The Dream is True - Volume 01: Issue 03
A Blog by MK Schultz - Horror/Sci-fi Author
MK Schultz is an award-winning Canadian sci-fi and horror author, known for gripping novels like Hard Copy, The Muse, and the Kassius Kanex trilogy. Formally trained in architecture, he lives with his wife in a home surrounded by forest, where he enjoys the outdoors and crafting thrilling stories. His sixth novel, a vampire horror story is scheduled for release in 2026. His seventh book, a collection of horror and sci-fi short stories is also scheduled for release in 2026. Follow him on Substack, Instagram, and TikTok @mkschultzauthor or on X @makemali
~THE BLOG STARTS HERE~
1. The Dream’s First Breath
Welcome to my blog, The Dream is True. MK Schulz, here. Horror/Sci-fi author. I’m so happy you dropped by. This blog has ten sections. I would love to know what sections you look forward to seeing the most. I would also love to hear about any other feedback or comments you may have.
The image above is called the fruit pyramid. This is how I summoned the universe to guide me to my destiny of becoming an author. Wielding the fruit pyramid is a call for help when you are unaware of what kind of help it is that you need. For me, the call was answered by the powerful realization that suddenly manifested into reality when I finally found the mysterious dream that had been hidden from my true self for my whole life. I found my purpose. To be a writer. Join me for more about the fruit pyramid and other behind the scenes bits from my writing journey.
For those who would like to subscribe to The Dream is True, click the subscribe now button below. You can join for free.
Full honesty here, it is my hope that some of my subscribers will eventually become hooked or excited enough about my writing journey to upgrade to a paid subscription to support my dream to write full time for you!
As a special treat for paid subscribers, I am planning on sharing some of my short stories on here prior to publication as a collection. I hope to also run some fun contests and giveaways on here for free audiobooks, signed books and merch.
I have lots to share with you. Come along if you care. Come along if you dare! Buckle up for a hell of a ride. Come get some. Let’s get started!
My website https://www.mkschultz.com/ has been updated to reflect the Substack subscribe link as well.
2. MK Schultz’s TikTok LIVE show
I want to invite you to watch my show. It’s called MK Schultz’s #Booktok Night and it is Live on my TikTok account every Thursday night at 7pm ET. Drop in and say hi. The show is live until at least 8:15pm but sometimes goes later than that when unexpected guests pop in.
Join me for Episode 17, tomorrow night. Here’s the details:
MK Schultz’s #BookTok Night
S1-E17
🔥 MK Schultz ✍️ Gen X horror/sci-fi author • Spilling ALL the tea on my wild writing life! • LIVE reading • Behind-the-scenes chaos • 80s/90s vibes • Bookish Spotlight • Movies & TV • Music • Food • Book reviews •Join the madness → Link below! 👇💬🎸
Here’s the link to my TikTok to join me:
In last week’s live reading of Kassius Kanex Chapter 16, Excavation, Kassius is instructed by the organization to teach a lesson to someone who wronged him while on vacation with his family. Meanwhile back home, the engineers work tirelessly, constructing the newest underground pod for the organization, below Kass’s house.
We are halfway through Kassius Kanex and what makes Kass special has not yet been revealed but it’s coming. The cool thing is that while writing this book, I myself did not have it figured out yet at this point. I think this is what makes my books unpredictable. I am definitely not a plotter. I am a pantser.
My next live reading from Kassius Kanex will be Chapter 17, Tech. Join me for cool, behind the scenes author commentary and discussion around this chapter. Kassius Kanex, the book came to existence as a spiralling offshoot - a parallel universe of my own life. As such, the book is a sort of canon for me that reminds me how I started my journey of becoming a writer.
If you are an indie author who I know, drop in to the show and have a listen. I’ll even give you a free plug of your books. Just get my attention in the comments.
3. MK Schultz’s Books
Here’s my published works so far. They are available in E-book, paperback and audiobook formats online where you buy books. Here’s the link to all things MK:
Kassius Kanex
Supernatural Thriller ~ Time Travel Sci-Fi
A slow burn that turns into a raging fire and then teases for more. Buckle up!
A devoted family man’s life collapses after he’s pursued by a powerful, secret organization. The big question is… why him?
He gradually comes to understand that he holds the god-like ability to shape reality with his thoughts alone. But when an unimaginable tragedy strikes his family, he defies the fundamental laws of existence itself—traveling back through time in a desperate bid to change fate.
With cutting-edge technology, supernatural animals and even time-travel… experience a seemingly simple man’s journey to destiny and greatness.
The Fishing Trip
Occult Horror ~ Supernatural Thriller ~ Time Travel Sci-Fi
This book is a prequel to the first and it ends where book one starts. Super cool character back stories make you want more. Buckle up extra tight for this one!
A routine fishing getaway for five close friends turns into a nightmare when an apocalyptic cult drags them into unspeakable evil and despair. Their only hope? A powerful time traveler racing against fate to pull the them back from the brink.
Equilibrium
Horror ~ Supernatural Thriller ~ Time Travel Sci-Fi
This book is a continuation of book one and ties in book two’s revelations for the finale. Will there be more to the story? Nothing can prepare you for Equilibrium. Brace yourself!
Kassius Kanex and The Organization face their greatest threat yet: Evil Incarnate! A force poised to rob him of everything he’s become. In a race against total destruction, he strives to restore balance. The fate of the world hangs on Kassius Kanex finding his true power - a mysterious power called… EQUILIBRIUM.
The Muse
Occult Horror
This book is inspired by 80’s slasher movies, Stephen King horror and American Physco.
A depressed writer turns to a Ouija board for inspiration. His call for help is answered by an ancient evil that promises genius... but demands murder in return. As the body count climbs, only his twin sister can stop him before the Muse claims them both. But is it already too late?
Hard Copy
Sci-Fi ~ Alien Invasion ~ Suspense Thriller
This book is inspired by Gen X TV, 80’s Sci-fi, Conspiracy Theories and modern AI.
At a wild bush party in his teens, Ray Higgins was taken by aliens. Now in his fifties, separated and disappointed, he’s assigned to mentor Tera, an AI robot that’s too intelligent, too curious... too alive. When the aliens strike back, Ray and Tera expose cosmic conspiracies, hidden horrors, and a lizard cult of deception in a gripping saga of rediscovery and rebellion. Are you ready to question reality?
4. MK Schultz’s Books in Progress
📢BIG NEWS I have submitted the manuscript to my upcoming vampire novel to ECW Press. Still waiting to hear back from them. I should know by mid May whether they will accept it for publication. Stay tuned.
📢My upcoming short story collection: I finished writing story number 10, The Internal Thoughts of a Functional Closet Serial Killer. I am on to story number 11, The Dog. This is a wild short story collection that will include horror and sci-fi stories. My current plan is to initially release this short story collection in this blog for paid subscribers. The rest of the blog will always be free.
5. MK Schultz’s In Person Book Events
My next book event is:
Re-Read Used Books - Riverside South Store Grand Opening:
🔥When: April 18, 2026 1pm-4pm
🔥Where: 160 Blanca Street, Unit 7, Ottawa, Ontario
Check out the incredible line up of authors below, who are scheduled for this two-day party.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at Re-Read Books. Such a pleasure for me to know that my books are of interest to real readers out there! Thank you so much!
All my other 2026 book events planned so far are listed on my website. More to come. Like this one!
Exciting news: I got accepted to Horror-Fi. Looking forward to this event. It is such a perfect fit for me.
6. Bookish Spotlight
~ STEPHANIE ANNE ~
In her own words:
“Hi, my name is Stephanie Anne!
I’m an oddball extraordinaire and Ottawa-based horror author. I love all things strange and monstrous. Specializing in disturbing and domestic horror, I enjoy making people uncomfortable. My stories may not be scary in the “jumpscare” sense, but after reading one of my books you’ll never look at certain every-day things the same way again.
My latest release, GOATS, is the 3rd Place Winner in the Suspense Category of the Canadian Book Library 2026 Awards. This gruesome, psychedelic, folk horror story is my most experimental – and most personal – novel.
A lonely farmer stumbles through life after the brutal murder of their only child. That is, if you can even call it life. There’s nothing left to live for save for a pitiful garden, a small herd of goats, and grainy memories captured on VHS tapes.
But there’s something else. A shadowy presence that lurks just out of sight and whispers into the mind of the farmer. It wants something. Something awful. And if the farmer gives in to these demands… Well, nothing good can come of it, no matter how much the grieving parent wants retribution for what happened that fateful night. Poetic and tragic, this is a story about life, death, and all the suffering in between.
Stay Spooky!”
Click to explore Stephanie Anne's Books
7. Movies, TV, Music and Books
🎥📺🎵📚
Movies, TV, Music and Books are a massive influence on my writing. Each week, I plan to share with you what I watched, listened to or read. Here’s last week’s consumption.
🎥Movie 1:
THRASH on Netflix, starring Phoebe Dynevor, Djimon Hounsou and Alyla Browne
5.3/10 on IMDB
“When a Category 5 hurricane decimates a coastal town, the storm surge brings devastation, chaos and something far more frightening: hungry sharks.”
My take: This movie reminded me of Sharknado. If you are in the mood for cheesy, then give this a watch. P.S. I love cheesy!
📺TV 1:
Resident Alien on NETFLIX and Crave starring Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko and Corey Reynolds
-8.0/10 on IMDB (I agree with this rating. I had to subscribe to Crave to start season 3 because I am loving this show.)
“A crash-landed alien takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and slowly begins to wrestle with the moral dilemma of his secret mission on Earth.”
My take: This show is rich with interesting and hilarious characters. This is a must watch show for fans of movies and TV shows like Guardians of the Galaxy and Firefly.
📺TV 2:
The Artemis II Splash Down (LIVE NASA Broadcast)
As a physics and space enthusiast, I watched the live broadcast of the Artemis II splash down on April 10, 2026 with great interest. The thing that I couldn’t get past was the minimal commentary. There were large chunks of time with no talking. This felt like a missed opportunity to inspire young inquisitive minds that may have been watching.
I don’t know if it was NASA who missed the boat on this, but it would have been so much better if they described in detail what was going on and left the speed and distance numbers up the whole time instead of showing them for only a few seconds at a time. Also, the glitches in audio and video were astonishing to me given that we are in 2026. I kind of expected those kind of glitches to have had the bugs worked out by now.
All in all, the whole mission was extremely fascinating and complex. After following this mission, my brain had an even harder time wrapping around the fact that NASA astronauts landed on the moon 57 years ago in 1969 and returned to earth with the same, triple parachute configuration.
Still, it must have been so cool to see the far side of the moon and also earth from that vantage point. It’s truely amazing and I am excited to see what will happen next in space exploration missions.
🎵Music:
I have always been inspired and motivated by heavy metal and rock music. Lately, I have been listening to Megadeth’s new and final album. The album cover art work is so
cool and the songs are nostalgic and also very inspiring to me. The first track, “Tipping Point” is such a powerful intro to the album. The song, “I Am War” contains lyrics that are inspirational to me like this, for expample:
“I know me
I know myself
I do not fear
Countless battles ahead
I will win”
The last track, “The Last Note” is such a touching goodbye since this has been annouced as their final album. Then there’s the bonus track, “Ride The Lightning”. It is called a bonus track and not a cover of a Metallica song on purpose. This is because Dave Mustaine wrote most of it, so it is as much his song as it is theres.
I am also listening to my regular metal playlist consisting of Ghost, King Diamond, Merciful Fate, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Rob Zombie, Motorhead, The Ramones, The Misfits, Dio, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Metallica, Nirvana, Slayer, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains and Ramstein to name a few.
In other music news, it was super cool for me to hear that my favourite band, Iron Maiden was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. There is also a rumour that there will be a new Iron Maiden album in 2027. I sure hope so.
What’s your favourite music?
📚Books:
My current read: Some Ghosts Are Scarier Than Others - (20 short stories)
Written by Matt Shelding
Rated 4.0 on Goodreads with 1 rating and 1 review
My take: I will share my review here with you when I finish reading this book.
8. MK Schultz’s Book Sales and Writer’s Tip
📖💰Book Sales:
Two online book sales so far for April. That’s 45 books sold so far for 2026. Thank you all!
Here are some of my Baby step mini goal achievements:
📌My novel, Hard Copy reached #61 in Science Fiction Androids, Robots & Artificial Intelligences on Amazon.ca.
📌My latest book sale was number 800. Thank you so much, the dream is true!
📌No book sales below 1 in any month since JULY 2022!
📌No book sales below 2 books in any month since JULY 2024!
📌No book sales below 4 books in any month since DECEMBER 2025!
I am happy to report that 2026 is projected to be by far my most successful year. A really cool milestone that I am striving for is the sale of my 1000th book, which I am hoping to occur this year. I look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
✍️💡Writer’s TIP:
Today’s tip is a part of my writing routine that works for me. When I write, I use two monitors. The monitor in front of me is my manuscript. For this, I use Microsoft Word. I used to use Google Docs but found it to be problematic in the editing stage. Word solved everything for me. It costs money to have Word, but it is a beneficial expense that I need.
As for my monitor on the right? That is where my Microsoft Excel spreadsheet lives. This spreadsheet is imperative for keeping me on track with my writing goals. I have it set up on a chapter by chapter, scene by scene basis. After each writing session, I record a brief summary of what I just wrote along with the word count. My typical word count for each writing session varies from 250 to 1000 plus words.
The cool part about my spreadsheet is the target completion date is recorded, and it automatically tells me how many words I have left in total and how many words per day I would need to complete in order to meet the target completion date. This is all based on the total word count I am striving to achieve. For a novel, I usually aim for 65 thousand words.
The spreadsheet is also a place for my plotting and planning notes, character names, descriptions and characteristics. After recording the word count and session summary, I write a short directive to myself for the next writing session in red text. The purpose of this directive is to maximize the efficiency of the next writing session. When I sit down for the next writing session, I read the directive and it gives me a prompt of what to write next. The idea is to reduce the time spent staring at the screen. Instead, the writing can begin right away.
9. Food and Health
🥗🩺🏋️
As an author, it is important to keep my brain and body healthy so that I can continue to churn out horrific scenes of violence and thought-provoking and chilling sci-fi.
My goal in 2026 is to care for my mental health, to work out and to lose weight. So far this year, I lost 27 lbs. thanks to calorie counting with my Fitbit, and cardio, strength and flexibility training.
The fitbit is such an effective tool for weight loss. All I need to do is follow what it says, and I continue to lose about a pound per week. It’s just math! Eat at least 500 less calories that what you burn in a day and voila! The key is to enter your foods and quantities accurately and then everything else is tracked automatically by the Fitbit.
I am still healing from an arm injury and so I am going to physiotherapy and doing lots of stretching. I experienced acupuncture for the first time, and I am pleased to report that it actually seems to be working for me. As an author, absolutely everything is a potential source for material. Believe me!
My calorie friendly meals for last week were:
🍲Soups, soups and more soups.
🥄My one pan, low calorie, high protein supper. Here’s the recipe.
My cheat night weekend meals for last week were:
🍕Friday night: Gino Bambino Pizza Kit again! (Best freaken pizza kit on the market, available at Costo) There may have been a few beers to go along with this. Later, there was some chips consumed. This is of course only permitted on my cheat nights - Friday and Saturday. My god, I love cheat nights.
🍔Saturday night: Raclette grille supper with friends. Hours of fun around the table drinking beer and cooking portions of shrimp, chicken, beef, mushrooms, onions and cheese. If you haven’t experienced a raclette, I highly recommend it. It makes the meal an adventure and everyone takes part in the cooking right at the table on a little portable grille. It’s very hands on.
10. The Dream is True
As an indie author, it is my dream to write full time. In order to achieve this dream, I depend on your support through book sales. Here are some great ways to support my writing journey so that I can continue to publish more books:
❤️Buy my E-books, softcover books and audio books. Here’s the link. https://linktr.ee/mkschultz
❤️Post book reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.
❤️Support me on Ko-fi by buying me a coffee or tipping me. Here’s the link. Ko-fi
❤️Support me on SUBSTACK through a paid subscription. Click the subscribe button below.
❤️Support me on social media by liking, commenting and sharing. I am most active on the following platforms: Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and X.
My links are here: MK's Links
Join me LIVE tomorrow night at 7pm ET on TikTok. In closing, I recite the phrase that I first heard on the song Dream of Mirrors by Iron Maiden. It is a phrase that inspires me and I want to share it with all of you. If you have a dream, don’t say, “I hope my dream comes true one day.” Instead, say this out loud every single day!
THE DREAM IS TRUE !
