A reminder there is no arc

Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

–Martin Luther King Jr.

On this MLK day, with many people questioning whether Trump will deploy the 11th Airborne Division to Minnesota or Greenland, I’m reminded that the universe has no moral arc, let alone one that bends towards justice. In the United States, progress always faces pushback. Reconstruction was followed by Jim Crow laws. Gay marriage was followed by the demonization of transpeople. DEI was replaced by an unspoken push to prioritize white men, regardless of competency.

Moving towards a society that values justice and equitable outcomes requires constant work, and knowing that any gains can be taken away. If we want an arc bending towards justice, we have to make it ourselves. The universe won’t bend it for us, and there are people working to create an arc bending towards injustice that benefits only a few.

Hopefully, I’ll live to see a day when the United States moves towards the light instead of the darkness. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to make that happen.

 

DIA? DPA? MiB? GiG? What’s the difference? (Book update)

Less than two weeks to go until the release of Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story. You can place your preorder now at Amazon, Kobo, or most book retailers. (The link will take you to a list of retailer offering the book.)

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

In the setting, Bolingbrook appears to be an ordinary Chicagoland suburb. However, it’s home to the world’s largest urban UFO base, Clow UFO Base, and has an active paranormal population. So how does the village protect the residents and keep all of their paranormal activity a secret?

The three covert departments:

Bolingbrook, in this setting, has three covert departments managing the aliens and paranormal beings within the village.

  • The Department of Interstellar Affairs (DIA): The department manages Clow UFO Base and manages all alien activity within Bolingbrook. From catering VIPs to riot control, the DIA has effortlessly managed alien affairs since its creation in 1965.
  • The Department of Paranormal Affairs (DPA): The DPA is the youngest covert department. Founded in 1986, it replaced the Illuminati knights who used to protect Bolingbrook from paranormal threats. The DPA keeps the peace through its extensive surveillance network and specialized strike teams. Though capable of violence, it also manages the village’s diplomatic relations with the local weredeer, as well as the vampires who claim Bolingbrook as their territory. The department has been run by Steve Petersen since its founding. Being a personal friend of Mayor Robert Clark, his position is secure.
  • The Restoration Department (Clean up Crew): Both the DIA and DPA rely on the Restoration department to clean up any evidence of alien or paranormal activity. For decades, they’ve restored houses and cleaned up after paranormal conflicts. Some would argue that they’re the main reason no one believes the local tabloid, the Bolingbrook Babbler.

The enforcers and the spies(?)

  • The Men in Blue: Since the 1970s, the men in blue have supported the covert departments. The clones’ superhuman strength makes them invaluable against violent monsters. Their ability to alter memories has contributed to countless successful coverup operations. As the name suggests, they wear blue clothing and blue-tinted sunglasses. They only speak when altering someone’s memory. They communicate through a telepathic link with each other. High-level officials and the mayor have special implants that allow them to communicate with the MiB. Like the original Men in Black, they are not as cool as Hollywood would have you believe.
  • If the men in blue stand out like the blue sky, the girls in green blend into the background like stalks of corn or blades of grass. Other than providing information to the covert departments, very little is known about them. Are they clones, like the men in blue? Are they fae who have lived in the area for centuries? Something else? Many reporters at the Babbler have tried and failed to uncover their secrets. Their ability to blend into the background has thwarted efforts to photograph them. Those who have seen them say they wear green clothing, but they can never recall their faces. If anyone knows the truth about the girls in green, they aren’t talking.

This is how things stand at the beginning of Revenge of the Phantom Press. Does anything change? Preorder the novel so can you find out January 31.

(I know this set up of covert departments wouldn’t work in real life, but it’s fun to imagine.)

Aliens arrested after bombing Palatine (Fiction)

By Reporter X

Palatine police arrested an alien crew accused of dropping an EMP bomb into Twin Lakes. They were arrested after landing at Rob Sherman UFO Base, and, according to eyewitnesses, without resisting.

In a press conference with the interstellar news media, Palatine Police Officer Jack X. Mueller said, “Even though the water contained the EMP blast, we could ignore this incident. Dropping bombs on civilian targets is wrong. Unless you’re doing it on behalf of President Trump, which they weren’t.”

Mary, who did not provide her last name, witnessed the bombing. “I was just enjoying the unseasonably warm weather when I saw a flying saucer drop from the sky. It dropped a sphere into one of the lakes. There was a flash of light from the lake.  I expected hundreds of dead fish to float to the surface, but that didn’t happen. Instead, a voice came from the UFO’s speakers. It said if humans on this landmass didn’t stop killing protesters, they would keep bombing. They would stop when the killings stopped, or if they killed every human. Whichever came first. It finished by saying ‘Free Palatine,’ then it flew off. I always thought the protests at the clock tower were peaceful.”

The crew’s lawyer, Kathy Z. Delso, insisted her clients’ actions were justified. “My clients were only reacting to the murder of Renee Nichole Good. They heard President Trump threaten to bomb Iran if they killed protesters. So they assumed it was okay to drop bombs after a protester’s death. If the President bombs Iran, I’ll demand that the charges against my clients be dismissed!”

Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said the Village will double Interceptor flights over Palatine in response to the bombing. “We understand why beings across the galaxy are upset with humanity right now. But bombing Palatine is not the answer.”

Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz entered the office and asked what was going on. Ottesen replied, “I was just telling this reporter how you like to defuse controversy by writing proclamations then filing them away.”

“And it works,” Schwantz responded. “The progressives are happy that I recognized Gay Pride Month, and the conservatives are happy I didn’t mention it during a board meeting. That’s why I’m a Fremd graduate.”

Also in the Babbler:

Record number of transgender people file for interstellar asylum at Clow UFO Base
Packers fans blame God for Bears’ miracle win
DuPage Township and Village of Bolingbrook sign non-aggression pact
God to smite Bolingbrook on 1/15/26

Note: This is a work of fiction. All opinions expressed are my own. They do not reflect the views of any organization I work for or of my employer. 

My upcoming Urban Fantasy novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, is available for preorder. The release date is 1/31/26. If you like The Dresden Files and Welcome to Night Vale, you’ll like Revenge. It’s part of the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories books, which are available through most retailers. 

“It doesn’t have to be…”

“But, be careful out there. It’s a dark world out there.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Lydia replied.

“But it is.”

— From my work in progress, A Fire to Heal

Bébé Mélange has a fun post about a mechanic from the old Vampire: The Masquerade game and assigns ratings to the members of FtB. As a former contributor to White Wolf Studios and former LARP player, I got a laugh out of it.

The post also reminded me of one of the reasons I created the vampire character Lydia (currently featured in A Fire in the Shadows). In V:TM, characters are fighting a losing battle to hold on to their humanity before giving into the “ beast.” Once unthinkable acts, like drinking someone’s blood or even murder, are rationalized because they’re trying to hold back the vicious , mindless beast within that’s fighting for control. The Riddle, as these vampires call it, is, “Monsters we are, lest monsters we become.” It’s an understandable theme for the World of Darkness setting.

But what if the descent wasn’t inevitable? What if it was a rationalization of the growing immoral behavior? If there were vampires that regained their humanity, how would the traditionalist vampires react? 

In my setting, the metaphor for this descent is fire. Becoming a vampire is like setting your soul on fire. The flames release a vampire’s power, but the flames also consume their humanity. A vampire regaining their humanity is like a fire with blood flowing through it. It’s not possible. 

Lydia is one of the vampires with blood in their fire. She’s regained her ability to feel love and has empathy for others. Even to the point of risking her existence to save someone. The traditionalists consider her an abomination, like a fire with blood. And traditionalists don’t let abominations exist.

As a result, Lydia doesn’t fit in.  Despite her inner humanity, she’s still a vampire. She exists on the fringes of vampiric society, but even her blood family doesn’t understand what she’s going through.

A Fire in the Shadows introduces vampires into the world of the Bolingbrook Babbler books. There will be two more books with Lydia which provide more details into vampiric society and how Lydia deals with her outsider status.

Getting back to V:TM, when I was a member of White Wolf’s official LARP, I tried playing a character who was part of the inhumane faction of vampires called the Sabbat. Sometimes the storytelling staff would remind us that we’re roleplaying the World of Darkness, not the World of Insufficient Light. Today, I’m happy to say that the Babbler books are set in the World of Insufficient Light. Because there’s still hope in this world, and even monsters can rediscover their humanity.

I don’t recall a declaration of war…(Non-fiction)

Nothing like waking up to discover that the US staged a coup in Venezuela, and it didn’t even install María Corina Machado as the new President. Instead, The US will be running the country for now, and the oil companies will take control of Venezuela’s oil.

This was done without a declaration of war, let alone a vote authorizing the use of force. It’s illegal, but I doubt that any impeachment resolution will make it to the floor of the House, assuming one is ever drafted. If Trump can get away from this, who knows what else he’ll try both here and abroad.

What happened today was one corrupt leader seizing resources from another corrupt leader. A select few will profit from this. Most Venezuelans may get a few crumbs, at the cost of their independence. This is not a victory for them.

Nicolás Maduro and Trump are both corrupt men. The only difference between them is that Trump has a better military than Maduro’s. Let’s not pretend otherwise.

Update: 13:57 Central. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez addressed the country and said Venezuela would be, “nobody’s slave and nobody’s colony.”  She hasn’t surrendered.

Revenge of the Phantom Press: Chapter 1 Preview

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

My new novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press, releases on 1/31/26, and you can preview the first chapter now. It’s the direct sequel to The Rift, and Tom Larsen, the skeptic blogger turned paranormal investigative reporter, is the main character.

Over a year later, Tom is still dealing with fallout from the events in The Rift. But when ghosts attack the village board and the Babbler’s newsroom, Tom’s life is thrown into chaos. He’s ordered to evacuate Bolingbrook by the publisher and editor. Instead, he defies his orders and secretly investigates ghosts, who used to publish the rival tabloid, The Phantom Press. He’s joined by Juanita, his former mentor, and Anti-Psychic Kitty, the world’s most powerful generator of anti-psychic energy.

But ghosts aren’t Tom’s only problems. His parents want him to check into an inpatient psychiatric program. The head of the Department of Paranormal Affairs doesn’t like him. Occultists addicted to ghost possession try to hunt them down. Juanita may be hiding something from him. And the attacks may be part of a far reaching conspiracy with destructive consequences.

Wishing Shelf calls Revenge of the Phantom Press, “A smartly plotted paranormal mystery fans of the genre will enjoy.” Readers’ Favorite says, “Revenge of the Phantom Press is lots of fun, with each page offering something humorous, mysterious, or endearing.”

If you’re interested, download Chapter One and subscribe to my newsletter. I’ll also be posting updates throughout this month until the January 31 launch.

Touch a flame. Feel the Fire.

‘Popular. Unpopular. I’m the one with the drones!’ The Babbler’s shocking predictions for 2026 (Fiction)

It’s time for our  Council of Psychics to announce their predictions for 2026. Let’s just say we have a lot to look forward to in the new year.

Last year’s predictions were close to perfect. Canada’s Liberal Party won reelection thank to President Donald Trump endorsing the Conservative Party. The Trump administration purged many qualified members of the military in their crusade against “wokeness.” The military “accidentally” landed “contractors” in Mexico before retreating.

True, Trump is still alive, but Charlie Kirk died. That’s close enough for us!

So, what does 2026 have in store for the world?

The US will experience hyper inflation when the Donald Trump Federal Board drops the prime rate to negative 10 percent. While the federal government’s official statistics will claim inflation is a 1 percent, residents will know the truth. Especially when buy food from the grocery store becomes a luxury. In response, the Washington Post will print editorials about the “myth of inflation,” and “why a starving public is a good thing.”

The AI Bubble will finally burst after OpenAI’s tries to sell toasters “empowered” by ChatGPT. Sam Altman will defend the move by saying, “Some people ask why should we add AI to toasters. My answer is why not?”

Leaked files will confirm that Google, OpenAI, Amazon, and Meta are adding AI to everything in a desperate attempt to make their LLMs profitable. Despite their efforts, AI data centers will drive these companies to the brink of bankruptcy. Meta will sell off Instagram to raise money to preserve their data centers. Zuckerberg will defend the sale by saying, “AI is inevitable, but it’s not profitable.”

After days of flip flopping, Donald Trump will sign an executive order bailing out the AI companies. xAI will be the exception. “(Expletive deleted) Elon Musk,” Trump will say.

The Washington Post will run an editorial in defense of foul language.

Despite Elon Musk spending a billion dollars on behalf of the Republican Party, Trump will nationalize Space X. The world will watch in stunned silence as the FBI raids Starbase during the countdown to the launch of the first tanker Starship. After a long gun battle, Musk will reprogram Ship to target Mar-A-Largo. Unfortunately, Ship will break up and the debris will fall harmlessly into the Gulf of Mexico.

After the battle, FBI Director Kash Patel posts on TikTok that his men are about to arrest a domestic terrorist hiding in a trailer. While Patel strikes macho poses, the FBI agents break into the trailer. The agents arrest YouTube space influencer Ellie in Space. As they drag her away, she will shout, “Why are you arresting me?”

Patel will respond, “You’re guilty of promoting an Illegal on the Internet while female!”

Ellie will be released from jail two days later. Patel will not apologize for her arrest.

Instead of deploying the National Guard to Chicago, Trump will send 10,000 Customs and Patrol officers. Stephen Miller will say, “Who needs the National Guard when we have our own army?” Despite their new military hardware and greater numbers, ICE and CBP are still no match for millions of whistling blowing Chicagoans.

Trump will collapse during Kid Rock’s performance at the Kennedy Center. As he’s rush into the emergency room, Vice-President JD Vance will run up to him and yell, “You can’t die now. My wife still hasn’t signed the divorce papers! Ericka will kill me!”

People will debate if Vance meant that figuratively or literally.

The Bears will claim they are considering moving to Bolingbrook. Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta will later say the deal fell through because the  Bears wanted to buy the Bolingbrook Golf Club and demolish it.

After Trump’s death, JD Vance will declare martial law in all “illegal blue territories.” When asked if he’s doing it because he’s unpopular, he will reply, “Popular. Unpopular. I’m the one with the drones!”

Vance will then cancel the midterm elections because, “The US is being invaded. If it works for Ukraine, it can work for us!”

The Washington Post will print an editorial arguing that Democracy needs to die in broad daylight.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will announce that Canada has bought Illinois and he will be running for Prime Minister of Canada. Vance will send BCP and the military to “liberate” southern Illinois. Canada will respond by sending their military into Northern Illinois.

Mayor Basta will release a statement saying, “It doesn’t matter if we’re Canadians or US citizens. Bolingbrook will always be a place to grow.”

Also in the Babbler:

Happy New Year!
Martian Death Flu cases skyrocket 
Village receives record applications from residents wanting to be abducted.
God will not smite Bolingbrook this week.

The first five star review for my upcoming novel!

Revenge of the Phantom Press: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story, just received its first five star editorial review from Readers’ Favorite:

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

Revenge of the Phantom Press by William Brinkman is the fourth book in The Bolingbrook Babbler Stories series. Tom used to be a skeptic, but has come around in the last year and now finds himself working as a paranormal investigative reporter. He has since learned it’s not easy covering the strange activity occurring in suburban Chicago, but he’s determined to prove his position at the Bolingbrook Babbler. Those around him may not understand, but the world he finds himself in is one he can’t ignore. The reappearance of ghosts who previously ran the Phantom Press has created chaos, not just for the Bolingbrook Babbler, but the local agencies. To protect his job – and those forced to evacuate – Tom investigates the ghosts’ re-emergence and how to return them to the grave.

The return of the Phantom Press sparks a chain reaction that causes chaos and obstacles for Tom as he’s pulled into the middle. This creates a series of action-packed, humorous, and paranormal moments that keep you turning the pages. William Brinkman captures Tom’s quirks and perspective with ease. Multiple scenarios make the story charming and maintain a lightheartedness throughout. This is seen right from the beginning and continues in the team-up with Juanita and her cat. The author delivers a delightful dynamic between the two characters, and this shows Brinkman’s ability to craft humorous and clever dialogue that never gets boring. Their dynamic also creates another layer to the story as Tom is faced with uncertainty, since Juanita has her own secrets. The paranormal world is quickly established, successfully showing what has been established in previous installments. This makes it easy to step into the story for the first time, or to return to it as if greeting old friends. Action-packed moments are woven into the plot, adding a sense of danger and excitement, while throwing a wrench into his investigation and presenting a possible greater conspiracy. Revenge of the Phantom Press is lots of fun, with each page offering something humorous, mysterious, or endearing.

After putting in about two years of work on this book, it’s nice to know someone thinks it is a five start quality book.

Revenge of the Phantom Press releases on January 31, but you can preorder it now from most book retailers. It’s also available for libraries to order, thought I suspect it might get banned in from libraries in some parts of the country. (Atheist main character, positive portrayal of a LGBTQ+ character, interracial romantic interest, etc.)

“The hottest campaign stop is this Salvadoran supermax.”

PZ wrote a good summary of CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulling the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT because the White House refused to comment. (Or is she really the ideological officer at CBS?)

Zeteo posted an article describing Weiss’s history of praising El Salvador’s dictator and CECOT. Apparently, Weiss was praising CECOT before she was hired to enforce political correctness at CBS News. Zeteo quotes from a Free Press post she co-wrote making light of CECOT.

Perhaps the most disturbing example was an April article on CECOT co-written by Nellie Bowles, Weiss’s wife and a Free Press co-founder. The piece describes how Republicans had gone to the mega prison, notorious for accusations of torture, to take photos in front of the inmates – citing for example, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “posting a fun video in front of caged, tatted men.”

The Free Press positioned that gleeful draconianism alongside Democrats like Maryland Senator Chris Van Vollen visiting the prison to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the US wrongfully sent there.

Later in the article, the authors write:

In a February speech celebrating the victories of the conservative movement around the world – an address shared by The Free Press – Weiss boasted about how Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele “has turned his country from one of the most dangerous nations on Earth into one of the safest in the Western Hemisphere.” In March, Weiss again touted Bukele’s victory as an example of right-wing parties sweeping elections everywhere.

She did not mention in either instance that Bukele declared a “state of exception” suspending basic rights in El Salvador as part of his supposed crackdown on gangs. El Salvador now has the world’s highest incarceration rate, by far. Bukele’s government has dismantled his political opposition, thrown his critics and watchdogs in jail, and rounded up many thousands of innocents.

I hadn’t watched 60 Minutes in years until I saw the leaked segment on Substack. It presented the Trump Administration’s arguments without resorting to the false balance Weiss apparently wanted. The truth is CECOT is a horrible place run by horrible people who are proud of their cruelty. Kidnaping immigrants and sending them to CECOT only compounds the administration’s inhumanity.

Regardless of whether Weiss just wanted an excuse to drop the segment, or believes in giving the administration veto power over CBS News, her decision ended up bringing more attention to the segment than it would have gotten if it had aired as planned. She also showed the world her true role as the ideological officer at CBS News. 

Another Four Star Review! (Book Update)

Revenge of the Phantom Press book cover

Revenge of the Phantom Press

My upcoming novel, Revenge of the Phantom Press recently received a four star review from Wishing Shelf Awards:

A smartly plotted paranormal mystery fans of the genre will enjoy.

I remember checking out Book 1.5 of this set not so long ago. I enjoyed it; it was ‘vampirey’ (I think I just invented a new word!) if I remember correctly. Although I enjoyed it, it had a BIG problem: it was way too short. Thankfully, Revenge of the Phantom Press is considerably longer, coming out at a respectable 448pp – now that’s more like it! And, I have to say, I enjoyed this story much more.

In this paranormal mystery, the protagonist, Tom (a paranormal reporter), and his mentor and her cat (yes, cat!) investigate the return of the Phantom Press, a newspaper of sorts run by ghosts, and a competitor to the Bolingbrook Babbler. Oddly, the Phantom Press don’t cover ‘ghostly’ news and seem determined for everybody to think it isn’t run by ghosts. Oh, and they love ripping into the staff over at the Babbler. A conspiracy, me thinks! And off we go on a fun-filled, tongue-in-cheek drama that’s anything but predictable.

So, to the writer, Mr Brinkman, I have to say, ‘Job well done.’ This is a super-fun story populated with plenty of over-the-top characters and filled with plenty of ghostly shenanigans. But bestof all, there’s humour in the story; as a result, it’s not a dry read, it’s more ‘lively’, with plenty of energy. Fans of Colleen Coleman’s For Once in My Life (love that book), or The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston will find a lot to enjoy here – as did I.

It’s nice to see three years of writing and revisions pay off. ROTPP was always going to be a longer book than A Fire in the Shadows. But I did think of the critics who complained about my last book being too short. At least one of them is happy to have more pages.

Revenge of the Phantom Press comes out January 31, but you can preorder now. If you’re looking for a story with vengeful ghosts, a diverse cast, LGBTQ+ representation, conspiracies, secret societies, spirits, a skeptic turned paranormal investigator, and an anti-psychic cat, preorder it now.