Happy Groundhog Day from me, Lisa Loucks-Christenson, creator of Hallowink Hollow™ and the Hallowinks.
The first Hallowink Hollow™ book published on 10/31/2017, born from an art challenge that became a yearly tradition and, eventually, a full series with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Special Edition titles.
In 2025, everything nearly stopped. Over 300 original Hallowink Hollow™ wall illustrations I drew, one by one over ten months, were illegally photographed and stored on a stranger’s phone, they were on the walls and laid out for the upcoming ten books I’d scheduled. At the same time, I discovered 29 of my company’s books pirated. That would be enough to knock most series off its tracks, and for a while, it did. Add to that my husband's cancer (twice, now in remission), court battles, fraud I’ve documented, stalking, vandalism, and a family ripped apart right when my husband needed us most—and you have a year that could have ended Hallowink Hollow™.
Sometimes you win wars by cutting your teeth on small battles.
Last night, I reached for a 3×3 Post‑it note pad, a too-thick pen nib, and started again. On February 1, 2026, I began Book #24, Special Edition (SE) 15—the long-promised sequel to A. Groundhog and Valentine Amy’s Short Romance.
I’d promised my family, my friends, my readers, God, and the characters that live in my heart that I would give this story its sequel, even if the first six Hallowink Hollow™ books are still being pirated and those ten stories I illustrated last year were delayed.
Hallowink Hollow™ Blizzard (2018), the second book in the series, was drawn while I was battling sepsis for the second time, unsure if I’d live a few more hours. It’s probably the “worst” drawing I’ve done since childhood, but I’ll never change it. It reminds me what it means to create in the middle of fear and fever and to keep going anyway.
This Groundhog Day, I wanted to bring that same spirit back. A. Groundhog and Valentine Amy fell in love with the dance and with each other. In this new story, I’m exploring what happens when groundhogs fall in love, part ways, and then find themselves circling back—asking if there’s still a chance to waltz together through Valentine’s Day.
Today, whether your groundhog sees his shadow or not, like A. Groundhog and Valentine Amy, I pray you’ll find that special someone—or dance with the one you’re already with. And if you don’t have a date on the calendar, I hope my comics give you at least one smile today.
I’m one of those knock‑me‑down and I’ll get back up people. No one defeats me. God is my 100% strength. Until He calls me home, I’ll keep drawing, writing, and defending my copyrights. The stolen images, the piracy, the legal fights, and the losses won’t be the end of this story.
The sequel lives. So does Hallowink Hollow™.
You can follow along with the series and the new Groundhog Day–Valentine’s sequel at: Hallowinks.com
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Dani vaulted the seat in one explosive leap—my Schutzhund champion, laying her body across my chest, teeth snapping fury at the man now inches from my face. He didn't flinch. He read her weight, drive, obedience perfectly. Handler eyes.
I'd volunteered once, maybe twice, as K-9 decoy for Olmsted County Sheriff's Office. Those bites changed me forever. I felt prey drive power—hit, bite, hold. Never forgot. Spotted his calm instantly.
Thirty-three years since first 1993 death threat, followed by break-in and dead sparrow hung in my studio window, eyes stitched shut, tethered to ceiling by twine. Twenty years from that 2006 Explorer ambush to now: 2/10/2026 pre-order night, noose #3 on my trail (first noose was rope, stuck in shed, hung last summer), waiting under melted snow by my shed. Feather bed. Surgical.
They attacked my writing. My dog. My life. Notebooks outlasted them all.
#TrueCrimeWitness #MNAuthor #MNCrimes #WalktheBurn
#Schutzhund
#K9Decoy
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