“Hang on. I wanna see something.”
He glances in either direction, checking for traffic. Looks both ways again as he crosses the street, more furtively this time. Her footsteps follow, slowly, then quicker, as she jogs across the deserted side street.
“Somehow, I’m thinking this is going to be illegal...”
“Oh, don’t worry... it most definitely is.”
Around the backside of the crumbling wall--perhaps at one point it had been a room or enclosed courtyard of sorts, though now it’s little more than chewed gravel and a sparse collection of weeds even more insistent than the winter chill cutting through his gloves--a simple linework teddy bear, five feet tall and quite pudgy around the middle, sits with his back against the corner. The bright orange spray isn’t even faded. “Hah! Yes, it’s still here.”
“That’s so badass! And completely adorable at the same time!” She chuckles. “I’m feeling like this must have been you?”
“Feel like it might’ve been,” he grins back.
Geomancy (and its signs).
One year ago, I was at Dragonsteel 2023 launching my noir science fiction debut novel COLOR OF A MIRROR.
Such a fun time, and I met so many cool people there. Crazy to think it’s already been a year.
Thank you to everyone who’s purchased a copy of the book, listened to the soundtrack, or left a review or a kind word somewhere. The support has been felt and much appreciated, and I love seeing other people enjoying this unconventional story!
It’s been a great first year, and I’m going to keep pushing to try and get the book out there through the coming months.
Also Book 2 🤐 Still a ways off on that, but it’s cooking. Can’t wait to share more!
-Dan
“Many say the moon is closer to the dead.”
This is COLOR OF A MIRROR, my debut novel with an original, dark ambient soundtrack by composer Josh McCausland to go along with it.
Written, designed, and published by me, it’s the culmination of years of work, and it’s exactly the story I wanted to tell. It’s not loud or bombastic, but rather a cerebral, slow-burn cyberpunk narrative lingering on themes of fame, paranoia, religion, and technology. If you’re a fan of the brooding futures of William Gibson, Blade Runner, or anything with a mood like the movie Drive, I think you’ll find something to love here.
Available exclusively on my website, it comes in limited edition deluxe-hardcover, softcover, and e-book. (And if you’re a vinyl lover, the soundtrack is pressed in 180g Moondust White; also available on my site.)
Welcome to the Dive. Hope to see you around.
-Dan
•
colorofamirror.net
(Book photos by Josh McCausland.)
So, I have quite an otherworldly wound on my arm. Not only did it leave a large patch of my skin strangely hairless, it cut out a pattern that seems to belong in some science fiction representation of human DNA. But not entirely. It also resembles an abstract understanding of a circuit board. Probably the strangest part of it all, however, is that what little it bled was not blood...
It bled ink.
COLOR OF A MIRROR
Can’t believe I’m finally revealing this project... feels like I’ve been working on it forever. But yes! Here it is! I wrote a dark science fiction novel--and what’s more, is it has an original soundtrack thanks to the ever-talented Josh McCausland!
After a year of trying to find my way into the realm of traditional publishing, I have decided to pursue self-publishing through a crowd-funding model, because this project extends to more than just the writing. It’s about the aesthetic and the music, and all of it together... publishing in this less-traditional way allows me to craft the final product I’ve always envisioned and really showcase the vision in my head.
I’ll be talking more about it in the coming days, and posting some further insights, but for now, I’ll leave you with this: if you like the lyrical writing style of Patrick Rothfuss that lingers on language and character, plus the brooding futures of William Gibson and movies like Blade Runner... this book might be for you.
Coming to Kickstarter on Nov. 01, 2022. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
The Waves’ Revealing