Skip to content

Adam Bender Posts

Red October, Halloween, Etc.

Published by Adam on October 29, 2022

I’m from Philadelphia, so let’s get this out of the way…

GO PHILLIES! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Philly Phanatic cheering for the Fightin' Phils!
The one and only Philly Phanatic / Credit: Sports Illustrated

OK! Thank you for your indulgence. In case you didn’t know, or you’re reading this in the future and have forgotten most everything about 2022 (that must be nice), the Phillies are in the World Series! And last night, they took Game 1 from the Astros in an improbable, come-from-behind victory in Houston. Down five runs! With an amazing game-saving catch from Nick Castellanos! So yeah, I’m pretty excited!

Oh shoot, I’m still talking about the Phillies, aren’t I? Once again, I thank you for your indulgence.

A spooky Victorian house that one can only assume is haunted.
A spooky Victorian house / Photo by Arianna Tavaglione

All right, moving on for real this time! It’s Halloween, so I thought I’d share a cool article from the Washington Post about why haunted houses are Victorian in so many books and movies.

I haven’t written much horror, other than a kind of silly short story called “The Roommate.” But I’ve always loved the genre. My favorite recent haunted-house thing was The Haunting of Hill House miniseries on Netflix. The Haunting of Bly Manor (Mike Flanagan did both but they’re different stories) was also pretty good. I’m hoping to check out Flanagan’s Midnight Club real soon, once I finish all the other peak-TV shows in my queue.

I’ve been reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. It’s my first Murakami book though I’d been hearing good things for a while. It’s a fairly strange, yet gripping novel. It’s got a little of that David Lynch vibe where a lot of it is dream-like and you’re not entirely sure what’s really happening. If that doesn’t scare you off, I’d recommend giving it a try.

You might know I’m kind of a comic book geek. I found really fascinating a biography of Stan Lee called True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. It’s not exactly a glowing depiction of Stan The Man, revealing that the guy probably didn’t create the Marvel Universe all by himself as many people think. It also chronicles a lot of truly crazy sh** that happened in Lee’s later years. Even if he didn’t necessarily create all those classic superheroes, though, you definitely get the sense that Lee was a master marketer and that Marvel probably wouldn’t be what it is today without his passionate self-promotion.

On the gaming front, I just picked up Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope on Nintendo Switch and am absolutely having a blast playing it.

Screenshot of Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope for Nintendo Switch
Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope / Credit: Nintendo

I loved the original Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle, and I’m happy to say the sequel has the best parts of that game with a whole lot more polish. Seriously, they couldn’t have been 100% confident when developing the original that people would embrace an XCOM-style strategy game teaming gun-wielding (ray guns, but still) Mario characters with weird bunny-things from Ubisoft’s Rayman series. However, it was obviously a winning concept, and the powers-that-be clearly gave the developers a big budget to run away with it in Sparks of Hope. It’s a pretty addictive videogame, and just writing about it makes me want to leave you mid-sentence to— 

Leave a Comment

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

Published by Adam on July 1, 2022

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!

Buy Direct
Apple
Google
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Chirp
Scribd
Audiobooks.com

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.

1 Comment
Utopia PR Audiobook Coming July 1! ARC Out Nowheadphones near smartphone and cappuccino on cafe table

Utopia PR Audiobook Coming July 1! ARC Out Now

Published by Adam on April 16, 2022

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 n 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!

Leave a Comment

Utopia PR Audiobook Coming Soon!

Published by Adam on February 20, 2022

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!

Leave a Comment

Bender wins National Press Club journalism award for DC 911 reporting

Published by Adam on January 15, 2022

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

Leave a Comment
Adam Bender | adambenderwrites.com | watchadam.blog