Mike Strickland

The real surprise is that AOL still exists!?!

Or, if you've written 75,000 words, you've actually written a draft of a book, not an outline.

#TIL that Cmd+Opt+Shift+V (which I use often to paste without formatting) starts a video call in Microslop Teams 😳

My View from the Overlook A moon-shot attempt to get published in the literary world of Stephen King

@stephenking.bsky.social thanks for the opportunity to play in your world! It was a rush to write and submit a story for "Views from the Overlook."

stricklandia.substack.com/p/my-view-fr...

Hi, Lee! Your MSWL calls for fiction "by, for, and about traditionally underrepresented communities" (with the word "by" underlined). Is that exclusive? I have a project that otherwise aligns well with your wants, and is "for, and about" but not "by." TY!

A man in blue coveralls looks longingly at a dark and handsome man in a black suit, with the view of a planet from space visible in the background

"Dracula" retold as a sci-fi queer romance?

Get a free short story—"Dracula, I'm Right Here"—when you sign up for my mailing list. Just 2-4 emails a month about my publications and musings about the writing craft (unsubscribe anytime).

strick.land/mailing-list

Take a look at my ms THE END OF THE WORLD CLUB, waiting for you in QM. 🫶 "Disease, disability, death, Dungeons & Dragons—no topic is off limits for the End of the World Club."

Hi! I queried Jodi @ WH last week with my ms THE END OF THE WORLD CLUB, but after reading your wish list, you're a much better fit! Do I need to wait for a response from Jodi, or is there a way for me to move my query from her to you? (because only 1 agent at a time at WH)

Hi! I know you're closed to queries rn, but if my ms matches what you call your "white whale" on your website (D&D second chance romance), would you be interested in learning more? Or should I wait till you open again?

"thorough" is one of the words I have the hardest time typing (just misspelled it right now, even). Forget about adding the -ly. Hardest for me is "institution." If I have to write "institutional," I just call it a day.

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology An anthology featuring stories of awkward lengths about things that are missing or out of place.

Please join me in backing "Missed-Fits": A Calendar of Fools Anthology on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/cal...

PC LOAD LETTER, but hey, at least the label is "created"!

Authors: I would be interested in a photo that shows the best way to pack books in a suitcase to take to a con or book signing, so as to avoid creases, bent covers, or other damage.

Substackers, this would make a fun and interesting newsletter article. Hint, hints.

Chiming in with shameless self-promotion to say I just published a sci-fi queer romance short story on Zon between Dracula and Renfield, "Dracula, I'm Right Here." In case you really want an alternate take on the Dracula story.

Saying more quiet parts out loud.

I know, but it shocks the sensibilities so much that I felt the need to make it explicit. :-(

Someone out there, right now, is writing the next generation's version of "1984." It will be required reading in high school literature classes in the 2050s.

Edit: "or while our allies are attacked" BY US 😳 "(might be about to happen)"

I typed "THE END" on my latest novel. In this world marred by destruction and ugliness, I feel proud that I created something that at least one person (me, I'm the person) thinks is beautiful.

Want to read my latest publication, an anecdote from my Navy boot camp experience? Subscribe for free to my newsletter: stricklandia.substack.com

To my fellow veterans on Veterans Day, thanks for your service! 🇺🇸

Detail view of the front page of a newspaper, showing the masthead title "The Bones" and the first paragraph of a story in the righthand column headed "Trick or Treat," by Mike Strickland

"Trick or Treat," my very first short story, was published 35 years ago. But its theme involving gun violence and a Halloween prank gone wrong unfortunately still resonates today.

stricklandia.substack.com/p/old-public...

@neguse.house.gov gives a lesson on how to reframe a journalist’s stupid question about #SNAP! 💪🏼

Hot take: AI is the enshittification of civilization.

HT to Cory Doctorow (who isn't on Bluesky b/c of enshittification)

I was an interview guest yesterday on "The Author's Quill" radio show with fellow Writers of the Future winner @kathleen-powell.bsky.social !

www.youtube.com/live/zuxTHuT...

Is my creative writing a hobby or a career? A friend called my writing a "hobby." Is he right?

Creative writing: hobby or career? A friend's wiseceack amused me, but also forced me to ponder the question.

stricklandia.substack.com/p/is-my-crea...

@nnedi.bsky.social I enjoyed—and got a lot out of—your new WotF video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! writersofthefuture.com/lessons/vide...

No, not surreal one bit! 😂

Worldshift: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit 2025 Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit

I'm attending this FREE event. RT if you think others will find this helpful 🙌 worldshift.manyworldswriting.com

I'm still looking!

I'm a Writer of the Future I just won a major contest called "science fiction’s equivalent to American Idol"

Holy bananas! I won the Writers of the Future contest! (3rd place) Author Kevin J. Anderson called it "science fiction's equivalent to American Idol."

stricklandia.substack.com/p/im-a-write...