HeyJaredMIKE STRICKLAND
Musings about speculative fiction and writing craft, along with occasional publication news, from award-winning author Mike Strickland.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 23, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 21, 2026
Latest issues
Publishing a novel is a long game (opens the original)
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I began this current phase of my writing and publishing journey in 2024. Those who don’t know how the industry works might be thinking “why haven’t you published your bestselling novel yet?” Spoiler alert: Publishing moves at a glacial pace.But first, a quick reminder: I’m appearing at FanX Salt Lake Comic Con this week, Thursday through Saturday. I’ll be speaking on the panel “<a href="https://conventions.leapevent.tech/schedule/FanX_Salt_Lake_Comic_Convention_2026/Mike_Strickland?g
Fiction Field Notes - September 2026 (opens the original)
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Summer is (nearly) over. Good riddance.I can’t remember being happier to put summer in the rear view mirror than I am this year. “Meteorological fall” just started, so all the summer stats are rolling in: “[city] recorded its Xth hottest summer on record,” etc. (here in Denver, it was 3rd-hottest).All the bad summer stuff—wildfires, flooding, storms, heat-related deaths—keeps getting worse. And all the firsthand footage seen on the news and social media makes this popular quote more real every d
Embracing the R-word: Rejection (opens the original)
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In one of the earliest essays I wrote in this writing-focused newsletter, I talked about readers being necessary to “complete” what I create.Many artists create art for the sake of creation, even if no one ever sees or interacts with their work. This includes writers, many of whom write daily in journals or compose stories that no one will ever read. But for me, that has always felt incomplete, lacking in purpose. I crave, as I wrote at the time, for “the connection that happens when people read
Fiction Field Notes - August 2026 (opens the original)
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In this issue:In memoriam: Peggy Ann StricklandRecent author eventsPublished fiction: “Field of Stories”What I’m reading and watchingBlurbsIn memoriam: Peggy Ann StricklandI try to keep this newsletter professionally focused on my writing, but sometimes the lines between our personal and professional lines blur—or come crashing down.Late last month, my mom passed away after a valiant, 10-year struggle from the aftereffects of a stroke. While a sudden passing is tragic, I’ve learned
Join me and other authors next week at TBRCon (opens the original)
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Programming note: If you missed the live stream of this week’s book launch of Into the Deep, Dark Woods, you can watch the Zoom recording here (passcode: vN7d5%gt).<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!djvj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressiv
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