And you can’t stop me. 2026 has been one manmade disaster after another. I’ll listen to what I like.

News:

“Hell Come Home” was included on Ellen Datlow’s list of recommended 2024 short stories. She’s a horror anthology legend, so her recommendations hold weight.

“Divergences,” a piece of horror flash fiction, will be posted tomorrow on the Crystal Lake Patreon as a finalist of last month’s theme of Regret. ($5/month tier or higher to read and vote)

Works in Progress:

I’m about two-thirds through my fix of the Dracula reimagining. It doesn’t require a lot of intense work, but I’m also doing a standard edit as I go, because I might as well as long as I’m doing a close read for the details that need to change. Just a bit of a tidy.

Once I’m finished, I’ll write a piece of flash or two before hitting May Cooler Heads Prevail edits.

Books I’m Reading:

Raising Loki: A Memoir by Elliot Manarin
The Shining by Stephen King
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Things I’m Listening To:

Christmas playlist

Things I’m Watching:

Mickey’s Christmas Carol
Muppet Christmas Carol
Gremlins
Joyeux Noel
Black Christmas (1974)
Ocean’s 8
Christmas Inheritance
Holidate
Troll
Wicked: For Good
Together
The Christmas Charade
Legion
Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Free series
Transplant series (finished)
Monk (S7) series (finished)
Twelve Dates ’til Christmas series (finished)
Holiday Baking Championship series (finished)
Great British Baking Show series (finished)
Great British Baking Show: Holiday Edition series (finished)

Poem of the Week:

shed the skin
shed the sinew
shed the pounds
shed the hounds
shed the sorrow
shed the morrow
shed the marrow
shed the horror
shed it down to parts
to unatomed hearts
they are no use
where you’re going