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Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith

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Category Archives: Book Covers

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Introducing The Benign Incursion

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on April 28, 2025 by Michael D. SmithApril 28, 2025

The Premise So Far Book Two of the Supreme Commander Laurie series finds Laurie plagued by endless administrative headaches in her first six months as supreme commander. In addition to resistance to her appointment throughout the United System Space Force … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Jack Commer, Martian Marauders, Novels, Science Fiction, Supreme Commander Laurie, The Benign Incursion, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on April 17, 2025 by Michael D. SmithApril 21, 2025

Telekinetic terrorists contest Earth’s toehold on Mars Jack ruins Alpha Centaurian peace negotiations Time war kicks off decades of chaos Jack’s son revives an ancient star empire A race snuffs out stars in the name of art Rebels disrupt a … Continue reading →

Posted in Balloon Ship Armageddon, Book Covers, Collapse and Delusion, Double Dragon Publishing, Early Writing, Jack Commer, Martian Marauders, Nonprofit Chronowar, Novels, Science Fiction, Supreme Commander Laurie, The Benign Incursion, The SolGrid Rebellion, The Soul Institute, The Wounded Frontier, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

A Writing Biography, Part VIII: The Exoskeleton, Archiving, Publishing, The Blog, and the Long Novels, 2011-2023

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on January 16, 2025 by Michael D. SmithJanuary 16, 2025

The period from March 2011, when The Martian Marauders was accepted for publication, to January 2023, retirement from the library, already finds expression in the blog, but I hope to pull together more insight here. It’s tempting to just narrate … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writing Biography, Akard Drearstone, Asylum and Mirage, Balloon Ship Armageddon, Book Covers, Book Daily, Collapse and Delusion, CommWealth, Double Dragon Publishing, Editing, Interviews, Jack Commer, Jump Grenade, Literary, Man Against the Horses, Marketing, Martian Marauders, Nonprofit Chronowar, Novels, Perpetual Starlit Night, Publishing, Science Fiction, Self-Publishing, Sortmind, Sortmind Press, Stories, Supreme Commander Laurie, The Damage Patrol Quartet, The First Twenty Steps, The SolGrid Rebellion, The Soul Institute, The Wounded Frontier, Trip to Mars, Twisted Tails, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Zarreich – Publication at Last

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on December 10, 2024 by Michael D. SmithDecember 10, 2024

So Zarreich is Finally Out There For decades I’d considered this 1981-1982 novel an unpublishable first draft, but it was so rich and opened up such new territory I could never let it go. After a disastrous attempt at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Comedy, Book Covers, Dreams, Dystopia, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Satire, Writing, Writing Process, Zarreich | Leave a reply

The Sortmind Draft One Project

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on November 18, 2024 by Michael D. SmithJanuary 26, 2025

Why I sometimes reread first drafts of my novels, usually amazed by how the sprawling but somehow compelling mess eventually congealed into a publishable story–or in some cases, was so bad I abandoned it. When I rediscovered the first draft … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Character Images, Novels, Science Fiction, Sortmind, Writing, Writing Process | 1 Reply

Zarreich – The Draft Covers

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on August 29, 2024 by Michael D. SmithDecember 10, 2024

I cleaned up Draft 2 a bit since the previous blog post but froze it there and created a document for a potential Draft 3. Along the way I decided I wanted a cover to focus the project, and wound … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Novels, Writing, Writing Process, Zarreich | Leave a reply

The University of Mars – Publication

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on June 12, 2024 by Michael D. SmithJune 13, 2024

In a dysfunctional 2065 where religious zealots restrict the world to outdated twentieth-century technology, eighteen-year-old Zeke Venan dedicates himself to the life of the mind and to the further evolution of humanity. He drags his Australian girlfriend to an impoverished … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Double Dragon Publishing, Dystopia, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, The University of Mars, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

A Brief History of The University of Mars

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on June 8, 2024 by Michael D. SmithJune 8, 2024

As I mull over a forthcoming post to celebrate the long-overdue publication of The University of Mars, I’ve reflected a bit on its extended history. I.  Draft 1, 1980-1981 The novel began with a longing to describe an archetypal University … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Dystopia, Novels, Science Fiction, The University of Mars, Writing, Writing Process, Zarreich | 1 Reply

The Soul Institute: The 2024 Update

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on April 29, 2024 by Michael D. SmithApril 29, 2024

Flagship I’ve just finished republishing The Soul Institute, my flagship novel. Exploring my main themes via numerous archetypal characters, complex at 183,000 words and 552 pages, TSI is nevertheless tight and reads quickly; I find its energies high all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Covers, Character Images, Editing, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Sortmind Press, The Soul Institute, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Supreme Commander Laurie Publication

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on March 18, 2024 by Michael D. SmithMarch 18, 2024

United System Space Force leader Jack Commer has resigned to probe a dangerous cosmic irregularity, elevating physician/engineer Laurie Lachrer to take his place. But when she finds herself inexplicably transported onto his suicide mission, she must struggle to assert herself … Continue reading →

Posted in Balloon Ship Armageddon, Book Covers, Character Images, Jack Commer, Man Against the Horses, Marketing, Martian Marauders, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Sortmind Press, Supreme Commander Laurie, The Wounded Frontier, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

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Recent Posts

  • Introducing The Benign Incursion
  • Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus
  • A Blog Post from February 13, 1976
  • A Writing Biography, Part VIII: The Exoskeleton, Archiving, Publishing, The Blog, and the Long Novels, 2011-2023
  • The Major 2024 Book Energies
  • A Writing Biography, Part VII: Organization, Lost Energies, New Novels, Publishing, 1994-2011
  • Zarreich – Publication at Last
  • The Sortmind Draft One Project
  • Dreams Used in Zarreich
  • Zarreich – The Draft Covers

Links

  • Amazon author page
  • Emerging Ink
  • Goodreads author page
  • Jack Commer Series from Sortmind Press
  • Kara D. Wilson
  • LibraryThing author page
  • Linda Sprague's Astro Tips
  • Pinterest
  • Smashwords author page
  • Sortmind the novel from Sortmind Press
  • The Soul Institute from Sortmind Press
  • Where to find my novels

Archives

Categories

  • A Writing Biography (8)
  • Acrylic (14)
  • AI (2)
  • Akard Drearstone (35)
  • Art Process (27)
  • Art Shows (5)
  • Astronomy (7)
  • Asylum and Mirage (15)
  • Balloon Ship Armageddon (19)
  • Black Comedy (18)
  • Book Covers (23)
  • Book Daily (4)
  • Caspra Coronae (9)
  • Character Images (98)
  • Collapse and Delusion (37)
  • Commer of the Rebellion (10)
  • CommWealth (22)
  • Double Dragon Publishing (62)
  • Drawing (41)
  • Dreams (16)
  • Dystopia (25)
  • Early Writing (35)
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  • Essays (7)
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  • Literary (46)
  • Man Against the Horses (5)
  • Marketing (31)
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  • Self-Publishing (34)
  • Sortmind (32)
  • Sortmind Press (52)
  • Spaceships (10)
  • Stories (30)
  • Supreme Commander Laurie (13)
  • Tarot Cards (8)
  • The Benign Incursion (2)
  • The Damage Patrol Quartet (4)
  • The First Twenty Steps (26)
  • The SolGrid Rebellion (33)
  • The Soul Institute (31)
  • The University of Mars (14)
  • The Wounded Frontier (31)
  • Trip to Mars (19)
  • Trust (7)
  • Twisted Tails (4)
  • Videos (4)
  • Wiess Cracks (4)
  • Writing (246)
  • Writing Process (156)
  • Zarreich (13)

Recent Comments

  • Introducing The Benign Incursion – Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith on The Unknown Ending for The Martian Marauders
  • Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus – Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith on Trip to Mars in Paperback
  • Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus – Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith on The First Childhood Appearance of Jack Commer, September 19, 1962
  • Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus – Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith on The Irregular Origin of The Martian Marauders
  • Jack Commer, Supreme Commander – The Complete Series Omnibus – Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith on The UR Jack Commer: A Look at the Childhood Beginnings of the Commer Saga

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Michael's books

Why Meditate: Working with Thoughts and Emotions
4 of 5 stars
Why Meditate: Working with Thoughts and Emotions
by Matthieu Ricard
WordPress Web Design for Dummies
4 of 5 stars
WordPress Web Design for Dummies
by Lisa Sabin-Wilson
Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End...
5 of 5 stars
Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End...
by Philip Plait
Using Joomla!
3 of 5 stars
Using Joomla!
by Ron Severdia
Serpent's Tooth
5 of 5 stars
Serpent's Tooth
by Toni V. Sweeney
On a cruise Melissa bonds with an older man, Travis, who turns out to be a famous celebrity in hiding from a once successful life. But by degrees we become aware that his enormous success came at the price of bonding with demonic forces...

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