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Welcome to My World
I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. A surprising number of them have made it into print—fifteen novels so far, which still surprises me a little when I say it out loud. I live in the woods nears Stockton, New Jersey, a small borough on the Delaware River. The kind of place that inspires mysteries, thrillers and horror in the towns and countryside.
My longest-running series is The Kyle Callahan Mysteries—character-driven, funny in places, dark in others, and rooted in lives you might never expect to be troubled by murder. I also write the Marshall James Thrillers series and the Maggie Dahl Mysteries, each with their own voice and world.
More recently I’ve been working in horror and psychological thriller—territory I find endlessly compelling. And my forthcoming (September, 2026) Devil’s Wood is a supernatural thriller set in nearby Lambertville, drawing on modern small town life and ancient horror.
Through Your Write Path, I offer workshops and coaching for writers at every stage—beginners who’ve never shown anyone their work, experienced writers who’ve hit a wall, people who want to tell the story of their own lives. “Every life is a story, and each of us is the storyteller.”
My imprint Vivid Press publishes annotated editions of public domain classics—recent titles include Carmilla, The Willows, and Gaston Leroux’s The Mystery of the Yellow Room. Stories matter.
Look around, you’ll find much more here, and thanks for stopping by. – Mark
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The Twist Podcast 337: On the Shores of Lake Obama, Plus the Holiday Onslaught Begins
Join co-hosts Mark and Rick as we soak in the sun on the shores of Lake Obama, where everyone is woke and equality comes with the soft serve. Plus we take a look at the start of the holiday onslaught. BONUS: ‘The Shores of Lake Obama’ song, a Twist Podcast exclusive.
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Devil’s Wood Audiobook Now Available
LISTEN TO A SAMPLE
The audiobook edition of ‘Devil’s Wood’ is now available from Spotify or directly from my Payhip storefront. Fasten your headphones!
Antiques dealer Peter Brightly encounters an unusual walking stick at a mysterious estate sale where strangers come to bid on the remnants of a life. He sees its multi-colored wood, lovingly carved as if by the gods. It’s not just any walking stick. It has a sense of history and mystery to its beauty. He desires it at any price, knowing he must possess it. What he doesn’t know is that it must possess him, too.
Something changes when he brings it home. His health declines as his life unravels. Determined to understand what’s happening to him, Peter traces the object’s history through the lives of those who’ve owned it before, each trail leading further into darkness. A tree, an ancient people, a man and a curse. A woman he joins forces with to find the truth. Will the walking stick claim him as a debt to pay? Or will he bury it along with the forces that gave it life? Enter the Devil’s Wood for the answers. You may never come out.
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True Crime Tuesdays on the Fearsome Fiction Podcast: Hinterkaifeck – Germany’s Oldest Unsolved Murder
On a quiet farm in Bavaria, six people vanished into silence — and no one heard a thing. In March 1922, the Gruber family and their maid were found brutally murdered at Hinterkaifeck, a remote homestead outside Munich. The killer stayed for days afterward — feeding the animals, eating meals in the kitchen — and was never identified. A century later, it remains one of Germany’s most chilling unsolved mysteries. This is Hinterkaifeck.
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Paperbacks Available with Direct Buy!
Really happy to offer an option for folks who don’t want to get books on Amazon (my ebooks are already available at my PayHip storefront). This is for paperbacks. I’ll be offering my entire catalog soon. https://www.books.by/markmcnease
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Still Here: A Video Description of a Journaling Workshop
This is a short video description of a workshop designed specifically for LGBT participants. You can read about it, with dates and registration information HERE.
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Fearsome Fiction Podcast: The Devil’s Wood Journal Entry 7
Found in an abandoned cabin in the New Jersey woods, the Devil’s Wood Journal continues with Entry 7. The story has been told by the fireplace, but is any of it real? Is any of it even possible? Anonymous and the others debate the merits of a story so incredible it must be real.
