Jon Wasik

I'm so glad you're back! I started listening to the new story this morning on my way into work 😀

Alright #authors and #writers of Bluesky, the month of November is almost upon us! While NaNoWriMo is dead, and I distanced myself from them a long while ago, the spirit remains strong in #WHAM (Write Hard All Month). Who's going for 50k words in November?

📚💙

I've wondered about finding an alternative, especially after recent frustrations. Only thing I need to figure out is, I don't just write my stories on Word, I make the full publication file for self-publishing print editions in word. Here's hoping alternatives have the same advanced features...

It varies, but I seem to average 1 per year. I managed to get out 3 in one year (only good thing that really came out of pandemic), but that was after a couple years without publishing.

Just got back from vacation earlier this week where I hardly touched social media. I realized just how good that was for my mental and emotional well-being.

So I've been staying away. And as much as I want to keep informed, I've stopped following anyone regularly commenting on politics.

While touring the Queen Mary today, I was wearing a shirt with my book cover for The Alpha Expedition on it, and a staff member stopped me and asked about it because he recognized the cover!! That's the first time a stranger "in the wild" has recognized one of my book shirts!! 📚🩵

#booksky

"The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing."

Two excellent folks, good choices SAG-AFTRA! ❤️

Nothing more disheartening than receiving a torrent of job application rejections all at once 🙃

I was recently interviewed by Canvas Rebel for their "Bold Journey" series! Check it out! :D

boldjourney.com/an-inspired-...

#author #interview

a man is sitting on a couch with his hand on his face ALT: a man is sitting on a couch with his hand on his face

They're everywhere........

I'm very socially anxious but I'd love to be a part of it. It might take me a while to open up and actually interact, if that's okay.

Just a reminder, Generative AI art is theft. Generative AI writing (of any kind) is plagiarism.

Don't let your grey stuff devolve, don't let AI do your thinking and creating for you.

#noai

Which seems to indicate that doctor's don't actually know precisely what is causing each patient's hypertension, and therefore don't know exactly which root cause to treat.

Why? Why don't we dig deeper before going, "Let's try this one, see if it helps!"

So, for reasons, I'm learning all about different hypertension medicines, and...I'm kinda pissed about how this all works.

Each kind of hypertension medicine treats a specific vector to relieve hypertension. But based on experience, the wrong medicine can have immediate, harmful effects.

Happy (?) Judgement Day! 28 years ago today, the world ended, and the rise of the machines began...

At least, in one timeline.

#IYKYK #Terminator

MIT Study Finds Artificial Intelligence Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline - Science, Public Health Policy and the Law By Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Writers, keep writing. Do not buy into the hype train telling you your job will be replaced in a few years. Those using AI are literally atrophying their brains ability to be creative. The future will need your words, your creativity, to function well.

publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...

One of my books hit #1 in a category on Amazon!!!! The Awakening is #1 in "Teen & Young Adult LGBTQ+ Fiction", as well as #2 and #4 in two related categories!

Holy crap, that's awesome!!! Thank you to all the readers out there for giving me a chance! 🩵📚

#booksky #lgbtqreads #lgbtq

The Goodreads Giveaway for The Awakening was a wild success, with over 200 last-minute entries bring the total up to 997! Thank you #booksky for your support! 💙📚

Better still, there's already been a 5-star rating from a lucky winner! 😀

Maybe this is a neurodivergent thing, but if you have your own website, please, FFS, do NOT have pop ups, even to subscribe to newsletters or whatever. Just have your link as part of your main nav bar.

Nothing makes me hate your website faster than a goddam pop-up.

#authors

Seriously. No AI. Why is it getting worse, not better???!

Sure, I'd love to see!

That is a very good question 😅

Most likely sometime in 2026, but my life is undergoing significant changes and I'm only getting in like a few hours of writing per week. I am working on the next one (two, actually), but it's slow right now.

Unfortunately, Bluesky is unavailable in Mississippi right now, due to a new state law that requires age verification for all users.

While intended for child safety, we think this law poses broader challenges & creates significant barriers that limit free speech & harm smaller platforms like ours.

Unfortunately, the artist I've been regularly going to appears to have disappeared, or at least he hasn't done any new gigs in six months. So I may be searching for a new artist on there myself with my next novel :-(

The first time I used Fiverr, I spent a lot of time searching, making sure the artist was legit, had good ratings, and that their art was theirs. These days I'd also avoid anyone who uses AI.

I found a great one first time, and I've gone back to him ever since.

In reality, doing both is best, cause even pros get it wrong sometimes. These days, I hire someone (from Fiverr usually) for the actual art, and then design the cover, and then get as many opinions as I can and adjust the layout until I have something everyone agrees is good.

Your cover art is the first thing a person sees. People DO judge books by their covers. So you need to make a good first impression.

I learned the hard way with my first book covers, and years later when I did a 2nd edition with new covers, the results were night and day different.

Self-publishing authors: I can't overstate this enough. Unless you are a professional graphic design artist, I recommend one of the following:

1: Hire a professional cover artist
2: If you can't afford one, get LOADS of people to check your cover art before publishing your book with it

#authors

Only 17 hours left to enter for a chance to win and embark on an exciting new journey! Embark on a journey with Mika, breaking free of an illusionary world to save everyone she knows!

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

#booksky 💙📚