I wrote a book!
Today's the day all you loyal readers have been waiting for. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. Probably more accurate to say today’s the day I’ve been waiting for.
I first came up with the idea for this book about six years ago when I was still at Pearson, but the project started really in October 2020 when I signed up for a book-writing course with the Creator Institute taught by a Georgetown professor.
Now, my novel is here! You can actually get it!
I'm going to tell you how you how you can get it, but first, I want to tell you what the novel’s about and share some honest reviews.
Part 1 - What the novel is about
Short version. It's called The Maker’s Dream. It’s a young adult science fiction novel set in a world where we have a super intelligent machine that supposedly solves humanity's problems.
Slightly longer version. Here’s what it says on the cover.
In case that's not enough to spark your interest, here's a trailer I made for the book.
Whatever your assessment of the quality of that trailer, that's roughly the quality you can expect from my novel :)
What else can I say about the book? It's a reasonably short read, a little bit shorter than the first Harry Potter. Now I'm not comparing the quality to Harry Potter, but it can’t hurt to have that positive association in your head when you think of my novel.
Part 2 - Honest Reviews of The Maker’s Dream
First a brief review from another author I met in the writing course. She already published her first book a few months ago, The Deep Space Between, and is already working on books two and three of the trilogy.
Anyways, here's what she said after reading it.
A fascinating world and an interesting take on technology immerses the reader in this YA story about determining your own destiny. If you’re looking for a fun read with some deep thoughts about AI and what happiness means, you’ll love The Maker’s Dream.
- Cassandra Stirling, author of The Deep Space Between
Pretty good if I do say so myself. Next is a text from a friend who read a near-final draft.
Text one.
what the fuck is happening?!?!
That's pretty much the nightmare scenario as an author when you share your work with someone.
But then the second text comes in.
hahaha just kidding. it's fairly comprehensible.
Another piece of high praise that you can factor in when thinking about this book. Last, but not least here's my totally unbiased review of the book. I think it's not bad. It's decent.
This isn’t false humility. I mean that seriously. I've had the chance to read it now with greater distance and I am really proud of it. For someone who hasn't submitted a final draft of something creative since junior year of high school, it really could have been a lot worse.
This Quora answer best summarized how I’d review it.
That was brutal, but honestly, it really resonated. This is essentially my fourth draft of my first book. So I have no illusions - I have a lot more work to become a great writer. Anyways, that's my honest review.
Now, if you choose to try and read the book. I feel like your eyes are wide open.
Part 3 - How to get it
There are four options for getting this book.
You can get a free ebook right now here. You’ll be able to download it through Gumroad and be able to read it on the e-reader of your choice.
You can get a paperback version here. You’ll be able to download the e-book and I’ll send you a signed copy by the end of February. (It’s available on Amazon now, but I have a bunch of author copies that I’d love to share so you can get a cheaper, signed version by following my link instead)
If you prefer an audiobook, you can subscribe to my podcast here (or on Apple or Spotify). I will be releasing the audiobook in the second half of 2022 in a serialized version on my podcast feed.
Don’t get the book. Honestly, this is a totally respectable option. Please don’t feel any obligation to read this or pretend to read it.
Final thoughts
It was a dream of mine to write a novel and doing so was both way harder and way more fulfilling than I expected. I feel great sharing this with the world and would love to talk about any of the topics in the book because they are obviously of deep interest to me. But that’s like icing on the cake. So, again, don’t feel any obligation to read this if you don’t want to. But, if you do, I would love to hear what you think and discuss any of it with you.