T.L. Bodine

Hello, book people! I am the book content editor for Reactor Mag and I'm looking for 2026 sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romantasy, and speculative books coming out in the second half of the year! If you have an adult or YA SFF/H book out July-Dec (or publicist), share the link/info here!

@calendaroffools.bsky.social has a terrific Kickstarter running to fund a speculative fiction anthology, Missed-Fits. Please consider supporting this project. www.kickstarter.com/projects/cal...

Three more days till my short story, Bells in the Field is out in the world via the anthology A Chronicle of Horrors!

mark it Want to Read on Goodreads www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

add to your TBR pile on Storygraph
app.thestorygraph.com/books/d22e11...

or pre-order here: a.co/d/6vWr9Cr

Patreon screenshot of a poll with the following topics: - Irish myth & terrifying folk horrors - A horror history of werewolves - Analog horror and the cybergothic

Topics are currently up for a vote. Get thee to Patreon and cast your lot for March's deep dive.

www.patreon.com/posts/march-...

The reprint presumably required fewer sacrificial murders, but I'll keep your secrets regardless ;)

It's really quite fitting that this book be summoned back from the dead, when you think about it.

WELCOME BACK TO PRINT. Now go get this book, wtf are you waiting for???

The wikipedia page for World War III last updated four hours ago.

This seems fine.

a cartoon of ralph from the simpsons sits in an orange seat ALT: a cartoon of ralph from the simpsons sits in an orange seat

But like....in Rio Rancho tho?

Whyyyyy are there three military helicopters flying in formation over my house

It’s a bit tiresome, but I think a good general practice when you feel your own institutional/professional life eroding under the forces of late capital is to focus on mentally connecting that feeling of struggle to the many others experiencing versions of the same.

And be kind, always.

Professional connections are valuable. But true friendships are priceless. Spend your energy accordingly.

Over'n'out.

So that's my advice: go to events if you can afford them. Talk to people like humans. Look for opportunities to give. Spend your social currency lifting people you believe in. Follow up on opportunities.

Now, this can get tricky because you don't want to get in bed (professionally) with someone whose work isn't at your standard. Be kind to them, but don't waste networking connections on an editor whose books you don't like, ya know? Have a little integrity.

If you do start moving up, if you accrue some social currency of your own, you can spend it to extend a hand back to the people behind you. It's frankly more rewarding than looking at the rung above you.

Much has been said about cliques and the truth is that its easier to build your own clique than worm into an existing one. The reason all the big name authors are friends is often that they were friends *before* they got big, and rose up together. Aim for that with your own crew.

Remember: there is social currency. You need to bring something to the table. The more popular someone is, the less likely they are going to need anything you have to offer.

By all means, be kind! Be human! Strike up conversation! Maybe you'll vibe! But if not, back off.

Reality check: Nobody at an author convention is a rockstar. And even if they were, nobody is worth humiliating yourself over trying to get into the in-crowd. For one, the pick-me behavior is sad to witness. For another, it's very unlikely to work.

Which brings us to point #3. Starfucking. Eg., trying to ingratiate yourself with the most popular people/biggest names in the room in hopes that you'll be invited into their circle and your name vaunted to the stars. (maybe you also try to fuck them, idk, that's not my wheelhouse)

Popularity is social currency. You either get to be cool because you have something everybody else wants (eg., a big name) or because you're someone people want to be around. You can't control the first thing, but you CAN control the second. So if you want to be popular, be kind.

Do this without keeping score. Be mindful of your boundaries (don't over-extend to the point of exhaustion!) but do it without any expectation of getting anything back. That is, ironically but truthfully, HOW you become popular.

If you want to ingratiate yourself into a community or start building a coalition, be the person who helps. Volunteer to do things. Offer your skills and services. Maybe that's a ride to the airport, maybe it's advice, maybe it's offering a snack to somebody who looks dead on their feet.

So: If you want to build community, you have to start with the mindset, "What do I bring to the table? What am I going to contribute?"

It doesn't have to be huge. But you have to bring something to the table. You can't expect to benefit from a system you don't contribute to.

We are in a lonely goddamn world. Humans are desperate for community and modern society does everything it can to alienate us from each other. We NEED to build support networks and social bonds but it takes effort. It takes labor. It's the most worthwhile labor there is, but it's still hard work.

Nobody can build a community off the back of transactional relationships. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" is not how you real connections are formed.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't give-and-take. There is still social currency and power exchange in any friendship.

Every so often, in the course of talking to people, you find out you vibe REALLY well, and then you can actually build a friendship off that. Which brings us to point number two: community.

That's it. That's the whole networking game. It's that simple. You talk to people, you follow up with an email later, and if you can mutually benefit each other (you have an interesting book, they have a podcast!) you maybe have got yourself a deal.

So here's what you do if you find yourself at an event: You talk to people like people. You see who you vibe with. Then you figure out what they do, and if it's something you can benefit from, you make an effort to follow up afterward. If they vibed with you, maybe something comes of it.

A pleasant five-minute chat in a hotel cafe can forge a better connection than years of social media likes. It's just the human intimacy element of it. You meet someone, you hit it off, you make eye contact and shake their hand, it's 100% better than cold emailing someone. It sucks, but it's true.

But even without pitching events, cons put you in shared space with professionals who can make your life better: more experienced writers, podcasters, reviewers, agents, editors, cover artists, etc.

It is easier to make connections with these people in person.

Pitching an agent at a con has a higher success rate than querying. You still need a good pitch and a great book, but the competitive field is smaller and you have more chance to stand out. If you can attend a pitching event, you will have an advantage over someone who can't.