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Sortmind Blog – Michael D. Smith

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Category Archives: Literary

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Amid Work on Three Karmic Novels

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on September 11, 2017 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

I’ve finished good drafts of the Three Legacy Novels outlined in the June 18 blog post. The question was: could I make the older manuscripts of Jump Grenade, Akard Drearstone, and Sortmind into fully modern, high quality expressions? Was there … Continue reading →

Posted in Akard Drearstone, Black Comedy, CommWealth, Jump Grenade, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Self-Publishing, Sortmind, Sortmind Press, The First Twenty Steps, The University of Mars, Writing, Writing Process, Zarreich | Leave a reply

CommWealth – The Origin Dream

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on November 18, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJanuary 7, 2024

The idea for CommWealth came from the first part of these notes from a dream (“Their Satanic Majesties Computer Software Guide”), although successive revisions changed much of the plot. The second part, “The Tremendous Romance,” wasn’t used in the novel. … Continue reading →

Posted in CommWealth, Dreams, Dystopia, Literary, Novels, Writing Process | Leave a reply

CommWealth – The Ensemble Cast

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on November 16, 2016 by Michael D. SmithMay 16, 2020

I’ve always thought of the characters in CommWealth as an ensemble cast in a movie, where accomplished actors divide the plot between them and no one actor has the lead role.  I didn’t intend this approach from the beginning, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Comedy, Character Images, CommWealth, Dystopia, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

The First Twenty Steps in Paperback

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on September 23, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

I’m not sure this is the protagonist, Harry Allen, but I drew him or someone today and there he possibly is.  The novella chronicling his first day out of prison, The First Twenty Steps, is now available in paperback from … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Images, Drawing, Excerpts, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, The First Twenty Steps, Writing | Leave a reply

July Sale: The Soul Institute and The First Twenty Steps

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on July 2, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

Sortmind Press is participating in the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale which runs through July 31.  As Smashwords points out, it’s winter in the southern hemisphere and this is a global enterprise, thus Summer/Winter sale. You have proof of this in that … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Literary, Marketing, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Self-Publishing, Sortmind Press, The First Twenty Steps, The Soul Institute, Writing | Leave a reply

Sortmind Draft 7: Surprisingly Uncertain Work

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on June 17, 2016 by Michael D. SmithMay 16, 2020

I haven’t posted a blog entry since the North Texas Book Festival entry of April 7, an unnervingly long time to go dark.  However, the seed of darkness came the day of the April 9 festival itself; in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Fairs and Festivals, Literary, Martian Marauders, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, Sortmind, The First Twenty Steps, Writing, Writing Process | 4 Replies

North Texas Book Festival, April 9, 2016

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on April 7, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJuly 11, 2020

Once again I’ll have a table at the North Texas Book Festival in Denton, Texas, on Saturday, April 9. The festival takes place at the Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts, 400 E. Hickory St., Denton, Texas 76201. Hours are … Continue reading →

Posted in CommWealth, Double Dragon Publishing, Fairs and Festivals, Jack Commer, Literary, Marketing, Martian Marauders, Nonprofit Chronowar, Novels, Publishing, Science Fiction, The First Twenty Steps, The Soul Institute, Writing | Leave a reply

Himal and Moolka

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on February 4, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

Although Moolka Waxtor’s romance with Derrick Dexter is central to The Soul Institute, Himal Steina, the bombastic new writer in residence who’s inexplicably appointed to the secret ruling council of Overcrons, develops an obsession for this eighteen-dimensional goddess, eventually getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Images, Drawing, Excerpts, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Sortmind Press, The Soul Institute, Writing | Leave a reply

Mitar, Rhea and Inhalant Abuse – from The Soul Institute

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on January 22, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I’ve published a literary, adult novel. This is not to denigrate my Jack Commer science fiction novels or CommWealth, which is also a literary novel but borders the science fiction and dystopian genres. … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Images, CommWealth, Drawing, Excerpts, Jack Commer, Literary, Novels, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Sortmind Press, The Soul Institute, Writing, Writing Process | Leave a reply

Jipo and Derrick

Sortmind Blog - Michael D. Smith Posted on January 19, 2016 by Michael D. SmithJune 26, 2019

I was pointedly hard-nosed about Jipo Jarg in the first version of The Soul Institute as I strove to delineate Jipo and Derrick’s bitter corporate marriage. Maybe Jipo was all shadow-projection on my part, and the below excerpts probably reinforce … Continue reading →

Posted in Character Images, Drawing, Excerpts, Literary, Novels, Sortmind Press, The Soul Institute, 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

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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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