I don’t know what happened. I had a perfectly good outline for the fantasy novel – incomplete, sure – but it was perfectly serviceable one. No one was going to die (yet), and the main character was on her way to learning a trade.

The next thing I know, the main character gets some idea that she doesn’t have to follow along with the plan and makes her escape – literally. The big escape happens with her alone and now she’s wandering a field with little idea where to go, and I’m sitting behind my desk like a schmuck desperately trying to figure out how to get back on track.

An outline is not an opinion…

Does this ever happen to anyone else? Is it just me?

As much as I joke about how my characters are almost living things – this sort of stuff happens to me. I don’t even know why I write outlines when they’re going to get tossed aside like an old newspaper.

Wait — where are you going? I’ve got a very important plot point for you to do! Come back here!

It’s not like I’m against pantsing, but when I do that, I tend to write myself into a whole I can’t get out of. Plotting things gives me the chance to work out problems ahead of time. I’ve got novels I haven’t finished because I can’t think of what happens next. That’s what delayed Tribal. I don’t know how to end it with something that’s satisfactory.

I’m afraid that will happen with this – the big fantasy project that’s going to put me on the map. I don’t want that to happen. I want everything to go as planned. Dammit.

Hopefully, I’ll think of something to get her at least to the village, and from there have her learn the language so I can get over that particular hump. Not how I wanted it solved, but here we are.

Other than that, I am just waiting for April to pitch The Show Must Go On to an agent. I still need to the novel down a bit more and hopefully get some feedback. Anyone interested in being a beta reader? Say so in the comments.

That’s all for now. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get the slave back on track.

Tyro is becoming a little work-like now. This is where I have to hold steady. I have to remind myself this is only a draft – this is nowhere near being ready to be sent out for consideration. Heck – I’m only on chapter five of the manuscript and chapter nineteen on the outline, but I feel like this isn’t living up to its potential. I need to hold onto this feeling when I begin the editing process.

For the most part, I am following the schedule that I’ve put up for myself – nine hundred words for lunch, nine hundred words after dinner and a sensible snack (usually a bowl of ice cream) . I am going to, at the very least, finish this novel on time at the end of June. After that, I don’t know if I am going to work on the sequel or focus my attention on something else. I do have two finished novels that I need to edit and get out there. I think I might edit those down on the weekends after I get my mandatory words in.

There’s not much else going on. I am just up to my hips in work – might toss my hat into the ring for YA novels. I’ve gotten stuck on another idea and I might put that in a couple of books. I don’t think it’s going to be more milage from the other books, but we’ll see. I just need to get more productive this year. Really start hammering out the material.

Well – that’s really all for now. Wish me luck in getting the stuff out.

In all the kerfluffle about getting Unbound started and starting the research in querying and researching for the World War One novel, I forgot I actually have a novel to be edited. The Show Must Go On is finished, and I was taking it through my writer’s group. Because we took a holiday break and we only meet once or twice a month (and to be honest, I am putting Unbound ahead of everything else), I’ve forgotten where I left off with The Show Must Go On.

So, what I am going to do is edit it down as best I can on my own – I already have some ideas on what to do in some scenes – and start querying with that book. The goal for this year is to get something out there and not self-published. Now, I’m not taking that off the table. If I can’t find a publisher or an agent for this, I am going to go that route. I still have the artwork for the cover on my computer (and I should move that to the flash drive where I keep everything else), so it’s not like I’m not prepared. I will safely say that this book will be going somewhere this year.

Speaking of years – I have the feeling that this is my year.

Law of averages, right?

Yes, I’m certain I’ve said that multiple times, but this time I really mean it. I have a goal and a clear path to get to it this time. I’m not saying I want to get to this and have absolutely no idea how to get there. I know where I am going. I just have to make sure that the rest of the Universe aligns with my goals. Isn’t there some saying about doing the work and God appears? I feel like that’s going to happen this year.

Speaking of organization, I made a spreadsheet with all my horror projects on it so I can keep track of what’s being worked on and what’s being queried. All of this is really me trying to focus my attention and will on getting published mainstream and/or mainstream adjacent.

I’m also going to start using TikTok to my advantage. I thank the BookFox YouTube channel for this idea. What I should do is ask #BookTok influencers if they would like a free copy of my book to review. If they say, yes – send them the book and hope for the best. I’m not going to aim for the ones that have millions of views, but I am going to aim for something that’s manageable – maybe 30,000 or something along those lines. Even if five percent get interested in the book, that’s 1,500. Even if half of that actually get the book, that’s 750 times the price of my book. That’s enough to get on solid ground. Might even be enough for the algorithm to give me a boost. I’ve got nothing to lose, right?

Well – that’s all for now, I do have to re-jigger my work schedule for editing on the weekends. I’m sure I can get Unbound finished in six months, and get the other novel edited in time for April and the Kentucky Writing Workshop. I might have a chance to pitch it to an agent.

This is my year. Finally.

Time to start Unbroken! Sorry about your luck Tribal!

Remember when I said that I wanted to set my next horror novel in the Ottoman Empire’s front lines?

Get in loser. We’re going to the Western Front.

Well, you see – the thing about horror that I have to pay attention to is the Other. The whole thing about the Other (an Ottoman soldier) surviving the horrors of war is by eating the flesh of the wounded and the dead is that it has to be something specific to him. If he’s among other Ottoman soldiers, then there’s a chance that the knowledge could be passed on to others. It kinda loses its punch. But if our Ottoman soldier is in the Western Front – there’s a lot more I can do with that.

Good thing I didn’t buy a lot of books about the Ottoman Empire, then?

When does it stop being a tax write-off and start becoming a problem?

I can see both sides of the argument. Making the German the Other in this story would make us a little more sympathetic to him (well, as sympathetic as we can get for a Hun) and his circumstances, especially if he’s put into a place where he can’t leave readily. Historically, there were Germans who served in the Ottoman Front, mostly as intelligence and training artillery. Whatever happens in this story, I want the historical aspects of it to be spot on.

However, having the Ottoman serving in the Western Front, which happened, can really key into our xenophobia, making the Ottoman the Other (The Other being a staple in horror) in more than one way. I’m still in the plotting stages of this novel, which I am not going to get to until year after next. Tyro is still the priority for 2026.

I am still outlining Tyro’s novel. I’m a third of the way through – Chapter 16 for those of you keen on numbers. I’m thinking this is going to have thirty-five to forty chapters at this rate. I’m slowing down a little because I am moving out of the chapters I have written in my head and moving into uncharted territory. It’s still fun for me, but I need to really buckle down and go when I am at the desk.

Well, the year is winding down for me. I am looking forward to taking a small break during Christmas – horror movies and hamburgers being a long tradition for me. If you have any suggestions for me, please put them in the comments below. I’m looking for some recent movies that I might have missed in the theaters. I’m thinking about watching Misery again. It’s such a classic horror movie. RIP Rob Reiner.

Well, that’s all for now. Just trying to settle on a spot for the novel and get the appropriate books bought and scoured through. I might stick with the Western Front because there seems to be a lot more information about it than the Ottoman Front. We will see.

Ta-ta for now.

That’s right. You read it here. Tyro — the main character for my project going into next year — hijacked the outlining process of her novel. Is this a symptom of schizophrenia? Let’s find out.

I was outlining a scene where one of the other characters is drawing a magic circle to return back to where their Master was waiting to get the second in a long line of McGuffin’s that may or may not be crucial (I honestly don’t know). I didn’t stop to think ‘what should happen now?’ like I usually do. Pen was firmly planted on paper and butt was firmly in seat when the amazing happened: Tyro did her own thing.

That thing she did was snatch the chalk out of the other servant’s hand and start drawing her own magic circle. I’d been describing how she had been collecting magical glyphs here and there earlier. She thought she had enough to get away from wherever their Master was holed up to somewhere that wasn’t there. As I continued to write the aftermath of this scene — Tyro getting roughed up by another servant and ending up going on her own, I asked myself: What just happened?

I always talk about my characters as if they were alive in my head. If I had to describe the acting of writing for me — it’s me watching what my characters do, then writing the after-action report. This was a little unnerving to say the least, but it ended up being good. I got to introduce a couple of new things that I wasn’t going to involve until later, and I have explored a little more of the dynamic among the ushabit. All in all, this was fortuitous.

But it’s weird. It’s like that moment in Baldur’s Gate 3 where one of the characters breaks the fourth wall and asks how we’re doing. I didn’t stop, I didn’t plan on it, obviously. It just happened. I had a different scene in mind, with Tyro looking in at a family and her memories pointing out that this is what they want, and one of them makes the offer to help her get away in exchange for that family situation. Well, that scene isn’t going to happen now. I don’t know if it is going to at all now. I might have to save it for later.

I want to ask you, the audience and especially of you’re a writer like me — have you ever had moments like this? Moments where the characters do something and you’re left standing there confused and shouting “YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!”

Well — in spite of what happened, I am continuing on with the outline. What’s going on next? Don’t know. Can’t wait to see. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas. For me — it’s donuts for breakfast, horror films and hamburgers! Ta-ta for now!

That whooshing sound is coming, but I am not worried about it. I’m just going to relegate Tribal to a weekend project after I’ve done my words for Unbroken, or maybe a Sunday only project. I did pay for the cover, so I should do something. I’m also getting a cover done for The Agonizing Alibi Day, so look for that in the New Year.

It’s hard to believe that the year is almost over. Where did it go? I can remember when a year seemed to never end. Now, I blink and half the year goes by. Is this what getting old is like, I don’t like it. I want to have a longer autumn.

The Christmas season has started, so I get to do some Christmas shopping. You should be, too – and what would be a better gift than any of my books? Comedy, horror and fantasy-romance is well represented in what I have written. Grab then now!

And we leave the shilling behind. It’s something that I am neither proficient at, nor really feel good about doing. I know that I must sell myself since I am an indie author, but…I’m the stereotypical quiet wallflower writer. I don’t feel comfortable trying to sell things. If I could, I would be selling cars or houses. A note to any indie authors that might be reading this – drop me a line and tell me how you manage to get the word out, especially if you’re an introvert like me.

Given that I am writing fantasy for the next year, don’t think I am abandoning horror. I’ve got an idea for a World War I novel, but I’m afraid that I am re-treading well-worn ground by me again. I can’t seem to keep away from the whole notion of cannibalism and mayhem. Valentina’s Feast has it. Serve Me Now has it. Tribal has it. I think I am becoming a one very, very gory trick pony. I don’t want to do vampires because I have a novel idea that uses vampires. I think I’ll get these novels out of me and take a break from cannibalism for a while.

Well – I am looking forward to 2026. Seriously continuing Unbroken, outlining several other books and trying to get more books sold. Wish me luck for this year and the next! Ta-ta for now!