Sometimes the stories we’re most excited about are the ones we forget to talk about. For months, I’ve been quietly publishing The Summer Garden every Sunday on Substack—a gentle serial about grief, friendship, second chances, and the unexpected community found in a neighborhood garden. If you haven’t discovered Scotty and the residents of Mill Creek Community Garden yet, now’s the perfect time to step through the gate.
Writers rarely work on just one book at a time. While readers see the finished novel, there’s often an entire queue of stories in progress behind it—drafts, edits, serials, and ideas waiting for their turn. Here’s a look at what’s currently occupying my writing desk this summer, from new thriller adventures to ongoing serial fiction and the next novel waiting in the wings.
Serial fiction may look old-fashioned, but today’s audiences consume serialized stories everywhere—from television and podcasts to newsletters and streaming platforms. As publishing tools evolve, serialization offers new ways for readers to discover stories, engage with characters over time, and become part of an ongoing reading experience.
What if waiting for the next chapter isn’t a flaw in storytelling, but one of its greatest pleasures?
In a world built around instant gratification, serial fiction offers something different: anticipation. Readers spend time with characters, speculate about what comes next, and let stories become part of the rhythm of their week. As The Summer Garden continues and Credible Threat: Season One joins it, Mark Posey reflects on why the joy of not turning to the last page may be more valuable than ever.
Every story has a plot. A detective solves a murder. A spaceship crew saves a colony. A retired man plants tomatoes. But the stories readers remember long after the last page are rarely about those events alone. Beneath the plot lies a deeper story—the emotional truth, the question being explored, the reason the story resonates. As an editor, one of the most important questions I can ask is: What is this story really about?
Some of the most important things in life begin as something small and uncertain. A packet of seeds. A first chapter. A conversation. Standing in the garden this spring, watching green shoots push through the soil, reminded me that growth is often invisible until suddenly it isn’t—and that the things we plant today may become far more than we ever imagined.
A retired widower. A community garden. A cast of unforgettable neighbours. While Fall From Grace continues to take shape, Mark Posey has also been nurturing a very different story. The Summer Garden is a warm, character-driven serial about grief, friendship, second chances, and the surprising ways people keep growing long after they think life’s most important seasons have passed.
