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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.

By the time the fire burned down to embers, everyone had already decided to leave. Trucks pulled out one by one, music died, and the woods settled back into themselves. By morning, only one pickup remained near the tree line—keys still inside, tailgate down, fire long cold. No signs of a fight. No tracks leading away. Just the quiet understanding that someone stayed too long… and didn’t leave with the rest.

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.

The house was cleaned, repainted, and rented again without incident. No footsteps. No cold spots. No whispers in the dark. But the people who worked the crime scene weren’t as lucky. Long after the body was removed, first responders began reporting nausea, scratches, and the sensation of someone standing just behind them. Whatever was left behind didn’t stay with the house—it followed the witnesses home.

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. 🎄🩸

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The man was pronounced dead at the scene, bagged, and transported while the house was scrubbed clean and returned to the market. Hours later, in the morgue, his body began bleeding again—fresh, warm, and impossible. When the wounds reopened, the house answered too. New stains surfaced where blood had already been erased, as if the violence hadn’t ended… only relocated.

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.

In a quiet East Texas county, a routine autopsy was signed, filed, and closed as accidental. By morning, the report had changed—cause of death rewritten, injuries added, timeline shifted. The medical examiner swore she hadn’t touched it. Worse, when the body was reexamined, it now matched the new report. No access logs. No explanations. Just paperwork that corrected itself—and a truth that arrived late.

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.

A man walked into a small East Texas sheriff’s office before sunrise and calmly confessed to a murder that hadn’t happened yet. Minutes later, deputies found the victim exactly where he said she’d be—killed while he sat in their interview room. When he predicted the next two deaths with the same impossible accuracy, the question stopped being who was doing the killing…and became what he was remembering.

Lesson 5 exposes the truth nobody wants to admit: you can’t save people who are dedicated to their own chaos. You’ve been playing emotional lifeguard for adults who keep diving back into the same fire, then acting shocked when they get burned. This is your permission slip to stop rescuing, stop explaining, and let consequences do the teaching you never could.

They say the Pine Curtain keeps to itself, but anyone who’s lived near Nacogdoches long enough knows better. Shadows move out there—slow, deliberate, almost curious. When Hannah Cole walked out of those woods after three days missing, she didn’t come back alone. Something followed. Something that learned her shape a little too well.

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.