Category Archives: accepted/published work

Writing and social media update, Missoula, Montana June 2021

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Hey everyone,

So, there’s a lot going on. My official Facebook page reached 1 million readers in the month of May.

I’m shocked, and the impact on my life has been immediate. I appreciate you all sticking by me over the years and participating in my art.

To put that into context, one of the top outdoor magazines in the country (and one my work has been featured in), Outside Magazine, reached 650,000 people last month.

On the writing front, my nature thriller “The Puller” is coming from award wining PYR in November, with distribution by Simon and Schuster. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m currently planning a tour in Montana, California, and the PNW. Can’t wait to see you guys!

I’m also working on two new novels.

If you look at my novels, “The Puller” was always a literary thriller at heart. Much of the novel is dedicated to landscape as character (see Cormac McCarthy as the best example of this) and to the relationships, with social commentary. My novel “Black Friday” expanded on this style, with a very expanded landscape, and also a focus on relationships and social commentary.

I was fortunate that “The Puller” was optioned for film and in development, and there are currently other options in the pipeline, for other stories.

I’m bringing this up because the new novels are absolutely a continuation of “The Puller” and the “Black Friday” literary experimentation style.

There were several directions I could’ve taken my career, but this path seemed to be the most organic fit. It’s not forced. It’s just what’s in my heart.

More news to come.

The Puller finds a new home.

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I’m happy to finally report that my debut novel “The Puller” has been picked up by the excellent Pyr. This is part of the news I’ve been hinting about.

The harrowing story of Matt Kearns lives on, and will be in hardcover, with distribution by Simon and Schuster.

A big thank you to my fantastic agent Lane Heymont. The Puller would not have been possible without Sarah, Debbie, Charlie, and Pam Welsh. And my father, Bruce Hodges.

I’m thrilled that this story continues to move people. More novels to come. And thank you all for sticking around.

Happy my debut novel found an outstanding new home.

Writing update, travel, etc.

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Whew. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted a substantiative update to this page.

I left Missoula in January to house shop in the Pacific Northwest, camp, photo journal, and wrap up a writing deadline. While Montana will always be my #1, The long winters have started to wear on me. However, the summers are impossible to beat.

I checked out the Oregon coast, Portland, and several other areas. In the process I lost my whisper-quiet photography drone, which was capable of filming at 4k resolution with a 3-way gimbal head. The drone went berserk
fifteen yards from me and crashed into a remote salmon stream. I searched for the drone for two days in the wilderness ravine, but no luck. BUT, luckily DJI stands by their products, and they shipped me a new drone for free. So that’s cool.

On the writing front, my debut novel THE PULLER has a new publishing home. I’m hoping to announce specifics any day now. In addition, I’m 1/3rd of the way finished with what I consider to be a novel on the level of THE PULLER called, LOST PLANES, LOST RIVER. It falls into the category of “upmarket thriller” and I’m excited about the project. I really wanted to come at the page hard and not filter myself. I wanted it to be art, not product in the way TH PULLER is experimental. It’s turning out well.

And on the house shopping front, things are getting interesting. In March of 2019, I left Missoula with my adventure cat Wrigley to attend a couple business meetings in LA. After the meetings, Wrigley and I ended up visiting various national parks and forests. And sadly, he died on December 27th, 2019. This had a profound impact on me…the kind of tectonic shift to where it felt like I’d become someone else. Less brighter, less smiles. Despite a myriad of distractions.

I honestly haven’t been able to stay between four walls for longer than a week. I feel compelled to move at all times, whether that constitutes gym, hiking, photography, different hotels, etc. This feeling, this change, doesn’t seem to be fading, but rather intensifying as time passes. So I’ve been rolling with it. The freedom is intoxicating. We’ll see how much longer it lasts.

The only thing I’ve ever learned in all this, is that nothing lasts forever. Not drones, not careers, not friends, nor beloved cats that liked Redwood National Park. But we try to make it last, don’t we?

Best,
– Michael

A remote section of the Oregon coast where my drone disappeared.