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!