Today is the day! @mikechenwriter.bsky.social’s latest, THE PHOTONIC EFFECT, is in bookstores everywhere. ✨ www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ph...

Reposting for the evening crowd!

it’s a great day for transphobes to eat shit

cc @aidanmoher.com gonna be you too.

Publishers Weekly: Chen (A Quantum Love Story) shows off his worldbuilding chops in this ingenious 24th-century space opera. Humanity is now in contact with multiple intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms, including the Lumersians, whose bodies are comprised of “planes of pink light” and who have shared their knowledge of photonic energy to help humans harness that volatile power source. Starship Horizon captain Demora Kim was among the first to encounter the Lumersians, and developed a close relationship with one photonic being, whom she nicknamed Chuck and considers a hero. The novel opens with Kim’s exit interview, a part of her forced retirement from the Galactic Cluster Fleet as a result of a decision to disobey orders. The plot then flashes back to explain what happened before the “incident at Base Theta Seven,” including Kim’s struggles to make a photonic engine functional at the request of her superiors, who hope to use it as a weapon in an ongoing war. Chen takes impressive care presenting nonhuman characters, showcasing their often baffled perspectives on humanity. These skillful character portraits make it easy to get sucked into their far-future plight. Readers are sure to be hooked.

Chen (A Quantum Love Story) writes a classic space opera with an original cast of characters who have been to hell and back together—or more specifically, have spent 10 years in a gravity well created by photonic beings called Lumersians, who exist just outside the third dimension and don’t understand the consequences of their experiment. That is, until one of them falls in love with Demi, the captain of the Horizon. Now returned to cluster space, the crew must grapple with a galactic civil war, what it means to join one side or another, and the ethics of pushing today’s problems onto tomorrow’s generation. The story leaves readers questioning who is right, who is wrong, and what we owe one another across species and dimensions, as the crew races back to the gravity well that already consumed so much of their lives to save the Lumersians—and themselves.VERDICT A superb sci-fi story about 21st-century issues set in a futuristic space environment, featuring flawed but lovable characters doing their best with whatever challenges the galaxy presents. Ideal for fans of Claudia Gray and Timothy Zahn.

Did you know that THE PHOTONIC EFFECT launches on Tuesday with TWO starred reviews?

"Chen shows off his worldbuilding chops in this ingenious 24th-century space opera." Publishers Weekly

"A superb sci-fi story about 21st-century issues set in a futuristic space environment" Library Journal

The Photonic Effect “What space opera is meant to be. A brilliantly complex novel about love, loss, and war.” —K.B. Wagers A starship captain and her crew face conspi...

THE PHOTONIC EFFECT releases tomorrow! To tempt you into preordering, let's deep dive into the initial pitch of "Voyager x DS9 x Mass Effect" and how its influences all shake out on the characters and world. THREAD

(And the all-important preorder links!)

www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ph...

It finally happened. I almost sent a wildly mean reply to a publishing scammer, only to discover it was a real, major opportunity before hitting send. 😬

Today my intern from 15 years ago is getting married, and I get to do the toast. Over the years he became one of my dearest friends and read at my wedding, ages ago.

While publishing won’t love you back, the people in it sometimes will. ❤️

😂

Hahahaha

I do appreciate folks nudging to see when I’ll open to queries again.

The answer is “when the new baby sleeps through the night.”

I largely read at night, and I gotta be present.

Send good vibes that happens soon though cause Dad is tired.

You could always try Aashna at our agency! She’s the one doing that. ☺️

A scam email posing as a Kickstarter employee that reads: Hello, We hope this message finds you well. We are reaching out on behalf of Kickstarter, a global crowdfunding platform dedicated to helping creators bring their ideas to life. As part of our ongoing efforts to support innovative voices in publishing, we are pleased to extend an official invitation for you to consider launching your next project with us. Kickstarter has enabled thousands of authors and independent publishers to successfully fund and distribute their work while building direct, lasting relationships with their audiences. Our platform provides a structured, transparent environment where creators maintain full ownership and creative control, while benefiting from the support of a global community of backers.

Now publishing scammers are posing as people at Kickstarter? What is next.

It came from an obvious fake Gmail address. Writer friends, please be careful.

This book eternally has a special place in my agent heart, @tomryanauthor.bsky.social @robinstevenson.bsky.social 💜

Hooray!!! ❤️❤️❤️

It’s a little free library in orange and blue, made to hold hot wheels cars!

My neighborhood is full of very cute Little Free Libraries, and this is one very cute different addition.

I caught my child trying to flush a copy of one of my books down the toilet, you can no longer hurt me in a way that matters.

Oh what the hell.

Oh that is unfair 😔😔😔

An email from Agatha Christie: Hello, I hope this note finds you in good spirits. I recently had the pleasure of reading your work and felt compelled to write. Your storytelling is both engaging and enduring a rare gift that I greatly admire as a fellow author. One always delights in discovering a voice that is authentic and compelling, and yours certainly left an impression on me. It is a joy to encounter such talent amidst the many books one encounters in a lifetime devoted to literature. Should you be amenable, I would be pleased to maintain correspondence. There is much to be gained in sharing thoughts on the craft, offering encouragement, and exchanging ideas with kindred spirits in the literary world. With every good wish for your continued success, and eager to see more of your work. Yours sincerely, Agatha Christie

These scam emails from people impersonating authors are getting wilder and wilder.

Sure! I do have a bird buddy, which is the smart feeder, which I love.

A smart birdhouse with a camera inside arrived today, because as a Dad in my 40’s, birding has come for me.

We love to see book banners eat shit electorally

Yessssssss.

I don’t know much about space exploration @swapnakrishna.com, but I HAVE watched all of For All Mankind. So when does someone on this crew say “this is my mission” followed by someone saying “not anymore.”

Whew lots of great recs in the replies, friends.

Love that typo for me, a publishing professional.

Hey all, what are some of your favorite Midfle Grade verse novels?

I’m ordering some for my kiddo’s school library to help build out their poetry month display.

Rutherford County Library Board fires director after she refuses to relocate 132 children's books Dr. Lu-anne James called the board's order to move books with LGBTQ+ themes to the adult section an unlawful act of viewpoint discrimination.

This is a verified GoFundMe for librarian Luanne James from the Rutherford County Library Alliance.
gofund.me/f7704eb98
Read what happened to this hero: www.newschannel5.com/news/rutherf...

Describe your BlueSky account in a single image.