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Divided We Fall manuscript acclaimed by Publishers Weekly

Published by Adam on April 18, 2013

Publishers Weekly has praised the manuscript for my unpublished second novel, Divided We Fall.

An independent reviewer from the literary mag wrote that the story “raises interesting questions about the influence of propaganda on the construction of the self, the idea of true tabula rasa and the power of memory.” In addition, “the central love story propels the narrative energetically.”

Divided We Fall received the review after finishing as a quarterfinalist in this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, one of the top 100 novels selected in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror category. Unfortunately, it was not one of the five entries to go onto the next round, but I’m quite happy with how well it did and look forward to seeking representation.

While you’re waiting for the release of Divided We Fall, please check out my first novel We, The Watched as well as my recent short stories “Life Trade” and “Smokers Corner.”

Divided We Fall is an ABNA quarterfinalist

Published by Adam on March 28, 2013

A couple of months ago, I entered the manuscript for my second novel in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Now I’m happy to report that Divided We Fall has made it through the first two rounds and is a quarterfinalist!

There were 500 novels across five genres that made the cut. Divided We Fall was one of 100 sci-fi/fantasy/horror entries.

A couple Amazon.com reviewers had a look at the first few chapters, and here’s what they had to say:

Amazon Reviewer 1:

This novel has some serious promise. Here we are in the first few thousand words and we already have a love triangle and a religious/political rebellion. Seriously, the author has provided some interesting angles to work out what the pitch promises to deliver.

Amazon Reviewer 2:

Its flows and is good. With a few fixes it may outpace “The Handmaids Tale.” I hope to see more.

Even if I don’t make it any further in the contest, I will still get a review by Publishers Weekly. This will be a great tool for convincing literary agents and publishers to take a look (unless PW hates it, but I’m feeling optimistic).

What’s that you say? If I win the contest, I won’t need to convince anyone else?

Hey dude, take a chill pill! I’m trying to measure my expectations here!

For now, please check out the sample and–if you like what you read–leave a review. Please also give my first novel We, The Watched a go. I appreciate all your support!

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Life Trade, a short story

Published by Adam on January 6, 2013

What if a stranger took over the part of your best friend?

That’s the premise of my new short story, “Life Trade.” It’s an idea I came up with a long time ago, but it was only recently that I figured out how to make it work as a story. Last week while off for the holidays, I finally got around to writing it. And now you can read it right here for free!

If you use a Kindle, iPad, Nook or other eReader, you can get the .mobi or .epub version for free at Smashwords.

It’s also available free from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Goodreads and ‘txtr.

You can also buy “Life Trade” directly from the Amazon Kindle store for 99 cents, if you so wish. The only reason I’m charging there is that Amazon does not allow self-published to give away their work for free. Don’t feel pressured to pay — I’d be happier if you enjoyed the story and left a review or shared it with your friends.

[scribd id=234046431 key=key-Wl7gTsSp9TZgMsJtZkXo mode=scroll]

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What’s Up?

Published by Adam on December 18, 2012

I know, I know. It’s been too damn long since my last blog post.

What have I been doing? Well, journalism mainly. As you may have figured out, I’ve made it to Sydney and have been writing tech stories a plenty for Computerworld, CIO and Techworld. Check out this handy Evernote shared notebook for a selection of my best recent stuff.

On the creative side of things, I have been busy sending my new novel Divided We Fall to literary agents. This has been quite a bit of work but I am hoping for the best. I will also be entering the novel in this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, which opens for entries in January. Whatever happens, I want to try to get this novel out to the public as soon as I can. I am open to self publishing, as I did with We, The Watched, but I’m giving the traditional route a “fair go,” as they say in Australia. If you’d like to help, please review my first novel on Amazon or other stores where it’s sold–this helps get it more notice, which in turn increases demand for the sequel!

Hmm… I guess sending my novel to agents is more marketing than creative. So, on the actually creative side of things, I’ve been working on a screenplay adaptation of We, The Watched, and would say I’m about a third of the way through. It’s a fun challenge converting the story to screen. The good news is the story adapts pretty well, perhaps due to its relatively short length and emphasis on action and dialog. And the three-act movie structure is really making me think hard about how to tell the story as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Oh yeah, and I updated the blog design. Cleaner and looks better on a smartphone. Suh-weet!

So yeah, that’s me. Will try to have more updates soon. Been listening to a lot of really good music and reading a bunch of cool comics–so yeah, look out for some new posts, yo!

Snap a Pic of CCTV

Published by Adam on July 29, 2012

The novel We, The Watched takes place in a nation where it’s just about impossible to avoid the eye of a surveillance camera. But it might not be as sci-fi of an idea as you’d think.

You’ve probably seen plenty of CCTV signs and cameras around your town, too. Starting today, I invite you to watch the watchers and share your own pics of surveillance in action on my Facebook page at facebook.com/wethewatched.

Most cameras and signs are in public spaces; please DO NOT break any laws as you are snapping pics.