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The book I'm working on now is the same name as the title of this journal. It was started at slashot, but will be finished here. I'll post it there, but the soyled get it first.

Except that it's already started and from what I can tell, none of the folks here at soylent know me. So for the next few days I'll be posting Martian whores here.

You had no idea what you were getting into, did you?

Neither did I.

What you will read is a crude, first draft. Stuff will be added to existing chapters, stuff will go away, and the order of some will most likely be changed. For an example, look at this finished, edited version of Nobots chapter 7 (which stands on its own as a story) compared to the draft.

I'll start posting chapters tomorrow. Wish Soylent had a "sci-fi" category...

This journal probably fits the other site better, since I don't think any of my old fans have come here yet, but I did say I'd post journals here first.

Ten years ago K5 was thriving, and my diaries got popular there. Folks wanted me to make a book out of them, and I promised I would.

I never got around to it, despite people periodically nagging me to. I finally did put together a PDF. I'd excised much of it, thinking it was too long, and emailed copies to those who asked.

Last Fall when I released the hardcover of Nobots I was again chided to get The Paxil Diaries on cellulose.

I'd discovered that no, it wasn't too long at all, and the abridged version was too short. So I redid the whole thing. I've been working on it almost exclusively for months and neglecting Mars, Ho! which I haven't done anything to since fall.

All that's left before publication is registering a copyright (it's half done in another tab), registering an ISBN (I have nine in reserve) and making a cover.

The cover is the sticking point. It's going to be a photo of downtown Springfield with Betty Boop photoshopped in, and I'm waiting for Springtime to take the photo.

So if anyone reading this has been urging me to release a physical book, I'm projecting sometime in April.

Get it here!

So why did I move the release date up? Soylent! Or rather, a... uh, what do we call ourselves? Folks at K5 used to call themselves Kurobots, at slashdot they're slashdotters. What are we? Soylents? Anyway, a fellow here commented "Damn you! I went to see what your book was about and before I knew it I'm on chapter 7 and feel the urge to finish it tonight (otherwise I wont sleep). I've had plans for tonight..."

I'd just gotten my first check for books that had been sold the day before, but comments like that are even better than the check. I mean, I didn't write it to make money, I wrote it to be enjoyed. I walked around with a smile on my face all day and thought "gee, I need to let that poor fellow finish the book." So now you can!

If you're using FireFox to read it, PDF isn't the version to choose since FireFox sucks at rendering PDFs. It is, however, faithful to the printed version. Actually it was used to produce the printed version, and there may be some words in the HTML versions that should be italicized but aren't, I've found and fixed one or two but I'm sure I've missed some. Also, the PDF and printed versions are Gentium Book Basic while the HTML versions are Times New Roman. There is one passage that is Aral and renders funky in the HTML, and later in the book there's a Venusian nursery rhyme that is Comic Sans Serif in the printed and PDF versions.

I haven't posted the e-book version yet because I'm not satisfied with it.

If you select single file HTML (which you can download, of course) the screen will change only slightly, with links to PDF and e-book missing. Links to chapters are internal links.

I hope you folks enjoy it, that's why I wrote it.

Betteridge be damned: which is better?.

I think I'll keep the CC Squad as protection and use the BRG as a grenade! I also have a spare Barrel of Uber Robots but I'm not sure what their stats are.

* SNQ is short for "Soylent News Question"

Online now. This is a Soylent exclusive, the above link is the only link on the internet. The index and previous chapter don't link yet.

Rority never showed up in his timeship, so we're stuck in the present today. Which isn't too bad, we're having a few days of, if not warmth, at least not below zero cold. And of course I don't mean Celcius or I'd simply said "freezing".

Not that the weather was actually nice yesterday, we had thunderstorms followed by high winds, with gusts almost hurricane level.

I tried to get to Soylent on my Kyocera Android Jelly Bean this morning, and I couldn't. Google apparently doesn't have a clue about soylent, at least from the phone. It sent me to food places and all other sorts of sites, but Soylent News was nowhere to be found.

Maybe this is a good thing. All the two digit IQs showing up at slashdot have annoyed me lately and I'm hoping they stay there and reddit where they came from. Or at least, if they show up here that they realize their ignorance and STFU. I have yet to see more than one moronic comment posted here, and it was from an AC.

In other news, today will be my last Friday. After today, Friday won't exist for me; every Friday from now on is Saturday -- I'm retiring from work. Thursday is my last day of wage slavery! My former shop steward, who is now not even in the union because they promoted him to management, said "Hey, short timer! Unemployed next week?"

"Nope," I said. "Self employed. I got a check in the mail for my book yesterday." Of course, we're not talking James patterson money, just beer money.

I got another positive review about Nobots last night at Felbers. I left a copy there for folks to read, as most of those rednecks' only internet connections are their phones, few have computers. I wish someone would give me a negative critique, "I loved you book" isn't vey helpful.

Apologies, I was unprepared. I usually do this on Saturdays when I have all day, but I'm kind of rushed, I have to go to work today.

A week from tomorrow I'm releasing the rest of the book, two weeks early. I'll post Chapter 33 Tuesday and link from here, slashdot will get this chapter tomorrow and 33 Wednesday.

A thank you to all who have started reading. Someone please leave a review!

So lovely to be back!!! Yes that's how it feels isn't it?

Had two UIDs on that other site, one relatively ancient forgotten one and one mostly unused as I joined the AC horde :)

But now... now home has been rebuilt! Awesome. Way back then I don't think I truly appreciated what was available --and I'm probably not the only one this applies to-- but now that we have lost it we have gained more so this time I'll try to make better use of it.

Not that I'll be prolific or anything like that but I'll scamper about once in a while *crams stuff into 255 char bio*.