and where you can find my work.

You can help my physical and financial recovery from a long hospitalization by visiting my gofundme and donating or sharing.

Forthcoming:

• “Five Dispatches from Conflict Zone W-924/B Regarding Post-battle Deployment of A. Thanatensis” in Lightspeed.

• “Your Dasher Has Accidentally Awakened The Crawling Chaos by Gazing into the Loathsome Geometry of the Taco Pup Mega-muncher Meal Box” (reprint) in Connoisseur Vol 1. Encore.

• “The Everlasting Wound of Polyphemus” in Factor Four Magazine.

I am the author of the middle grade mystery horror audiobook original, The Tower (Recorded Books, 2025), narrated by Christopher Gebauer. Now available wherever audiobooks are sold, or check your local library.

[Updated Link] My most recent short story, “Three Birds That Came Out of Grayson Huff and a Bunch More That Fell from the Sky“ is free to read at Lightspeed. 

Other recent fiction includes “Under a Star, Bright as Morning” and “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World”. Visit my Bibliography for a full list of short stories and other works.

I wrote for Nickelodeon’s Glitch Techs, an animated sci-fi adventure about teens who hunt video game monsters that have broken out into the real world.

I created and co-executive produced Amazon Studio’s first live-action kids and family series, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, about three kids whose life is anything but normal.

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About this Newsletter

Anaxagology is a free monthly(ish) newsletter from TV writer, SFF author and novelist David Anaxagoras. Subscribe now! You can find more about Dave at his website, or follow him on Bluesky.