Unwrapping ‘The Giving Season’ This December

Writing
'The Giving Season' promotional image. Black background with white text and a red present. Text reads 'The Giving Season' a holiday horror challenge by horror author J.A. Steckling.
The Giving Season is a themed collection by horror author J.A. Steckling

The Giving Season marks the next themed collection for the month of December. It will be released Winter of 2022.

Christmas and horror seem like they should go together more often. It is a dark time of year for many. The spirit of giving is extremely important, but when it becomes a materialistic capitalist obsession, it loses much of its true meaning.

The themed collections are monthly writing challenges that I set for myself. I write a poem per day, and at the end, pick my favorite 25 or so to make the final cut. There is one storyline that continues from collection to collection revolving around The White Lily Escapees (read about them here). Their stories are told in a collection of about 13 short shorts narrated by the characters themselves that connect to form a full-length short story. There is also consistently at least one traditional short story in each collection.

This month, the escapees are spreading holiday horror. The short story/stories that will be included in this collection will emphasize the real horrors of the holidays, and I can confirm (as a former retail worker) that at least one monstrous Karen will get their just desserts.

I hope you will check back for updates and keep an eye out for the release of the first themed collection, Halloween, next September (2022).

— Justine

J.A. Steckling’s ‘The Harvest Season’ End of Season Update

Writing

The themed collections are (for me) a daily writing challenge.

I set out with the intention of each collection following more or less the same composition. I write a poem daily and pick the best 25 to publish. I write 13 short shorts that together form a completed short story. Then I write one traditional short story.

I have very little faith in myself at times. I’ve set out to complete challenges multiple times in the past, and never once completed one. The Halloween Collection was the first time I had completed a daily challenge in my life. I have discovered some tricks that help me succeed and that is how I have been keeping on track this month.

I wrote the final poem for The Harvest Season today. I am partially done with both short stories. I truly believe creativity is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. I am having a great time with this experience.

The Giving Season starts tomorrow! Stay tuned for more info on the holiday horror collection!

'Justine Steckling Writes' logo, purple background with white text.
Justine Steckling Writes

‘The White Lily Escapees’ by Horror Author J.A. Steckling

Writing
Graphic with excerpt from short story by horror author J.A. Steckling reads 'I don't think I'll ever get out of this place because if I do, someone will die.'
“I don’t think I’ll ever get out of this place, because if I do, someone will die.” – A White Lily Research Participant

The White Lily Institute for Psychological Research wanted to know if you could create monsters using people with a genetic predisposition to violence but that had never shown violent tendencies. They believed that if you could make monsters out of ordinary people, you could just as easily un-make them, undoing all the psychological damage that you did so they returned to their normal lives. They believed this research would lead to breakthroughs treating repeat violent offenders, psychopaths, gang members that had undergone brainwashing, cult survivors, and more – ultimately allowing these people to lead regular lives.

Their vision was not rewarded. Creating a monster is easy enough, they discovered, but as you can see through the eyes of the escapees, once you break down someone’s conscience it cannot be reformed again.

The short story (told in many bite-sized pieces that come together) that shows the reader how all this came to pass can be found in The Halloween Collection (working title). Each of the themed collections has small shorts told from the perspective of the escapees that unite to form a longer, cohesive story. Present release date is September 1, 2022, on Amazon Kindle.

— J.A. Steckling

Happy Harvest Season from J.A. Steckling

Writing
Harvest Season promotional image depicts a person holding a pumpkin. Orange text reads 'Happy Harvest Season' and 'November Horror Theme: The Harvest (Daily Challenge)' by horror author J.A. Steckling

The harvest season has been a success! It is nearly time for the harvest festival. Tomorrow night, the final night of November, we will conclude the harvest season with a grand feast and a massive party. All of those who kill for fun will be in attendance, and will bring a festive gift to be admired. There will be games! Drinking! Socializing! Bragging! It will be so much fun. You simply must come. Be my guest! I have to bring a body with me anyway, and you really do fit the theme.

Get The Harvest Collection in Fall of 2022.

— J.A. Steckling

J.A. Steckling: Exciting Writing Projects in the Works

Writing
  1. Themed Collections (October = Halloween; November = Harvest; December = Giving)
    • Themed collections include ~25 themed poems and at least 2 short stories
    • The Terror Season started it all on 10/1/21 and is complete. It will be self-published by September, 2022. It includes a number of spooky poems and tales that relate to murder, monsters, ghosts, and mayhem.
    • The Harvest Season began 11/1/21 and is nearly complete. It will be self-published in October, 2022, in preparation for our own harvest feasts. It will include two tales of the harvest season.
    • The Giving Season began 12/1/21 and will be self-published by November, 2022. It includes two tales of holiday terror and themed poetry.
    • The Transformation Season begins 1/1/22 and the themes include rebirth, reincarnation, transformation, self-improvement, lifestyle changes, and more (in the scariest way you didn’t know you needed).
  2. The Legend of Samhain
    • Samhain, or Sam Hain, is the lord of the spirit world. He helps spirits decide if they want to go into the light or resolve unfinished business. As punishment for some transgressions, a piece of his soul is placed in the mortal world, which he only has access to one night a year – Halloween. When Sam finds his missing piece, he must make his soul whole again before using his full strength to force the world to remember the true meaning behind our modern Halloween traditions. This story is in-progress and publication date is still a mystery. I will be providing regular updates as it draws nearer to completion. It may be submitted for publication or self-published.
  3. Heartbroken & Homicidal
    • A short story collection that explores the relationship between love and horror. Broken hearts will bleed all over the ones who broke them. It includes five short stories and some poetry. It is still in-progress. Publication date is to be determined, it may be submitted for publication or self-published once it is complete.

NOTE:


These writings are all designed to be dark and disturbing. The collections are designed to give my morbid readers small, bite-sized horror experiences. My longer works are meant to take them on an action-packed journey full of violence and danger.


If abduction, torture, murder, psychopaths, evil creatures, evil spirits, or senseless acts of violence bother you, then you will likely do better to avoid my horror projects. All published works will contain content warnings, but proceed with caution if you are sensitive.

  • Justine Steckling Writes

Healthy Self-Quarantine Chocolate Chip Cookies

Random

Let’s cut to the chase: who would say no to this cookie?

A large segment of the population is currently in self-quarantine, and honestly, it can be very rough emotionally. Keeping busy may be key to maintaining our sanity in this trying time. I’ve created this recipe for healthy chocolate chip cookies that are easy to make – I’ve also included modifications for people who are low-carb, keto, or type 2 diabetic.

Those who normally work from home and those who are newly adjusting to working from home can both benefit from a little light baking every now and again. For health-conscious bakers, you shouldn’t need to pick up anything from the store. Need a substitute not listed? Let me know how I can help.

Healthy Self-Quarantine Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 12-15 minutes to taste
Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients:

  • Almond Flour – 1 1/2 cups
  • Splenda – 1 cup
    • (or, for keto, monkfruit sweetener – 3/4 cup)
  • Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
  • Xanthan Gum – 1/2 tsp
    • (or, as this is a costly ingredient, 1/2 tsp chia seeds)
  • Salt – 1/4 tsp
  • Vanilla Extract – 2 Tbsp
  • Egg – 1 whole
  • Unsalted Butter (melted) – 1/2 cup
  • Chocolate Chips – 3/4 cup
    • (for low-carb/keto/diabetic, use sugar-free chocolate chips or carob chips)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350* F
  2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until well-blended
  3. In a small mixing bowl, mix vanilla, egg, and melted butter
  4. Pour wet mix into dry mix and use a cake spatula to mix everything into a thick dough
  5. Fold the chocolate chips (or substitute) into the dough
  6. Form dough into 12 balls of dough and evenly space the dough balls across a baking sheet lined in foil
  7. For thinner cookies, smash dough down halfway; for thicker cookies like the one pictured above, leave them rounded
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until desired level of softness has been reached
  9. Allow cookies to cool before eating as flavors continue to marry throughout the cooling process
Healthy chocolate chip cookies for the self-employed, work from home, freelance writer, freelance editor, self-quarantine crowd in Springfield, MA, USA and across the USA
Store cookies on a dish securely covered with foil.

I hope you enjoy these cookies! Happy self-quarantine!

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