M.A. Kleen

I made a lot of progress in 2025, not just in updating this website more consistently, but in bringing my writing to a wider audience. In April, my article “‘A Kind of Dreamland’: Upshur County, WV at the Dawn of Civil War” appeared in the spring issue of Ohio Valley History. It was my first academic publication in thirteen years. Then, over the summer, I began submitting articles to the Emerging Civil War Blog. My first ran in July, and I’ve had six published overall. I also had a photo included in The Last Men Standing: The 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution.

Somehow, in the midst of all that, I also finished and signed a contract for a new book, likely to be released sometime in 2026.

Over the past year, I published 84 articles on my blog, with more than 73,800 words in total. I’m interested in everything I post here in one way or another, but a few pieces rose above the rest. These were some of my (and your) favorites:

The Creepy Kid’s Books That Captivated Me. January 1, 2025. A nostalgic dive into the spooky stories that haunted my childhood in the ’80s and ’90s. Some, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Goosebumps, and Bunnicula, are well known and still in print. Others on my list are books I hadn’t thought about in years, and a few are surprisingly hard to track down in physical form. From folklore-inspired ghost tales to reimagined urban legends, these sometimes campy but always enjoyably eerie reads can all be found online today. 574 views for this article is not too shabby.

Why Halloween Feels Different Now (And It’s Not Just Nostalgia). October 30, 2025. Members of my generation and older have noticed a shift in how Halloween is celebrated in America. It didn’t just change because we got older—it changed because the world around it did. What was once a kid-centered, community-based ritual became a commercialized spectacle, rebranded for adults and optimized for Instagram. But that doesn’t make our memories any less real, or the shift any less noticeable.

Win Battles Against the AI Every Time in Hearts of Iron IV With S.T.A.L.I. November 5, 2025. I’ve logged over 3,200 hours in Hearts of Iron IV, the World War II grand strategy game, and have been a fan of the series since the original launched in 2002. Over the years, I’ve gained extensive experience defeating the game’s AI. With hundreds of modifiers and overlapping mechanics, Hearts of Iron IV can be overwhelming even for veteran players. To simplify ground combat, I developed the “S.T.A.L.I.” method: a five-pillar framework that helps me focus on what really matters. When applied properly, it all but guarantees success against the A.I.

Blood in the Garage, Footsteps in the Hall: A Real-Life Haunted House Tale. June 30, 2025. Earlier this year, my curiosity was piqued when Mortis Media’s YouTube channel covered a Reddit post in which a woman discussed strange activity in her east Ohio home, and the real murder case she believed it was tied to. I decided to look into the story and uncover the history behind it.

The EFT Caper: Or, How Zombies Almost Ruined a Pirate Christmas. December 16, 2025. I wrote this story as a gag gift and handed out copies at a college friend’s pirate-themed Christmas party in December 2004. It centers around our core friend group as we battle a zombie outbreak at Eastern Illinois University. This wacky holiday misadventure blends college comedy with light horror and a touch of absurdity. I lost the original file, so I rewrote and revised it.

Lost (and Found) Media from my Childhood. May 12, 2025. Over the years, there have been books, songs, and movies I once loved but had mostly forgotten, with only hazy details lingering in my memory, making them hard to identify. In the past year or two, I’ve managed to stumble upon several of these lost favorites, thanks to friends and some help from internet sleuthing.

Rochester’s Most Haunted High-Rise? Inside the Terrence Building’s Past. September 15, 2025. Abandoned for decades, Rochester, New York’s towering Terrence Building holds a chilling history of ambition and neglect. From its psychiatric past to eerie modern legends, discover why it remains one of the city’s most talked-about landmarks. I’ve kept this location in my back pocket for years, finally getting around to writing about it this year, and it is an interesting story!

Why the 1980s Are the Perfect Playground for Horror Films. April 21, 2025. What is it about the 1980s that makes it the ultimate playground for horror? From neon-lit nostalgia to the real-life fears of Satanic cults and suburban shadows, dive into the decade that turned terror into a cultural phenomenon.