iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

My science fiction novel Daros is free until October 12. A smuggler's daughter gets caught up in a surprise alien invasion, escaping to the war-torn surface, while a secret rebel in the invading fleet struggles to survive. 4.5 average from 572 ratings. Grab a copy today! books2read.com/daros

Book cover art for Daros by Dave Dobson showing a ship traveling toward a red planet.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My comedic tale of a lady knight and her squire is free as an ebook from today through October 11. Grab a copy of The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar on me and enjoy magic, adventure, valor, miscreant pounding, witty banter, and a heartwarming story of friendship. books2read.com/ladyisovar

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I really, really enjoyed Our Simulated Selves by @nikkinull.bsky.social , which I read for the 5th annual SPSFC. Groundbreaking, heartbreaking, thoughtful, well-written, and a real powerhouse of indie sci-fi. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDR8JPXK

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Team 1.21 Gigawatts has completed our judging and reviewing for the 5th annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC). All reviews and commentary are linked below. Thanks to Allison, Wick, and Archie, and to all the authors who shared their work. davedobsonbooks.com/homepage-for...

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

400 ratings for Got Trouble! Very cool.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Hit a cool milestone - my first book ever to receive 600 ratings on Goodreads. books2read.com/whatgrows

Goodreads listing for What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson showing a 4.37 rating average on 601 ratings and 69 reviews.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

We're coming into the home stretch for our campaign, which finishes up Monday evening. If you'd like an anthology of 34 cool stories from indie authors (and who wouldn't?) for as little as $10, plus gift copies for as little as $5, pledge today. Have a look! www.kickstarter.com/projects/rvb...

The book cover of the Rings of Adventure anthology, showing a mysterious skull and flower surrounded by a coiled dragon, with the dragon here also serving as a fundraising thermometer showing $3250 so far (130% of goal).

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Just under two weeks to go to get a copy of this great short story anthology with stories from 34 authors, delivered either in a beautiful hardback, an ebook, or one story a day for all of December. You get everything for as little as ten bucks. www.kickstarter.com/projects/rvb...

Book cover for the Rings of Adventure anthology reimagined as a fundraiser thermometer, with a dragon filling in, showing $3000 raised so far and 120% of the goal funded.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

New-to-me scam: fake accounts stealing the names of artists I've hired on Fiverr and contacting me with sob stories about sick grandmothers. One just wanted money; the other wanted more art commissions, which I assume would have been AI slop. Beware.

Scam messages:

7/25/2026 3:37 PM

Hello there | need your help

Am not sure if you can help me my friend. Things are really tight for
me financially at the moment andmy grandma is in hospital i need
money to carryout surgery for her. If you know anyone who could
refer me to a project or opportunity, I'd really appreciate it. also , if
it's possible, I'd be grateful if you could lend me any amount for now,
I'll pay you back soon as i receive payment from my next project (cic
Awaiting for your nice response

Spe, 3:14 AM

| am currently taking taking a project

due to urgently raising fund for my grandmother surgery

| have cared for her since our father passed away 11 years ago

that's why | reach out here instead of fiverr

The fees and withdrawal delay are not ideal right now

If you have a project | can help with directly here | would appreciate
that

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A hundred ratings for Best,! That's the quickest any of my books has reached that milestone.

Shows Amazon page for Best, by Dave Dobson and Anonymous, Ph.D., showing 102 ratings with a 4.3 average.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Our anthology funded, so it's coming out! Don't miss 34 cool stories by indie authors. Still two weeks to get on board. www.kickstarter.com/projects/rvb...

Book cover for Rings of Adventure anthology portrayed as a fundraising thermometer with a dragon filling up as money is raised. Currently at $2800 of $2500 goal (112%) with additional goals at $3500, $5000, and $7500. Text says "Help us bring you even cooler features!"

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A band of indie authors are doing a cool speculative-fiction anthology that just went live on Kickstarter. There will be 34 stories in this book, and you have lots of options of how you want them - ebook, fancy hardcover, or a new story every day for all of December, holiday calendar style. (1/2)

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I'm part of a massive indie author sale, all speculative fiction, all discounted or free. You can search by genre and for representation of disability, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC also. Have a look and find a book! indiebook.sale

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The dauntless competitors of the Just a Minute gameshow at the Los Angeles WorldCon 2026! @laworldcon.bsky.social

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

My first fantasy detective story is free as an ebook until September 1st. Enjoy magic, swordplay, vile villains, scheming nobles, and no shortage of derring-do done. And if you like it, there's a whole series! Also available on audio. books2read.com/frosthelm

Image shows ebook and paperback of Flames Over Frosthelm by Dave Dobson, including promo text: "Princess Bride meets CSI" and review text: (5 stars) "A great, rollicking, rewarding read."

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Yay! 100 ratings for Unwelcome Matt, my cozy-ish mystery about a librarian who comes home to find a dead guy in her house.

Part of the Amazon listing for Unwelcome Matt by Dave Dobson with the ratings circled: 4.4 average from 100 ratings.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Here are the events I'll be part of at the upcoming WorldCon in Los Angeles. I'll be around the rest of the time too. Let me know if you're there and want to meet up!

Dave's schedule at WorldCon, including images of Dave, book covers, game boxes, and Snood.
Text is:
Where to find me at Worldcon
Tabletop Game Design Jam Thu 1:30 pm Aug 27
Generative Al and Writing: Navigating Tool Al-ification Fri 1:30 pm Aug 28
What Science Fiction Gets Wrong About My Profession Fri Aug 28 4:30 pm
The Most Alien Planet: The Ancient Earth Fri Aug 28 7:30 pm
Just a Minute Fri Aug 28 9:00 pm
Geektastic Trivia Spectacular Sat Aug 29 9:00 pm
Murderous Dragons: Fantasy Mystery Mon Aug 31 10:30 am

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My novel, Unwelcome Matt (part cozy mystery, part thriller) is on sale for $0.99 this week. It's a story about a librarian who comes home ready to evict her deadbeat housemate but instead finds a dead body on her couch and the housemate vanished. Get a copy here: books2read.com/unwelcomematt

Book cover for Unwelcome Matt showing a woman looking at her cat in front of two feet sticking out from behind the couch.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Our book, Best, is free as an ebook until August 11. Grab a copy on us and enjoy this funny, romantic tale of two professors forced to work together who might just be able to set aside a decade of mutual distaste for each other. Maybe. Get it here: books2read.com/bestbook

Cover of the book Best, by Dave Dobson and Anonymous, Ph.D.
Includes quotes from reviews under a heading "Reviews are coming in!"

Academic settings have a special place in my heart and this was very well done.
Definitely five stars!
the plotting as always is tight, the dialogue spot on, and the story engaging.
Laughed out loud several times
I was rooting for them along the way! A fun read!
A wonderful and funny read!

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Congratulations to the SPSFC #5 finalists! It was a tough competition to get to this final round, and I look forward to reading the three new ones on my plate.

Image showing six SPSFC finalist books on a starry background. The books are Generations, Time Traitors, Artificial Selection, ab initio, Frostbyte, and Our Simulated Selves.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

We thought we should choose the truck side of the rest area with our U-Haul, because it's a truck after all, but I don't think we measure up.

Image shows a 15' UHaul truck looking very tiny parked at a rest area next to a full-size semi.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Hit a cool milestone with the 500th written review of one of my books on Goodreads.

Author stats for Dave Dobson on Goodreads showing 500 written reviews by readers.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

My most-rated book, my mystery What Grows From the Dead, is free on Amazon July 20-24 PDT as an ebook. It's also available in not-free paperback and audiobook editions. It's garnered a 4.5 average over 764 ratings on Amazon, and it's been a book club book for two different book clubs.

Book cover for What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson. Around the cover are words with little arrows with descriptors pointing at the book. The descriptors are:
Amateur Sleuth
Deadly Mystery
Thrills! Chills! Danger! Laughs!
Vampire Steve
Teenage Sass
It's kind of all Mom's fault
Small town Drama
Rock bottom, and then it gets worse
The Swedish mob (is that a thing?)

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Slinging books at ConGregate in Greensboro this weekend!

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I bought an ebook copy of Best, to give to somebody, but it turns out they already have the book. Rather than return it, I'll give it to a random person who responds to this post before next Friday. US Amazon code. Best, is a romantic comedy set on a small college campus. Great reviews so far!

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Holy cow! On a panel with one of my favorite authors at Congregate this weekend.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Actual paper copies of Best, now in my hot little hands! So cool. If you want one, they're on Amazon, with signed paperbacks here: tinyurl.com/bestromcom

Paperback of Best, showing the cover, on a bookshelf.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Released on June 30th: Best, an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about two professors who uncover a mystery at their small college and learn they can stand being in the same room. Sometimes. www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXTFCLKT

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

It's release day! My new novel is a rom-com starring two quirky, flawed protagonists who need to set aside years of enmity to solve a mystery at their small college. Along the way, they realize that they can actually stand each other. At least, some of the time.

A picture of the book cover with promo text surrounding it.

OUT TODAY!
A new romantic comedy
Best, by Dave Dobson and Anonymous, Ph.D.
Enemies to Lovers
Workplace romance
Skewers academic life
Two funny, flawed main characters

A slow burn wasn't on the agenda...
AVAILABLE NOW!

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Three more days! Preorders available. books2read.com/bestbook

Image shows book cover of Best, by Dave Dobson and Anonymous, Ph.D.
"Early reviews are in:"
Text for two five-star reviews reads
“I devoured this story about two professors and the mystery that surrounds the work they are doing.”
"I really loved this story."
Coming June 30

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

A friend and I were talking about languages spoken in the US, and we discovered the Languages of the United States Wikipedia page. It has a table of primary languages over time compiled from various sources, and it was really interesting to see the various immigrant communities change over time.

Graph of non-English-speaking individuals as a percent of population in the US over time

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) announces its semifinalists for year #5! Congrats to those still in the running and thanks to everyone who takes part.

Image showing the ten semifinalists for the SPSFC:
Black Sails to Sunward by Sheila Jenné
Who Nuked Silicon Vallley? by Mike Donoghue
ab inito by Jacob Terracina
Time Traitors by Eli Donovan
Cold Blooded by Rohan O'Duill
Generations by Noam Josephides
Our Simulated Selves by Nikki Null
Artificial Selection by Marianne Pickles
Frostbyte by N.S. Chaudhury
Cargo Hold 4 by Lonnie Busch

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

A cool milestone - Kenai reached 500 reviews on Amazon. Interestingly, it is my most-lauded (SPSFC winner) and lowest-rated (4.2) book. I think the sci-fi premise is dense, which makes it a bit of a challenge to get that fifth star.

Snapshot of the Kenai Amazon page showing the book cover and a 4.2 average from 500 ratings.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

I've had a couple of the new BookBub Featured Free deals, but I've never had this kind of result. Over 8,000 free copies downloaded for Got Trouble in under 24 hours. Compare my earlier free features this month - one a BB Featured Deal, the other just newsletters.

Graph of book downloads showing 8355 downloads for Got Trouble on May 29.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Hey, Snood's still culturally relevant. Albeit for being irrelevant, but I'll take it. 🤠

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

My cozy mystery/thriller Got Trouble is 100% free until June 2. Enjoy the story of a down-on-her-luck gas station night manager who rapidly find out things can get worse. A lot worse. Full of quirky characters, humor, an unfolding mystery, and harrowing action. Grab a copy on me and enjoy!

An image of the book Got Trouble by Dave Dobson against a wooden background. A woman in a hoodie looks back, holding a gun.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The performers at the Great American State Fair. Young MC sneaks in from somewhere in 1989 with a single single in 2024.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Book grifters not even trying anymore.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

My amateur sleuth mystery, Unwelcome Matt, is free as an ebook until May 18th. Amy comes home to find her housemate gone and a dead body in his place, and things only get worse from there. Have a copy on me and enjoy! books2read.com/unwelcomematt

Book cover for Unwelcome Matt by Dave Dobson showing a woman and her cat looking concerned at two legs sticking out from behind her couch.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

My award-winning sci fi book, Kenai, is free as an ebook through May 9. Get a copy on me and enjoy this mind-bending military sci-fi novel. A tranquil, remote planet, once home to an alien race. A world still holding on to its secrets.

Image shows various versions of the novel Kenai by Dave Dobson.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

A fun milestone seven years into my indie author career - three million pages of my books read on Kindle Unlimited. That's the equivalent of 5,000-6,000 copies read, and it represents about $12,000 of revenue. Just under half is my Inquisitor's Guild series; about a quarter is sci fi. Pretty neat.

Graph of pages read of Dave Dobson's books, showing 3,000,131 pages from 2019-present.

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Thanks, JR! So glad you had fun with it.

Customer Review for What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson
J. R Weaver
5 out of 5 stars
Wow - An amazing book I never saw coming

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2026
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

I purchased this completely at random, never having heard of the author or any of his work. I was just ready for something different than my usual genre reading, and this looked interesting.

I'm glad I gambled - this is my favorite book of the year so far, and I bet it'll still be in the top 5 cone next January 1st.

The first person narrative is so assured and strong that I'm kind of in awe. (Not of the main character himself, he's a hot mess, but of the flow of language). There is no dull moment in this novel, from page one all the way to the end. This is definitely one of those "just one more chapter" type of books.

And the dad-pun chapter titles were awesome. :)

Great characters: check. As someone else said, Vampire Steve deserves his own novel.

Solid plot: check. Lots of twists and turns, and I was really hoping the last-act traitor wasn't who I feared it would be. Whew.

Value for money: check. Even though I burned through it in just a day and a half, it was money well spent.

In summary: everyone - buy this book!

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Team 1.21 Gigawatts announces their quarterfinalists for SPSFC #5. Some great books here. More at: davedobsonbooks.com/team-1-21-gi...

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

The three fantasy detective novels of my Inquisitors' Guild series are free until March 19th. Grab a copy of these beloved mysteries today, on me. Adventure, swordplay, magic scheming nobles, and valiant detectives abound. books2read.com/inquisitorsg...

A box set of The Inquisitors' Guild books by Dave Dobson

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Dave Dobson @davedobson.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Daros hits 500 ratings on Amazon! My second book to do so. Big thanks to everybody who's spent time with Brecca, Frim, and Lyra and their adventures.

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