I always think my level of burnout and overwhelm will get better once I complete XYZ task or hit ABC milestone, but it NEVER FREAKING DOES. Why don't I learn? It's not about what's on my plate at any moment. It's my inability to say "no." It's social media. It's society's hustle culture. It's ACK.

Trying to get anything normal done right now

The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.

PSA: If you try to spam me with your author service on WhatsApp I will block you so fast you won't even remember I exist.

Publishing: "it's December nothing's happening we're basically closed weeeeeee" Me: "IT'S SLOW IN DECEMBER SO IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO REBRAND ALL OF MY MARKETING AND BUILD AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO LET ME SCALE BOTH MY AUTHOR AND FREELANCE BUSINESSES WOOOOOOOOO"

My ENTIRE Spotify Wrapped is Taylor Swift and the score to the video game Expedition 33 and I apologize to no one

FINALLY was able to log into The Game Awards site to vote for Expedition 33. I was about to RIOT if I couldn't. If it doesn't win both Game of the Year and Best Score & Music I WILL STILL RIOT. This game should freaking SWEEP. @expedition33.bsky.social GOOD LUCK!

Just found out the Polish publisher of my book Under the Surface is sending influencers early copies IN BOXES OF ACTUAL DIRT TO REPRESENT HOW THE CHARACTERS ARE MISSING UNDERGROUND IN THE PARIS CATACOMBS

Iiiiiiit’s my birthday! In some ways this year was rough, BUT I wrote a new novel, got to see JAPAN, and started a business that’s already generating steady income. So hey, not too shabby! And next year should be interesting… 🤐😜

This Polish bookstagrammer took the book I wrote (translated!) about four teens who go missing in the Paris Catacombs and COSPLAYED AS THE CHARACTERS IN THE CATACOMBS!!! PEAK AUTHOR MOMENT, I AM DECEASED THIS IS MY GHOST 👻

HAPPY N7 DAY TO EVERYONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT IS!!! ... I should go

I HAVE PASSED AWAY, THIS IS MY GHOST 👻 🥹🥹🥹

Girls be like “I needed this” and it's just gerrymandering revenge

WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THIS MOMENTUM FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND THEN ANOTHER TWO YEARS AND THEN FOREVER 🌊🌊🌊

Why do I ALWAYS have to spot the typo THE INSTANT I hit "enter" or "send" or THE INSTANT the "undo" button disappears and not TWO SECONDS beforehand? WHY MUST THIS BE????

🚨Book news! 🚨 My original space opera THE PHOTONIC EFFECT is up on NetGalley! 🚀Voyager x DS9 x Mass Effect 💗A romance with a non-corporeal being ⚛️Lots of fake science 🕵️Multiple conspiracies colliding for chaos 🎸Rilo Kiley saves the galaxy Request now! www.netgalley.com/catalog/book...

I may be a published author of four books but I’ll still use the word “impact” so I don’t have to pick between effect and affect

The No Kings protests are always so comforting because it proves that millions of us still haven’t lost our entire goddamn minds

Just finished Under the Surface by @dianaurban.bsky.social Highly HIGHLY recommend! It was so good, and had a lot of genuine surprises. I loved it and now I have to watch every documentary about the catacombs I can find!

“I think publishers keep setting near-impossible deadlines because so many of us keep accepting them, and we’ve set a precedent that we’ll acquiesce to unreasonable demands. Without a union, we must collectively set new precedents to protect ourselves and each other.”

Erm hi, it's my most incendiary post to date. Enter at your own risk???? 😂

Eternally grateful for this recognition from @jrlibraryguild.bsky.social. I vividly remember checking out Hatchet from my local library as a kid, which sparked my love of survival stories. So to get this honor for my own survival story is epically surreal. 🥹

The fact that the FBI director keeps publicly sharing the most UTTERLY LUDICROUS evidence before any trials that explicitly reinforces the Trump administration's narrative AND THAT ANYONE ACTUALLY BELIEVES IT makes me feel like we're in a broken simulation.

Listening to Kamala’s audiobook is honestly devastating. I will forever mourn what we lost out on. We were so close to brilliance.

Do we think Skylight will be a legitimate replacement for TikTok? I’m not loving the UI but I only just started using it. Thoughts??

Oh interesting, so Skylight posts automatically cross-post to Bluesky. Good to know lmao 🙈

This is what happens in UNDER THE SURFACE, a twisty, high-stakes thriller with danger, romance, and moments that’ll make you SOB. four girls follow a charming French guy into the Paris catacombs… then get lost for DAYS. no cell signal. no food or water. masked creeps with knives are hunting them.

Publishing is not for the thin skinned (courtesy @dianaurban.bsky.social) open.substack.com/pub/dianaurb...

Okay so my question is: how the heck are all these readers JUST NOW figuring out that most authors are liberals LMAO where have you beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen

To help other authors brace for reality in publishing better than I did, I’m dishing the DIRT: 80+ ways you can get rejected in publishing after getting an offer for a book deal open.substack.com/pub/dianaurb...

FOR SAYING 100% OF MY EMPATHY GOES TO CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED BY GUN VIOLENCE. We are officially in an episode of Black Mirror.

Today 100% of my empathy goes to the children who have died by gun violence or suffered injury or trauma because of it. 100% of it.

THE WAY I JUST SCREAMED. (But also, how rare it is for someone to hold their ground on behalf of authors 🥲) news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/anthr...

I HAVE ACHIEVED INBOX ZERO

Not sure how I stumbled upon this @dianaurban.bsky.social Substack post, but it's one I'm going to refer back to next time I'm proofing any #writing.

If you ever call the villains in any of my novels “cartoonish,” I won’t reply, but please just picture me jabbing a finger aggressively at the White House

ALL MY BOOK BABIES NOW HAVE AT LEAST 4K RATINGS ON GOODREADS!!! I'm so proud of them, they're growing up so fast 🥹 Thank you so much everyone who's taken the time to drop a rating/review! YOU'RE THE BEST 🫶

Damn… well, at least we got a preview of how GLORIOUS it will be when it finally does happen

Even if he’s not, I hope he knows how much we want it

If I got this little sleep for nothing I’m going to flip tables lmao

Finding out that two of my publishers completely failed to file copyright registration for my books might be my last straw, actually!!!

I was in 7th grade when the Columbine shooting happened and I VIVIDLY remember my English teacher crying in class because it was such a shock, yet trying to assure us it would never happen to us, or to anyone, ever again. I think about that every single time.

AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.

Sometimes you just need a good snuggle 🥺

Hello, please admire the new sticker I got for my laptop, thank you 😘

Oooh this is one of my favorite authors, and her most recent book -- it's really fun! If you haven't read it, now is the time!!

So this is happening now and I have no idea how long it will last so snap it upppppppppppp IT’S ABOUT A GIRL WHO GOES MISSING IN THE PARIS CATACOMBS AND IF YOU DON’T CRY WHILE READING THIS IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU

Here are some publishing truths that I probably shouldn’t talk about publicly, but OOPS I did. open.substack.com/pub/dianaurb...