Claude AI spooked me out here...

Blazing Reader,

In yesterday's post, I shared how my novel, All the Humans Are Sleeping, made it into Locus Magazine.

Before sending yesterday's post off to my human proofers, I had Claude AI check it for typos. He noted two and then left this comment:

"The rest of the text looks clean. Congratulations on getting your novel featured in Locus Magazine!"

Is it just me or is there something spooky about AI congratulating me (without prompting) on my novel (about AI) being featured in the world's most renowned sci-fi and fantasy mag?

Regardless of what AI thinks, some humans might be wondering how my contrarian indie story about freedom versus technocracy ever made it into a mainstream publication. Quite simple, really.

I sent them a press release.

Right away, they sent me back a request for a printed copy. Posting them a copy was one of the last things I did before leaving Canada. Here's a photo of me having packaged it up before I headed out to the airport:

That was on April 15. Around forty-five days later, those small actions led to a childhood dream finally coming true... with a novel I wrote appearing in the pages of Locus.

One small step for me, one giant leap for freedom-minded literature.

John C.A. Manley

PS Locus (and Amazon) list my novel as cyberpunk. Many people have written in asking what the heck does cyberpunk mean. I'll explain in my next post. Until then, if you haven't read my cyberpunk story about a farmer, a robot and the end of the world, you can get a free sample at AlltheHumansAreSleeping.com

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.