Issue No. 4 | A Season for Joy
Writing updates, horror recs, and the winner of the cookie giveaway
From the Shadows
December is a weird month for me. It holds both joy and stress at the same time. It’s the season of bright lights, joyful music, cookies, and magic. But it’s also the time when I tend to bite off more than I can chew. At the end of every year I tell myself I’ll slow down and do less. Then the next year I convince myself I can do it all. My heart is always in the right place though. I want to keep showing up for my goals, and I also want to be the Christmas witch for everyone around me. The good kind. Obviously.
Sometimes when we’re running around with our heads cut off trying to create joy for everyone else, we miss the magic right in front of us. It isn’t about the number of gifts under the tree. To be honest, shopping has become my least favorite part of the holidays.
This month, I’m trying to let joy exist without turning it into another thing on my to-do list. I’m paying attention to the small moments instead. The quiet ones. The ones that don’t ask me to do more, just to notice what’s already here.
Like adding the final touches to mini gingerbread man cookies and watching them come to life. Or seeing my son’s face light up when he gets to eat my cookies. Or sitting on the couch watching an epic, cinematic scene in Stranger Things season five, volume one, episode four, and realizing his excitement matched mine. That one felt like a core memory.
All of this is just a reminder that joy isn’t in the stuff we buy. It’s in the small moments we almost rush past when we’re trying to make everything perfect or do it all.
The Monster Grows (Book Progress Update)
🩸 Progress so far: 49,430 words
🎃 Recent win: Finishing the Act II arc for my main protagonist.
🕯️ Biggest challenge: Showing up to write even on the days I didn’t feel like it.
This past month of writing was intense and I am incredibly proud of myself. My goal was 30,000 words and I ended the month at 26,354. That is the most I’ve ever written in a single month. I built so much momentum and I’m honestly excited to finish this book.
One thing I learned is that consistency and showing up when you planned matters way more than the actual word count. There were days I was tired, unmotivated, or just “over it,” but I still wrote. It’s like a workout. Sometimes the hardest part is starting, but once you do, you never stop at one rep. You keep going. And just like a workout, I never regretted a writing session.
These past 30 days I wrote the heart of the book. Some parts got me emotional and wrecked me a little. Even though I didn’t hit my original goal, I made major progress.
For the next couple of weeks, I’m taking a break from drafting to do all the fun holiday things… like bake a gazillion cookies. But right after Christmas, it’s back to a strict writing schedule. I’m going to keep focusing on this first draft until it is done.
This month proved to me that I can write a novel and that small, consistent action will get me to the finish line. Then comes the terrifying edits… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
A Bloom of Terror
Every month, I’ll plant a little horror here. Sometimes it will be a short fiction story, other times a personal essay from my haunted garden.
The Haunted Shelf 📚🎬📺
This is where I’ll share book, movie, and show recommendations. I’d love to know what you’re reading and watching, so feel free to reply with your own favorites.
This month accidentally turned into a little collection of stories about identity and transformation. Each one explores a different kind of becoming, from the fractured self to the created self to the witch who chooses her own power.
📚 The Book – The Bird’s Nest
A psychological horror classic by Shirley Jackson. It follows Elizabeth, a young woman whose identity begins to fracture under the weight of her trauma. Her different personalities start battling each other for control of her life. One of my favorite scenes is when she literally takes four baths in a row… well, the four versions of her do. Lol. This book was written so beautifully, and Shirley Jackson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I cannot wait to read the rest of her work.
🎬 The Movie – Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s classic was absolutely beautiful. The acting, the storytelling, and oh my god… the visuals. I was obsessed. I love a good gothic horror story, and seeing such a stunning rendition of it on screen brought me so much joy. Definitely my favorite movie of the year.
📺 The Show – Salem
If you love witchy stories with drama, magic, and a little bit of chaos, Salem is such a fun watch. It reimagines the Salem witch trials with actual witches pulling the strings. It’s messy, dark, dramatic, and so entertaining. If you’re in the mood for something witchy and dramatic, this is a great pick.
From My Creative Crypt
This is my little corner for fun extras. Come take a peek in my crypt and you might find things like an exclusive first look at a photoshoot or book cover. Sometimes I’ll share a playlist, a mood board, or a quote from my book. Other times it might be gardening tips, fun recipes, or something totally unexpected.
And the Cookie Giveaway Winner is…..
The Last Whisper
Thank you for making it all the way to the end of my haunted little newsletter. If you enjoyed it, I’d love if you replied back, shared it with a friend, or just let me know what you’re reading and watching. Your support means the world to me as I start this author journey.
Before I go, here’s your reminder:
December always feels like standing in the doorway between endings and beginnings. It’s a time when I naturally want to reflect on the past year and think about what I want to carry with me into the next one. I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions because I truly think you can start over or start working toward a goal any day of the year.
As this year comes to a close, I’m trying to choose joy every single day, even if it’s just for five minutes. The quiet kind of joy. The kind that doesn’t need to be productive or turn into something bigger. The kind that feels like a small ritual. Lighting a candle. Letting music play while you move around the kitchen. Gardening, baking, coloring, doodling, dancing, writing. Creating simply because it feels good, with no pressure to turn it into anything else.
So instead of only focusing on what you want to cut away or fix next year, I invite you to think about what you want to add. What makes you feel a little lighter. A little more like yourself. Joy doesn’t have to be impressive or perfectly planned. Sometimes it’s just a moment you decide to protect. And you deserve those moments.
Until next time,
Christina
