Elsewhere

“Man in the Middle” reviewed by Salty Air Publishing

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Man in the Middle, by Jim Nelson

Over at Salty Air Publishing, Paul Raymer reviews my COVID-19 novel Man in the Middle:

It is interesting that both Nelson and his character are unsure of what to do—how to react to the pandemic. Back in March of 2020 it was all new in terms of how to confront the disease, whether it was going to be short term and over in six months or long term and be with us for a long time. Some of the characters don’t seem to care—and that’s still true. …

The world is portrayed as gray, as a world after the apocalypse—stores closed, streets empty of cars and people. All that adds to the fact that the protagonist works the night shift. …

Read the full review here. Visit Salty Air Publishing’s web site for more books and reviews. And get your copy of Man in the Middle while you’re at it.

As a side note, Raymer adds, “Writing about the pandemic while it is going on was a bold challenge.” For those interested, I described this challenge a while back in “Why I wrote a novel about COVID-19”.


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Status

IN MY MEMORY LOCKED selected for the SPSFC

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In My Memory Locked by Jim Nelson

This morning I received an email informing me In My Memory Locked was accepted for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).

This is the contest organized by Hugh Howey (WOOL) and Duncan Swan (Monstre), well-known authors in the independent publishing arena. They’ve organized ten teams of 59 judges (authors, readers, and podcasters) to narrow the field to a final winner.

Three hundred books were selected for the running, so there’s plenty of competition. The SPSFC generated a ton of buzz via word-of-mouth in the self-publishing community. The number of entrants blew past the 300 mark within hours of accepting applications. I’m plenty proud to have made the first cut.

The first round group my entry is a part of will be judged by File 770.

If you’re curious what the hub-bub is over, check out In My Memory Locked, available now in Kindle and paperback.

Semi-finalists will be announced January of next year. Finalists and winner are announced in June. Fingers crossed!


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Video

Forgotten video of Everywhere Man rediscovered

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Only by accident did I discover this 2012 video of the first chapter of Everywhere Man, my novella about the ubiquitousness of modern photography, personal disillusionment, and San Francisco’s cable cars. (Trust me—it all hangs together.)

I produced this in 2012 with iMovie. (It shows in the final product.) I intended this to be used for readings to give a flavor of the book’s tone and content. I recall showing it at a reading I gave at the Mechanics Institute, and perhaps elsewhere.

The superb music was scored and produced by Jesse Solomon Clark. The haunting photos, snapped in and around Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf, were taken by Veronica Weber.

A quasi-relic of a different time.

Everywhere Man by Jim Nelson

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Kindle Vella at Always Be Publishing

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Kindle Vella sample title page

Over at my Substack newsletter, I’ve posted a broad summary of what we know about Amazon’s newest publishing platform, Kindle Vella. A quick summary:

Kindle Vella is a new pay-as-you-go platform for serialized fiction. …

Vella is structured for publishing stories one “episode” at a time. Amazon doesn’t use the word “chapter”—I’ll discuss this below—but, for now, that’s a handy way to think of Vella’s episodes.

Each episode is 600 to 5,000 words. (Amazon’s numbers are so specific, I assume this range is enforced by their software.) Readers can read the first three episodes of a story for free.

If they want to continue reading, readers purchase Vella tokens to unlock additional episodes.

Will I be writing for Kindle Vella? I’m not certain yet. Serialized fiction is more than releasing a new chapter every week. Writers like Dickens and Armistead Maupin succeeded with serializations because they understood how to feed readers details a drop or two at a time, and keep them wanting for more. It’s an art that seemed lost until recently, when episodic fiction began to make a comeback online.

I’ve written before that I see self-publishing as an experiment, and so this is one more experiment I’m considering. We’ll see.

Read more about what Kindle Vella is and is not over at Always Be Publishing.


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Audio

Interview with Reading and Writing Podcast

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Posted this week is my interview with Jeff Rutherford at the Reading and Writing Podcast.

During our talk, I discuss my cyber-noir mystery In My Memory Locked, as well as a little on my Bridge Daughter series. It was a great time with Jeff, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Check out the interview at podpage.com or YouTube.


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Three specials for the new year

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If you’re looking for new books to read this year, I’ve partnered with over 300 authors to offer specials on new books and boxed sets:

NEW MYSTERY & SUSPENSE – A collection of new mystery, crime, and suspense novels, many with a special price. Includes my novel of suspense and paranoia, Man in the Middle, on sale for 99¢.

KINDLE UNLIMITED BONANZA – Adventure, science-fiction, romance, and fantasy books, all available free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Includes the Bridge Daughter Cycle boxed set and my cyber-noir In My Memory Locked. Voracious readers apply here.

SCI-FI & FANTASY GIVEAWAY – Hundreds of free science-fiction and fantasy e-books available free for a sign-up. Includes the first book in my Bridge Daughter series.

Too many books! All promotions end February 28. Please give these authors a try, or use this as an opportunity to pick up one of my reads.


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Complete Series Binge Bundles Under $10

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The Bridge Daughter Cycle: Books One to Three by Jim Nelson

If you’re looking for some post-holiday reading, my three-part family saga Bridge Daughter Cycle has been included in the Complete Series Binge Bundles Under $10 special. Over forty complete book series from various authors are available at reduced boxed set prices, including all three books of the Bridge Daughter Cycle for $4.99. The series includes science-fiction, mystery, suspense, and fantasy.

If you’re interested, check out the full listing here. This special ends January 11th, 2021, so check it out while you can.


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