New Bloggy Update 1/27/26

Guess who’s going back to Texas?

Yep. More estate issues…hopefully, this will be the last time. My brother, Bob, passed away on February 19, 2025. It’s been almost a year and I’m still dealing with estate issues and financial bugaboos. Please make a will, people. Regardless of what age you currently are – just do it. Your family will thank you.

The first event of ’26 was incredible. Only in its second year, the Adult Book Fair in Springfield, Illinois was rockin’! I do believe that every author/table did well, and that does not often happen. Like I said in an All Business post, you never know. As much as we try to educate ourselves about an upcoming event, when it all shakes out – you simply don’t know how the turnout will be. We were lucky, happy, and went out to dinner to celebrate! 🙂

Another event is coming up fast! This Saturday, I’ll be at the Champaign Public Library from 2pm to 5pm, along with 15-20 other authors. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you!

I am still planning on starting Draft One on a new novel, but timing is everything. I mentioned recently that I was hoping to start in February, but, as usual, life gets in the way. I’ll be heading to Texas (see first paragraph!) during that week, and I’m nothing if not tied to calendars and schedules! LOL (in other words, I can’t start a ‘month of writing’ unless it’s officially on the first of the month! I know…petty and non-sensible, but it’s how I roll) So, March 1st is the new start date! Stay tuned!

I am having some difficulty with WordPress and some color/font issues, so if you poke around on some of the Meet & Greet pages, the information is there, but it might lack color/font size differences. I’m aware of it and am currently working with WordPress folks to address this. Hang with me, people! 🙂

Okay, what the heck have we been watching?

Dead of Winter (2025) – A grief-stricken widow stops by a remote cabin after getting lost on the back roads of Minnesota in the middle of winter. She soon finds herself in a desperate fight for survival as she encounters a murderous couple holding a young woman hostage. (Google) I really thought this movie was going in a specific direction, but it changed on me about halfway through. Without giving anything away, I’m going to come down pretty hard on this one. Overall, I felt like it tried to be a cozy mystery/Agatha Christie/Murder She Wrote type of story…until it goes a bit bonkers and dives into McGyver territory. I ended up giving it a 6.0, but I could easily have gone lower. Charlie came in at 7.0, but I believe he was just being kind.

Train Dreams (2025) – Robert Grainier lives all of his years in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, working on the land, helping to create a new world at the turn of the 20th century. (Google) Solid character study about a man who faces hardships, challenges, and a host of good and bad situations. Serious movie done in an outstanding way. High recommend. I have it an 8.2 and Charlie gave it an 8.8. Do this one, people.

Ricky Gervais: Mortality (2025) – Stand up special from the wild and often outrageous comedian, writer, director, and musician, Ricky Gervais. Go in with an open mind and you’ll find some humor, crassness, outrage, and line-crossing – but, that’s Ricky. Do I love every word from this man? No, but he’s brilliant, nonetheless. If you have trigger warnings and don’t do well with bluntness, stay away. If not, pull up a chair for an hour and enjoy. I gave this an 8.3 and Charlie swooped in with a 9.0.

The Chair Company (Season One: 2025) – After an embarrassing incident at work, William Ronald Trosper finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy (Google) This is one of those shows that SCREAMS absurdity, surreal, zany, farcical, and has a passing vibe that is similar to the movie Greener Grass (which I couldn’t give a low enough score to). I tried. I really tried. But, after sitting through one season, I’m done. I don’t remember why I gave it a 6.3 (probably should have scored it lower now that I’m thinking about it), but looking back, I was kind. Charlie came in at 6.9, but he digs these types of shows more than I do.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (2025/2026) – An eight-part mini-series based on John Wayne Gacy, the person who killed 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. It’s well done (aside from the continuous time jumps which make it a bit hard to follow) and while it’s not overly graphic, the subject matter is obviously serious and intense. What makes this different from other Gacy movies/shows is that this particular one focuses more on the victims, their families, the detectives involved, and other individuals who were close to the case and NOT just kill after kill. It’s an inside look at how so many people were affected by this horrendous psychopath (using the term loosely here – not necessarily diagnosing him). I gave this series an 8.1 and Charlie was right there with an 8.0.

Okay. That’s a wrap, peeps! Stay warm. And if you can, leave a review (or two!) of any of my books – on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other social media platform. Thanks 🙂