Happy Birthday, Whizzers

by Michael Sahno | Jul 21, 2025 | Articles | 0 comments

Today is the sixth anniversary of the publication date for Whizzers, my fourth novel. Hard to believe it’s been that long, but at least I have another work-in-progress I hope to finish relatively soon.

The Whizzers launch was a great experience. The book rocketed all the way to #9 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction list, and reviews came in at a gratifying pace.

It seems like forever ago, especially because of the “lost” pandemic years. Sales of the novel only trickle in these days, typical for a six-year-old publication.

Still, thinking about that epic launch makes me feel generous, and I want to run a celebratory giveaway. Comment below, and the first three will receive a free paperback copy (CONUS only, please). Happy Monday, and thanks, as always, for reading!

← "No, They Haven't Been Subconsciously Stolen" There’s Not Much Funny About Dementia →

More Thoughts On Robot Writers and The Tech Dystopia

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post here called When Will the Robot Overlords Replace Us? Apparently, I’m fairly obsessed with this stuff, because every time I come here and empty my brain, it seems to come up again. Today is no different. Part of the reason,...

Technophobia: A Writer’s Confession

To today's computer-savvy readers, "technophobia" might sound like a quaint leftover from the 20th century. You remember, right? Back in the 1980s, guys like me wrote poems of dismay about the invasion of technology into the arts. I still remember the words I penned...

Proust in the Artificial Intelligence Era

Let's consider this week’s post as part two to last week’s part one, When Will the Robot Overlords Replace Us? I know I've been thinking, talking, and writing about this a lot lately. Today, though, I have a different spin—one which both surprised and amused me. Last...

A Life In The Arts

When I was a senior in high school, my classmates nominated me for two of what they then called "superlatives." Rather than singling me out for something truly spectacular like Best-Looking or Most Likely to Succeed, they chose me as one of four candidates for Class...

Strictly Business

So lately I've been looking a little bit like this guy - although this dude is younger, and probably better-looking, than me. I mean I've been hunched over an iMac or MacBook quite a bit, working furiously on building my business. Now, I know that the people who...

Forget the Big “Family & Friends” Plan

About three months ago, I wrote a post entitled What I’ve Learned In Six Years of Growing An Indie Author Business. My idea was to share six lessons from my publishing experience, one for each year in the biz. As time went on, my thinking evolved. I realized these six...

Presidents’ Day: Crappy Holiday Or The Crappiest Holiday?

“The buck stops here.” —Harry S. Truman “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” —John F. Kennedy “I don’t take any responsibility at all.” —That guy I’m old—so old I remember when we celebrated George Washington’s...

Slings and Arrows, Arrows and Slings

Almost two years ago, right at the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote a blog post called Sometimes All You Can Do Is Rock With The Storm. The idea was that, hey, everyone is having a rough time right now, and we’ll likely see more rough times ahead. Knowing that life...

And Now, Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Now that I’ve reached the latter half of my sixth decade, I increasingly hear myself begin sentences “Back in the day…” or “I remember when….” It’s weird. In our eternally youth-obsessed culture, growing old itself is just plain weird. And the current pandemic has...

What’s It All About, Anyway?

As far as service goes, it can take the form of a million things. To do service, you don't have to be a doctor working in the slums for free, or become a social worker. Your position in life and what you do doesn't matter as much as how you do what you do. —Elisabeth...

← "No, They Haven't Been Subconsciously Stolen" There’s Not Much Funny About Dementia →

Another Hiatus

This blog has been around a while: it's been over ten years since I first embarked on the journey of keeping a blog running in addition to all my other writing projects and responsibilities. I went on a "blog hiatus" a few years ago as the result of a combination of...

Why You Shouldn’t Say “Happy Memorial Day”

I don't have a vested interest in Memorial Day. Although I have had many veterans in my family—father, both grandfathers, an uncle—none of them died in combat. However, in recent years, I've become aware of a troubling trend: that of treating every holiday with a...

Simple Steps to Boost Your Mood on Tough Mental Health Days

Every once in a while, I get an offer from a fellow writer who would like me to share a guest post. Today turns out to be a great day for that, so without further introduction, here’s Davis Jameson on how to boost your mood on tough mental health days: Busy...

More On Misandry and The Dangers of Toxic Feminism

"All men should start off in jail and prove their way out." —The dizziest broad on the internet I didn't think I would ever write a follow up article to last year's post, Misandry, Hypocrisy, and Understanding Toxic Feminism's Failure. After all, the title of...

From The Shadow Side to the Syzygy

Anima rising, Queen of queens Wash my guilt of Eden Wash and balance me - Joni Mitchell, Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow I’ve always enjoyed learning new words—or, as is more likely at my age, relearning words I’ve forgotten—so I was pleased to put syzygy in the...

Finding a Good Designer Is Like Finding Gold

Are you feeling grumpy today? Well, sure, it's Monday, so why not? So I'm posting some grumpy cats that I hope will give you a smile. These aren't just any grumpy cat cartoons. These are one of many features in the logo and branding portfolio of Mr. Ari Ombesi. Ari...

Book Launch Time: The Biggest Day In A Writer’s Life

Over the past few weeks, I've been posting a few hints about my upcoming book launch: Hot Scenes, available for preorder before its May 7 publication. Anyone familiar with my work most likely knows I have some humor in most of my books. However, this launch marks the...

“I Want to Bang on the Drum All Day”

Ever have an old song pop into your head and then it’s just there all day? For those of you reading this who are old enough to get the reference, today’s blog post title comes from a Todd Rundgren song from the early 80s, “Bang the Drum All Day.” Todd Rundgren was...

How Freelancers Can Build Passive Income Streams for Steady Growth

In recent months, I’ve opened up the blog to guest posts from fellow writer Davis Jameson. This month’s post is about how to add passive incomes to a freelance business, always a timely topic. Without further ado, here’s Davis: Freelancers who rely on client work,...

Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow…Right?

Recently, I was reading a post from an online trainer who coaches authors and other professionals. This trainer discusses the contrast between writing for money and writing for passion. In other words, the age-old conundrum: if you do what you love, will the money...