2026 Is About Storytelling

Are you ready?

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet for you, friends.

It’s natural at the end of the year to take stock of what you accomplished in the 12 months prior. I’ve got a stack of things in my mind after 2025 started off … well … “rocky” would be an understatement.

My goal for 2025 was to wrap up projects and clear runway space for a career shift. So we went from books to beyond on this one.

SPACE PEW PEW re-published (and is a 2x bestseller now!)

The Caretaker re-published with an expanded edition.

How To Expose Yourself To Women published (and awesome) - including my award-nominated short story, The Ballad of Esmerelda Calhoun!

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Add to that FOUR album releases(!), expanding universes, building multiple social platforms and much, much more.

And all of this to set the stage for what’s to come.

2026 is already shaping up for maximum output. I have 4 anthologies getting published with the fine folk at Raconteur Press. I’ve got a kickstarter on the horizon, I’ve got an anime show to build and pitch to investors, and every minute of every day for the last six months leading to December 31st and New Year’s Eve was to put everything into place to clear the slate and set the stage for the next 12 months, maximizing my creative output.

In short, I’m not fucking around anymore, and neither should you. Take charge of the career you want, fight through the lows, learn, and make it happen.

Build the website (or re-make it like I just did - HAVE A LOOK).

Build your brand.

Make sure your socials reflect who you are becoming.

Create a Media Press Kit (You can go here and look at mine, even.)

Be professional and take charge, because nobody is handing you anything.

Most of all, build worlds and honor your IP.

Welcome To The Age Of Storytelling

This is the big shift coming in 2026. Barriers and boundaries held up in all ramshackle forms by the gatekeepers are crumbling at an exponential rate. And I, for one, am leaning into my natural gift as a storyteller to do more than just words.

Universes. Worlds. Lore. Characters. 2026 will see the official launch of my Alyte universe and I couldn’t be more excited about where this is going.

Novella.

Double-Album.

Blu-Ray music visual movie.

One of my CHARACTERS is now a recognized artist on Spotify, even! Seriously:

And I’ve got plans for a “LIVE” album … (can’t WAIT to show you this one!)

And there is so much more …

Today I’m premiering the 2nd video from the 2026 Dehumanize album that’s launching this universe officially. Catch the premiere today at 3pm (set a reminder), or just watch it right here if you skipped past that time:

This is where I’m going in 2026, and it’s where many creatives are looking for direction.

With vision and an open mind to learn, there is nothing stopping you from creating an IP and a universe that stretches beyond just “book” into something visually arresting, expanding your offering to interested fans outside of your usual circles. (We all know you just promote yourself on X to fellow authors, so maybe think outside the box for a minute, m’kay?)

Gatekeepers Have No Agency Here

Less than a year ago I dipped into AI music creation. I learned a ton, and found a love of lyric writing - the poetry of it. It’s something I greatly enjoy alongside fiction writing. Then I did a deep dive into learning audio mastering and sound engineering.

All on my own time, my own dime, and because I found joy in the process of artistic creation.

Then came visuals. The trickiest one.

Now listen, I’m not going to sit here and lecture you about AI art. Here’s where I stand, crystal clear so there’s no mistake…

• Using AI ethically is important.

• Yes, there is such a thing as AI art.

• No, not all AI is slop.

• Yes, AI used for dumb cat videos and shitty voice-overs is slop.

• No, AI used as a creative amplifier for storytelling is not slop.

• It’s art. And the real artistry lies in what you do with the tools available to you.

• I challenge anyone to look at the video above for “CRASH” and tell me it’s slop.

• You can’t. Because in every frame, every note, every detail, every lyric and every expression of identity, grief, and philosophy is very real humanity, very real emotion, and very real pain. That’s my storytelling.

What Are You Doing?

Many of us are out here ignoring the noise and creating amazing things with the tools now available to us. And yes, you can stand by and shake your fist, but you’re getting passed right now, and that’s just a fact.

Every day the internet becomes more loaded with content. Every day it’s harder for you to break through doing the same thing people have been trying to do for the last 50 years in the creative fields.

You ask agents for permission.

You beg publishers to accept your project.

When you could just …

Do it.

I wish you all the very best in 2026, and I urge you to keep an eye on my Substack here, and my X page. Because I’m not here to sit idly by and curse why I’m unseen.

I’m creating, and as you’ll see from the video above, I’m having an incredible time doing it.

Best wishes to you all, friends, may you have a 2026 that sees all the success!