September is slipping into memory now, and with it, my month of Found Secrets. When I began this theme, I promised to pull back the curtain on my creative process: to share the muses, the heartbreaks, and the ghostly details that stitched themselves into my stories. Now, as the leaves burn into copper and the air grows sharp, it feels right to gather up what was revealed and offer you one last look before we descend into October’s deeper dark.

This month, I invited you into my vault of hidden things, and together we unearthed:

The Muse Behind the Mask
In my “Meet the Muse” post, I introduced you to one of the figures hiding in the pages of Midnight Chase. Though his name remains a secret (for now), I traced his DNA back to four icons: the lethal precision of John Wick, the philosophical weight of Neo Anderson, and the weary, resolute faces of Alan Wake and Sebastian Castellanos. He’s not the hero—but he is not to be underestimated.

The Chilling Challenge
Chapter 4 of Midnight Chase took me through a storm of personal grief, where the line between memory and fiction blurred. Writing it was both an unraveling and a healing, a reminder that some monsters are born from heartbreak itself.

The Chilling Affirmation
My beta readers gifted me with their feedback on From the Ashes—praise that felt like lantern-light in the fog. They spoke of immersive world-building, characters they rooted for, and dialogue that felt alive. Their words affirmed what I’d hoped: that the story I’ve poured myself into holds power in its shadows.

The Real-Life Secrets
On my Buy Me a Coffee page, I shared something more personal: the long journey of From the Ashes, from its first spark as a haunted doll story to the Gothic tale it has become. I revealed how research, playlists, and personal heartbreak transformed the novel into what it is today (If you missed it, the full post is still there. An invitation to step into Hill Manor before its doors officially open).

If September was a month of secrets found, October is the month when the shadows themselves begin to stir.

This is, after all, horror’s holy season. The time when graveyards seem to lean closer, when fog curls just so around lamplight, when even the air feels aware of you. I have new content brewing—things I can’t quite name yet, because what fun would it be to spoil the haunting? But I will say this: the veil is thinning, and October is when the real scares begin.

Whether it’s more revelations from From the Ashes, unnerving glimpses into Midnight Chase, or something altogether unexpected, I promise the month ahead will hold its share of shivers.

As we step from September’s secrets into October’s shadows, I’d love to know:
Which post from this month lingered with you the most? And what are you most excited (or afraid) to see in October?

Share your thoughts below. I’ll be listening, just like the walls of Hill Manor.

Until then, keep your lanterns close. The dark is only beginning.