All the D.L. Winchester News, Whenever He Remembers to Share It!
Upcoming Appearances
April 25, 2026; 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Cocke County Collectors Expo
Cocke County High School; Newport, TN
Video games, trading cards, RPGs, comic books, and a horror author!
May 23, 2026; 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM
Reader’s Mayhem: Death by TBR
Black Pond Brews; Dayville, CT
30+ Indie Horror authors in the same place? What could possibly go wrong?
Upcoming Releases
Rodeo Clown
Godless: May 11, 2026
Everywhere: May 26, 2026
Bull Rider Matt McAllister can’t catch a break. Sixteen bulls in a row have thrown him, his love life is non-existent, and he’s dangerously close to going broke.
When he finds an old ring in a museum gift shop, he thinks it might be a good luck charm. Things start looking up, but the ring comes with baggage: a rodeo clown only Matt can see. On the one hand, he’s posting the highest scores of his career; but on the other, the clown seems to be trying to get Matt killed.
As he wrestles with the decision to keep the ring or ditch the clown, the consequences increase, until he realizes it’s not about good or bad luck, it’s about life and death.
Avery
Godless: June 9, 2026
Everywhere: June 23, 2026
Avery isn’t acting like himself…
When his dad, Derek, brings home a strange totem, Avery becomes obsessed. Soon, he stops sleeping. Then he begins speaking in tongues and consuming his classmate’s blood.
Derek does his best to support his family, but living on a meager salary comes with its own stresses, and Avery’s new hobbies are just one more burden on an already heavy load.
Can Derek uncover what’s making Avery act like this and save his family? Or is this the new normal?
Random Thoughts and Announcements
Upcoming Release Schedule
After Avery, I have vague plans, but nothing set in stone. Aggie #3 will be coming out in October from Undertaker Books, for sure (More details in a second). I have tentative plans for a short story collection and a flash fiction collection, but no definite release timeline, and plenty of novelettes in various stages of editing. The main problem I’m facing is the upcoming trip to Connecticut: I’m squirreling away the money I’d normally be spending to publish books.
If everything works out, I’d like to get a western Horror novelette out, another novelette set in Speer County (my version of Stephen King’s Derry, ME), and at least another novelette and one of the collections released. As far as exact details? Well…we’ll see.
Cannibal Canyon: An Aggie Adventure
Cannibal Canyon, my third Aggie book, will release this October from Undertaker Books. Set following the events of Devil’s Fork, Aggie and Gabriel journey south toward Aggie’s hometown of Ojinaga. But what they find at a crossing of the Pecos River forces them to make a detour.
Dakota (Marquardt) Crothers has completed the cover artwork, and it looks amazing! Because I never talk about these things, Dakota has been the artist for all three Aggie covers, and I hope will remain the artist in the future, because quite frankly, replacing her would be a nightmare. The style and colors are exactly what I wanted when I dreamed up the covers, and the artwork is *chef’s kiss*.
Let’s Talk Speer County
Originally, I planned to introduce Speer County with my novella, working title “Final Disposition.” But due to scheduling things, I keep pushing its release back, so it will debut with the release of Avery. I’ve actually got several novelettes coming that are set in Speer County, so you’ll have plenty of chances to get acquainted with it.
Speer County is located roughly where real-world Hancock County, Tennessee is. I just moved stuff and changed the names of some of the landmarks. As is the author’s prerogative. It gives me a solid, contained setting for a lot of my Appalachian tales. I’m excited to introduce it!
Writing Update
Earlier this month, I finished the seventh Aggie adventure, working title “Borderlands.” I also wrapped up another Mother Clucker title, “Ye Olde Mother Clucker.” Right now, I’m finishing up a story based on the camels Jefferson Davis brought in to haul stuff across the southwestern desert before the Civil War, working title “Hump.”
Other Publishing Adventures
I have a story in Desiree Horton’s deep sea anthology, All The Things You Cannot See. How does a rural & western writer come up with a deep sea story, you ask? Well, I took a little inspiration from George Strait… The anthology is available now wherever books are sold!
Another short story of mine, “Black Heart of the Mall,” is appearing in the Sinister Street Anthology from the Sinister Scribes Facebook group. I’m also serving as the anthology’s curator!
What I’ve Been Reading (One Sentence Reviews)
Stupid Boy by Laura Bilodeau
A million emotions packed into a short and satisfying read.
Makin’ Miracles by Lin Stepp
Bet you didn’t know I read Christian Romance?
Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling
The Devil makes a stop in southeast Kentucky on his way to (or from) Georgia.
Sole Survivor & Sole Survivor II by Zachary Ashford
What happens when you take a joke of an urban legend and add capitalism & blood.
Mile 81 by Stephen King
I ain’t going for a ride in that car.
Decimated Dreams by Brennan LaFaro
Going back to Slattery Falls isn’t for the faint of heart.
The Denizens by Brennan LaFaro
A Yankee presents a side of the south you’ve never seen before!
The Desert Island Game by Cat Voleur
Slow burn and psychological, not what I was expecting, but satisfying all the same.