Today was thrown by a few attempts to finish projects falling apart. Ah well. To bed, early to rise and start over. New week, lots to do. 👍

And... @thewebrecluse and I just conspired to make BRILLIANCE happen! I stopped recording this morning because we're going to find a longer term fix instead. 🔥🔥🔥 Amazing.

Off to have coffee and then polish up today's newsletter. 💫

What an amazing gift to be around so many talented and supportive people.

Supremely thankful for the culture of constructive criticism, curiosity, and lifelong learning we've cultivated here.

#CoSoRocks

(❤️ And Elaine rocks too! ❤️ )

👌 Found an old comforter that seems to hang well and absorb *some* echo. Thanks to @ceorl and @thewebrecluse for the nudges to fix audio further. I'm currently re-recording the next two BookTubes with what I hope will be less of a distraction for listeners.

(Patrons, I'll have them up for you soon.)

Cheers, all, and happy Sunday! May there be rest and/or productivity in whatever balance serves you best. 🤞

This week I'm writing about recent Colombian news for the #newsletter. Here's a taste of how wildly different the politics can be: rural protesters of Emerald Energy (British petrocompany) literally took police hostage in their efforts to halt ruinous enterprise on the land. More tomorrow! #BetterWorldsTheory

Morning CoSo! 💫 BookTube up! (Patrons, you'll get the next two as sneak peeks soon.)

In today's piece, I talk about 5 different review and/or advertising services that Indie writers need to consider carefully when deciding how to invest in growing their brand. (This list includes our very own @nnlightsbookheaven, my top pick for getting eyes on your content!)

And hey! I only digress *once* into talking about my translation work with Tomás Carrasquilla! 😅 #Improving! https://youtu.be/xjtlzD3Ej9E

Over five years in #Colombia, and I will still never get tired of people greeting each other with "Buen día" or "Buenas tardes" while standing in line for the elevator, or that "¡Hasta luego!" whenever anyone gets off*.

#Gratitude #NeighbourlyLiving

(*the elevator - gotta watch those phrasal verbs! 😬)

#CoSoTV: For anyone following along, how are you finding Three-Body? I'm up to Ep 10, & really enjoying its steady pacing, character portrayals, & introduction of key concepts from the books.

I understand the staggered approach to some of the source material, but I'm also chuffed by the game world, & other special effects key to the story. The closing music is good, too: gently ominous.

So far, in sum? A show that takes its time, & treats its viewers as intelligent turkeys in the process. 😉

Ho ho! I forgot how many challenges I gave myself by writing Children of Doro with a ship's AI as narrator (the closest SF equivalent I could think of for Dostoevsky's slippery polyphonic narrator in The Brothers Karamazov, who's both actively present at the trial and also somehow listening in on tons of private conversations and thoughts, holding everyone's POV in agonizing balance).

I have a rule sheet for my AI's speech to put to work with final edits! And footnotes to figure out! What fun!

Started a longer fast yesterday, and feel super energetic today, getting all caught up on work and even making space for new fiction (brainstorming as I walk).

BookTube is delayed, but even that's only a temporary setback; I now have three 15-20 minute episodes banked, which Patrons will see before everyone else--and to give me a buffer against future scheduling delays.

(I think I might be getting the hang of this indie life after all!*)

*Or paving the way for whole new future flops! 50/50! 🙃

Woo! Okay, I have Carrasquilla, 2nd Ed, available in review copies for anyone interested.

Many of you fine folks supported the first edition last year (thank you!). This one has sharpened secondary materials, including a Colombian Primer & Study Guide that provides more info on the culture.

If you know reviewers who might enjoy classic Colombian lit, this campaign is all about getting active book reviews on Goodreads & Amazon.

#IndiePublishing #Colombia #WritersOfCoSo
https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/109416/the-rifle-and-other-stories

Each time I publish something, the whole #Indie process becomes a *little* bit easier. Fixed fiddly bits with Carrasquilla's paperback today & started work on Children of Doro's ebook. Now I'm setting up Carrasquilla's review campaigns. Will talk shop with my BookTube tonight. 👍

It feels *so* good to be back doing the work I love, even if I'm astonishingly cash-poor at the moment. (Investing in better days, in a world going through *quite* a Chaos Age! 🙃)

#Publishing #SFF #WritersOfCoSo

Also, this is the book releasing on May 4 - with many AIs, actually! A ship's AI narrating the story, a planetary AI representing a real-time snapshot of all its residents' convictions, and a "bastard" AI - which if you know your Dostoevsky is going to cause trouble for all... 👌

#Indie #IndiePublishing #WritersOfCoSo #SFF #Books

Oh, today is #WorldBookDay!

What's everyone reading? If I finish my book promo prep in time, I'm diving back into Sanora Babb's Whose Names Are Unknown. And after that? Jennifer Egan's The Candy House. What about you~~~?

#CoSoBooks #Books #Reading