Compelling Reasons to Look at Your Phone — Author’s Notes #11
What you missed, reading recommendations, and how you can get early access to upcoming stories here on Cole's Chapters.
Welcome!
Quite a few newcomers have signed up this week, many joining as paid supporters. Thank you for believing in my writing enough to take this step. I hope you like what you see—I’m pretty excited about what’s coming down the road!
Coming Up:
I’m testing a bit of a change to give my paying subscribers a bit more value, by releasing some posts a week or two early.
Seems fair that those who have gone the extra mile get to eat first.
That starts today at noon, when my paid subscribers will get their advance copy of “The Collection Plate,” an adventure about a man who makes a strange discovery in the bowels of the town’s rotting church.
I’m also considering launching a kind of behind-the-scenes style of posts that you will be able to opt out of, if you’re only interested in the stories themselves. BTS would include paper rough drafts, outlines, character and setting sketches, and more content that got left on the cutting room floor.
Where did Authors and Embers Go?
Remember that podcast I launched? Some of you may have been wondering where it went. Truthfully, this was an awful return on my time investment.
They were really fun to record, but a slog to edit. (I rage-quit editing the Suff special like 3 times.) I may try to bring back scaled-down versions of the episodes. But right now I’m still working on finishing a full blown novella, so that takes precedent.
What I’m Reading:
This may be my favorite piece I’ve read this month, by
. It’s a lifetime-spanning emotional rollercoaster of humanity, character development, and triumph of spirit that I don’t think you can ignore. Ultimately, it’s the story that made me realize I should probably add her ‘stack to my recommended list.
In Case You Missed it:
The email inbox is a chaotic place these days.
In February, I decided to re-visit a favorite character of mine, who didn’t get quite the depth I thought he deserved. The Train Stop Tavern is a deeply personal story about regret and nostalgia.
This is one of my top five favorite stories I’ve ever written. I love dabbling in thriller territory, but sometimes it feels nice to write a good character piece.
If there ever was a piece to share, this would be it.
A mysterious inn gives a weary father a glimpse at where life could have led, had he boarded a different train.
After the response to my narrative poem, The Sigil, I decided to jump off and expand the story with a mini-series, called The Attention Farm.
A state auditor follows the money to a series of questionable experiments, investigating the seemingly supernatural force that destroyed a small town.
A freelance journalist and financial auditor infiltrate a shady government facility known as the Attention Farm, but can’t seem to remember what they saw while inside.
Fun fact, I actually didn’t create the idea of an Attention Farm. They’re called “Influencer Factories.” They’re real. The only difference is that in real life, they’re run by agencies in China, not the U.S. Government, and I’m reasonably sure there is no entity being fed by your constant stream of attention.
Finally, here’s a piece for my paid subscribers. I may actually expand this one into a future series. I think there’s a lot more to be had with this premise than I got out of one short story.
On a totally unrelated note (you’ll see why after reading:)
Ossification 📑🔏
A researcher's pet project grows out of control in a hidden undersea lab.
Thanks for reading! If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription yet, I’d really love it if you did. Your subscription’s value only grows over time, as the archive increases in size.
If you don’t have the money for a paid subscription, telling a friend about me is pretty cool too. Forwarding this email is actually a great way to just hand someone off a bunch of my stories to sample.
I've been wondering whatever happened to your podcast and the Suff episode. It was fun to record, but I don't blame you for not enjoying the editing bit. Ah well. We don't always finish everything we set out to do.