I’m hitting 2026 running. Thanks to my suggestion schedule, I’ve been progressing on all projects. I’m reading and watching and gaming more, and I’ve got events lined up (or at least potentially lined up). I’m feeling optimistic.

Projects

I’m closing in on a new draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. It’s been a process of writing from both ends and cross-checking my information. I’m going to start tackling the big campaign in the story soon, which means maps and gaming out movement and action.

I’m also progressing with Orcfyre. This one I’m also tackling from both sides, because I know how I need it to end, but I’m not sold on the start. So, we’ll see how that goes. As much as I want this one done, I want it to be done right.

In addition, I started writing the first scene of my 1st Minnesota book. This is a real interesting challenge from a writing perspective, because this is a historical fiction series. I don’t need to do so much world building as I do need to check several historical records.

And, finally, I’m getting work done on all my other projects. The suggestion schedule has been really nice to keep things moving each day. Even if all I do is write a few paragraphs or work out some aspect of the world, it’s still progress.

January Goals

• The Colonel Lieutenant: Finish two acts in progress
• Orcyfre: Finish two acts in progress
• 1st Minnesota: Finish two scenes and check with books
• Minor Projects: Write 12 scenes
• Minor Projects: Finish 12 world building goals

Books

• Seven Plots (Research)
• Bearer of the Black Staff (Fiction)
• Cardinal of the Kremlin (Fiction, Re-Read)
• War and Peace (Fiction, Audiobook)
• The Great “What Ifs” of the American Civil War (Non-Fiction)

I did not finish any books in December. Reading is one thing where I want to work on doing more of while I wait for summer to bring back my reading porch. I have a reading chair downstairs, and several ebooks so I can read from my phone if I don’t have access to the physical book.

January Goals

• Finish one fiction book
• Finish one non-fiction book
• Finish one research book

Movies / Shows

• Superman
• Sisu
• Stargate SG-1
• Foundation
• Stranger Things (Season 5)

I saw two movies last month. Both of them I liked.

First was the 2025 Superman film. I appreciate that this film avoids spending time telling us Superman’s origins or having him play secret identity with other characters. Having other superheroes in the film helped. And I think Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor is my favorite rendition of the character so far. He wasn’t as comical or over the top as previous iterations.

Second was Sisu, a Finnish action thriller set in World War 2, about a Finnish prospector fighting Nazis. This film was over-the-top, with little or no character development. Just action and ‘that wouldn’t work’ thrills. It was fun. And at one point I cheered. Good times.

And as for TV shows, I did make time to watch and finish Stranger Things, Season 5. I was curious to see how it ended, and I thought they did a great job. Things ended about as well as they could for most of the characters without breaking the story. There were a couple of instances in the finale where I started to wonder if they were warming up for this curveball or that one, which I appreciate because that means the story was robust enough for it to be a possibility. And maybe I had one or two questions about how things wrapped up that weren’t addressed. But, overall, I really liked it. And I’m sure there will be dozens of posts across social media about how I’m wrong, but so what. I liked it, and I’m okay liking it.

January Goals

• Watch two movies
• Finish two seasons of TV Shows

Games

• Last of Us 2 (Re-play)
• Hogwart’s Legacy
• Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

I managed to finish my Last of US 2 replay in time for the New Year. That’s a relief. at some point I can go back and replay to get achievements and pull easter eggs, but for now I can focus on other story games.

While I get back into Horizon Forbidden West and Red Dead Redemption 2 on the consol, my next PC story game is Hogwarts Legacy. Taking place a century before the main books and movie, the story follows a Fifth-Year student involved in some mystery. So far, I’m enjoying the game and the world, and the combat system is fairly dynamic. My only complaint is the sorting hat simply asks you what house you want to be in. I was hoping that it would be a series of questions to determine what playstyle you want, so you can replay the game several times as different types of characters. But apparently, house choice doesn’t impact the game all that much. Too bad. Feels like a lost opportunity.

January is going to be my first month of ‘Open Game Goals.’ When I play an open game (one that doesn’t have a story) I will play with a set objective in mind, such as get an achievement or win as a specific faction. That way, I don’t start without any end point in mind, which can be annoying depending on the game.

What’s Next?

I’m the waitlist for several events in 2026. I believe I have a table for Minicon this year (I’m just waiting for confirmation), and there are a few conventions I’m keeping my eye on for the applications to go in. When I start having things scheduled, I’ll add them to this entry.

Until next post, I’ll just keep writing.

Cheers!