Young readers have always been the heart of my audience. It is where I started my publishing journey twenty years ago, and I continue to write for them in my Draconim and MacIver Kids series. My stories are written for them—their grief, their fire, their fierce sense of justice. But I’ve also known I couldn’t, in good conscience, invite them into the same digital spaces that constantly exploit their attention, data, and trust. From the beginning, I chose not to collect data through my author website. No mailing lists, no subscriber pop-ups, no personalized ads. Not because I didn’t want to grow—I did, and still do—but because I could never guarantee that data, once gathered, would be fully secure. And I wasn’t willing to risk the safety of the very readers I hoped to reach. Recent headlines—like “ Hackers are targeting a surprising group ofpeople: young public school students ” (OPB), “ Thousands including childrenexposed in major data breach ” (Tom's Guide), and “ Children's...

Social Media FAQ: The Hermit in the Town Square Yes, I’m online. No, I’m not built for this. Social media is one of the most challenging parts of being a writer today. I don’t come by the label “hermit” by chance. I prefer quiet, depth, solitude—and yet, here I am, in the digital town square, trying to be heard over the fire jugglers and brand mascots. This FAQ exists to answer the questions I get most often, and maybe a few I haven’t been asked but wish I had. It’s honest, occasionally cranky, and (hopefully) helpful. Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/facebook-application-icon-147413/ What social media platforms are you on? The list shifts like tectonic plates. As of now, I’m on Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Skylight. I also have a TikTok account, along with a few others quietly gathering dust. I’m still searching for my homestead in the social media sprawl—somewhere functional, semi-peaceful, and not owned by a billionaire with a god complex. ...

 "Through writing, I strive to transport readers to another world, to merge their mind and heart with another being, to inspire, motivate, and deepen understanding. To earn my place in this world by living modestly through this work alone—this is my dream, my goal, and my honor." – Lawrence Nault If you have seen the documentary “ Echoes of a Hermit ” then you already know writing has always been a part of my life. That combined with necessity and perhaps some need to control my own work is what led to me entering the world of what is more commonly known as indie publishing. Nearly 20 years ago, I took my first steps into self-publishing. I wanted to get my stories out into the world, and I didn’t see anything publishers were doing that I couldn’t do myself. I started with children’s books (Squirrel Tales, Wolf Tales, and Bear tales, later expanded to a YA sci-fi (Loma – A MacIver Kids Adventure),  and eventually wrote political fiction (Jubilee). At the time, self-publishin...