You can do anything you want but you can’t do everything you want.

This was something I must have said almost every week, circa 2016–2020, when talking about writing and ensuring you’re prioritising your time effectively. It’s something I stand by to this day and it governs a lot of my decisions when it comes to writing and life in general.

Each day we have a finite amount of time and must use it wisely. That’s why I also advocate deciding on the most important task for the day and doing it first thing. That way you ‘win the day’ early.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do a lot. I have four focusses:

1. My writing.
2. My podcast and This Is Horror.
3. Japanese learning.
4. Fitness and exercise.

A lot of my ‘why’ for doing things has always been to help others and bring joy to their lives in some way.

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about This Is Horror and the podcast.

And I’ve been thinking about: You can do anything you want but you can’t do everything you want.

Because the truth is, however much I do with This Is Horror and the podcast, I can never do as much as I truly want to.

I want to help everyone, I want to promote every single book, I want to chat with every single author.

But there are limits. And given the huge amount of amazing writers, the limit is fairly small.

So I’m asking myself, how can I do more without burning out? How can I give a platform to more people? How can I showcase the work of amazing writers more than I presently am?

These answers are only ones I can really arrive at with time and through experimentation, but there are two things I am currently working on that I think will be of benefit to both writers and readers because they will help get more books to more people, or at least spread more awareness.

The first is a page on This Is Horror in which I highlight upcoming books. You can see it here: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/upcoming-books/

It’s a work-in-progress, and if you are a writer, publisher, or reader that has or knows of a great book coming soon, please reply to this email and let me know in the following format:

Release day month year ​
Book Title by Author
(Publisher/Press)
​Genre

If you reply in this format, I’ll feature the book on the page. If you reply in a different format, I may not be able to.

Not only is this page a good place to let you know what’s coming and to get your work out there but it also will help us know who to consider for the podcast, who to feature on the website, and who I can perhaps shoutout at the end of podcast episodes as I do want to incorporate forthcoming releases into the podcast, too, as a way to give authors a signal boost.

As to what the second thing I’m doing is, I’ll save that for another post.

Check out all the posts below, including our conversation with Brian Asman.

Prefer video? We've got you covered. Watch the conversation on This Is Horror Podcast YouTube here. We are almost at 1,000 subscribers and we're putting out new videos every 2–3 days. So, reward our hard work and become a subscriber if you like what we're doing. I'd love that!

I'd also love it if you bought my new book, Daddy's Boy, here are the links below.

​Buy Daddy’s Boy on Amazon UK ​

​Buy Daddy’s Boy on Amazon US ​

​Buy Daddy’s Boy from This Is Horror​

And look at the cover. You've seen it before? Well, it's so good, look again. Top work by Vincent Chong. And apparently the story is good, too, John Teel over on Goodreads said:

"I absolutely loved this one. Weird as shit, silly, surreal and laugh out loud funny with something to say about fathers and sons deep down in its cold little black heart. Highly recommended for lovers of dark comedy."

Have you read Daddy's Boy already? Leave a review. Let me know what you think. Help it get to the modest milestone of 20 ratings on Goodreads. This is a slow and steady race, folks, but every rating, every review, every sale counts. Are you a member of Kindle Unlimited? Read it there, it's free.

Do you like audiobooks? Become a free patron on MDW Patreon and grab a code to listen to it free on Spotify here. ​

This writing business, it's a tough old game but it brings me joy, and all the support I get from you good people makes it worth it.

So with all that said, have a great, great day, and I'll catch you in the next newsletter.

Michael David Wilson

P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support my work and This Is Horror, please become a This Is Horror Podcast patron. It would make me happy but only do it if it will make you happy, too. ​​

P.P.S. If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level with some professional editing or a writing consultation, you can find out about my rates here and reply to this email. ​

P.P.P.S. There are a limited amount of This Is Horror Podcast advertising slots available for July and August. Please reply to query.

​Look Out For … Oddbody by Rose Keating​

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​5 Must Read Horror Articles 2 June 2025​

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​TIH 618: Brian Asman on Writing Fiction Fearlessly​

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​News Round-up Week Ending 30 May 2025​

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​Look Out For … My Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie​

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​5 Must Read Horror Articles 26 May 2025​

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​News Round-up Week Ending 23 May 2025​

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