Every final week of December is a big one for my house. The hubs and I always have an anniversary,  Christmas, his birthday, and New Years back to back. This year is a big one because we celebrate  his 40th birthday and our 20 years together.  

This weekend I took him to an early birthday shenanigan... a paint room and a smash room to get wild and close out 2025 with a little bit of rage release. 

I hope you are doing something special to close out another year in this crazy world. 

Ha! If you know, you know. 

Hey hey, Roguelings!

As you know, I'm taking a break from Lindsey stuff at the moment and writing Norse mythology with Vikings and my own brand of vampires called Darkborn. I am having SOOOOOO much fun with this, I've just finished drafting book 2! The truth is, I'm only doing "work" stuff when I absolutely have to these days and writing so much. I'm on a roll, to say the least!

I haven't written a series like this before, so it's definitely a learning curve. I usually write standalones within a contained world, but the Darkborn Saga is four books because we have four Darkborn and their POVs and each book has a cliffhanger. This means I'm using an entirely different skill set for writing this book. OR should I say I'm practicing  a whole new skill set? I was going to do a Kickstarter and get book one out early in 2026 but as i finished book 2 I'm realizing I can't get book one out until I finish book four. They are all interconnected, so changing one thing in one book has a ripple effect, you know?

So, yeah. Lots of learning but even more fun!

I'll be sharing early drafts with members at the higher levels.

I've got book 3 outlined and start writing the first chapter on Monday!

For now, I can share this with you:

Book one: Bloodborn (written)

Book two: Soulbound (written)

Book three: Fatesworn (drafting)

Book four: Emberwake (outlined)

For anyone following the Kickstarter, that will be postponed to summer instead of February 2026. I'm simply not ready for it yet. Like I said, this style of writing is much different than I'm used to. So we're learning as we go!

I've got a cover reveal for book one, Bloodborn, coming soon! These have been so much fun to work on too! I can't wait for you to see it.

Back to writing I go - after I take my husband to his surprise 40th birthday adventure. Yes, I married younger. What can I say? 

😏 Linds

P.S. If you want to learn more about my after-dark persona and follow her shenanigans, you can learn more at: https://scarletstjames.com/

She has an After Dark Reader Lounge where you can access free and members-only posts. Or sign up for her newsletter or Forbidden Pages and other serials and behind the scenes access. https://scarletstjames.substack.com/ 

I used to LOVE watching Drunk History. I'm a history buff, so it's a fun way to learn about different people in history (with a grain of salt, of course), but this is my favorite holiday short ever. It's a star-studded cast with a ton of drunk cursing and laughs, so beware. The actors make it awesome. Hopefully it gives you a much-needed chuckle. ENJOY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBw8Jz7IwUY

I mean, this could become a new Holiday tradition in my house.