Writer’s Desk

Hello, dreamers. This is big week for me: this Saturday, I will have my first-ever book signing.

This will be the first of at least two such events, and I’ll share the details below. I’m also hard at work on editing and critique, still have a few queries active, and I’ve finally started a new story. So let’s get right to it. Here’s what I’ll be up to this week:

Writers of the Future, Vol. 42

If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and still haven’t picked up your copy of Writers of the Future, Vol. 42, then you’re in luck. This Saturday, May 23, I will be at Joy and Matt’s Books in downtown Cincinnati starting at 12 PM.

Whether you’re planning on heading to the Taste of Cincinnati or you just really love books and science fiction, drop by Joy and Matt’s to meet your favorite local author. This will also be your chance to meet illustrator Nathan Deiwert: the award-winning artist who created the fantastic illustration for my story, “In Living Color”!

Nathan and I will be there until four PM or until we sell out, whichever comes first. So get there early. And after you’ve secured your copy of Writers of the Future, Vol. 42, stick around and peruse the selection at Joy and Matt’s: Cincinnati’s premiere science fiction bookstore!

Aquarius 1

While I’ve continued work on Aquarius 1, by midway through last week it was clear I’d strayed too far from the path; it was time for a “struggle story”.

For the uninitiated, every time I spend a while away from actual writing (for instance, when I’m in query prep or…you know, getting an award and launching a book), I find it difficult to slip right back into writing. I end up spinning my wheels, starting projects and then leaving them off a page or two in.

When that happens, the only way out is through. I have to find a story idea and wrestle it to submission. I call these stories “struggle stories”. They tend to start with rambling as I labor to find the plot, and often end up dark and violent, reflecting the mounting frustration I feel as I write them. Needless to say, many of these stories never see the light of day, though I dare say some of them have evolved into my best works over the past year.

But that’s not the point. The point is that they exist. A struggle story isn’t about the product; it’s about the struggle. It’s me fighting my way back to where I’m supposed to be. I feel good about this story. I always feel good about them, at first. But all it needs to be is a means to an end. Once I’m finished, I plan to resume work on Aquarius 1 in earnest.

Short Fiction

I currently still have five active short fiction submissions. That includes one I could hear back on any day now, and another I queried after this weekend. That last one I’m cautiously optimistic about: it’s one of my best pieces, and was submitted following an encouraging personal rejection from an editor who recognizes my name. With any luck, I’m about to break through into another major short fiction market.

In any event, I’m actually much more optimistic about my most recent story, which I completed right before I left for Los Angeles. As it stands currently it’s one of the longest short fic pieces I’ve ever written, but this one feels special. It’s a bleak dystopia, with character drama and classic sci-fi mystery leading to a twist no reader thus far saw coming.

To date I’ve received feedback from two CPs: one from my critique group and one from my new WOTF42 cohort, and both loved it. Both also provided actionable feedback that largely agreed with my personal doubts on the story, but I’m hoping to get at least a few more pairs of eyes on it before I put it in front of my beta group. Once they’re through with it, I can start shopping it around.

Beyond that, as my own writing has slowly built back up I’ve been lending my services for critiques, and still loving all the wonderful new material I’m seeing from my critique partners.

Upcoming Content

I have officially launched my Substack: Martians and Lasers. If you haven’t already, head to Substack and subscribe here. It’s free, and you’ll get lots of cool content you won’t find here.

Hawkeyed readers may have noticed that I’ve completed a long-overdue website redesign. It’s generally understood that websites should be fully updated at least once every two years, to keep up with changing trends in web design. I’d been stubbornly clinging to my previous design for years now, mainly because I really liked it. But the time had come for a change.

The new theme hews more to the current fashions in web design. It’s sleek and minimalist, optimized for mobile viewing, and meant to function less as a homepage for a blog than a landing spot to generate subscriptions and book sales. I couldn’t have timed it better, either: thanks to my appearance on the Writers of the Future podcast, which generated the biggest spike in traffic I’ve seen since the day my first-place win was announced last year.

Unfortunately, one of the first things I learned on this go-around is it’s a lot harder to redesign a website that’s experiencing high traffic. As of this writing, the redesign is still underway. Please pardon my dust as I remodel.

With that said, here’s what you can expect from me in the week ahead:

Tuesday: “How to Be A Debut Author”

Available on Substack

So you’ve finally published a book. Whether it’s a novel, a story in an anthology, or whatever, congratulations! But your work isn’t done. Not even close. In this special post, learn what lies ahead, and what it takes to make your debut just the first of many, many book releases to come.

Friday: “Science in Fiction: Nothing Human”

Available on Substack

In this month’s installment of “Science in Fiction”, read about the topic I’m sure you’re not sick of hearing about: artificial intelligence. See how AI has been depicted in sci-fi over the years, learn more about what AI actually is, and how the modern sci-fi writer can deal with the technology that’s changing our world.

Sunday: “Dear Sir or Madam”

In this week’s post, learn more about my querying journey, and what a querying writer should (and shouldn’t) put in their bio.

It’s going to be a busy week. So keep reading, and dare to dream. – MK