September has already become one of the busiest, most exciting, and most unpredictable months of my writing career.

On September 11, I officially released my second novel, House of Windows. Seeing a second book enter the world less than five months after the publication of Inheritance of Silence is something I am incredibly proud of.

Two published novels in one year.

When 2026 began, I knew I wanted this year to represent growth. I don't think I fully understood just how much could happen in such a short period of time.

And somehow, September is only getting started.

Two Manuscripts, Two Very Different Worlds

Two of my unpublished manuscripts, I Sharted! and The House on Highland Avenue, were entered into the 2026 Storytrade First Look Prize.

I Sharted! is competing in Contemporary/General Fiction, while The House on Highland Avenue is competing in Mystery/Thriller.

These two books could hardly be more different.

I Sharted! is bold, irreverent comedic fiction built around embarrassment, reinvention, friendship, and the absolute absurdity that can follow one spectacularly unfortunate moment.

The House on Highland Avenue takes readers somewhere entirely different—a Southern Gothic mystery filled with family secrets, grief, memory, things left unsaid, and a house that may know considerably more than it is willing to reveal.

Having both manuscripts in the competition at the same time is especially meaningful because they represent two very different sides of me as a writer.

The First Look Prize results are scheduled to be announced publicly on October 1, 2026, with notifications taking place during September.

Until then, I wait.

And hope.

And perhaps check my email slightly more often than necessary.

Under Publisher Consideration

There is also movement happening beyond the competition.

Both I Sharted! and The House on Highland Avenue are currently under publisher consideration.

I am continuing to explore the right publishing path for these projects while having conversations about where my growing body of work may belong next.

That distinction has become increasingly important to me.

I'm no longer thinking about every manuscript as an isolated project. I'm thinking about the larger career I'm building and about finding publishing relationships capable of supporting not simply one book, but the range of stories I want to tell.

There are conversations underway.

There are decisions still to be made.

And there are possibilities that I simply cannot discuss publicly yet.

For now, that's exactly where those possibilities need to remain.

The Continuing Journey of Inheritance of Silence

While new manuscripts move forward, Inheritance of Silence continues a journey of its own.

My debut novel has already received extraordinary recognition during 2026, including two wins from the Shakespeare Global Prize, finalist recognition from the International Impact Book Awards, and finalist recognition in Contemporary Fiction from the Storytrade Book Awards.

And its awards season isn't finished yet.

October 10 marks another important milestone connected to the International Impact Book Awards and the recognition Inheritance of Silence and my work as an author have received.

Then comes November 29, when results from the American Writing Awards are expected. Inheritance of Silence has received nominations in LGBTQ Fiction and Book of the Year.

It is strange—and incredibly rewarding—to watch a novel that once existed only as words on my computer continue traveling into places I couldn't have predicted when I wrote it.

And Then There Is September 28

Somewhere in the middle of book releases, publishing conversations, award competitions, emails, deadlines, and everything else happening right now is another milestone.

On September 28, I turn 43 years old.

And this birthday feels different.

I enter 43 with two published novels in the world, additional completed manuscripts seeking their homes, literary recognition I once could only have imagined, new opportunities developing, and an increasingly clear understanding of the kind of author—and person—I want to be.

The past year has not always been easy.

There have been unexpected changes, difficult moments, disappointments, uncertainty, and periods when I wasn't entirely sure what came next.

But there have also been extraordinary moments of validation, creativity, laughter, resilience, friendship, and possibility.

So this year, I don't think I want my birthday to be about getting older.

I want it to be about arriving.

Arriving at 43 with more stories to tell.

Arriving with my second novel newly released.

Arriving with I Sharted! and The House on Highland Avenue under publisher consideration and awaiting results from the Storytrade First Look Prize.

Arriving with Inheritance of Silence continuing its remarkable journey.

And arriving at a point where, for the first time in a while, I am allowing myself to be genuinely excited about what might happen next.

Looking Forward

The next several weeks contain an almost ridiculous number of important dates.

September 28 is my 43rd birthday.

September 30 brings an important personal milestone I have been waiting a long time to reach.

October 1 brings the public announcement of the Storytrade First Look Prize.

October 10 brings another important moment in the journey of Inheritance of Silence and the International Impact Book Awards.

And November 29 brings the American Writing Awards results.

That's a lot of possibility packed into a relatively small stretch of calendar.

There is a temptation during moments like this to spend all of my time wondering what happens next.

Will another manuscript receive recognition?

Will one of these publishing conversations become the right opportunity?

What will October bring?

What will November bring?

I don't know.

And perhaps one of the things I am learning during this season of my career is that not knowing can be exciting, too.

There are two published novels in the world now.

There are more waiting behind them.

There are competitions still underway, publishing conversations still developing, opportunities I could not have predicted a year ago, and stories I haven't even written yet.

For the first time in a while, I am allowing myself to enjoy the possibilities without demanding that I already know how they end.

I'm not interested in predicting how every chapter ends.

I'm enjoying the one I'm living.

And there is a 43rd birthday waiting for me right in the middle of it all.

Whatever comes next, I'll be ready for it.

— John Erik Dunnam