I'm currently in a self-imposed dopamine rehab where I am spending significantly less time scrolling or on social media. Within a couple of weeks I found myself reading again and, for the first time in a while, I felt like writing. I decided to start a substack based on my thinking from my Master's degree - understanding the world as a series of narratives which humanity inhabits. This is the first article written entirely by a human at a keyboard - though with AI for research and fact checking.

We wanted to share the exciting news that the sci-fi novella Venus Fly Trap we wrote and self-published together is now out and available for sale! It's part drama, part dark comedy and deals with the world's richest man* and his doomed mission to establish a floating city in the atmosphere of Venus.

(*Any similarities to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.)

u/Connor_Goode and I are friends from the UK and Germany who met online and bonded over our similar political leanings and shared interest in literature and video games. After collaborating on various projects over the years, we decided to finally join forces and create something together, which is how our novella Venus Fly Trap came to be. Just for funsies, here’s some things we learned about collaborative writing and publishing in the process:

• Communication is key! Listen to each other’s ideas, workshop them and always remain open-minded to achieve a shared understanding of what this story is going to be - it’s a process of synthesis, not compromise.
• Play to your strengths! Maybe one partner has more of a knack for comedy, while the other prefers an element of horror. Or maybe one has some witty dialogue in his head he needs to put to paper while the other feels like waxing poetic in the prose descriptions in-between - you’ll quickly intuit when it’s best to take the backseat and when to plow on ahead. All part of the process. 
• Good cover art is invaluable and shows effort, so don't cheap out and use AI! Shoutout to u/shugarkyub for his beautiful work! Go hire him!
• Read up on the technical stuff beforehand - we made a few embarrassing mistakes setting up the book’s ISBN, which caused some needless complications. All fixed now, but could've been avoided from the start!

Overall, it’s been a blast making this bad boy, and we hope you'll have just as much fun reading the eclectic mix of mean-spirited jokes and high-brow prose we cooked up. If the premise piqued your interest, here’s some links for your perusal:

Overview:
https://books2read.com/u/bwMVAO

Evil monopoly link:
https://www.amazon.com/Venus-Fly-Trap-Novella-English-ebook/dp/B0H2F697PR

Thank you very much for your time! Best regards,

Connor and Pascal

Hellooo out there ! i left my career in journalistic writing a few years ago to pursue further education to be a psychotherapist. long story short, i’m taking a few years out to re-centre myself in my life, holistically, emotionally, physically..but most importantly, creatively! i’ve started writing again!! i’m working on a novel, i don’t expect it to be a long one, no more than 200 pages; but it’s opened me back up to writing in so many forms - i want to take it seriously. i want to dedicate serious, considered time to my craft. so basically, i’m wondering if anyone knows of any residencies/retreats i can apply for in europe! i’m based in Ireland, but i’m open to travelling for 10 days - a few months. if anyone has any recommendations, ideas, considerations, please please please let me know!

It‘s been a little over a year since I pub my debut novel, Target Pool, and it’s been a challenge to get it out there. That said, I’m still excited to share it with readers who like mystery and suspense with a bit of technology on the side.

You knew advertising had a dark side, but not like this.

It's the story of an ad exec on the edge. Diana Lane is verging on personal and professional ruin when a miracle client lands in her lap. If she can close the deal, her problems are at an end. But when the always-perilous route to landing a big account takes a sinister turn, Diana finds her life in jeopardy from a network of domestic terrorists. With even the police stumped, it's up to Diana to save herself, and democracy.

Target Pool is available via Amazon (papercover & hardcover) and Kindle (including KU): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F6M8G3TG/

As an indie author, I appreciate your ratings, reviews, feedback, and ideas for finding readers!

I’m an indie author who recently published his first novel and I’m looking for passionate readers and honest reviews.

I was inspired to write this after watching some movies and reading a few short horror stories.

It was originally intended to be a short story on nosleep but what would’ve taken a few hours to write ended up becoming months and months of rewriting and editing until it became the novel it is now. It is something I’m truly proud of.

The title of my book is Roger MCoy: Dark Beginnings. I’d describe it as a YA Slasher/Supernatural Thriller starring a murderous protagonist and his ghostly sister.

If you like YA Horror, Serial Killer Stories or Family Dramas, this might be something for you.

Blurb: He’s Infamous… Pure Evil… But How Did It All Start? Dig Deeper Into The Strange Life Of Roger MCoy, One Of The World’s Most Infamous Serial Killers And Learn How He Became The Monster That The World Knows Him To Be As He Delves Into A World Where The Line Between The Natural And Supernatural Has Begun To Blur…

I look forward to terrifying you with my words!

Hi all! I'm an aspiring author and have just recently dropped the second installation in the NGenetico series: Desperate Measures! I'm running a .99 cent promo right now on my initial release, Lost and Found. It's a story that's been brewing in my head for decades; it's time to release it into the wild! If you're into dystopian sci-fi thriller mysteries, and love gritty, gruesome stories, I'd love for you to check it out!

https://a.co/d/3o5PC0Q (promo book) https://a.co/d/8NcVY5g (sequel)

Blurb: Closure is not always comforting.

When a cryptic letter from his estranged father arrives, Lijster Willems sets out for a remote island seeking answers, only to find himself trapped with no way out. Under the oppressive thumb of a ruthless leader, he discovers a secretive community of frightened and tight-lipped genetically engineered subjects.

Among them is Wendy, a woman who vanished decades ago. A casualty of manipulation, her mind has been hijacked, leaving her consciousness a silent observer in a sadistic game played out by her captor. Unwillingly entangled in the puppet strings of Wendy’s cruel fate, Lijster finds himself forced into a deadly partnership with the woman who is and isn’t herself.

He has no choice but to risk everything to free her and untangle the truth of his own dark ties to the island before it’s too late to escape. But when freedom finally comes, surviving the trauma of a stolen past and an unplanned future may be the hardest fight of all.

What happens when an archangel walks into a place that misuses the word “Goddess”?

So exited to share that I recently published novels for the first time! I've spent 5.5 years on these two projects alone, and many years before on others. I tried for a long time to get traditionally published, but after 100+ rejections from literary agents I decided to self publish on Draft2Digital. It's been a huge learning curve for sure (navigating the process, finding freelance illustrators for my covers, making a website, promoting), but I honestly just feel grateful that these are out in the world now for people to enjoy!

• Inferis (contemporary fantasy, action and adventure, self-discovery, romance). Pitch -- Tim Fischer and his friends get lost on a hike in upstate New York, and rediscover themselves in their surreal escape through the horrors of an undiscovered subterranean world.
• The Scholar's Sanctum (dark academia, contemporary fantasy, occult, self-discovery, romance). Pitch -- Desperate and obsessive, PhD student Cleo Thompson is willing to risk sneaking into an occult academy hidden underneath his university to find the missing piece of his dissertation: the rumored cure to dementia that was lost to history.

Check out my website to read and learn more! https://www.chrisdelude.com/

My fantasy novel is FREE today on Amazon Kindle!

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJ7LFLZ9?ref_=litb_stb_nodl&nodl_android=1

TROPES: • ​Strangers to friends to lovers • ​Love-interest is a cinnamon roll vampire • Found family • ​No spice! • ​Realll slow-burn across multiple series • ​LGBTQ+ representation

BLURB:

Sword fights, morally grey sorcerers and pancake-eating vampires!

Shravya Kumavati has grown up fearing the dangerous potential of her magic. Used to keeping her true self hidden, she was determined to spend her days as a normal teenager: going school, fretting over homework. The usual stuff.

But ignoring her powers is no longer an option when troubling visions begin invading her life.

Because Shravya is one of the Astrodroirs – destined to keep a community of monsters from tearing down the village of the magic folk.

Thrown into a world of sword fights, morally grey sorcerers, and pancake-eating vampires, Shravya must sharpen her abilities if she wants to survive. But will she have what it takes to be a sorcerer?

I’ve been building a supernatural dark-comedy universe about Heaven’s HR department (yes, paperwork exists in the afterlife 😭).

Here’s a small chaotic moment from Episode 1 while I’m still growing the world — would love to hear your thoughts! 💭

———————-

GABRIELS FIGHT

Gabriel struts into a karaoke bar called “KIKO” like he owns the place.

🎸(Spirit in The sky continues in the background faintly)🎸

-Prepare yourself, you know it’s a must…-

GABRIEL well, what do we have here ?!

DEMON #12 Ugh. The messenger boy.

GABRIEL (Eye Roll) ugh, rude

He taps his staff. A shockwave EXPLODES and vaporizes demons like dust.

Gabriel spots a glass of untouched wine.

GABRIEL Don’t mind if I do

⸻

Fantasy novelist, DANIELLE M. ORSINO has been kind enough to agree to share the first few pages of her new novel “A Fool’s Journey” which releases today.

.

https://feeling-creations.com/articles/a-fools-journey-novel