Well, it’s official! My entire site is now back on Substack. I tried to “separate” my site into two functions: the static/wiki side that has my catalog, genres, series, and universes, and then the dynamic side that has my blog, podcast, audio, community, and other interactive features.

I used Google Sites for the static/wiki side of my site and Substack for the dynamic side. That was okay for a while, but I felt like my site was discombobulated. It made more sense to “reunite” my site as one. So, I spent the last 24 hours moving content from Google Sites to over here. Yes, I’ll admit that Substack doesn’t make the static/wiki content look as nice as it did on Google Sites. However, this is less work for me (which is very important, considering how busy I am), and it makes it easier for me to maintain, as now my entire site is in one place.

I’ve tried to make my site look as “normal” as I can, within Substack limitations. If you have any suggestions or ideas for my site, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you.

Melodía

As you may recall from my October 2026 update, I was hoping to release A Collection of Nightmares on Halloween. Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to make that deadline. I will be pushing this release out into November 2026.

I'll share more information about this collection as I get closer to release. Thanks for hanging in there with me! And I apologize for not meeting the original date.

Melodía

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I’ve made major changes to my catalog.

First, Reflections of a Broken Woman is no longer scheduled for release this year. I’ve pushed it further out to at least 2029. There is a possibility that it could be finished earlier, but it’s more likely to be released in 2029.

Second, I will no longer be releasing Trapped. I have decided to cancel it. Trapped was a horror novel that was based on my horrific relationship with my now ex-fiancé. I’ve already “fictionalized” some of the relationship in Chapter 10 (“90 Days in Hell”) of Us Against Them, and I’ll be basing an entire dystopian novel on his very horrible beliefs (Tales from the Christian States of America). With these things in mind, the need to write Trapped is no longer there.

Third, I am completely canceling what was to be my fourth universe, Lujuria. That means everything associated with it is also canceled, including the Lujuria series and the first planned book, Welcome to Lujuria. I want to spend more time on my longer-established universe, Tierra (and, to a lesser extent, Paz). I also want to focus more on my Mother Raven series. I don’t have all the books planned for the Mother Raven series yet, but with only three universes and three series to work on, I’ll have more time for this series. Also, this means the Exclusive Content post about Lujuria’s origins was deleted, since Lujuria no longer exists.

I know it sucks when an author cancels projects, series, and universes, but in my case, I truly needed an overhaul. My catalog was getting bogged down with books that seemed like a good idea when I first planned them, but in reality, they were taking up too much of my time. I apologize if you were looking forward to any of the things that I’ve canceled.

Melodía

I have decided to finish the second book, Us Against Them, Again, of the Us Against Them duology earlier than I had initially planned.

Earlier this year, I finally finished the first book, Us Against Them. As you may recall, it took me nearly 10 years to complete Us Against Them. Because Us Against Them ended on a cliffhanger, I knew that I had to get the second book finished sooner rather than later.

Originally, I planned for the second book, Us Against Them, Again, to publish in 2029. I will now be pushing to publish Us Against Them, Again next year. That means the two books I had scheduled for next year, The Haven and The Evil Among Us, will be pushed out to 2028 and 2029.

I believe Us Against Them and Us Against Them, Again are some of my most important works, so I want the series to be completed as soon as possible. I hated that I ended Us Against Them on a cliffhanger, but it’s what worked best. I’ll share more about Us Against Them, Again as I start working on it next year.

Melodía

I recently changed one of the dedications in one of my published books. It was subtle, but for me it was a big deal. I know we’re not supposed to change the dedications after the book is published, but sometimes situations change.

I don’t regret putting the original dedication in, but looking back, I should’ve gone with my initial gut feeling to not put it in. It was one of those things where I went back and forth. Sometimes our gut feelings are right.

Now, admittedly, it’ll be rather awkward if the person who was originally in the dedications sees that they are no longer in there. However, I am ready to defend my choice to take them out of the dedications. I think they would understand once I explain the reason.

In the future, I will always go with my gut when it comes to my book dedications. While the “damage” this change did was extremely limited, it could’ve gone a lot worse. And I’ll recommend the same for you. Always go with your gut.

Melodía

I need people to stop being apathetic about politics and to PAY ATTENTION! I know that the midterm elections usually aren’t a big deal, but for 2026, THESE ARE A BIG DEAL!

Drumpf is doing everything he can to cancel the midterm elections. He’s trying to stop voters from using mail-in ballots (despite the fact that he does it all the time). He’s even threatening to send the American Gestapo to the polls (which is illegal, of course, but when has Drumpf ever followed the law?) in order to intimidate voters. Check out Democracy Docket to see what Marc Elias and his law firm are doing to protect us from Drumpf, particularly for this election cycle.

If you are not registered to vote and your state allows you to still register right before the elections (here in Maryland you can register and vote on Election Day), THEN PLEASE REGISTER TO VOTE! Check out Vote.org to see if you can still register for the 2026 midterm elections. And then, after you’ve registered to vote, PLEASE VOTE! Drumpf is trying to throw the Constitution away, but it is still the law of the land, despite his efforts. Voting is one of your rights as an American citizen, and it is one of the most important!

If you ARE registered to vote, then VOTE IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS! If we want this nightmare to end, then we all need to vote against it! I’ve been screaming from the rooftop for DECADES that we need to stop being so fractured and divided in finding the “perfect Democratic candidate.” It doesn’t exist! I’m a registered Democrat, and I don’t agree with everything the party does or even with the candidates we choose. But you know what? I STILL VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE! The only way we can overcome Drumpf and his minions is by UNITING AND STANDING TOGETHER AGAINST THEM! It makes it harder for him to cheat when there are millions more of us!

When you vote for a third-party candidate in a crucial election, such as this one, you really are throwing your vote away. The third-party candidates have a minuscule chance of winning. They are often extreme in their positions, which is why they are “third parties.” Not enough people will agree with them and vote for them. I’m not saying you have to become a registered Democrat. You can be unaffiliated, independent, or a third party. What I’m saying is that instead of wasting your time voting for one of these third parties, vote for the Democrats so that we can end this dystopian nightmare. When the Project 2025/MAGAT agenda is defeated once and for all, then we can go back to complaining about not having the “perfect Democratic candidate” and debating voting for third parties.

Please vote on November 3, 2026. Our country may not survive if you don’t vote.

Melodía

October is finally here! And we’re already into my favorite season, fall!

So, what am I working on for this month? A Collection of Nightmares, my first horror short story collection! It will include 20 horror stories: 18 set in my default Earth universe and two set in Tierra, my dark fantasy and horror universe. This collection spans my entire writing career, from 1998 to 2025.

Several of the stories are completely finished, and the rest are in final editing. I am hoping to get this collection out by Halloween (30 days!!!!). I think people will enjoy this collection, as it shows my entire range of horror, and not just more dystopian nightmares like Us Against Them. I promise that nothing in this collection is anything like Us Against Them!

Here’s the list of the stories included in A Collection of Nightmares:

• “The Last Train”

• “The Mouse MUST Die”

• “Premonition”

• “Business as Usual”

• “There’s a Demon in Middle School”

• “I’m Just Fine, Though I’m Dying Inside”

• “The Mansion”

• “The Sad Tale of Valerie DeHart”

• “After Midnight”

• “The Russian Machine”

• “Run, Don’t Walk”

• “Tower of Power”

• “Tuesday Morning”

• “A Dark Day”

• “Enlightenment”

• “Enlightenment, Again”

• “Flight to Nowhere”

• “Terror in the Night”

• “The End”

• “Broken Memories”

I hope you’ll enjoy this collection as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Melodía

Welcome to my blog, yet again! I’ve decided to start from scratch now that I’m on Substack.

This blog will be no different from previous versions of my blog, except for one notable difference. For the first time, I’m allowing comments, but only for paid subscribers, in order to keep the scammers, spammers, and trolls out. My blog will continue being free for everyone to read.

I’ll still talk about anything and everything. Whatever catches my interest. And, lately, lots of things have caught my interest!

Thanks for joining me here!

Melodía

Hello! Welcome to my site.

My name is Melodía J. Parker. I’m a horror and fantasy author. I’m currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. I’m also on a journey to become a CPA in Maryland, DC, and Virginia (yes, the DMV).

My site is 100% free. You don't need to pay or subscribe to read my blog posts and book announcements or listen to the podcast. However, I do offer paid subscriptions for “extras.” Only paid members are able to comment on my posts. I do this for a number of reasons, but the main reason is to keep the spammers, scammers, and trolls out. If they REALLY want to reply to my posts, then they can pay for it (and then subsequently get banned!). I will also have some exclusive content just for paid subscribers, such as excerpts of my upcoming projects (and I’m always working on something!).

Speaking of paid subscriptions, I have kept the costs as low as possible, and I charge the bare minimum that Substack allows (currently $5/month and $30/year). I do have a “Friends” plan which is $60/year. It is basically twice the amount of the yearly amount, which I think is still a very fair amount. The Friends plan allows you access to the Chat. This is where you can directly talk to me! I’m “famous” for not allowing any access to me, so this is the only legit way to speak directly to me!

Even if you don’t like my books, I’m hoping to build a fun community here. You don’t have to be a fan to be here! Though many of my books are NOT for everyone, I aim to provide content here on my site that everyone can (hopefully) enjoy.

Also, if you want to follow me on social media, I can be found on:

• Threads @melodiaauthor

• Instagram @melodiaauthor

• Facebook @melodiaauthor

• YouTube @melodiaauthor

• Goodreads @melodiaauthor

Thank you for your support!

Melodía