Embers ~ Fall 2023

Book release and plans for 2024

My first book, 50 Fifties, has been published! Wahoo!

Wherever you are reading this from, I hope all is well.

Let me begin by saying I will soon stop talking about my book, 50 Fifties. I know I’ve mentioned it more than what is probably deemed healthy, so please bear with me for two more minutes! The truth of the matter is I am so damn thrilled with the finished product that I could cry. (But I won’t. What? I’m not crying.) After months of hard work, I’m proud to hold this book—my very own book—in my hands.

It’s a bit of a surreal feeling.

I’m beyond elated with the accidental early launch of 50 Fifties. (Long story short: I never set a release date. I also did a lot of learning on the fly and thought Amazon’s review process would take longer. Oops!) At any rate, the book is everything I hoped it would be, and I’m blown away by the overwhelming level of support I received from my friends and family outside of Substack.

Let me make this a little more official since I’ve already botched it once.

I’m delighted to announce that 50 Fifties: A Justin Deming Literary Project is now available for purchase on Amazon in both print and Kindle editions. Please click here if you would like to take a look.

If money is tight, but you’d like a copy, please reach out to me at alongthehudson@substack.com and I’d be happy to send out a handful of copies.

Saturday afternoon after the accidental launch, I was shocked to see 50 Fifties at the top of the “New Releases” list for Contemporary Fiction & Literature. Somehow I appeased the Amazon overlords and their almighty algorithm. I hope 50 Fifties gets a chance to hang out up there for a while longer.

Screenshot of Amazon’s “Hot New Releases” —ooh baby!

Before I move on to the next topic, I must thank three individuals for their efforts in helping me create this book.

First, my dear friend Andrea Tackach. She beta-read the book for me, provided editorial suggestions, and was truly my first go-to when I started rolling out this idea in July. I couldn’t have done it without her! Thanks, Andrea!

Second, Meg Oolders. Thank you so incredibly much for going above and beyond and for helping me with the images and overall layout of the book. Your ideas helped me shape it into its final product.

Lastly, John Lightle. Thank you, my friend, for creating the stunning cover (and for going back and forth with me dozens of times until we got it just right). It is better than anything I thought possible, and I’m forever grateful.

I appreciate you all more than you know!

Now that my 50 Fifties project is complete, I’m excited to dig into my other writing-related plans for 2024.

This winter, I plan on chipping away at my speculative fiction novel, Off the Trail. It’s mapped out from start to finish, and I’m looking forward to traversing back into the cold and dark world of the Kholkari. I know there are plenty of secrets waiting to be unearthed as I resume Robbie and Cormac’s journey.

I also hope to begin compiling my flash fiction stories into a larger collection—closer to 150-200 pages. I have no release date in mind, but 2025 seems reasonable.

But before I dive into either of these projects, I’m going to poke my head into some local bookshops, cafes, and stores to see if anyone has an interest in trying to sell some copies of 50 Fifties. I’ll be going way out of my comfort zone, but something is telling me I need to give it a shot.

Last but not least, I’m going to host our final Fifties by the Fire meetup of 2023 on Friday, December 22nd at 3:00 PM EST. I have a story from the archives teed up for next Monday, and I’ll send out the prompt with it.

After our Fifties by the Fire meetup, I’m going to take two weeks off to enjoy the holidays with my family. I’ll resume my normal publishing schedule on January 8th.

Thank you all so much for being here, for reading my work, and for being so kind and supportive. You all have made every step of this journey a complete joy, and I’m forever grateful for each and every one of you.

Wishing you all the best,

Justin