There’s something mildly horrifying about realizing just how dependent your brain has become on the internet. Not in a deep, philosophical, “we are all connected” kind of way—but in the very real, very embarrassing sense that without it, you suddenly don’t know what to do with your own thoughts.

That was me today (at least when I was writing this it was “today” but who knows if it will still be “today” when I’m finally able to post.) The Wi-Fi went down.

Gone. Vanished. Betrayed me completely.

At first, I did what any reasonable person would do—I checked it 47 times, turned it off and on, stared at it like I could intimidate it back to life. Nothing. Just silence. No scrolling. No rabbit holes. No “just one more video” that turns into an hour of absolutely nothing useful.

And then something strange happened…

My brain unclogged.

You know that mental fog made up of random headlines, pointless videos, and whatever chaos the algorithm decides you need? Yeah—that. It started to clear. Slowly at first. Like a drain finally giving up the hairball it’s been holding hostage.

And underneath all that digital debris?

Something dark was waiting.

Without the constant distraction, my thoughts started getting… creative. Twisted. Curious in all the wrong (or right?) ways. A small idea crept in. Then another. And before I knew it, I wasn’t missing the internet—I was outlining something sinister.

A new story.

The kind that builds slowly, quietly… the kind that doesn’t scream horror but whispers it. Honestly? Exactly my favorite kind to write.

So while the rest of the world was probably being productive online, I was sitting with Luke who was completely irritated, letting my brain wander into places it probably shouldn’t go—and loving every second of it.

Of course, before I disappear completely into the dark corners of a brand-new project, I am still deep in edits for Planted Evidence (yes, still knee-deep in them… send snacks and patience). This one has been such a fun, twisted ride to refine, and I’m getting more excited with every pass through it.

And I can officially say—it will be releasing April 14th on Amazon.

So here I am, caught between two worlds:

• polishing one story until it’s just right
• while another quietly sharpens its teeth in the background

All thanks to a Wi-Fi outage.

Honestly… maybe the internet going down was less of an inconvenience and more of a warning.

Or worse—a little nudge in the right direction.

Either way, if my next book ends up extra unsettling, we can all blame the router.