While working on the second draft of my novel WIP, I noticed something that I didn't when I wrote the first draft.

Aren't assistants wonderful?

Naturally, 'octopus' is always the first thing everyone thinks of when the state of Oklahoma comes up. The two are inseparable, like a sucker on a fish tank. But, of all the octopuses* in Oklahoma that we could focus on, which one should we pick? The Oklahoma Octopus™ I'm talking THE Oklahoma Octopus. Not all those other lesser-known ones that cover the state. I'm sure you know to which one I'm referring. The one that's the size of a horse, reddish-brown leathery skin. The one that walks between lakes, stalking teenagers and pulling them down to watery deaths where they become a crunchy, juicy in the middle, cephalopod snack.

Retelling a treasure hunt for the last part of Absolution was a big task. I was initially making a video but decided I'd want ample time to inspect and take in everything if I were viewing it. I played around with several ideas and eventually landed on a mix of lots of photos and narration from Zarina. I think it turned out well. I'm excited to start writing the Behind the Scenes, as there's a lot to show, and I've had years to reflect on the entire thing.

What do you collect?

Nearly every building in Skagway, Alaska has a story to tell and clear links to the Klondike Gold Rush past. One building, in particular, the Red Onion Saloon, has an odd history, and visitors claim a resident ghost. It opened for business in 1898 as a dance hall, saloon, and bordello at the height of the gold rush.

I love audiobooks but never imagined I'd make one. Honestly, I never really thought about it.

"You were talking in your sleep again..." — A little horror short video.

Benjamin Franklin—scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, publisher, and philosopher. You may know him as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States or as a drafter/signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, or perhaps the first United States postmaster general. Or maybe his experiments with electricity, inventing bifocals, becoming an early abolitionist and the first president of the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. You may know his face from the $100 bill or have heard his name on warships, towns, counties, corporations, or colleges. If you grew up in the US, you probably heard stories of him flying a kite in a storm to invent electricity. Yes, he was known for a lot of things. But, did you know about the bones in his basement?

I think about this on and off whenever I come across a best-selling novel, popular TV show, or movie that I don't like—or when I stumble upon a fantastic gem of a story in any of those. There are plenty of theories about what makes a great story, popular ideas such as conflict, tension, surprise, well-developed themes, engaging plot, memorable characters, and so on. I don't think it's any of those, and I don't think there's a magic combination either.

A brief cosmic audiovisual and alternate history sci-fi.

Gilles de Rais was a lord in 1400s France and best known for the horrific torture and murder of more than 600 young boys and girls (mostly boys.) Or maybe 200. No? 100? Oh, the number of victims is unknown. Okay, let's start again, then...

I wrote and published a retro creature feature called Night of the Living Cake Monsters a while back. Despite the challenges of marketing a self-published work, the novella has gained a few die-hard fans.

It seems you've lost your way.

Did you know that there are at least 21 ways to tie shoelaces? For neckties, there are anywhere between 85 and 177,147 methods. The oldest knot on record dates to about 13,000 BC. Of all the knots you've ever tied in your life—have you ever tied one that won't tighten? I have. It's kind of a pain, too, when it happens. You think you've got it right, go to draw it tight, and are met with a mess that takes a while to untangle so you can try again. In 1542, one of those stuck knots resulted in 17 executions by slow slicing, 10 beheadings, and 20 enslavements. There's a lot to unravel here, so let's jump right into it.

I offered to read through someone else's first draft, and I'm about 1/3rd of the way through the story now. It's a unique concept, one I haven't seen before.

A flash fiction piece for humanity.

You know, the problem with having niche interests is that most people excuse themselves out of a conversation with me as soon I start rambling about things like prototypical lesbian¹ vampires as literary devices in Victorian-era fiction. It's not that uncommon of a conversation topic, right? I suppose you just have to be around the right people, though. Good thing I've got you. For many people, vampires only sprung into existence in fiction when Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897. They know about, but have never seen, the 1922 film Nosferatu and look confused when I mention Carmilla.

"A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it." —Samuel Johnson

Is it destiny, or is it fate?

The 1950s sure did see all kinds of craziness. The Cold War raged, fear of nuclear weapons invaded every home and school, constant UFO sightings put people on edge, and World War II still weighed heavily on humanity. The '50s brought fresh ideas into comics, movies, and magazines—mostly touching on the cultural fears without calling them out directly. Elvis packed venues, Hitchcock films hit theaters at least once a year, and what would later become classic literature flew off the shelves—an exciting time for everyone. With all that going on in the world, what was happening down around Florida?

Have you ever heard the following? "Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything." – Scott Adams It's a quote used frequently in business startup land.

People make all sorts of New Year's resolutions.

I don't do movie reviews, but I will be writing about horror movies. The film industry is a massive part of horror, and they've pushed the genre forward in many respects. It's so hard to say anything about this film without spoiling it. Here's my own spoiler-free description: Two daughters and their mother inherit an old, dusty, secluded home. Then, they meet a witch and an ogre. What follows is a journey deep into the psyche of one of the daughters as she struggles for her own life and sanity.

I'm a big fan of setting up machines and then just feeding them, so they work. I look at writing with that same eye. What's my goal, and how can I set things up to focus on the fun part?