There are anthropomorphic animals, so today will be good

Morning darklings,

Animal Noir is an anthropomorphic noir mystery anthology featuring 11 stories taking place in one universe coming out on February 24th! There is an upstairs/downstairs mystery, stories connected by characters, a near-future financial noir, lost artifacts from the city that links them all, and much more!

When I say it came as a surprise, I mean it.

It started off as a joke on Discord. It morphed into this Big Thing by another publisher. We were in the beginning swing of it when that publisher needed to step away. The pieces were there, but I couldn’t do the Big Thing alone. I also couldn’t let the work the authors had already done crash to the ground.

I pictured myself as the cheerleaders leaping towards the spirit stick. No, I wouldn’t have been cursed if I’d let it drop, but dang, how sad to see that little blue gem fall off. Also, what if I was cursed? What if the legend got it wrong?

Whether my brain was being The Most Dramatic or not, I just couldn’t let it drop.

So I posed the idea of everyone just writing a story—a mystery, heavy on noir. Done and done.

But no, they are all far too cool for that. They asked me to describe a place and give them parameters. I wrote up a little blurb about a city called New Growl (you know I love a pun) for them to jump off from, reminding them they didn’t have to use this place I outlined if they didn’t want to.

Oh, but they did.

They spent months crafting a world, sharing playlists, reading each other’s work, asking questions, making jokes, being collaborative in a way I’ve truly never seen in a writing project.

By the time the dust settled and the stories were due, New Growl and the world it exists in and the characters that live there or have just passed through felt so real. Each informs the next without feeling like one narrative.

The stories go in order of time. We start in the 20s and end in the near future. Yet they flow so well. From smoky jazz clubs to a private island in the Bahamas, it all makes sense somehow. I almost don’t understand it, even though I’m the one who put them in the order they’re in. They’re just all really brilliant writers, is what it is.

I knew this anthology would be fun before it really started—in either iteration. That’s why I chose a list of animals for the authors to pick from. I wanted to see certain ones explored, given what they have to offer as animals. Also, I had an art project in mind almost immediately. Luckily, it worked even when the format shifted.

You see, I saw the book cover instantly. I saw the inside of the book instantly. I saw the stickers and bookmarks and promotional materials.

Each author designed a character based on the animal they chose. They gave them backstories, vibes and outfits, the whole nine. Some of that’s in the book, some is just on our hard drives. It all informed my project, though.

Who doesn’t love an anthropomorphic animal? We see them in commercials all the time, and half the time, we remember them and not the product. With that in mind, I wanted a physical image of the voices or important players in the book.

In came collage. Animal heads and paw and hooves with human bodies. Characters lovingly cut out of paper and taped together. Paper dolls, one might call them. But I didn’t feel like stopping there was enough. This is a noir book, after all. So I took them to a risograph place and printed them in different formats, in different colors and black and white. It was an adventure.

The cover came easily after that, as did the stickers and promo materials, just as I’d hoped after a little digital tweak here and a little digital tweak there.

So, without further ado, let me present you the authors and stories the’ve written, the cover featuring characters you’re going to love, and some events I’ve got planned.

Soon enough you’ll get links for the pre-order and stickers and a link to the online event, but for now, just get excited and mark your calendars!

Can you believe how many things that I’ll be publishing this year? I still can’t. But I do hope you support them all, even though it’s more than usual, knowing the money goes to the authors.

(Note: I am working on a website that will have a proper calendar, links galore, my store, and more options for newsletter alerts. Hopefully, that will make this all easier to keep straight. ^_^)

Animal Noir

11 hard-boiled crimes featuring a cast of memorable anthropomorphic animals.

New Growl has always had too much crime. From the 20s until its inevitable collapse, eleven authors are exposing the city's seedy underbelly.

The upper echelon, the lower class, and all of the animals in between have their share of problems. Some hire the private detectives or jet to a private island to escape, while others are the ones on-call and in the trenches.

It’s familiar, it’s different, it’s Animal Noir.

Table of Contents

“Two Sides of the Truth” by Elad Haber / Upstairs/Downstairs, but make it feathered

“Our Song” by Beth Cook / a mystery and a song

“Femme Prédatrice” by A.P. Howell / she’s not what you think

“At The Edge of the Gunmetal Sea” by M. Shedric Simpson / it’s a different kind of audit, sorta

“The Perfect Victim” by Megan Lee Bees / you shouldn’t have done that…

“Mei Ren, Royalty” by Camden Rose / it’s not delusional if it’s true

“Tauric Tonic” by Travis Pen Anderson / things always escalate quickly, don’t they?

“One Killer Deal” by Phoenix Bourgeois / charged talking is charged

“Wolves Always Howl Twice” by H.L. Fullerton / a well-told lie often causes ripples

“Gorrilianaire” by Angelique O'Rourke / if one can, one will

“Embossed in Ivy” by Ben Curl / what happens after

Until next time, harness the Little darknesses and embrace the Little things.

2026 UPCOMING EVENTS:

◗ In-person reading & launch party (with giveaways)

—January 30, 2026 @ 7pm PST / Joyce launch party at Salon Rouge (contact for address)

◗ Online reading and publisher q&a

—February 24, 2026 @ 7pm PST / Animal Noir reading via Vintage Books

◗ In-person reading and publisher chat (dressing up is encouraged)

—March 6, 2026 @ 7pm PST / Animal Noir reading at Bold Coffee & Books

◗ Online reading and publisher q&a

—June 23, 2026 @ 7pm PST / Clocks Reading via Vintage Books