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Andy Kass

@andyasks.bsky.social
76 followers 228 following 111 posts

Andy grew up on a dirt road in a swamp in New York City - Staten Island, where he writes novels and music and often turns up with a guitar. Watch for a new story in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This week we’ll consider intimations of mortality that intrude on our daily lives, and how a writer responds. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #truth #emotion #health #mortality
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Real Life
Emotional truth finds us, whether we want it or not.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This week, notes on the importance of having fun with what you create. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #play #performance #music
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Play Time
When writing or digging into something you’ve written, remember to have fun.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This week, I share a little background on a splashy celebration of my book. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #events #launch #promotion #sales
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – In the Event
Planning and doing a book launch party.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This week, we revisit finding a character’s voice using the technique of interview. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #characters #historical #historicalfiction
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Meeting Viola Ross (Reprise)
How do you find a character’s voice? Ask them, again.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
On the place you’re from, where you write, how you set location. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #fiction #historical #setting
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Location Location Location
Where you’re from, where you write, what you write about.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
On getting a full read request from an agent query. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #fiction #agents #read #mystery #historicalfiction
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Getting the Read Request
It’s a step up in the query process, not a done deal.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Notes about finding fictional materials and characters in memory. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #writing #fiction #memoir
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Who’s On First?
Navigating the border between memory and fiction.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Notes from music performances relevant to writing and readings. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #events #performing #antifolk #folk #music #writing
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Playing to Your Audience
Choosing your words and music for your audience.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
News and takeaways from my book launch event. andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c... #publication #events #readings #readers #launch
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – A Little Launch
The metaphor and actuality of a book launch event.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Considering the planning that goes into a book launch event. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... the?r=24o7ym&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #publication #events #readings #launch #planning
open.substack.com
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A WOMAN OF AGENCY is ready for official take-off - Saturday 8/8/26, 3:30-4:30pm at Every Thing Goes Book Cafe, 208 Bay Street, Staten Island. I'll share excerpts, take questions, and discuss my experiences in writing this book... and there'll be an announcement about THE ONE UPCOMING...
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Come and hear Andy Kass share excerpts and his experiences in writing and publishing Civil War spy thriller A WOMAN OF AGENCY @ ETG BOOK CAFÉ & Neighborhood Stage 208 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY, on Saturday 8/8/2026, 3:30-4:30pm.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Considering the measures of growth and positive social aspects of conferences. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #publication #conferences #writing #writersdigestconference #solitude
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Back to Earth
The writer’s long and winding road to Yes.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Considering another writers conference from a slightly different phase of the author’s life. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #publication #conferences #writing #agents #editors #WDC26
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Conferences (A Slight Return)
Writer’s conference time again – a refocus on the general and the specific.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Better writing requires listening to what some readers found wanting in your prior opus. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #critique #readers
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Critical Listening
Part of being an author is learning how to take it.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Writing emotion for public consumption. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #emotion #grief
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Big Feels
Carrying emotional baggage in your tale.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Keep on!
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Publishing a second book for the first time. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #historicalfiction #holandpress #publication #baseball
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – A New Title
Preparing to publish the second book in a series.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Thank you for your interest. All shall be revealed on time!
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
In contract and preparing the second book.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Really, just started with a simple question: what were the great powers of the time doing while America tore itself apart? From there, my research helped direct my plot and player decisions. More about it in my blog: andrewkass.substack.com/p/the-next-c...
andrewkass.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Finding My Best Life
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Yes, I arranged for them to meet at a ball and have a few quiet moments of frank talk in the billiard room under a pretext.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
That evolved a couple of drafts in, as I got to know each of them better and had the story fully set out. Good read, thanks!
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Finding a historical person’s voice using the technique of interview. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #characters #historical #historicalfiction #interview #holandpress
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Finding Character (4)
How do you find a historical character’s voice? Ask them.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
So, what do you think of Donald's living impression of latter-day Biden?
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Finding a secondary character’s voice using the technique of interview. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #characters #historical #historicalfiction #interview
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Finding Character (3)
How do you find a secondary character’s voice? Ask them.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
A WOMAN OF AGENCY is on sale this week in Kindle format. Get the story for 99c, or 99p via Amazon England... x.com/i/status/206...
x.com
Holand Press (@HolandPress) on X
#KindleDeals Holand Press Books on Promotion Just 99p/c The Vendetta Code, by @MAGulickwrites https://t.co/mcQ3dWzoWC A Woman of Agency, by @KassNdrw https://t.co/DUrsByTMBU The Magician's Daught...
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
My Cessna pilot daughter says any landing you can walk away from is a successful landing. Good on you!
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I get 2 or 3 of these a day. Always verify before engaging.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Finding a villain’s voice using the technique of interview. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #characters #historical #historicalfiction #villain
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Finding Character (2)
How do you find a villain’s voice? Ask them.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Finding a character’s voice using the technique of interview. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #characters #historical #historicalfiction
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Finding Character (1)
How do you find a character’s voice? Ask them.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I've just listed my Civil War historical fiction novel A WOMAN OF AGENCY on The Book List. See details here: thebooklist.co/books/a-woma... #historicalfiction #civilwar #spythriller #awomanofagency #holandpress
thebooklist.co
Andrew Kass – feminist American civil war spy thrillers
American civil war spy thriller set in London, Liverpool, and Crewe, England, feminist historical novels, noir mysteries and stories, acoustic music
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Considering the differences in marketing a book to the digital world. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #marketing #ebooks #kindle #historicalfiction
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – The Great Divide
A book person feels his way through the digital publication world.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Developing better writing perspectives through reviewing. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #writing #reviewing #historicalnovelsociety #mysterywritersofamerica #MindyKronenberg
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – In Review
What we read and how we read can be important to what and how we write.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
About not forgetting the joy in the process of creating art and stories. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #publication #writing #creativity
open.substack.com
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
A report on how to prepare for a writing conference, what was offered and taken away. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #publication #conferences #agents #editors #atlantawritersconference
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Conference
A gathering of authors regarded as a business and social proposition.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Considering questions of culture and art upon returning from Japan. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #travel #japan #publication #culture
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Notes from Japan
Points to ponder in observations of a different culture.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I always felt hand-to-pen-to-paper was the closest practical alternative to writing in blood. Glad you found your instrument. And, while we're here, I can still see you signing my daughter's very worn paperback of SABRIEL many years ago, praising the well-read volume. Good on you!
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Reflections on stepping a long way away from the whirl of a book launch to encounter some fresh information. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #travel #japan #publication
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Stepping Out
When taking a break, might as well make it a big one.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
On finding the presence to come out of the writing to the people for whom you have written. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #marketing #connecting presence
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Public Presence
A brief history of finding the presence to address a community.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The process of preparing a little piece of oneself and one’s book for promotion. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #marketing #publication #connecting #bookmarks
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Marking My Book
Making something to leave in hand as a reminder of the book itself.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
A WOMAN OF AGENCY has landed... first copy in hand.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
A young woman in 1863 London holds the key to stopping a Great Powers intrigue that could extend the American Civil War. Set in England, my Civil War spy thriller A WOMAN OF AGENCY has been published by Holand Press as a Kindle eBook -- now available in paperback. www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT8NK8K...
amazon.com
A Woman of Agency
Amazon.com: A Woman of Agency: 9798252730028: Kass, Andrew: Books
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The lasting value of marketing a novel for me has been the excuse to re-connect with old friends. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #marketing #publication #connecting
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Blasts To and From the Past
A meditation on the process of human connection in the business of publishing.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
With my novel’s release, some reflections on undertaking the changing role of author, from writer through to marketing strategist and implementer-in-chief. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #marketing #publication #releasedate
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – The Promised Land
Publication Release Date arrives. What now?
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A young woman holds the key stopping to a Great Powers intrigue that could extend the American Civil War. Set in England, my Civil War spy thriller A WOMAN OF AGENCY has been published by Holand Press as a Kindle eBook, printable on demand. www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRHNQKH...
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
With the novel package ready and a release date before me, some reflections on preparing and engaging in this voyage of discovery. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #marketing #publication #releasedate #HolandPress
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Terra Incognita
Setting off on a journey to find my readers.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
In THE CASE RUNNER (75,600 words), ex-con Jay Smerlow finds plaintiffs for lawsuits. A client was settling a case against a secretive lab and a shady doctor when she and her plaintiffs disappeared; now Jay must find them before a prison enforcer from his past makes him and his family disappear.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
The key to interpreting beta reader criticism lies in examining your manuscript from a fresh perspective. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #critique #publication #editing #writing
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Reading for Keeps
It is not necessary to agree with a reader’s critique to find value in it.
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Andy Kass @andyasks.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Preparation is critical in aviation; it’s also important in launching and marketing a novel. open.substack.com/pub/andrewka... #publication #preflightcheck #flying #marketing
open.substack.com
THE NEXT CHAPTER – Pre-Flight Check
Improving the chances of a good takeoff for a book requires careful preparation.
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