↓
 

Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith

  • Home
  • Jack Commer Series
    • Jack Commer Series – Reviews
    • Jack Commer Book Covers – Drafts and Final
    • Jack Commer Trailers
    • The Original Crab Emperor Dream, March 6, 1986
  • Contact
  • About
    • Flashpoint’s Daughter – The Lists
      • Bone Titles
      • Daughter Titles
      • Duplicate Fiction Titles
  • Sortmind.com
  • Sortmind Press

Category Archives: Literary

Post navigation

1 2 3 4 5 >>

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

Zarreich: The Unexpected Second Draft

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on August 13, 2024 by Michael D. SmithDecember 10, 2024

This summer’s successful resurrection of The University of Mars got me wondering if I couldn’t do the same for another older novel I’d once declared dead. I’ve just finished a second draft of Zarreich, but this novel isn’t ready for … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Images, Drawing, Dreams, Dystopia, Literary, Novels, Writing, Writing Process, Zarreich | Leave a 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

The CanvasRebel Interview

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on April 26, 2023 by Michael D. SmithMay 16, 2024

The CanvasRebel interview came out Monday, April 24, and includes lots of photos. CanvasRebel’s mission (from their website) “is to create a space for artists, creatives and entrepreneurs to be able to learn from their peers through the magic and … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Writing, Interviews, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Asylum and Mirage: The Draft 2 Milestone

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on June 17, 2022 by Michael D. SmithJune 17, 2022

A naïve and disconnected artist gives a party to celebrate his success, only to find himself drafted that same night into a mindless war against the Reunion, an apparently unstoppable army of hallucinatory consciousness. I’ve finished Draft 2 and closed … Continue reading →

Posted in Asylum and Mirage, Caspra Coronae, Character Images, Dystopia, Literary, Novels, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

The Damage Patrol Quartet: Four Stories

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on December 23, 2021 by Michael D. SmithDecember 23, 2021

A feckless young architect falls in with a sixteen-year-old’s dubious trucking venture. Drug-addled Randy bemoans his fate as a slave employee in New Fascist Australia. An archeologist arrives on a tiny artificial gravity platform to give a scholarly lecture to … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Comedy, Dreams, Dystopia, Literary, Perpetual Starlit Night, Science Fiction, Sortmind, Stories, The Damage Patrol Quartet, Twisted Tails, Writing, Zarreich | Leave a reply

Caspra Coronae Draft One Blast-Off

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on July 3, 2021 by Michael D. SmithDecember 25, 2024

What is This Thing? There were no longer any issues blocking the fiction, and I began Caspra Coronae on June 24. I finally realized that although my plans are incomplete, whatever is unresolved is just going to have to come … Continue reading →

Posted in Asylum and Mirage, Black Comedy, Caspra Coronae, Character Images, Dystopia, Interviews, Literary, Novels, Tarot Cards, Writing, Writing Process | 2 Replies

The Martian Marauders, Now Digitally Remastered for Your Enjoyment

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on October 20, 2020 by Michael D. SmithOctober 20, 2020

The republished The Martian Marauders, Book One of the Jack Commer, Supreme Commander series, is now available from Sortmind Press. Amazon paperback Amazon eBook (Kindle format) Smashwords eBook (multiple formats) After the sale this year of the original publisher, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Balloon Ship Armageddon, Collapse and Delusion, Editing, Excerpts, Jack Commer, Literary, Martian Marauders, Nonprofit Chronowar, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Sortmind Press, The SolGrid Rebellion, The Wounded Frontier, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

The Jack Commer Resurrection

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on July 18, 2020 by Michael D. SmithJuly 18, 2020

I suppose that could be a clever novel title if I ever do an eighth Commer novel, but it refers to the republication of my Jack Commer, Supreme Commander SF series. My publisher, Double Dragon Publishing, was sold to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Balloon Ship Armageddon, Collapse and Delusion, Double Dragon Publishing, Editing, Jack Commer, Literary, Martian Marauders, Nonprofit Chronowar, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Sortmind Press, The SolGrid Rebellion, The Wounded Frontier, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Post navigation

1 2 3 4 5 >>

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)
  • Editing (28)
  • Essays (7)
  • Excerpts (40)
  • Fairs and Festivals (5)
  • Fantasy (3)
  • Instructions (3)
  • Interviews (25)
  • Jack Commer (119)
  • Jump Grenade (9)
  • Literary (46)
  • Man Against the Horses (5)
  • Marketing (31)
  • Martian Marauders (64)
  • Nonprofit Chronowar (45)
  • Novels (228)
  • Painting (26)
  • Perpetual Starlit Night (6)
  • Plays (5)
  • Publishing (123)
  • Query Letters (14)
  • Reviews (21)
  • Satire (17)
  • Science Fiction (147)
  • Sculpture (4)
  • 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

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    

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...

goodreads.com
©2025 - Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith - Weaver Xtreme Theme
↑