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Category: News and Writing

News about Adam’s writing and other creative projects.

Goodbye, Bird Site. Hello, Mastodon!

So, I got off of Twitter. You probably know why. I think I just couldn’t stand all the toxicity and chaos, and honestly I was getting worried about the privacy and security of staying on, too. I know some people are waiting for the ship to literally sink all the way beneath the surface of the water, but honestly, I didn’t see the point of holding out another month or two. It’s not like there aren’t any lifeboats.

Respect to the folks playing out the sinking ship, I guess!

One lifeboat? Mastodon! You can find my brand new profile at https://sunny.garden/@WatchAdam. I look forward to chatting with you there! I’m also still on Instagram and Facebook, but finding myself spending less time there due to the never-ending barrage of ads and sponsored content. I’m going to try to do better to keep this blog updated and be more regular with my newsletter. Those are probably the best ways to keep posted on my current projects.

Speaking of, I recently blew the dust off a first draft of a short story I wrote years ago called “Six Straight Roads.” It’s not dystopian or sci-fi like I usually write. It’s kind of a nostalgic piece about playing Capture the Flag with my friends when I was kid. I brought it to a local writers’ group about a year ago, and got a lot of great feedback, but then I procrastinated on actually revising the thing. That was, until a couple weeks ago when I got COVID-19 again and got in some quality quarantine writing time! (Note: I do not recommend getting COVID-19; quarantines are the worst). Long paragraph short, I made a lot of progress getting “Six Straight Roads” into shape. I just need to do another proofread and it should be ready to go. I’m considering submitting this one to some mags before self-publishing it, so that could delay its release a bit more. However, my goal is to have it out to you all in some form this spring. Stay tuned!

I’m also in the early stages of writing a new novel. I’ve done a whole lot of notes and outlining, and have even written a few chapters, but it’s still pretty early days. I hope to share more soon.

For those of you looking to pick up one of my books on the cheap, Smashwords is about to launch their end-of-year sale. It runs Dec. 15 to Jan. 1. I will have some great deals on eBooks for all my novels, including my debut duology We, The Watched and Divided We Fall for free! You’ll also be able to get The Wanderer and the New West and Utopia PR for less than $1.50. That means you can get all four of my novels for the price of coffee, and maybe less, depending where you get coffee!

I’ve also got some audiobook sales running over at Spotify for the next few days. Grab the aural versions of The Wanderer and the New West for $4.99 and Utopia PR for $3.49 while you still can!

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Utopia PR audiobook released! Plus, summer sales a plenty!

It’s finally here! The audiobook edition of my dystopian satire Utopia PR!

Utopia PR audiobook
Written by Adam Bender. Narrated by Tristan Wright

You can buy it now directly from me or from your favorite audiobook retailer, including Audible, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Chirp!

I am so happy with how the audiobook came out. Tristan Wright put all his comedy chops into the reading of the wild PR team that has to spin for the President, who is known by the people as Our Leader. We received a ton of great reviews on NetGalley before today’s publication (Blake “The Hammer” Hamner him(n)self writes about them here). After 40 honest reviews there, it has an average score of four stars! I’m so very proud of that. Thank you to everyone who downloaded the book early and wrote a review.

Nice!

All that great feedback follows the original written version winning an award for best humor in last year’s IndieReader Discovery Awards.

Listen to an excerpt from the Utopia PR audiobook!

Skip this paragraph if you’ve already read my elevator pitch, but Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian president. PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

Buy the audiobook today!

Deals a plenty! Wanderer audiobook and Smashwords Sale!

If you’re really on an audiobook binge, I’m also excited to share that the spoken version of my previous novel, The Wanderer and the New West, will be part of a Findaway Voices sale from July 1 until September 30, 2022! You’ll be able to get my dystopian western at a steep discount from Barnes & Noble, Chirp, Apple and Google Play.

In addition, you can find free or discounted eBooks of all four of my novels during the Smashwords Summer sale (or Winter sale if you’re in Australia)! The sale runs from July 1 until July 31, 2022. We, The Watched is free, while Divided We Fall, The Wanderer and the New West and Utopia PR will all be 50% off!

Thanks to all my readers for your continuing support. I hope to share more news soon on my next project.

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Utopia PR Audiobook Coming July 1! ARC Out Now

I am excited to announce that the Utopia PR audiobook will be released July 1, 2022, on most popular retail sites, including Audible and Barnes & Noble (click to pre-order).

Want to read the book early? If you’re happy to write a review, you can listen to the Utopia PR audiobook from now until June 12 on NetGalley! Thank you in advance for your help creating buzz and spreading the word. I’m an indie author so this is really the biggest way you can help me, even more than paying for my books (though that is also appreciated, of course)!

Utopia PR audiobook
Narrated by Tristan Wright

I recently had to approve the audio recordings of each chapter to make sure they were just right. Let me tell you, it was an absoltue blast listening to narrator Tristan Wright bring my book to life. I know I might be biased, but I daresay the book is even funnier read aloud. Wright brings out all the individual wackiness of Blake “The Hammer” Hamner (the is silent), Our Leader and the rest of the cast. Sitting alone in my home office, I seriously LOLed at his reading of the speech in which Our Leader ticks off every crazy idea in Blake’s Grand List of Distractions.

This was my second time working with Findaway Voices to create an audiobook (The Wanderer and the New West audiobook is also now available and 50% off until April 30 on B&N!). As before, it was a seamless process. Based on my requirements, they provided a list of suggested narrators, and then I asked a few of them to send audition tapes. It was a tough choice, but I’m really happy with what Tristan Wright has done with the book. I can’t wait for you to hear it!

Of course, if you’re not keen on audiobooks, you can get the book in eBook and paperback formats from major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org (or ask your indie book store to order it!). Check out the official website for Utopia PR for more information on the book and where you can buy it.

Just in case you haven’t heard my elevator pitch before, Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian president. PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

So yeah, mark July 1 on your calendars for the audiobook’s release date. Or better yet, pre-order it. Or better yet, get the free advance review copy (ARC) on NetGalley and write a review! I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

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Utopia PR Audiobook Coming Soon!

Maybe you hate the droning sound of your own voice in your head. Maybe the part of storytelling you like the most is the telling. Maybe you don’t like the look of the printed word on paper (gross). Maybe you want to keep your eyes on the road when you’re driving.

Whatever the reason you love audiobooks, you’ll be excited to know I have started production on an aural version of my dystopian satire Utopia PR.

Audiobook cover for Utopia PR

I for one cannot wait to hear the voices of Blake “The Hammer” Hamner and his presidential PR comrades come to life in glorious stereo sound. I wrote the novel in a style that I think is a great match for the spoken word. Narrator Tristan Wright has signed on for the project through Findaway Voices. Utopia PR designer Bailey McGinn will square-ify the cover per audiobook convention.

I had a great experience with Findaway on The Wanderer and the New West and am looking forward to hearing Utopia PR. I’m not yet ready to announce a release date, but please keep your eye on my blog–and subscribe to my newsletter–for updates on this exciting project.

In the meantime, if you do like printed words (delicious!), you can buy Utopia PR in eBook or paperback today!

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Bender wins National Press Club journalism award for DC 911 reporting

At a virtual ceremony on Jan. 6, 2022, I was delighted to accept the National Press Club’s newsletter journalism award for my reporting with Jonathan Make in Communications Daily on problems with the District of Columbia 911 system.

Our reporting over the last couple of years showed how the D.C. 911 center, the Office of Unified Communications, has struggled to get timely help to people calling with emergencies. The District’s auditor opened an investigation and recently reported that the center failed to meet national standards. The issue also attracted interest from Congress.

Click the links in the paragraph above to read some of my articles, which are free in front of the Comm Daily paywall. And you can check out Jonathan and my full acceptance video below!

Thank you again to the National Press Club for this journalism award. The historic club based in Washington, D.C., is one of the most prestigious conveners of journalists in the country (if not the world), so this is truly an honor! I am also grateful to work for a publication like Comm Daily that encourages investigative and enterprise reporting. I plan to continue to cover 911 issues in Washington, DC, and around the country.

I’ve been lucky to receive many awards over the years for both my reporting and my novels. If you’re curious, you can see a full list right here on my website.

Happy New Year, by the way! Please stay tuned to this blog and subscribe to my newsletter for more news soon on my creative writing. I am hoping to have some pretty cool announcements for you all soon related to my novels.

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

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