I Am Willing to Bite the Hand That Feeds
For many years I relied on social media to share some of my process and inner life to my readers. I did this because it was considered a "best practice," and also because I was an early adopter of these platforms. I was there for MySpace as a book author. And I was also there in 2007, when I opened my first Twitter account as a way to connect myself to my readers and promote my short stories. When my first novel 13 Secret Cities published in 2013 I went full hog and saturated YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, Instagram and many others with content related to my books. But just because I used those tools for those moments in time as an author doesn't mean I have to do it the same way now.
Over the past decade and a half, book authors, especially indie authors, have been encouraged to use YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, X and many other platforms as a way to build a "personal brand". But during that time, a lot of these platforms have undergone a type of decay. Most of them now rely on algorithms, curated and automated feeds that take away the fun of curiosity and browsing from the user and instead spoon feed whatever the algorithm dictates will keep us hooked on the app and keep shareholders happy as we give our precious time and attention to their product instead of our own lives.
One of the Biggest Risks I am Taking
For this new novel, Our Lord of the Flowers, I have decided to take my leanest approach to date when it comes to using social media apps. I don't have a YouTube channel attached to it like I did with my How to Kill a Superhero series. For this novel, I don't have a Tiktok account. I don't use X. I do have a small Instagram account connected to this book—if you know how to find it. But what I am really counting on is that my readers will actually visit this web site to read these updates from me.
It's a new approach and it's a very risky one at that. Here's what's at stake: If I don't lean into Booktok on TikTok, reels on Instagram, posts on X, Facebook, or video content on Youtube, it's possible no one will ever know about my book Our Lord of the Flowers. I may die in obscurity, figuratively. Or depending on how you feel about the lives of writers, it could also happen literally.
A lot is at stake. But I do think that many people are fed up with social networks. And I think there's always a better, smarter, kinder way to do things.
I get it. I am taking a huge risk by not propping myself up through social media.
But I have been a risk taker as an artist and as an entrepreneur for all my life. I dove into social media when it was a risk to do so, back in the 2000s. And yet, what I am hearing nowadays from young people and other peers, is that it's a risk to walk away from social media, so I have come back full circle.
I Trust Longform
I prefer the written word in longform to connect with you. And I like to create visual art, primarily in the form of digital photography. As a result, I am leaning on this very web site to deliver both of those you without having to owe anything to tech CEOs to give me infrastructure to build a platform. This way, I have a meaningful amount of autonomy as I continue my work as a writer.
And if you want to engage in discussions about my photo art or the novel, you can do so using my contact page. This may feel "old school", but I believe that it's actually new school. The new school of engagement with literature, ideas and people is to do so without the oversight and exploitation of companies like Meta, Google, X, and other corporate Goliaths that care more about profit than people.
I'm Migrating the Book from Patreon to My Web Site
At the moment of this writing, I am overhauling the manuscript of Our Lord of the Flowers so I can bring it to you on this web site for download. I plan to make it available as a partial PDF so you can get good taste of the first few chapters while I continue to re-write and edit the full book. Later in 2026, it will also be available as a paperback you can enjoy and keep in your library.
As you may recall, the original manuscript for this book published on my Patreon. I left Patreon a few weeks ago in order to be able to reach more readers and not rely on a third party backed by the culture of tech bros. Patreon is a decent platform for newbie content creators, but I am not a newbie. And so I ask for your patience as I prep the newly formatted versions of this book's first chapters for you to enjoy now that I am in my new online home of ourlordoftheflowers.com.
How You Can Help
You don't have to leave the social media platforms that you love. But I do ask that you tell people about my new novel, my photos, and my intentions. Word of mouth is stronger than you think, and word of mouth is how I will thrive as an author and artist.
And if you have any direct feedback about the book you read on my former Patreon, the new photos I posted to the Fall Gallery, or even feedback about my other novels, please don't hesitate to reach out via my contact page.