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Tag: writing

Watched in the real world

We, The Watched by Adam BenderThe current debate over the National Security Agency’s surveillance program, PRISM, highlights a great conundrum for citizens of any country: How much personal privacy should one give up in exchange for better national security?

When I wrote my novel We, The Watched and its upcoming sequel Divided We Fall, I imagined a dystopian nation in which the government had used national security as an excuse to take all privacy rights from the people. That’s not the case today, but it’s one possible outcome if the balance swings too far in one direction.

With every call, social media update or credit card transaction, people leave behind a long trail of data that can potentially be stored and analyzed by businesses and the government. The digitization of video and an increasing number of surveillance cameras potentially adds even more data to mix.

Evolving tools for big data analysis provide an ability to parse and make sense of all this information like never before. This technology can be used for good and keep people safe, but like any great power it can be abused without the right privacy checks in place.

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Divided We Fall manuscript acclaimed by Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly has praised the manuscript for my unpublished second novel, Divided We Fall.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

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Divided We Fall is an ABNA quarterfinalist

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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Meet me at Smokers Corner

I’ve got a Valentine’s Day surprise for all you lovers out there—a new short story!

Smokers Corner

It’s called “Smokers Corners” and it’s a romantic comedy. Here’s a one-sentence synopsis:

Tim loses his addiction for the ho-hum after falling for Samantha during a smoking break. 

Guess what? You can read it for free online!

Smashwords – Barnes & Noble – Apple – Kobo – Goodreads – ‘txtr

It’s also on the Kindle store for 99 cents (Amazon doesn’t allow free, believe it or not).

If you like it, please leave a review where you downloaded it.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out Life Trade, my other recent short story!

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Life Trade, a short story

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, AppleGoodreads 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.

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Adam Bender | adambenderwrites.com | watchadam.blog