Release date and preorder!

Hello again! I have returned with a couple of exciting pieces of news:

- Cyberwood has a release date: March 20, 2023!

- If you don't want to wait until then to secure a copy, the book is ready for preorder in both hardcover and softcover form!

I got my proof copies a couple of days ago, and let me tell you, they look amazing. No matter what happens from this point forward, whether Cyberwood sells in the tens or the millions, this has been an incredible journey for me as a writer--and now as an author--and I truly appreciate everyone who's been with me along the way. Let's hope I'll be able to meet and thank you in person someday!

Cyberwood cover reveal!

Behold! My debut novel, Cyberwood, now has a cover! Many thanks to my designers, Laura Sonnek and Kylie Wagner, for really nailing the book's aesthetic in this image. Keep watching my Fox Pointe page (https://www.foxpointepublishing.com/author-benjamin-sonnek) for more updates, and here's to another step toward the final release!

Say hello to Fox Pointe's newest author!

Happy Saturday, everyone! I know, I know, you weren't expecting to hear from me so soon, but I have some momentous news: After nearly a decade of manuscript writing, a publisher has finally agreed to sign me on!

Either later this year or early next year, Fox Pointe Publishing will be publishing my 2018 NaNoWriMo project, a YA/sci-fi story titled "Cyberwood." Even though it's a pretty young manuscript with the necessarily frantic NaNoWriMo origins, their editors say it's pretty tight, and they don't have a lot of critical notes from their initial read. We'll see whether that changes in future reads, of course.

In the meantime, they've already set up an author page for me, so feel free to check that out. Thanks!

New published story and a new Lego blog!

Hello again! I know my posts have declined to rare annual occurrences by this point, but I have an important update: My story "Do Angels Brag" has recently been published by Planet Raconteur!

The day I found out about this, I had just gotten off a full (and kinda rough) day at work. I popped open Twitter on my PC (I don't have the app) and almost fell out of my seat when I saw Planet Raconteur's notification. I mean, my last post announcing PR's acceptance of my story was a year ago; six months after that, I'd basically accepted that my story had either been forgotten or quietly dropped. It nearly brought tears to my eyes to finally listen to my fiction brought to life in the podcast.

It was also an interesting experience because I'd written the story differently; in the podcast, the piece had been reduced to mostly dialogue. This is an observation, not a complaint. It's an audio-based podcast, and some of the words between the quotes would sound a little weird, so I like what they did.

Speaking of which, you can listen to the podcast episode with my story by clicking on these words right here. Later, I plan to update my Published Works page to include this story; at the moment, though, I'm taking a bit of an off week. I'm even delaying my next blueprint on my new Lego blog.

Oh, right! I haven't written here yet about my new Lego blog, Not Enough Bricks. If you're a brick-building enthusiast, I strongly recommend checking it out. I'm making a series of Tiny Turbos-esque models at this point.

Well, that's it for now. See you again in February 2023 (or hopefully sooner)!