This is a raw and unedited recording of me talking. At the 23 second mark, you can hear my dog, Poppetu-Tooterfish, whine. She is inviting you to sign up for my newsletter, which is more coherent than my rambling in the mp4!
Tag: aulisyn
Struggling with book cover design? So was I. This is my journey.
The cover conveys what kind of story to expect. It is shorthand, the same way traffic lights are visual indicators of whose turn it is to go through that intersection. The wrong cover is the equivalent of a green light that should really, really have been red.
The 5 Biggest Suprises of My First Year as a Full-Time Writer
I retired from my career as a software engineer in June 2023. Just over a year later, I reflect on the surprising, exhilarating and terrifying transition from the corporate world to the creator economy. This post explores the five most unexpected takeaways of the last year.
Throwing Shade: The One-Legged Loner of the Medieval Bestiary
Sciapods are one-legged monsters who use their giant foot for shade in the Dog Days of Summer.
Review: Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson
Hangsaman is a bizarre, challenging, and emotional novel. I have read it multiple times in the past decade and am of the opinion it should be in the library of anyone concerned with the human condition. Hangsaman inspires my writing; it the book that makes mine possible.
How to Identify Quiet Art
Quiet Art (noun): Evocative works typified by the sublime absence of "things happening."
Aulisyn: Dramatis Personae
Aulisyn is a dual-timeline novel with many characters. This is a who's-who cheat sheet.
Researching the Middle Ages Was Mind-bending
My dual-timeline novel, Aulisyn, required research into Medieval Europe; these are some of the surprising mental constructs I encountered.
Erzsebet Carmean 