BLACKGUM LAKE Stains a Page In RUE MORGUE Magazine

I’ve been slacking on this one.

With a degree of (welcomed) astonishment, I’d like to note that the latest issue of Rue Morgue magazine (#231) includes a favorable review of The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake (Lethe Press). Monica S. Kuebler writes, “Clint Smith’s The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake offers up a solid reminder that not every cabin-in-the-woods story is a slasher tale—and that our genre is infinitely better for that variety.” 

Read more of Kuebler’s reflections of TSoBL in the July/August, 2026 “Summer Slasher” issue of Rue Morgue.

“Beneath the Surface” of BLACKGUM LAKE: a Conversation with Ryan Trares of the Daily Journal

I’m grateful to senior reporter and columnist, Ryan Trares, for providing his platform with the Daily Journal to share our discussion about my recently-released novella, The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake. “Smith has channeled his imagination into a new novel. The Sacraments of Blackgum Lake weaves together dark and foreboding waters, personal struggles and the legend of John Dillinger into a compelling page-turner.”

Read the full interview in the Friday June 19, 2026 edition of the Daily Journal.