iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Sometimes, we forget things we knew back in our much-younger years . . . soden.substack.com/p/know-thyse...

soden.substack.com

Know Thyself

Sometimes, Age Does Beget Wisdom

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I've tried to recall some anecdotes I've not blathered on about for years. Also, my new phone's camera is LIT 🔥! soden.substack.com/p/the-early-... #BookSky #AncientHistoricals #MedievalSky

Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"The Lion of Cairo reads like a cross between the Arabian Nights and a Hollywood blockbuster." —Steven Pressfield, New York Times bestselling author of Gates of Fire Digital edition available here: ko-fi.com/s/399addb237

The Cover of THE LION OF CAIRO. This one features art by the incomparable Maxfield Parrish -- brooding Prince Cassim sits among the spoils of the Forty Thieves, chin on fist and a jeweled scimitar in his hand.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“An eloquent and captivating historical thriller.” – Publisher's Weekly Digital edition available here: ko-fi.com/s/5641d2702b

The cover of MEMNON. This one makes use of a close-up detail of a Roman-era mosaic from Pompeii depicting the face and shoulders of Alexander the Great.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“Profound and tragic . . . Oden’s masterful story of bloody battles, political intrigues, betrayal and romance offers a gripping portrait of the collapse of an empire.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Digital edition available here: ko-fi.com/s/183218df64

The cover to MEN OF BRONZE, featuring Thomas Cole's penultimate panel in his masterful "Course of Empire" painting -- the fall of a Rome-like city, with statues toppling and buildings burning, and chaos in the streets.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Remember: you can grab digital copies of my early books at my Ko-Fi store (and only there; they're not on the 'Zon). Men of Bronze, Memnon, or The Lion of Cairo! ko-fi.com/K3K72OC14

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Added digital editions of my early books to my Ko-Fi store! Grab PDF/EPUB editions of Men of Bronze, Memnon, or The Lion of Cairo! ko-fi.com/K3K72OC14

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Giving this a re-share. Five tales of monsters, orcs, goblins, and the indomitable Grimnir! soden.substack.com/p/brothers-o...

soden.substack.com

Brothers of the Serpent

Five Monstrous Tales

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Dropping a collection of monster tales! Grimnir and his kin, with orcs and goblins galore . . . just in time for the spooky season! soden.substack.com/p/brothers-o...

soden.substack.com

Brothers of the Serpent

Five Monstrous Tales

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I FINALLY got a reader positioning scammer email! I was beginning to worry . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

From cave paintings to the early 1900s, there are millions of pieces of public domain art, out there. All it takes is a little patience and a little time and you WILL find something that would make a banging cover . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I am wholly burned out. Going to take some time to reassess, renew, and maybe find a new creative outlet . . . soden.substack.com/p/a-hiatus?r...

soden.substack.com

A Hiatus . . .

Friends, I am burned out.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I don't know why I stay in the job I currently have. It will cover either the bills or the groceries, but never both. So, why am I wasting my time (I know why, and it's a complex personality issue that can be boiled down to "I hate change")? I've been there 11 years and make less than an . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Something #cozy and #whimsical for #BookSky: A YEAR IN THE GARDEN Claude Moreau's gentle observations on the mice that dwell in his grandmother's garden . . . tea and starlight, moonbeams and memories. And a goblin or two . . . www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...

paypal.com

A YEAR IN THE GARDEN - PDF/EPUB

In a certain garden, not terribly far from here, Claude Moreau chronicles a year of gentle wonders for those with patient hearts and curious minds . . . A cozy and episodic novel set in the whimsical...

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I've not been visited by the luck fairies, thus far in my career (which has spanned 21 years, by the way). I'm not certain I'll ever entertain those nebulous beings, either . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I have reached that point where nothing at all provokes enjoyment. Not reading, not writing . . . all I want to do is eat and sleep. I think I'm broken 😥

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Reposting because the world is a hellscape and I need some cookies . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

At some point, it's going to have to be a felony for elected officials to lie, spin, distract, or otherwise be disingenuous. The entirety of their professional lives as politicians should be treated as though they're under oath . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Question for #BookSky: with the throttling of social media via enshittification, is it *crucial* for a writer to have a social media presence, these days? Or can we just get by with a simple blog, perhaps?

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

If anyone is having a Medici moment, feeling particularly patron-esque, I will leave this link here for you: www.paypal.com/donate/?host... Now, back to the mental ceiling of the Sistine Chapel . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Turns out, I need a series S&S character and that hateful old sot, Grimnir, still has tales to tell . . . open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

Speaking of Hate . . .

Time to go back to the well.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

A great need + empty purse = that blind old rat in the cartoons, with his dark glasses and tin cup . . . ko-fi.com/K3K72OC14

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

With Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY on the near horizon, here's your chance to read my own take on Odysseus and the myth of Polyphemus, the savage Cyclops! py.pl/1Il5O2

py.pl

Xenia in the Court of the Winds - epub

EPUB or PDF Format.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Sometimes, I need a reminder about WHAT drives the best fiction: open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

The Engine of Rage

Emotion and Writing

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The whole thread, but this in particular. 15 editors got played because an AI ticked off the right demographic boxes, rather than because they'd written a quality story (don't @ me . . . it's AI, so it's not quality by definition).

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Got a yearning for Paleo-fiction? Look no further!

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Getting back into the groove with The Venetian! open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

Forging Ahead

The Venetian Continues . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Reposting for the evening crowd. The grapes won't peel themselves, you know . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

The Tip Jar is out, if anyone is feeling the urge to keep their friendly neighborhood writer stocked with peeled grapes and snow-cooled fruit juice (actually, vegan meat and coconut milk): www.paypal.com/donate/?host...

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Donate to Scott Oden

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Reposted by Scott Oden

Riptide Publishing @riptidepublishing.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

LAST CHANCE! The Dancing with the Lion Duology is now only $3.99! By Dr. Jeanne Reames - @mathetria.bsky.social. Link: riptidepublishing.com/products/dan...

Book 2 in the Dancing with the Lion Duology, by Dr. Jeanne Reames.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

In the middle of working on a long-term project -- a first-person account of the Fall of Acre -- and I start to get this itchy "need to finish something" feeling. Thinking about revisiting old discarded short story manuscripts to see what I can salvage and work on, to finish *something*.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Thought I'd share a page where you can get direct-from-the-author digital copies of my books. Click the title of each one and it will take you to Paypal. scottoden.wordpress.com/books-by-sco...

"Prince Cassim" by Maxfield Parrish: a sinister Arabian Nights-looking man with a sheathed scimitar, sitting on a pile of treasure.

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

It's my birthday eve! As I enter the last year of my fifth decade, I find myself reflecting on that period where I wrote 60-odd cozy short stories in the space of a year . . . open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

And Now, Something A Little Different

An Odd Re-share . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I envy writers who can write anywhere. I need a carefully curated space, incense, and certain kinds of music . . . open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

The Sacred Space

Or, Why I'm Not a Cafe Writer

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Congrats to all the nominees and all the winners!

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Found out last night that my collection, Old Gods and Other Tales, won the Costigan award from the REH Foundation, presented at Howard Days in Cross Plains, TX. From the website:

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

At nearly 2000 words in, I think it's safe to say that the new book is underway! open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

And So, It Begins . . .

The Venetian (title subject to change without notice)

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Why do we keep losing the good ones, but the bad ones soldier on like the world's most unwanted arse-boil?

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

My second novel, Memnon, turns 20 this year. I'mma going to need to sit with this a bit . . . open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

open.substack.com

MEMNON: 2006-2026

My Second Novel Turns Twenty . . .

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Scott Oden @orcwriter.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

A question, #MedievalSky: I have a character, a Venetian, who has lived in Venice, Sicily, Rome, Acre, Constantinople, and will live out his last days at Mystras in the 1330s (aged 76). What Greek and Roman authors would he have had access to, and could quote off-the-cuff? Thanks!

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