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Christmas isn’t magic — it’s camouflage. When everyone’s expected to be nicer, more forgiving, and “keep the peace,” bad behavior gets a holiday pass. Lesson 11 breaks down why confidence makes people lie worse during the holidays, how Christmas cheer becomes cover for half-truths, and why asking the right questions exposes stories faster than confrontation ever could. This isn’t about ruining Christmas. It’s about not helping lies survive it.

You’re not afraid of failing — you’re afraid of being seen trying. This lesson breaks down why visibility feels more dangerous than mistakes, how hiding masquerades as “being careful,” and why confidence never shows up before action. If you’ve been rehearsing in private, waiting to feel ready, or mistaking invisibility for safety, this is your wake-up call. The dark side isn’t about hiding — it’s about moving anyway.

During a routine response, an officer’s body camera recorded a narrow hallway ending in a door no one remembered seeing. Inside was a small room containing a bare mattress, blood smeared along the wall, and signs of a struggle that didn’t exist anywhere else in the house. When investigators returned, the room was gone. No door. No space for it to exist. Only the footage remained.

Lesson 9 dismantles the lie that wanting more makes you ungrateful. This post reframes hunger, boredom, and restlessness as information—not character flaws—and exposes how gratitude is often used to keep people small. If you’ve ever felt guilty for outgrowing a life that looks “fine” on paper, this lesson explains why stagnation isn’t maturity and why honoring your appetite is survival.

Join the Find & Color the Suspect Challenge from Teardrops of Lake Tawakoni: The Coloring Book! Hidden suspects appear on select pages—spot them, color them, and upload your finished artwork in the comments. The first 10 readers to find and share all hidden suspects will win a free audiobook and have their pages featured on the author’s website. Dive into suspense, secrets, and eerie East Texas landscapes in this interactive coloring experience.

Lesson 8 explores the quiet truth nobody likes to admit: not all relationships end in explosions — some just expire. This post breaks down why outgrowing people doesn’t require explanations, how staying too long erodes your sense of self, and why being alone is healthier than forcing alignment that’s already gone. If you’ve ever felt lonely in the same room as someone you live with, this one will hit.

I’m not wrapping this in a bow. From December 24–28, The Dollmaker of Point is free on Amazon. No email signup. No catch. Just a full Texas thriller about a town that should’ve stayed buried, secrets that don’t respect holidays, and a killer who never clocked out. Consider this my Christmas gift to readers who prefer their stories dark, unsettling, and just a little too real. Merry Christmas. 🎄🩸

Lesson 7 is your wake-up call to stop auditioning for love and start disqualifying the wrong people early. Dating isn’t about being chosen — it’s about compatibility, honesty, and refusing to shrink yourself for approval. This lesson breaks down why wearing a mask early guarantees resentment later, how clarity filters faster than chemistry, and why the right people don’t need you to perform to stay.

Lesson 6 dismantles the myth of closure and replaces it with something far more powerful: distance. Not every situation needs a conversation, an explanation, or an emotional wrap-up. Some endings don’t come with answers — they come with peace. This lesson is your permission slip to stop reopening healed wounds, stop negotiating with the past, and finally accept that walking away is sometimes the most complete resolution you’ll ever get.

Silence isn’t rude—it’s a power move. You don’t owe your plans, emotions, or personal business to people who gossip, pry, or twist information for sport. The quieter you become, the safer your life gets. Not everyone deserves access to your inner world, and withholding details isn’t secrecy—it’s strategy. This lesson breaks down why your silence isn’t cold… it’s self-protection.

You’re not “acting different.” You’re adapting to the energy people bring into your life. Warmth is earned, not owed. When someone demands the best version of you while giving you their worst, that’s not your cue to over-explain—it’s your cue to survive. This lesson breaks down why your personality shifts aren’t attitude… they’re intelligence, boundaries, and dark-side self-protection.

You didn’t stop caring what people think because you’re reckless—you stopped because living your life for spectators is a slow death. Lesson 2 breaks down why “unbothered,” “too bold,” and “living like it’s your last day” aren’t chaotic traits—they’re dark-side survival skills. When you stop performing for approval and start making choices for yourself, you don’t become mean. You become free.

Welcome to the Unofficial Survival Guide for Chaotic Adults—where being “too much” is actually proof you adapted better than everyone else. This lesson breaks down why your so-called “dark traits” (suspicion, bluntness, detachment, pettiness, dark humor) are survival instincts, not flaws. From holiday ambushes to late-night drama texts, here’s how the dark side keeps you sane—and unsteppable.

The folder was thin, warped at the edges, but heavy with ghosts. Murder Doesn’t Clock Out: Before Quinlan. Back then Loretta and David thought they were invincible—Texas Violent Crimes Task Force rookies chasing shadows. What they found instead was a wax museum of the dead, a blaze that erased more than evidence, and the first mistake that would haunt every case to come.

Drop 1313 wasn’t scheduled—it was summoned. In this Halloween teaser, Unmasking Evil unleashes the “Jingle All the Way to the Morgue” crewneck: a cozy, chaos-coded sweatshirt featuring a split-faced Santa that’s half jolly, half skeletal. The TikTok video sets the tone with glitchy dread and festive menace. It clawed its way out of containment, and it won’t stay long. Watch the drop, feel the breach, and wear the warning.

Harold Finch was found slumped over his garage workbench, throat slashed clean. A six-inch wooden doll, dressed in miniature overalls, mirrored the wound exactly. The next day, Albert Keyes was discovered in his study, wrist lacerated, with another doll—cardigan and glasses—standing upright on the desk. Each scene was staged with obsessive precision. The killer didn’t just leave evidence. They left a performance.

Teardrops of Lake Tawakoni – The Eras Remix: In My Gen Z Era is dropping FREE on Kindle from October 13–17. This isn’t the OG—it’s the emotionally feral reboot. Rewritten for readers who binge thrillers like cursed playlists and annotate in trauma-coded emojis. If you missed the original, now’s your chance to spiral for $0. The lake’s not calm—it’s petty. And it’s carving teardrops into bodies like it’s a vibe check.

The Dollmaker of Point ebook is free on Amazon until September 20—don’t miss this limited-time offer. Dive into a chilling East Texas mystery filled with folklore, obsession, and atmospheric suspense. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and eerie small-town secrets. Download your free copy before the offer disappears.

The Dollmaker of Point is free in ebook format for five days only—starting September 16. Dive into this chilling psychological thriller set in small-town Texas, where secrets, grief, and forensic clues unravel a haunting mystery. Perfect for fans of Southern noir and emotionally charged suspense. Don’t miss your chance to download this gripping read before the offer ends September 20.

A blood-stained cloth. A silent church. A town steeped in secrets. Book 3 of A Texas Thriller of Murder and Betrayal is coming—and this exclusive first look at the possible cover reveals a darker, more ritualistic layer to the mystery. The Sins of Greenville pulls David and Loretta into a case where faith and violence intertwine, and redemption may be the most dangerous lie of all. Patrons, you saw it first. Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes reveals.