Michael Keefe

5 writers of whom I’ve read 5+ books:

Don DeLillo
Joan Didion
Roberto Bolaño
Tana French
Elena Ferrante

Many good, plenty funny, and quite a few good-and-funny writing tips! 100 of 'em. "10. Everyone craves the respect of their peers. The trouble is, your peers are writers." #WritingCommunity lithub.com/100-tips-tha...

All Her Loved Ones, Encoded (Paperback) | Annie Bloom's Books A novel of family, hope, and perseverance in an uncertain future, for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Jennifer Egan.

Woke up this morning to discover that my book is now available to pre-order! All Her Loved Ones, Encoded is out 9/10/24. Signed and personalized copies are available to pre-order from the bookstore where I work, Annie Bloom's Books. www.annieblooms.com/book/9798218...

Writing a new chapter while my editors watch from above. #WritingCommunity

Just finished writing Day One of the mystery novel. Now my detective is getting some well-deserved sleep. But that won't last long. Poor Jess. And she still has 3+ days to go. #WritingCommunity #Mystery

Thank you, Ethan! I'm still pretty damn gobsmacked by your blurb, too.

Cover reveal! My debut novel will be published on 9/10/24. I'm still gobsmacked by the generous quote from Willy Vlautin. Synopsis here: michaelkeefeauthor.wordpress.com/all-her-love...
#WritingCommunity

Good news! I just signed the contract for my second book, Western Terminus, a collection of 5 stories and a novella, all set along the West Coast. It'll be published by Cornerstone Press in fall of 2025. I'm excited to get these stories (back) out into the world! #WritingCommunity

Learn from the best, folks!

So, wait. They can't sell you a knob that will keep the one or two balaclava-wearing Burglars from breaking into your home in the first place, but they *can* sell you a knob that will keep them out of the bedroom while you cower in terror??

The 2nd is to make sure the 1st doesn't get any smart ideas.

Donald Trump, with a shiv, in the federal penitentiary. I win at Clue!

Always in order. Not just stories, but novels, too. But I also outline pretty heavily (occasionally with bits of description or a line of dialogue), so I'm not worried I'll forget some supposedly amazing idea by the time I get to that scene or chapter.

I got an acceptance for my short fiction collection! (I'll announce the name of the small press once I've [hopefully] signed a contract.) #WritingCommunity

Futile! But I'm used to that with agent searches by now. I'll try again with my next novel. And then the novel after that, and the novel after that, and . . .

I'm guessing that's a typo for "writing agents"? But I do like "worrying agents"! Yeah, I also ran out of agents to query after maybe 4 or 5 months, then started submitting directly to small presses.

Just got a full MS request on the novel I've been querying since January! #WritingCommunity

I just emailed 3 codes through your website.

Conversely, many actual people also can't tell the difference, so maybe AI has already caught up with at least a certain segment of the bell curve?

Haha! I wish I had an agent to shout at me.

I was kidding. And I do aim to keep it under 100k. But I appreciate the concern for the health of my MS!

Having fun writing my first #mystery novel. The good news is I'm 18k words in. The scary news is that it's only 11am on day one. My outline covers 5 days. It's okay for a debut mystery to be 300K words, right? Umm.... #WritingCommunity

You know when your protein bar grows a furry tail that it's probably past it's "best by" date, right?

Okay, apparently there are no DMs on this platform?? For writers wishing to submit, get in touch with me here: markeefe@comcast.net

Aw, crap. I am also newish to Bluesky and had just assumed there were DMs! Thanks for making me aware of this.

My writing group is looking for a new member. We meet via Zoom each Weds, 7-9:30pm PT. Fiction and creative nonfiction. Reviewers prepare written notes and oral critiques. We strive to create a respectful and constructive environment. Please DM me for more info! #writingcommunity #creativewriting

Thanks to the nudging of my writing group, I'm now in the process of revising the lens through which one of the characters in the novel I'm workshopping tells his story. I can already feel his voice coming to life. #WritingCommunity

I loved Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, but didn't at all like Lanny. Shy was somewhere in the middle, but on the positive side of the middle.

Shy was pretty good.

Somewhere in between. I research every agent and am most excited about those who seem like a great fit, but I will also query those in my genre who, ya know, don't seem like a bad fit. That's gotten me closer to 60-70 agents that I've queried for each novel ... but no closer to landing an agent!