Free-Wrench by @bookofdeacon.com is steampunk at its best, and I am not even a fan of the genre. You might want to check this series out. I blasted through the whole lot in a short time. It is that good.
#Steampunk #IndieAuthor
app.thestorygraph.com/books/a04f24...
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Cover of "The Truth of Shadows: Shards of Shadow Book 5" by Joseph R. Lallo. It is a photographic manipulation cover, with a red color scheme. In the center is a young white man in a black and red flannel holding a camera. Lurking behind him is a feminine shadow with white eyes. They appear to be in a catacombs.
Hi folks! The Truth of Shadows is out today! A WHOLE NEW URBAN FANTASY. I'm both still writing and still alive! Check it out! www.bookofdeacon.com/2026/03/09/t...
Gmail has started adding AI overviews into my emails, and turning it off means turning off features I actually want. For now, I'm just giving each one of them negative feedback and explaining my feelings in the comment, but I might have to take more drastic measures soon.
A photo of three screw holes from something that was removed from some siding. A single finger is holding a discount card for a grocery chain against the siding for size reference.
A useful engineering hack. If you need to take some fairly complex measurements on the fly, grab a credit card or business card and take a picture. Later you can use the size and shape to correct perspective and match scale. You can get the measurements very close.
So... Walruses. They'd be really good vampires, right?
A photograph of Myn the dragon, illustrated by Fable, as a 3 inch glossy vinyl sticker. Held in moody lighting by a hand.
While I've got Bluesky open, let me announce that I've initiated "The Great Merch Experiment," where I will create a sample of merch and, if I break even on it, use that money to create the second sample of merch. First up, Vinyl Myn stickers. Let me know if you want any.
If I ever get an entry on Wikipedia, I think I'll have author bingo.
There are certain milestones for authors, and while I've had some significant success in the past, there are a few I haven't checked off. Finally, as I learned yesterday, I can check off "At least one fanfic on AO3". I am unironically proud.
archiveofourown.org/tags/Free%20...
A pair of barefoot footprints in snow.
Tradition. First snow accumulation, I stand in it barefoot.
A homemade replica of the Back to the Future Time Circuit.
I was just reminded of the time I built a time circuit for my buddy.
I just finished the revision of Shards of Shadow 5. It'll be my next release, unless something weird happens. Now for one of my least favorite parts. Picking a name...
Y’all there’s SO MANY struggling artists right now. Please please help if you are in the position to do so. Do some early holiday shopping. Treat yourself to something special. Donate just to keep seeing people create. And don’t forget sharing always helps so much. We are just trying to survive.
UK Parent: Did you learn your maths?
UK Student: No, we're starting slow, I just learned a math.
Hmmm... Closest I've got is an enchanted glade that has manifested a will and mind. But now you've got me thinking...
Why am I saying all of this now? Probably because I'm at that magic point in a writing project where I'm convinced it was a waste of time. (It comes about 60% of the way through every project). But it was on my mind.
Anyhoo, back to it.
I have had my share of success, and looking back on it brings me joy, but it's bittersweet because it's more a part of my past than my present. Maybe it'll be a part of my future again, but there's no certainty. I can only be sure of what I've lost, not what I might gain in the future.
It undermines my ability to even watch/read/see their stuff sometimes, because I know it'll trigger those thoughts. I'm working on addressing this, but it feels like I'm trying to overcome a food allergy through sheer force of will. It's a dyed-in-the-wool part of my mental framework.
But as I see them put in the work and reap the rewards, a voice in the back of my head whispers to me. "If you could work as hard as them, you'd be there, too. But you don't care enough. You can't work hard enough. You can't focus. Not anymore."
I won't tag them or name names, because I don't want them to feel responsible in any way for what I'm about to describe, but I've watched many of the people I've worked with climb to wondrous heights in their fields. I'm so proud of all of them it makes my heart ache, and it's all well deserved.
There are a lot of things about my brain that I wish I could change. One of the things I feel fortunate about is I'm not really one who is consumed with envy when others succeed. But that doesn't mean that I don't compare myself in ways that are unhealthy.
A book booth for Joseph R. Lallo books. Not pictured, Joseph R. Lallo
Central Jersey Book Festival. 11am-3pm 110 Ross St.
It begins. If you're in Woodbridge, Nj, come on down!
A photo of four tree dragon figures in small resin pots. They are colored like the four seasons and are sitting on a patch of grass with a wood background.
Brand new Micro Arbori Bonsais are landing just in time for the holiday shopping season. These little guys measure just under 3in in height and are accented with moss flocking. Priced at just $25 each, they are perfect for gifting. Choose between four colors! First batch drops 11/14 @ 1PM MST.
So Doom Scrolling is a thing, and Hope Scrolling is a thing, but I think Schadenfreude Scrolling is my favorite.
Oh what glorious sentences 2025 has brought us.
My brain as at least twice interpreted a deer as "what's with that really tall dog?"
A partial screens hot of the word count on a document reading "Book - 51,126 words."
I have done the thing.
Yesterday I did 10,004 words for a total of 46,092 words for the book.
I believe this is my highest official word count for a day.
No words yesterday, I took a day off.
Adam savage talking to camera in his cave. The background is a gloriously chaotic clutter of tools, props, and materials.
A closeup of one of the items in the background of the previous picture, revealing it to be the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I'm watching an Adam Savage video and he's got the holy grail just sitting in the background.