Happy New Year, folks! Late last year, the popular Bookstagrammer Pages of Pandora (a.k.a. Ariba Shaikh) interviewed me about my publishing journey (read “struggle”) and my various takes on Artificial Intelligence. Here’s a little behind-the-scenes info: This is actually the second interview I had with her twice in a row since we discovered after my initial interview that my sound went in and out because of the headphones I was wearing. So you’ll notice my trusty headphones that I usually wear during interviews are missing in the video below. I was a little bummed because I feel my performance was much better in the original interview. Since I didn’t know the questions beforehand, my answers were more spontaneous. They were also longer. In the final interview, you’ll notice a few of my answers sound canned because I already heard the questions only moments before, not to mention they sound rushed. Still, I had fun (I always enjoy talking about my books and the writing process in general), and I loved the little editing tricks Ariba did at the beginning, but I was a bit taken aback by the video’s abrupt ending. (You’ll see.) Anyway, enough yappin’ (well, typin’). On with the show:
Eagle-eyed visitors of my site may notice I already updated my Bio page with the video.
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In other news, I hope everyone had a great New Year’s Eve! But real talk, guys: 2025 was a LOT for me. I’m sure it was a slog for others too, but it was a particularly difficult year for me regarding my books. You may have noticed that for the first time in over 3 years, I didn’t publish a new book, though the Danger Peak audiobook did come out earlier in the year—finally! I don’t want to get into too many specifics, but most of the year, I was consumed by a fierce, soul-crushing bout of jealousy the likes of which I have never experienced before in my life. I honestly never thought of myself as the jealous type. Oh, the things we learn about ourselves in middle age! Anway, I recently tried to cheer myself up by making a list of things I did accomplish last year, books-wise, and here is what I came up with:
- As I previously mentioned, the Danger Peak audiobook was released, complete with sound effects and ‘80s-sounding music. (And don’t worry; we got a professional voice actor to narrate the book and do all the character voices, so you don’t have to listen to my “Noo Yawk” whine.)
- I was invited to speak at a literary event at a local junior high school, where I also signed 30 of my books.
- I had my first television appearance promoting my books on the inspirational talk show The Donna Drake Show, which was aired in 10 syndicated markets across the country. Technically, I was on T.V. before when I played in my high-school marching band at the EAB Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on a local Long Island station, but I don’t count that. (Still, it was nice to play alongside Andy Williams, R.I.P.)
- My three books received a TON of Instagram reviews, which is what led me to my interview posted above.
- I reached over 2,000 Instagram followers, which again might have had something to do with my recent interview.
- I created a book trailer for The Electric God.
- I had my first solo book signing (at The Neverending Story).
- I had my first signing at a bookstore (see above).
- I sold the most books I’ve ever sold before at a single signing, though that might not be saying much (again, see above).
- I was on the cover of a magazine for the first time, The Marquis Who’s Who Millennium Magazine. The digital version was available late last year, but the print edition comes out in a month or so.
- The Electric God won three more literary awards, bringing the total to four.
- I got my books into several more local bookstores, including a bookstore in the mall I used to hang out in all the time when I was growing up.
Looking back at this list, I guess it wasn’t such a terrible year for my books after all, but again, the struggle was definitely for real in 2025. I hope it was better for all of you.
Looking ahead (thank God), here is what I hope to accomplish in 2026:
- I want to publish my new novel, which I finished putting the final touches on late last year.
- I want to finish writing my new book. Yes, there’s a new book after my next book in the works. If you want to know what type of book it is, notice I didn’t use the word “novel” this time. Also, it’s my first semi-sequel.
- I’d like to reach out to more indie authors for cross-promotions.
- I’d like to come close to selling out my books at a signing—or, dare I dream, completely sell out. This is, apparently, a regular occurrence for some local authors (hence my aforementioned jealousy). I suppose I could cheat by only bringing five or six copies of my books to a signing, but that probably shouldn’t count.
- Okay, this is a big one: I’d like to get a Barnes & Noble signing—at any location. To be honest, I’ve been shooting for this goal literally since Danger Peak came out 4 years ago, to no avail. B&N has been my white whale, and it’s all the more frustrating when I see how many other local, indie authors are getting signing events there, including a hairdresser who wrote a memoir about being a hairdresser (and no, she didn’t work on the hair of celebrities or anything). Okay, that sounded snotty. You can see why 2025 was a tough year for me!
- Finally, I’d like to finish reading David Foster Wallace’s mammoth Infinite Jest, which I’ve literally been reading for over a year and a half now. It’s over 1,000 pages long with footnotes (and footnotes within the footnotes, no joke), and I have less than 200 pages to go. I’m going to do it you guys, if it kills me!
- Most of all, I want to be a little kinder to myself, especially if I don’t achieve all—or any—or these goals. But I better finish Infinite Jest. I’m not budging on that one.
Here’s to a great 2026 for everyone!
MTP
P.S.: The Danger Peak audiobook is now available!
P.P.S.: The new edition of The Electric God and Other Shorts is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
Michael Thomas Perone 