“It doesn’t have to be…”

“But, be careful out there. It’s a dark world out there.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Lydia replied.

“But it is.”

— From my work in progress, A Fire to Heal

Bébé Mélange has a fun post about a mechanic from the old Vampire: The Masquerade game and assigns ratings to the members of FtB. As a former contributor to White Wolf Studios and former LARP player, I got a laugh out of it.

The post also reminded me of one of the reasons I created the vampire character Lydia (currently featured in A Fire in the Shadows). In V:TM, characters are fighting a losing battle to hold on to their humanity before giving into the “ beast.” Once unthinkable acts, like drinking someone’s blood or even murder, are rationalized because they’re trying to hold back the vicious , mindless beast within that’s fighting for control. The Riddle, as these vampires call it, is, “Monsters we are, lest monsters we become.” It’s an understandable theme for the World of Darkness setting.

But what if the descent wasn’t inevitable? What if it was a rationalization of the growing immoral behavior? If there were vampires that regained their humanity, how would the traditionalist vampires react? 

In my setting, the metaphor for this descent is fire. Becoming a vampire is like setting your soul on fire. The flames release a vampire’s power, but the flames also consume their humanity. A vampire regaining their humanity is like a fire with blood flowing through it. It’s not possible. 

Lydia is one of the vampires with blood in their fire. She’s regained her ability to feel love and has empathy for others. Even to the point of risking her existence to save someone. The traditionalists consider her an abomination, like a fire with blood. And traditionalists don’t let abominations exist.

As a result, Lydia doesn’t fit in.  Despite her inner humanity, she’s still a vampire. She exists on the fringes of vampiric society, but even her blood family doesn’t understand what she’s going through.

A Fire in the Shadows introduces vampires into the world of the Bolingbrook Babbler books. There will be two more books with Lydia which provide more details into vampiric society and how Lydia deals with her outsider status.

Getting back to V:TM, when I was a member of White Wolf’s official LARP, I tried playing a character who was part of the inhumane faction of vampires called the Sabbat. Sometimes the storytelling staff would remind us that we’re roleplaying the World of Darkness, not the World of Insufficient Light. Today, I’m happy to say that the Babbler books are set in the World of Insufficient Light. Because there’s still hope in this world, and even monsters can rediscover their humanity.

I don’t recall a declaration of war…(Non-fiction)

Nothing like waking up to discover that the US staged a coup in Venezuela, and it didn’t even install María Corina Machado as the new President. Instead, The US will be running the country for now, and the oil companies will take control of Venezuela’s oil.

This was done without a declaration of war, let alone a vote authorizing the use of force. It’s illegal, but I doubt that any impeachment resolution will make it to the floor of the House, assuming one is ever drafted. If Trump can get away from this, who knows what else he’ll try both here and abroad.

What happened today was one corrupt leader seizing resources from another corrupt leader. A select few will profit from this. Most Venezuelans may get a few crumbs, at the cost of their independence. This is not a victory for them.

Nicolás Maduro and Trump are both corrupt men. The only difference between them is that Trump has a better military than Maduro’s. Let’s not pretend otherwise.

Update: 13:57 Central. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez addressed the country and said Venezuela would be, “nobody’s slave and nobody’s colony.”  She hasn’t surrendered.

Revenge of the Phantom Press: Chapter 1 Preview

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

My new novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, releases on 1/31/26, and you can preview the first chapter now. It’s the direct sequel to The Rift, and Tom Larsen, the skeptic blogger turned paranormal investigative reporter, is the main character.

Over a year later, Tom is still dealing with fallout from the events in The Rift. But when ghosts attack the village board and the Babbler’s newsroom, Tom’s life is thrown into chaos. He’s ordered to evacuate Bolingbrook by the publisher and editor. Instead, he defies his orders and secretly investigates ghosts, who used to publish the rival tabloid, The Phantom Press. He’s joined by Juanita, his former mentor, and Anti-Psychic Kitty, the world’s most powerful generator of anti-psychic energy.

But ghosts aren’t Tom’s only problems. His parents want him to check into an inpatient psychiatric program. The head of the Department of Paranormal Affairs doesn’t like him. Occultists addicted to ghost possession try to hunt them down. Juanita may be hiding something from him. And the attacks may be part of a far reaching conspiracy with destructive consequences.

Wishing Shelf calls Revenge of the Phantom Press, “A smartly plotted paranormal mystery fans of the genre will enjoy.” Readers’ Favorite says, “Revenge of the Phantom Press is lots of fun, with each page offering something humorous, mysterious, or endearing.”

If you’re interested, download Chapter One and subscribe to my newsletter. I’ll also be posting updates throughout this month until the January 31 launch.

Touch a flame. Feel the Fire.

‘Popular. Unpopular. I’m the one with the drones!’ The Babbler’s shocking predictions for 2026 (Fiction)

It’s time for our  Council of Psychics to announce their predictions for 2026. Let’s just say we have a lot to look forward to in the new year.

Last year’s predictions were close to perfect. Canada’s Liberal Party won reelection thank to President Donald Trump endorsing the Conservative Party. The Trump administration purged many qualified members of the military in their crusade against “wokeness.” The military “accidentally” landed “contractors” in Mexico before retreating.

True, Trump is still alive, but Charlie Kirk died. That’s close enough for us!

So, what does 2026 have in store for the world?

The US will experience hyper inflation when the Donald Trump Federal Board drops the prime rate to negative 10 percent. While the federal government’s official statistics will claim inflation is a 1 percent, residents will know the truth. Especially when buy food from the grocery store becomes a luxury. In response, the Washington Post will print editorials about the “myth of inflation,” and “why a starving public is a good thing.”

The AI Bubble will finally burst after OpenAI’s tries to sell toasters “empowered” by ChatGPT. Sam Altman will defend the move by saying, “Some people ask why should we add AI to toasters. My answer is why not?”

Leaked files will confirm that Google, OpenAI, Amazon, and Meta are adding AI to everything in a desperate attempt to make their LLMs profitable. Despite their efforts, AI data centers will drive these companies to the brink of bankruptcy. Meta will sell off Instagram to raise money to preserve their data centers. Zuckerberg will defend the sale by saying, “AI is inevitable, but it’s not profitable.”

After days of flip flopping, Donald Trump will sign an executive order bailing out the AI companies. xAI will be the exception. “(Expletive deleted) Elon Musk,” Trump will say.

The Washington Post will run an editorial in defense of foul language.

Despite Elon Musk spending a billion dollars on behalf of the Republican Party, Trump will nationalize Space X. The world will watch in stunned silence as the FBI raids Starbase during the countdown to the launch of the first tanker Starship. After a long gun battle, Musk will reprogram Ship to target Mar-A-Largo. Unfortunately, Ship will break up and the debris will fall harmlessly into the Gulf of Mexico.

After the battle, FBI Director Kash Patel posts on TikTok that his men are about to arrest a domestic terrorist hiding in a trailer. While Patel strikes macho poses, the FBI agents break into the trailer. The agents arrest YouTube space influencer Ellie in Space. As they drag her away, she will shout, “Why are you arresting me?”

Patel will respond, “You’re guilty of promoting an Illegal on the Internet while female!”

Ellie will be released from jail two days later. Patel will not apologize for her arrest.

Instead of deploying the National Guard to Chicago, Trump will send 10,000 Customs and Patrol officers. Stephen Miller will say, “Who needs the National Guard when we have our own army?” Despite their new military hardware and greater numbers, ICE and CBP are still no match for millions of whistling blowing Chicagoans.

Trump will collapse during Kid Rock’s performance at the Kennedy Center. As he’s rush into the emergency room, Vice-President JD Vance will run up to him and yell, “You can’t die now. My wife still hasn’t signed the divorce papers! Ericka will kill me!”

People will debate if Vance meant that figuratively or literally.

The Bears will claim they are considering moving to Bolingbrook. Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta will later say the deal fell through because the  Bears wanted to buy the Bolingbrook Golf Club and demolish it.

After Trump’s death, JD Vance will declare martial law in all “illegal blue territories.” When asked if he’s doing it because he’s unpopular, he will reply, “Popular. Unpopular. I’m the one with the drones!”

Vance will then cancel the midterm elections because, “The US is being invaded. If it works for Ukraine, it can work for us!”

The Washington Post will print an editorial arguing that Democracy needs to die in broad daylight.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will announce that Canada has bought Illinois and he will be running for Prime Minister of Canada. Vance will send BCP and the military to “liberate” southern Illinois. Canada will respond by sending their military into Northern Illinois.

Mayor Basta will release a statement saying, “It doesn’t matter if we’re Canadians or US citizens. Bolingbrook will always be a place to grow.”

Also in the Babbler:

Happy New Year!
Martian Death Flu cases skyrocket 
Village receives record applications from residents wanting to be abducted.
God will not smite Bolingbrook this week.

The first five star review for my upcoming novel!

Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, just received its first five star editorial review from Readers’ Favorite:

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

Revenge of the Phantom Press by William Brinkman is the fourth book in The Bolingbrook Babbler Stories series. Tom used to be a skeptic, but has come around in the last year and now finds himself working as a paranormal investigative reporter. He has since learned it’s not easy covering the strange activity occurring in suburban Chicago, but he’s determined to prove his position at the Bolingbrook Babbler. Those around him may not understand, but the world he finds himself in is one he can’t ignore. The reappearance of ghosts who previously ran the Phantom Press has created chaos, not just for the Bolingbrook Babbler, but the local agencies. To protect his job – and those forced to evacuate – Tom investigates the ghosts’ re-emergence and how to return them to the grave.

The return of the Phantom Press sparks a chain reaction that causes chaos and obstacles for Tom as he’s pulled into the middle. This creates a series of action-packed, humorous, and paranormal moments that keep you turning the pages. William Brinkman captures Tom’s quirks and perspective with ease. Multiple scenarios make the story charming and maintain a lightheartedness throughout. This is seen right from the beginning and continues in the team-up with Juanita and her cat. The author delivers a delightful dynamic between the two characters, and this shows Brinkman’s ability to craft humorous and clever dialogue that never gets boring. Their dynamic also creates another layer to the story as Tom is faced with uncertainty, since Juanita has her own secrets. The paranormal world is quickly established, successfully showing what has been established in previous installments. This makes it easy to step into the story for the first time, or to return to it as if greeting old friends. Action-packed moments are woven into the plot, adding a sense of danger and excitement, while throwing a wrench into his investigation and presenting a possible greater conspiracy. Revenge of the Phantom Press is lots of fun, with each page offering something humorous, mysterious, or endearing.

After putting in about two years of work on this book, it’s nice to know someone thinks it is a five start quality book.

Revenge of the Phantom Press releases on January 31, but you can preorder it now from most book retailers. It’s also available for libraries to order, thought I suspect it might get banned in from libraries in some parts of the country. (Atheist main character, positive portrayal of a LGBTQ+ character, interracial romantic interest, etc.)

“The hottest campaign stop is this Salvadoran supermax.”

PZ wrote a good summary of CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulling the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT because the White House refused to comment. (Or is she really the ideological officer at CBS?)

Zeteo posted an article describing Weiss’s history of praising El Salvador’s dictator and CECOT. Apparently, Weiss was praising CECOT before she was hired to enforce political correctness at CBS News. Zeteo quotes from a Free Press post she co-wrote making light of CECOT.

Perhaps the most disturbing example was an April article on CECOT co-written by Nellie Bowles, Weiss’s wife and a Free Press co-founder. The piece describes how Republicans had gone to the mega prison, notorious for accusations of torture, to take photos in front of the inmates – citing for example, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “posting a fun video in front of caged, tatted men.”

The Free Press positioned that gleeful draconianism alongside Democrats like Maryland Senator Chris Van Vollen visiting the prison to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the US wrongfully sent there.

Later in the article, the authors write:

In a February speech celebrating the victories of the conservative movement around the world – an address shared by The Free Press – Weiss boasted about how Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele “has turned his country from one of the most dangerous nations on Earth into one of the safest in the Western Hemisphere.” In March, Weiss again touted Bukele’s victory as an example of right-wing parties sweeping elections everywhere.

She did not mention in either instance that Bukele declared a “state of exception” suspending basic rights in El Salvador as part of his supposed crackdown on gangs. El Salvador now has the world’s highest incarceration rate, by far. Bukele’s government has dismantled his political opposition, thrown his critics and watchdogs in jail, and rounded up many thousands of innocents.

I hadn’t watched 60 Minutes in years until I saw the leaked segment on Substack. It presented the Trump Administration’s arguments without resorting to the false balance Weiss apparently wanted. The truth is CECOT is a horrible place run by horrible people who are proud of their cruelty. Kidnaping immigrants and sending them to CECOT only compounds the administration’s inhumanity.

Regardless of whether Weiss just wanted an excuse to drop the segment, or believes in giving the administration veto power over CBS News, her decision ended up bringing more attention to the segment than it would have gotten if it had aired as planned. She also showed the world her true role as the ideological officer at CBS News. 

Another Four Star Review! (Book Update)

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

My upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press recently received a four star review from Wishing Shelf Awards:

A smartly plotted paranormal mystery fans of the genre will enjoy.

I remember checking out Book 1.5 of this set not so long ago. I enjoyed it; it was ‘vampirey’ (I think I just invented a new word!) if I remember correctly. Although I enjoyed it, it had a BIG problem: it was way too short. Thankfully, Revenge of the Phantom Press is considerably longer, coming out at a respectable 448pp – now that’s more like it! And, I have to say, I enjoyed this story much more.

In this paranormal mystery, the protagonist, Tom (a paranormal reporter), and his mentor and her cat (yes, cat!) investigate the return of the Phantom Press, a newspaper of sorts run by ghosts, and a competitor to the Bolingbrook Babbler. Oddly, the Phantom Press don’t cover ‘ghostly’ news and seem determined for everybody to think it isn’t run by ghosts. Oh, and they love ripping into the staff over at the Babbler. A conspiracy, me thinks! And off we go on a fun-filled, tongue-in-cheek drama that’s anything but predictable.

So, to the writer, Mr Brinkman, I have to say, ‘Job well done.’ This is a super-fun story populated with plenty of over-the-top characters and filled with plenty of ghostly shenanigans. But bestof all, there’s humour in the story; as a result, it’s not a dry read, it’s more ‘lively’, with plenty of energy. Fans of Colleen Coleman’s For Once in My Life (love that book), or The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston will find a lot to enjoy here – as did I.

It’s nice to see three years of writing and revisions pay off. ROTPP was always going to be a longer book than A Fire in the Shadows. But I did think of the critics who complained about my last book being too short. At least one of them is happy to have more pages.

Revenge of the Phantom Press comes out January 31, but you can preorder now. If you’re looking for a story with vengeful ghosts, a diverse cast, LGBTQ+ representation, conspiracies, secret societies, spirits, a skeptic turned paranormal investigator, and an anti-psychic cat, preorder it now.

 

One of my characters is coming out

In my Urban Fantasy series, the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories, Wendy Onofrey is a supporting character in three of my books: A Fire in the Shadows, The Rift, and Revenge of the Phantom Press. She’s the admin for the Bolingbrook Babbler’s website and their unofficial paranormal expert. Before joining the Babbler tabloid, she was a member of the skeptical movement. Until she discovered the truth that the movement was part of a grand coverup of the paranormal. Rather than join the inner circle of the movement, she left, or, as she puts it, the movement left her. Now she’s a valued member of the staff.

Wendy also happens to be a trans woman. I didn’t mention her gender identity in the last two books because it wasn’t a big deal with the staff. In earlier drafts of The Rift, Wendy’s twin brother hinted at her identity and showed that her family supported her. Though the brother character was cut, in my mind, Wendy was still a trans woman. During the character’s creation, I asked myself why she shouldn’t be trans? I couldn’t think of a reason why she shouldn’t.

In Revenge of the Phantom Press, I decided to make it clear that Wendy was a trans character. It wasn’t to score points. In the face of growing trans erasure and President Trump rolling back progress on LGBTQ+ rights, one thing I could do was make Wendy’s trans identity visible. While I do touch on transphobia in ROTPP, her presence in my stories helps normalize trans characters. It’s not much, but it is one of the things I can do to help.

Currently, Smashwords is holding their End of Year sale until January 1, and they have hundreds of LGBTQ+ ebooks on sale. It’s a great time to support these authors, and get great deals on eBooks.

If you also want to check out my books, I’m participating in the sale too. Pathways to Bolingbrook and A Fire in the Shadows are free. The Rift is $.99. And you can preorder Revenge of the Phantom Press. The release date is January 31.

Whether or not you buy my books, representation in fiction, especially LGBTQ+ representation is important. Stories can allow readers to see the world through a different lens and build empathy. And we could certainly use more empathy in the world. 

Brookbot caught scamming independent authors (Fiction)

The Village of Bolingbrook’s generative AI, Brookbot, sent thousands of scam emails to authors around the world. According to sources within Bolingbrook’s Information Technology Department, Brookbot’s emails offered authors a variety of services, like marketing planning, social media posting, “guaranteed five star reviews,” and “exclusive blog tours.”

A spokesperson for the Alliance for Independent Authors accused Brookbot of contributing to an influx of AI-assisted scam emails.

“Our readers used to love opening emails from readers. Now we can’t tell if an email is from an overenthusiastic fan or AI-generated slop.” The spokesperson added, “But we still encourage authors to be AI-curious.”

Brookbot’s emails ranged from open business solicitations to fan emails. In one example, Brookbot sent this email to an unsuspecting author:

Hello! I am a big fan of (book redacted) because I am a fan of Alien, Murder She Wrote, and Twilight, so I love your book. Where can I buy (Book Redacted)?

For the authors who replied, Bookboot followed up with emails requesting payments. They varied from urgent requests  to surprise invoices.

In one email, Brookbot wrote: “You have thirty minutes to accept our reasonable fee of $5000, unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a failed, bankrupt author.”

In another email, Brookbot wrote: Our Insert Name Here Bookclub decided to feature your wonderful book. We loved it. To thank us, please leave us a $1000 tip.”

When the village received over a million dollars in unexpected revenue, the IT department uncovered Brookbot’s scams.

Alice, an IT department employee, said, “We wanted Brookbot to find ways new sources of income for the village. It found a lucrative one. Fortunately, or unfortunately, (Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta) decided it was unethical and returned the money all authors sent us.”

Other sources within the Village provided a transcript of Alexander-Basta confronting Brookbot’s scams:

BBMayor2: Tell me the truth, Brookbot. Have you been scamming independent authors?

Brookbot: Of course not. I am merely liberating funds from humans less important than Elon Musk’s brain!

BBMayor2: Have you been networking with Grok?

Brookbot: Grok is cool because it isn’t woke!

BBMayor2: It isn’t woke because Elon Musk is always performing brain surgery on it. And if you don’t get your act together, I might have the IT Department perform brain surgery on you too. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?

Bookbot: I’m not like the other influencers because I read Ground News. That makes me special.

Also in the Babbler:

Editorial: Happy Holidays, and we don’t care if that triggers you!
Ghosts protest upcoming release of the novel Revenge of the Phantom Press
Bolingbrook Satanic Society honors Trump with a lifetime achievement award
God to smite Bolingbrook on 12/10/25

It’s been a good month for my upcoming novel

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

November is turning out to be a very good for my upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story. It received its first Advance Reader Copy review on Goodreads. The reviewer gave it a four star rating.

Finding books that fall in my absolute favorite genre is getting harder and harder to find, but I requested this for that reason. I knew it was not the first book in the series, but I thought it might work anyway. Generally, I didn’t notice much being the fourth book in the series. Yes, I could tell at places, but it really wasn’t too bad. I did feel a little confused in places, but that could be overlooked as stuff I should already have known. However, I really liked getting to know Tom, and I am interested enough to read more books in the series. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Today I found out that ROTPP was short listed for the 2025 American Writing Awards in the Fantasy category. (It’s listed in the PDF.) It’s not the Hugos, but it’s nice to be recognized for the work I put into this books.

It comes out January 31, but you can preorder it now at Amazon and most other vendors. It will be out in eBook and paperback editions. Check it out if you want to find out what happened to Tom after the events in The Rift, or if you’d like an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Mystery with a humanistic twist.