28 Comments

I am so impressed and just wowed! You have mad skills, and I’m really enjoying Departures. I wish you nothing but good fortune and tons of fun.

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Thanks Liz!

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I am so touched by this post - the authenticity, the glimpse into your world, the amazing things you are working on. I'm so happy you are publishing The Memory of My Shadow. Would love to see you again soon.

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Thanks old friend. It’s been a long time. Let’s make plans soon.

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Thanks for the “peek behind the mask”! I think we should call your dungeon the center of Oz, for you surely seem like the wizard behind the curtain 🤗

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Thanks, Teyani! It's all very glamorous.

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I do love these. They make a lot of things which I assumed were totally inaccessible seem maybe, kind of, one day, like I could actually do them! That said, you're so multitalented it's insane.

So good to see Pepito. I send him love and scruffs.

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Chloe, with your gift, you don’t need to hustle to learn how to make the sausage. I’d love to help you navigate bringing your writing into published form anytime. I can envision a gorgeous book of your posts and and audiobook as well.

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Well, now that's interesting... You know I had kind of thought about maybe self-publishing, one day in the distant future, but I had only assumed I could do it after writing something entirely new, unseen and unpublished. It had never occurred that I could publish published posts... How interesting...🤔

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I think it’s a totally viable option, but I also think with your following and the quality of your work, you might have a better than average shot at getting traditionally published. After all, you’ve made a fan of Nick Hornby for God’s sake.

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That’s very kind of you, Ben (and thank you for the vote of confidence). I think I might not be well suited to the traditional route. I can’t imagine not having final say on the look of things, and goodness knows I’d be absolutely useless at any kind of promotion, so I don’t think a publisher would have me at the end of day! 😅

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Looking forward to watching this, Ben. You know how much I'm loving Departures.

Congrats in advance on the publishing of A Memory of My Shadow. Will be getting a physical copy for sure.

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Thanks, Nathan!

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Ok, commenting again as now I've listened all through.

Always appreciate your honesty and openness Ben. I wish you all the success in the world and hope that financial success floods your way so you don't need to be worrying about anything and can focus 100% on creativity.

Very cool idea with the AI having the knowledge of the novel and being able to talk with it.

Also great to see your recording setup 😆

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Beautiful fur boy. ❤️

Loving your sound stage. 👏

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He’s a good boy for a 105 year old man!

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He looks contented in his old age.

Around 76 human years; there's a formula.

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You're a rockstar, Ben!

Your sound studio is so bohemian. I love it. Thrilled about the release of Memory of My Shadow and will be picking up my print copy!!! May I pick your brain about your Lulu experience some time? I'm heading down the publishing path myself this year and am considering them heavily. 💜💜💜

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Thanks Meg! I’d be happy to chat anytime about Lulu.

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So exciting! I'm adding Memory to my wishlist so I don't miss it when the print is available.

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Thanks, Rhiannon! Can’t wait to see it featured in one of your lovely TikToks.

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It's tempting to think that self-publishing a professional quality novel and audiobook is something nearly impossible to do at home. You show us otherwise, Ben. The new interactive project you're working on will take all of this to a new level.

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I’m having a lot of fun with the new project. It’s kind of amazing what’s possible now. I can imagine a whole new way to experience a novel. Can’t wait to share it with you all.

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Who hasn’t wanted to converse with some of their favorite characters from their favorite novels? You’re breaking some very cool ground.

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Congratulations, Ben, on these wonderful creative ventures. Your dedication to craft and persistence in finding new ways to engage readers and audience are so inspiring.

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Thanks, Julie. I don’t know what else to do but to keep trying even on days when it seems a fool’s errand.

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Especially on those days. 😉

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Love hearing Wild in the wild. ;)

You do it great. For me, there's no risk of over-leaning into that Southern 😊

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