I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I think the protagonist of my next novel is tweeting. According to his Twitter profile, Blake “The Hammer” Hamner also has a business website.
I thought I was writing a novel — a dystopian satire called Utopia PR — but Blake seems to think I’m the co-writer of a very serious non-fiction memoir on his days managing crisis communications for the president.
So yeah, that’s kind of worrying. But hey, 2020 has been pretty weird.
Anyway, he seems to be sharing some savvy public relations tips under his handle, @Utopia_PR, as you can see below. I followed him. Maybe you should follow him, too.
Oy, I think I need a drink.
Utopia PR is coming soon. For updates on my new novel, or Blake’s memoir, or whatever the heck it is, please join the Hammer’s email list. Or mine. Whichever you prefer.
Exciting news about my upcoming fourth novel, Utopia PR. Last weekend, I completed my third draft! Nothing like a global pandemic to focus the creative mind, though I can’t say I recommend it.
The next step is to hand the story off to an editor. As I did for The Wanderer and the New West, I will be searching for a freelance professional via Reedsy. I believe that involving an editor was crucial to my last novel winning multiple awards and great reviews, so I’m psyched to commence this collaboration.
Utopia PR is a different kind of book for me. Dystopian remains my bread and butter, but this novel might more accurately be described as satire. Maybe the genres aren’t so different. Just as the prognosticating of dystopian authors like George Orwell seems ever more prescient, the line between comedy and current events is diminishing.
So, Utopia PR is satire about a public-relations specialist who struggles to find work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian American president in the near future. Some might describe it as a sci-fi spin on Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley, or TV comedies like Veep and The Thick of It. I’m also influenced by the works of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams.
I’ll have more details for you soon on the publishing process. In the meantime, please check out my first three novels and free short stories. Please subscribe to my newsletter for updates and, for a limited time, get my second novel Divided We Fall free! As an indie author, I’m grateful for all your support.
Signing off from the public health emergency in Philly…
Big news for library lovers! SELF-e by Library Journal selected my dystopian sci-fi novel Divided We Fall for a select pilot program with library eBook distributor OverDrive.
The addition to SELF-e Select on OverDrive means that Divided We Fall will be available free to 40,000 libraries and schools in 70 countries for one year. Also, Library Journal will promote my book in its magazine.
Divided We Fall reveals insurrection against a dystopian government that keeps a Watched list of its own citizens. Agent Eve Parker must arrest her fiancé after he loses his memory and becomes a revolutionary named Seven in a fight against the government. However, when she learns more about the President’s plan to broaden citizen surveillance, she begins to question just who is right.
Here’s more information about the pilot program from the email I received this week:
We have some exciting news! As you already know Divided We Fall was chosen by Library Journal as a SELF-e Select book, digitally placing it in every library participating in the SELF-e program on BiblioBoard, supporting nationwide discovery by new readers.
We are reaching out because Divided We Fall has now been selected for an even more refined collection, the best of the best, SELF-e Select on OverDrive.
SELF-e Select on OverDrive is a new one-year pilot project in partnership with industry leader OverDrive, who support a network of 40,000 libraries and schools in 70 countries. Beginning June 1, 2018 OverDrive partner libraries can enroll in the program at no charge. Following their enrollment libraries will offer the full SELF-e Select on OverDrive collection to their users for 12-months. After the conclusion of the program in July 2019, participating authors will receive usage data from BiblioBoard. As part of this collection, we will also be doing special advertising and promotion for your book with Library Journal, bringing more exposure to your book.
Pretty cool! Please look out for all my books in your local library. If you can’t find them, please request them from your favorite librarian!
The Wanderer hits another bullseye with a great review from Publishers Weekly, plus Kirkus Reviews features the novel as an Indie Book of the Month!
Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy (digital or physical) of my new novel, The Wanderer and the New West. I continue to be blown away by the kind words and excitement I’m hearing from critics and new readers about my Dystopian Western.
Recently, the Wanderer tossed his hat into the ring for the BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly. While winners won’t be announced for several months, all entrants receive a critical assessment from Publishers Weekly, and I’m happy to report that I just received an 8 out of 10!
Here’s my favorite line: “Bender’s prose and ability to weave poignancy and humor throughout the story elevates his novel above others in the genre.”
Meanwhile, Kirkus Reviews featured my novel in their magazine for a second time, this time in a list of the “Indie Books of the Month” for April! if you don’t subscribe, here’s the online list.
Yep, that’s definitely one for the bulletin board.
Oh, this was pretty cool. My book appeared in the Spring Books issue of The New York Review of Books. I swear I didn’t plan this at all, but the cover story was all about American gun culture.
Critics are great, but I really love hearing what readers think. It’s been awesome seeing all of your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Please keep them coming! I’m an indie author with a limited marketing budget, so this is really the best way to help me spread the word.
Don’t have a copy yet? Check out the official page for more details on where you can buy my novel.
Charity & Events
I’m always excited to support a good cause. I donated a signed copy of The Wanderer and the New West for the annual Writers for Hope auction during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. The auction is organized by Kelly Johnson and proceeds went to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).
Last weekend, I donated autographed copies of my three novels for a silent auction at the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) Heroes awards, started 11 years ago to honor individuals whose work and leadership advance the rights of the LGBT community.
Coming up, look out for the Wanderer at BookExpo 2018 in New York City from May 30 to June 1 as part of the New Title Showcase! Then, my novel will appear June 22-25 at the American Library Association 2018 conference.
