"Chandler once had that dream, too, but knows how easily it became a nightmarish reality that ruins a man’s happiness and sense of self-worth at an early age." - @petermolin.bsky.social #FridayReads #BookSky bookshop.org/p/books/the-... tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge

Did not expect to have three projects out in the world at the same time (a good thing) and since I've run out of clever ideas to post and a house to clean, I'm just gonna leave these here: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5... tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge www.kickstarter.com/projects/158...

Latest book mail: The Inquisitor's Manual by Antonio Lobo Antunes. His books are amazing and, for me, function somewhat like a survival guide for these batshit crazy times, which are starting to become eerily similar to the Estado Novo.

HARD VACUUM-09: The PCs are hired to guard a famous actor on a starliner, a stunt to hype the premier of a new holovid. But when the ship is hijacked, the PCs end up cast as real-life action heroes, leading roles that could be their last. #SelfPromotionSaturday www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Explore the criminal underworld of the far future! Scoundrels of Brixton: Savage Frontier is funding on @kickstarter.com. The popular series continues with more dangerous locations, adventures, new starships and devious NPCs. Let's go! #CepheusEngine #TravellerRPG www.kickstarter.com/projects/158...

Looking forward to checking this out!

A lot of affluent folks in these Chicago suburbs are about to experience the joy of mowing their own lawns and raking leaves and shoveling snow and cleaning their homes and doing laundry and service at their favorite posh restaurant that's just a tad slow.

HARD VACUUM - Issue 09: Holovid Heroes. Inspired by the 1982 Peter O'Toole film, My Favorite Year. This adventure was super fun to write. Among the best in the series. I'm confident your players will enjoy the action. Now @drivethrurpg.com. #CepheusEngine www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Scoundrels of Brixton: Savage Frontier. Launching soon on @kickstarter.com. Click the link and hit that "Notify me" button. #CepheusEngine #TravellerRPG #SelfPromotionSaturday www.kickstarter.com/projects/158...

Me, considering whether to post about current events:

Fingers crossed!

"The paradox of dullness during wartime lingers over every scene of The Surge to the point where following Chandler around all day becomes an exercise in both patience and anxiety." - @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social #FridayReads #BookSky bookshop.org/p/books/the-... tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge

On the Metra headed home after a lovely but exhausting day at the Printers Row lit fest. Really enjoyed meeting so many fabulous people and signing copies of THE SURGE!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be selling THE SURGE by @adamkovac.bsky.social this weekend at Printers Row! It's a fantastic war novel that's earning comparisons to Hemingway and Mailer and O'Brien. Adam will be signing books from 1 to 3 on Saturday at the Small Press Tent...be there!

"Adam Kovac’s The Surge, a novel that, upon reading, I realize is the nexus novel of the nexus event of the nexus war of the nexus country." - @travisklempan.bsky.social #fridayreads #booksky tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge bookshop.org/p/books/the-... www.amazon.com/Surge-Adam-K...

Gearing up to attend the Printers Row lit fest in Chicago tomorrow. I'll be signing copies of THE SURGE at the @tortoisebooks.bsky.social booth in the small press tent from 1-3 pm. Stop by, it'd be fabulous to see you.

Department of War sounds f—ng stupid. About as dumb as Space Force. Jaysus Christ.

I know a novel that delves into this somewhat so I'm gonna just leave these right here: tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge bookshop.org/p/books/surg... www.amazon.com/Surge-Adam-K...

My take, as a #ttrpg publisher: Each HARD VACUUM issue is $5 for a 2-3 hour scenario involving 1-6 players. Issues require about 40 hours for writing, layout. Factoring in time for promotion, accounting, £200 for cover art, I felt that was a fair price for a PDF. www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher...

We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight in Pilsen, we shall fight on the Lakefront Trail, we shall fight them with giardiniera and footwork, we shall defend our city, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on Lower Lower Wacker, we shall fight in the Jewel; we shall never fucking surrender.

Read this. I also want everyone to read "The Surge"

I have a review of THE SURGE by Adam Kovac @boondock60mm.bsky.social out in Wrath-Bearing Tree today. Get yourself a copy (of the book and the journal) and read it. www.wrath-bearingtree.com/2025/09/01/n...

"But a book like The Surge – that might stand the test of our time, at least, if enough people read it. I want people to read it. They need to read it. How can I make them read it?" Thanks @travisklempan.bsky.social for this fabulous review. www.wrath-bearingtree.com/2025/09/01/n...

Wait what Blacksad: The Roleplaying Game are you f---ing serious take my money all of it right now!

Apparently this Kickstarter is winding up some gentlemen on the internet - they are distressed by the implication that the Nazis were the bad guys. If you're not keen on these sort of fellows, and you'd like to give 'em a metaphorical punch on the snoot - back Annie's latest awesome Kickstarter?

Despite my best efforts, I have accepted that I am unable to perform any productive work today and have decided instead to go outside and mow the lawn.

I served in the Illinois National Guard from 2006-2009 and the Chicago-area units were comprised mainly of: 1. Dirty cops 2. Gangbangers 3. Immigrants 4. 2A nut jobs 5. Suburban teenagers addicted to video games If that's still the case, this is gonna be one wacky deployment.

Psst ... www.amazon.com/Surge-Adam-K...

HARD VACUUM is a series of action-packed science-fiction adventures geared for a one shot or side quest in nearly any #CepheusEngine or #TravellerRPG campaign. See if it's a fit for your table @drivethrurpg.com. #SelfPromotionSaturday www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher...

"In this remarkable debut, Adam Kovac has not only produced a vivid and compelling story about the reality of war, he's somehow conjured an allegory for where we are in American history." Naeem Murr, author of The Perfect Man #FridayReads bookshop.org/p/books/surg... tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge

Thrilled to be among so many fabulous #ttrpg creators!

True story: My son returned from an 8th grade class trip to D.C. this past June and said the only crime he encountered were the food prices in the U.S. Capitol cafeteria.

The players are invited to a fancy meal and end up poisoned by a criminal mastermind. To get the antidote, they must retrieve a data wafer from a seedy hotel and outwit a pack of gangsters and corrupt cops. HARD VACUUM - 08: Foxy Lady, now @drivethrurpg.com: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

This isn't gonna work and I know because I spent 5 months walking anti-crime street patrols as a UN Peacekeeper in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, back in '95 and the only thing we accomplished was to scare civilians trying to survive amid crushing poverty.

The Big 5 publishers get a lot of attention...let's give small ones some well-deserved airtime. #20Indiebookchallenge Choose 20 small-press books you've either read or want to read, in no particular order. Just covers + publisher's name. Publisher: @tortoisebooks.bsky.social 12/20 #litfic

Book promotion and marketing has reached the point where an author announces the publication day for their novel and I think, "Wait, I totally thought that book was released last year."

Foundation season 3 is really good sci fi. Really, really good. I have spoken.

It's National Book Lovers Day and here's a novel that'd love to be on your shelf.

"Adam Kovac captures that strange, messy time with verve and the sort of dark truthfulness only fiction can provide." - Matt Gallagher, author of Daybreak #FridayReads #Booksky bookshop.org/p/books/surg... tortoisebooks.com/store/thesurge www.amazon.com/Surge-Adam-K...

The man who leads the U.S. military is proud of the people who killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the U.S. military.

Tapping the sign (again).

I'm asked occasionally if I've got other books in me. Yup. Two novels are already written. They're good. But what I don't have are word counts. Huge social-media following. Arbitrary sales metrics. Reviews. Publishing is not writing. And somedays, it's helpful to remind myself of that.

Who's heading for #TravConUK this October? I'll be running some Cepheus Universal using a #ttrpg adventure by @boondock60mm.bsky.social. Happy to become Pirate bait?

Hired to deliver critical relief supplies to the Jump point, the players are forced to deal with a malfunctioning starship and reckon with old enemies. Roll skill checks, roll initiative! HARD VACUUM - Issue 07: Smooth Operator, now available @drivethrurpg.com: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

If you read a book, and enjoy it, write a short review. Or take a second and click a few stars on a website. Heck, snap a photo and post on social media. Huge help to authors and publishers, especially small presses. Huge. #booksky

My contributor's copy of the See You, Space Cowboy ... Adventure Anthology. A must-have for anyone who enjoyed the Cowboy Bebop anime series. Really enjoyed writing the scenario, Dark Harvest, for this super-fun #ttrpg supplement from Tidal Wave Games. Check it out: tidalwavegames.bigcartel.com

US youth soccer coaches: We're looking to identify intelligent, creative players for higher development. Also US youth soccer coaches: Only the players with the fastest 40-yard sprint times will be identified for higher development. (sigh)

I hate to shamelessly hawk my novel but I highly recommend clicking the link because it's now too good to pass up.

I believe I'm contractually obligated to post whenever THE SURGE is available on the cheap over at the terrible place. Obviously, that's a joke, but the book really is on sale for the time being. www.amazon.com/Surge-Adam-K...

July 22, 2006.