I've published more than 20 books, and I *still* get nervous in the few months leading up to a new book's release. It's one thing for my agent, my editor and my wife to like one of my novels - but what about the rest of the world? Will the book soar, or bomb? I've had books do both, and the latter is No Fun. Scarifying, even.
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John Nephew
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Cory Doctorow reshared this.
Cory Doctorow
in reply to John Nephew • • •John Nephew
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •My next novel is *Red Team Blues,* which Tor Books and Head of Zeus will publish on April 25. It is a significant departure for me in many ways: it's a heist novel about cryptocurrency, grifters and crime bosses, the first book in a trilogy that runs in reverse chronological order (!):
us.macmillan.com/books/9781250…
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Book details - Macmillan
MacmillanCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •The hero of *RTB* is Marty Hench, a forensic accountant and digital pioneer. Marty got his start when he discovered spreadsheets as an MIT undergrad. He got so deep into the world of Visicalc and Lotus 1-2-3 that he dropped out of university, moved to Silicon Valley, and pitted his ability to find money with spreadsheets against people who use spreadsheets to hide money.
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •RTB opens with Marty on the verge of retirement, when he is roped in for one last job - a favor to a friend who has built a new cryptocurrency that is in danger of imploding thanks to some stolen keys. If Marty can recover the keys, his customary 25% commission will come out to more than a quarter of a billion dollars. How could he say no?
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •I wrote *RTB* in a white-hot fury of the sort I underwent in 2006, when I wrote *Little Brother* in 8 weeks flat. *Red Team Blues* took *six* weeks. It's *good*. I sent it to my Patrick Nielsen Hayden, my editor. The next day, I got this email:
> That.
>
> Was.
>
> A! Fucking! Ride!
>
> Whoa!
That night, I rolled over in bed to find my wife wide awake at 2AM, staring at her phone. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Finishing your book," she said. "I had to find out how it ended."
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •I loved writing this book, and after I finished it, I found that Marty Hench was still living in my mind. How could I keep writing about him, though? *Red Team Blues* is his final adventure. Then, one day, it hit me: now that I knew how Marty's career *ended*, I could write about how it *started*.
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •I could write prequels - as many as I chose - retelling the storied career of Martin Hench, the scambusting forensic accountant of Silicon Valley. I pitched my editor on two prequels - one a midcareer adventure, the other his origin story - and my editor bought 'em. For the first time in decades, in dozens of books, I'm writing a trilogy.
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •It's nearly done. I finished the second book, "The Bezzle" - about private prisons and financial corruption - late last year. I'm 80%+ through the final one, "Picks and Shovels," AKA Marty's origin story, a caper involving an early eighties PC-selling pyramid scheme run by a Mormon bishop, a Catholic priest and an orthodox rabbi, who run their affinity scam through a company called "Three Wise Men Computers."
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •But for all that I love these books, love *writing* these books, I am still nervous. Butterflies-in-stomach. I got some reassurance in December, when the *New Yorker*'s Chris Byrd said some extraordinarily kind things about *RTB* when he profiled me:
newyorker.com/culture/the-new-…
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Cory Doctorow Wants You to Know What Computers Can and Can’t Do
Christopher Byrd (The New Yorker)Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Despite that, though I continued to have vicious pangs of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, superstitious dread, haunting memories of the mentors and writers I admired as a young man whose careers were snatched away by changing industry trends, market shifts, or just a bad beat. I love this book. Would other people? I'm not a crime writer. Ugh.
Then, this week, my publicist Laura Etzkorn at Tor sent me the first trade review for *RTB*, *Booklist*'s starred notice, by David Pitt:
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •> Well, talk about timely. In the wake of the late-2022 collapse of cryptocurrency comes this novel about a forensic accountant who’s hired to work a case involving electronic theft of cryptocurrency. The guy’s name is Martin Hench; he’s in his late sixties, with decades of experience, and he thinks he’s seen it all.
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •> Until now. Doctorow, author of such novels as The Rapture of the Nerds (2012) Homeland (2013), and Pirate Cinema (2012), is a leading force in cyberpunk fiction, and here he mixes cyberpunk with traditional private eye motifs (if Martin Hench feels a bit like Philip Marlowe or even Jim Rockford, that’s probably not a coincidence).
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •> Doctorow's novels are always feasts for the imagination and the intellect, and this one is no exception: it’s jam-packed with cutting-edge ideas about cybersecurity and crypto, and its near-future world is lovingly detailed and completely believable. Another winner from an sf wizard who has always proved himself adept at blending genres for both adults and teens.
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •To quote a certain editor of my acquaintance:
> That.
>
> Was.
>
> A! Fucking! Ride!
>
> Whoa!
Maybe this writing thing is gonna work out after all.
eof/
Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •ETA: Well, this is pretty great. Shortly after I hit publish on this, Library Journal published its review of Red Team Blues, by Andrea Dyba:
> Cyber detective, forensic accountant - whatever his title, 67-year-old Marty Hench is one of those rare people who tries to prevent financial crimes. He's spent his whole career as a member of the Red Team, as an attacker, one who always has the advantage.
/ETA 1
Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •> Now ready for retirement, he's living it up in California and trying to decide what he wants to do when he grows up when he's hired by an old friend. Danny Lazer, the founder of the new crypto titan Trustlesscoin, needs Marty to recover stolen cryptographic keys and prevent the type of financial crisis that people lose their lives over. Marty delves into the shady underside of the private equity world, where he's caught between warring international crime syndicates.
/ETA 2
Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •> The sincere and intelligent writing has a noir feel to it, enhanced by Marty's dry humor. There's a sense of satisfaction as this unassuming retired man dishes out comeuppance.
> VERDICT This absorbing and ruthless cyberpunk thriller from Doctorow (Attack Surface) tackles modern concerns involving cryptocurrency, security, and the daunting omnipotence of technology. Great for fans of Charles Stross.
libraryjournal.com/review/red-…
/ETA 3
Red Team Blues
Library JournalCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •ETA - If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
pluralistic.net/2023/01/13/mar…
/eta 4
Pluralistic: Booklist on “Red Team Blues” (13 Jan 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.netScoo73r
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in reply to Funky Gibbon • • •manisha
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to manisha • • •APT Ate My Homework
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Short Circuit - Whatever God Wants, He Keeps!
YouTubeCory Doctorow
in reply to APT Ate My Homework • • •Pepijn Schmitz
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in reply to Pepijn Schmitz • • •Philip Loring
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Philip Loring • • •Kushal Das 🇸🇪
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in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •The Lady (La Donna)
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in reply to The Lady (La Donna) • • •Robert R
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in reply to Robert R • • •Darryl Collins 🚴🏻
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