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J.D. Robinson - SF Author

@jdrobinson-author.com
516 followers 257 following 302 posts

Award-winning author of humanist sci-fi tales · Author of WHEN TOMORROWS END (out 02/2027 from 47North) · Rep: UTA Publishing · 🍉 🇮🇹 🔗 Author site: jdrobinson-author.com/author-links 📍 Bay Area, CA

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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 19/09/2026
I love how writing tools allow you to view arbitrary, noncontiguous scenes stitched together, so you can, for example, check to make sure the tone of your alternating flashback scenes is consistent. Split-screen view did exist in the 90s, but it was never *this* versatile. #amwriting #scrivener
Scrivener screenshot showing multiple, noncontiguous scenes selected for editing
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 19/09/2026
It struck me how unlikely it is that two projects I’ve been working on for years (trad book launch + Italian passport) could reach a kind of conclusion in the same *week*. 📙 + 🇮🇹
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 19/09/2026
The time has finally come to deal with all these placeholders. Brackets are your past self delegating to your now self, because both of them are kind of jerks. #amwriting #scifi
Screenshot of a placeholder tag in the middle of a working manuscript.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 18/09/2026
WHEN TOMORROWS END is a twisty, cerebral time-travel tale, and here’s what it’ll look like on your device, or in your meaty grab-clamps. It’s up for pre-order, so feel free to pre-click on some things if you’re so pre-inclined. #scifi #comingsoon #preorder On Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Tomorro...
When Tomorrows End, a sci-fi tale by J.D. Robinson: Lost in time and hunted by a ravenous temporal storm, Mattias Madsen is drawn into an uneasy alliance with a fellow traveler who may hold the key to finding his way back to a home he recognizes—if her own pl1ns don't unravel reality first.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 18/09/2026
This slick alien contact tale (on my TBR) is discounted all weekend…!
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 18/09/2026
Aw hell, let’s do this. I have a new book on the way. It’s about time travel based on memories. I’m pretty excited about it, which is saying something, since I don’t get excited, I get nervous. But now I’m excited. More soon… #scifi #comingsoon #coverreveal
A promise (or a threat) of a cover reveal for the upcoming book When Tomorrows End by J.D. Robinson
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 29/08/2026
Another great idea for the WIP, hatched during my workout, found me giggling whilst sweating. Happily, the Fortress of Swoletude only has room for one. (Workouts and showers, why are they such idea factories?) #amwriting #scifi
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 27/08/2026
Didn’t see this coming, but I welcome it. Donnie Darko took big weird swings … and it occupied a pocket universe not far from where many of my stories take place. #scifi
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 25/08/2026
Before I was a writer I was… - A UX designer for early virtual 3D chat spaces - A propagandist/archivist (stealth satellite footage) at a popular defense contractor - A midnight custodian at an airport Those experiences—and the absolute characters I’ve worked with—have all filtered into my stories.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 22/08/2026
5k words into a new project, the first book of my urban sci-fi trilogy. I’ve only written stand-alones until now, so this feels like standing at the base of a tall and treacherous mountain. Fortunately, I’ve already outlined the entire series, so there’s a nice path laid out before me. #amwriting
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 15/08/2026
Hatched the perfect short story to attempt a second-person present narrative, which will be new for this 3P Past writer, and may be just a one-off. I’ve looked for an opportunity to try 2P Present for a while, and it’ll be fitting here because it’s key to this particular character. #amwriting #scifi
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 14/08/2026
Turns out, people find it almost as upsetting when you wish them “Happy Friday” on Thursday as when you wish them “Happy Thursday” on Friday. So worth it though.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 09/08/2026
Going through my outlines to integrate remaining side bits that didn’t find their places during earlier passes. Definitely couldn’t have managed the foreshadowing or callbacks if I weren’t plotting all three volumes at once. (I’m not clever enough to be a pantser!) #scifi #writing #writersky
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 07/08/2026
RIP William Orbit. I adored his early soundscapes, unlike any other. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITL7...
youtube.com
A Touch Of The Night
YouTube video by William Orbit - Topic
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 07/08/2026
They say that if you don’t know where you came from, wherever you go is home. Unless you’re walking in someone else’s shoes at the time, in which case it’s breaking and entering. #deepthoughts
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 06/08/2026
Me (to partner, watching sci-fi show): If you were on an alien planet, would you go on an alien date? She: I don’t know. If they were nice. Would you? Me: I’m on an alien date right now.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 26/07/2026
Completing the outline(s) to my first trilogy has taken me longer than expected, because life, but it feels like a milestone. Much work remains, but it’s very satisfying to be able to see the whole thing at once…at least in the form of tabs and bullets. #amwriting #scifi #writersky #writingcommunity
Screenshot of three-book outline in Obsidian
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 21/07/2026
Mmm, moar free data! Just don’t be surprised when “high dudgeon” or “the vapours” make a comeback in generated content. #ai #slopfodder #allconsuming
404media.co
AI Companies Are Buying Tons of Old Books Because They're Free of AI Slop
ISBNdb, a company that sources printed books for AI companies to turn into training data, tells clients “the optics problem is real.”
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 14/07/2026
Interesting long form article. Two of my books (won’t name which) have involved world sims to some degree, and I just find the topic fascinating.
arstechnica.com
Simulating everything, sort of: The promise and limits of world models
Experts explain how they work, what they can do, and what's still unsettled.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 04/07/2026
It’s a summer bargain! And I have two stories in that thing, if you like strange tales. Which you do.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 04/07/2026
Middle Eastern cafe, noise-canceling earbuds, ambient nature loop, and an Obsidian tab with ~20k words of outline. Feels like the old days. #amwriting #scifi
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 30/06/2026
Italian birth certificate acquired, which I’ve been waiting on for *years*. I should have that little burgundy passport in hand before the end of summer. Evvai! 🇮🇹🇪🇺
Photo of my Italian birth certificate
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 29/06/2026
I’ve never used Word, but these marks are nigh universal now, and anyone who writes or edits has seen them. devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/...
devblogs.microsoft.com
In memory of the man who put red and green squiggles under words - The Old New Thing
Starting in Word and expanding to nearly every other word processor, and even things that aren't word processors.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 22/06/2026
Weekend author site upgrade completed—whew! Redesigned my book pages to resemble typical online bookstore pages, so they’d feel familiar to visitors. Also now explicitly crediting my human editors and cover designers, which is important in this era! Example: jdrobinson-author.com/songs-from-t...
jdrobinson-author.com
A missing twin, and the voids he left behind.
Urban Fantasy with a twist: A man’s search for his missing twin leads him to the bizarre voids he left behind, and one secret that changes everything.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 15/06/2026
I couldn’t be more excited to (finally) talk about my time travel book WHEN TOMORROWS END! Thanks to my curiously devoted teams at United Talent Agency and 47North for helping me get to this perch. More to come soon! #booksky #publishingnews #writingcommunity #writersofbsky
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 26/04/2026
I’ve never had more than one story idea at a time—the story I was writing always felt like it might be the last. But now, in the midst of outlining my first trilogy, I find myself with two additional (unrelated) novel ideas. It feels like too many guests in the house. It feels like a prank.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 27/03/2026
Alien race inspiration, courtesy of the AI spam army…
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 21/03/2026
Glowing review by D.B. Rook (@dbrook.bsky.social) of our little anthology Neosynthesis, over at FanFiAddict: fanfiaddict.com/neosynthesis... “…Character dialogue that leaks subtle menace and bleeds mystery.” And I’ll take a likening to P.K. Dick any day! #books #scifi #anthology #indieauthors
fanfiaddict.com
Neosynthesis, Anthology | FanFiAddict
Synopsis These visions explore the myriad realms where humanity and technology intersect, taking readers to distant futures where human and machine exist in ...
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 20/03/2026
Love that cover, and the description! Noir bots? Sign me up immediately.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 24/02/2026
Think maybe Anthropic got off easy?
arstechnica.com
AIs can generate near-verbatim copies of novels from training data
LLMs memorize more training data than previously thought.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 15/02/2026
Show of hands for SF authors who’ve hidden fun shit in the Kuiper Belt 🙋 arstechnica.com/science/2026...
arstechnica.com
Astronomers are filling in the blanks of the Kuiper Belt
Next-generation telescopes are mapping this outer frontier.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 23/01/2026
During writing breaks, I watch videos about seemingly unrelated things, like *looks at viewing history* rendering tech, higher dimensions, sound processing info, etc. But these do influence (infect?) my thinking about character development, plot structure, and social dynamics. #amwriting
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 06/01/2026
“Hi, I can’t even be arsed to link my template variables to the database of names I stole. I’m offering anything of value to the world.” Hm, I must know of your marketing roadmap forthwith!
Spam email screenshot
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 22/12/2025
I love tautology and wordplay, and my fave must be an apocryphal quote from Maynard James Keenan. Asked what his band’s name “Puscifer” means, he may or may not have responded, “‘What does Puscifer mean?’ is what Puscifer means.” It’s such a perfect semantic recursion. Doesn’t need to be true.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 16/12/2025
Spielberg and Koepp, back at it. I like big bold sci-fi spectacle. I want to feel like I felt when I first saw Close Encounters. Not sure about the repeated references to a universal “He” but I suppose that’s how humans might respond. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFe6... #scifi
youtube.com
Disclosure Day | Official Teaser
YouTube video by Universal Pictures
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 13/12/2025
Fruitful conversation today, talking with the agent and a Sr. editor about craft and approach for my time travel novel, Chronophore… …after I signed into the wrong Zoom, then earbuds failed, then reactivated, then hands shook getting them back into the damned case. Then I apologized, like a boss.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 07/12/2025
I have 2 stories featured in NEOSYNTHESIS, a new ★★★★★ anthology feat. 12 stories of code, consciousness, and survival by 6 indie sci-fi authors. Come see, and support indie authors! (And tell your friends!) At all the usual spots: books2read.com/u/mgawjv #books #scifi #anthology #indieauthors
Anthology book promo for Neosynthesis - 12 Stories of Code, Consciousness, and Survival - URL: https://books2read.com/u/mgawjv
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T.K. Toppin @tktoppin.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
It’s release day for our little anthology!! Neosynthesis is now officially out in the wild. Have you grabbed your copy yet? From Amazon or your favourite online bookstores. #newrelease
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 20/11/2025
“Your inbox is probably overflowing with bots.” The dawn of self-awareness? #botslop
Screenshot of email spam from a bot targeting our hapless author
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 19/11/2025
It’s finally reached that point where the word “book” in the subject line or summary automatically = spam. If this indie author is receiving multiples of these per day, I can only assume the process is fully automated and essentially free. But also super-easy to filter out, sight unseen.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 12/11/2025
The thought of AI translation confuses me. Shepherding a story across languages isn’t about cold transliteration. It’s a poetic process. A proper translator is a creative person, an interpreter who cares about nuance, and conveying the intended meaning. Straight machine translation misses the point.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 10/11/2025
I’m writing an urban fantasy series set in a near-future NYC where things just Aren’t Right™. So naturally I’m researching Ghanaian folk tales, mirror life forms, Russian apartment naming conventions, and gravitational memory. As one does. #amwriting #urbanfantasy
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 10/11/2025
Sure, my spatial sequence synesthesia lets me see information hovering in space. But it’s really like a shit version of a memory palace, more like a directory board in a corporate office: I see roughly where things are, but my keycard doesn’t do anything and the elevators are down for maintenance.
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 07/11/2025
I’m not a big review reader (as evidenced by the date), but I love seeing a review like this, and that feeling of connection through the page with someone I’ll never meet. The Last Shadow is a few years old now, but I still think of it almost every day, like a memory I made for myself. Is that odd?
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 06/11/2025
I’m a storyteller (a grumpy one, perhaps), but seeing everything described as a “journey” is kinda doing my head in. Maybe it’s a “procedure,” or a “career,” or a “routine,” but is it really a quest? Okay, I’m fixating…but is _everything_ a crusade? Now you’ll see it, too. ;)
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T.K. Toppin @tktoppin.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Pre-order for Neosynthesis is now LIVE! Our Kickstarter Campaign has ended with success! The anthology will soon be at other online bookstores like Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, Itch.io, etc. THANK YOU to all who've supported & helped bring our little project to life. www.amazon.com/Neosynthesis...
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J.D. Robinson - SF Author @jdrobinson-author.com · 27/09/2025
One day left! I’m looking forward to seeing this one myself…and I’m the one formatting the content. #scifi #kickstarter
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T.K. Toppin @tktoppin.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Crunch time! Only a few more days before our Kickstarter campaign ends. There's still time to grab a tier for an ebook, paperback, or special bundle deals, or to simple make a pledge to support us. New stretch goal: audiobooks. www.kickstarter.com/projects/roh...
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T.K. Toppin @tktoppin.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Enjoy this little teaser from one of my short stories in the Neosynthesis anthology - Live on Kickstarter - and we've just added a new stretch goal. Audiobooks! So if that's your jam, help us reach that goal and show your support. www.kickstarter.com/projects/roh...
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Nick Snape 💙🐉⚔️🪐📚 @nicksnapeauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Our #scifi #anthology Kickstarter is funded and we’re hoping to reach the audiobook stretch goal. Here’s a few quotes from a couple of the stories to 🤞help you on the way to having a look at the link www.kickstarter.com/projects/roh...? ⬇️🔥⬇️
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