About The Author

Where do you find inspiration for your sci-fi stories? Do you have a specific process for developing new ideas?

I go out into the world and let it show me itself. I pay attention to how people walk, and talk, and move.

Along with that, using products, and experiencing the shittier parts of life.

I wrote a story about how Jon goes to therapy, it’s set inside a VR simulation with Sigmund Freud as his therapist, the funny part is going to be as he’s getting to the root of a problem, on the edge of break through, the program glitches and logs him out of the session.

Something similar actually happened to me when I was on a therapy video call, and right when it happened instead of getting mad I laughed (in annoyance), because I knew I was going to write that into The Time Traveling Salesman somehow.

I like playing with how technology will continue to fail or glitches even as tech advances in 200-1000 years. You’ll be able to get a delivery same day by drone, but you’ll order will still be wrong every once in a while.


How does your love for sci-fi influence your writing style and the themes you explore in your newsletter?

Well, Douglas Adams, the brilliant SOB that wrote The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy has greatly influenced my comedy writing, I love satire and making people laugh, so, I take a lot of influence from him and the way he’ll explain something that builds the world, but is kind of unrelated to what’s going on currently in the story.

I wasn’t sure how I would do that in my newsletter, but then I realized that my main character is the narrator. This gave me a unique opportunity, I can just have him get distracted in the story and kind of do the same thing by trailing off into a side story.But aside from good ole Mr. Adams, I also love Blake Crouch. His writing is elegant, and the way he plays with physics in a very real way has genuinely changed the way I see how the universe might work.

Dark Matter, and Recursion are top tier books and deserve all the accolades they have received. Like Blake, I to, like to stay close to what’s real, and if at all possible, try to explain tech in my stories with real physics whenever possible.


Do you have animals?
I have two cats, Sherlock the orange one that plays fetch, and Watson the one that loves to cuddle up on my chest with me and watch movies. They will both go for walks with me from time to time.


What’s your writing process like?

Step 1: Idea
I get an idea randomly through out my day and I log it in notion. I have different categories for ideas, Dreams of a Time Traveler, Dreams of an AI, a newsletter, or a book.

Step 2: Decide
From there, out of these categories, I decide what I’m going to work next. Once I know that, I look through my ideas and see what sounds fun, or what idea has been lingering in my head that I just feel I have to write. Like the book Jon Goes to Therapy (working title), I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I decided that’s what I was going to write next. I thought it was going to be a newsletter, but then I kept writing, and writing, and writing, and realized it was going to have to be a book.

Step 3: Research and/or Outline
Next I’ll outline how I want the story to flow. Having a scaffolding is important. It makes writing so much faster because it give me a road to follow and prevents writers block. If I decided to do a history piece, and not just something I can pull out of my ass, I mean brain, then I’ll do a bunch of research for it before I start outlining. In the research phase I collect a bunch of concepts I’ll plan on interlacing into the story, its kind of like a pre-scaffold.

Step 4: Write (the fun part)
I write the story. I usually do this at lifetime fitness on the treadmill. However, the shorter stories the dreams of I’ll write in hotels, or at bars, or at hotel bars.

Step 5: Edit in two passes
The less fun part, but also the part that is becoming more fun each time I do it. I’ve come to love editing. I used to hate it, and avoid it at all cost, but now I like carving the sentence and restructuring them to make them flow properly and become the eloquent strings of words that will make the story great. Although, sometime, the pressure to make each on great weighs on me like a bag of elephant shit.But I’ll do two passes per chapter, then move to the next one, and so on.

I found doing it this way makes it feel less daunting and I move more quickly through the process.

Step 6: Get feedback
This is honestly the hardest part. No one wants to read your shit when you’re starting out. Getting people to read your stories in the early days is like pulling teeth, and during movies, the only scenes that make me gag are when teeth get pulled. So I’m very excited to build an audience where people will ask to be beta readers and be excited to get early looks and unfinished works.

Step 7: Read Out loud and edit
Once I get feedback, if I do, because sometimes I just say fuck it and move on. I’ll read the piece out loud, to myself, one more time over. This really helps me catch the last few sentences that don’t flow correctly.

Step 8: Graphics
From there, I’m done writing and then just have to create any graphics, like thumbnails or photos, that need to be added to the piece.

Step 9: Formatting
I’ll the put the typed words into where it needs to go, like Beehiiv, and do any formatting that needs to be done, or I’ll place it into the KDP so it can get published on amazon.

Step 10: Post/Publish
Then I schedule it to be published and let the world have it. From there it’s out of my hands. I just hope that people enjoy it, and find it, and connect with it.


What do you find most exciting about the sci-fi genre, and why did you choose it as the focus of your newsletter?

The Sci-fi Genre just allows me to play. It gives me freedom to take what I see in the world now, and expound upon it. Like, for instance, self checkouts… What might those be like in the year 2400? Will they even exist? Will people go to grocery stores at all?

I like that I can connect to experiences in my day to day life now, then make predictions as to what they will be like in the future. It just makes my life, day to day, more fun, because I get to look at the world through a lens of ‘ooo, what might that be like?’

Where can I follow you?

Instatram

Threads

Youtube


How do you balance the creative process of writing sci-fi stories with the business side of running a newsletter?

Hmm, well I love business so I just do what I can to keep that moving. Compared to running a home organizing business, this business is super easy, for being a business, which no matter what you do, is one of the most difficult things you can choose to do as a career path.But the stories make running the business more fun, because I can play with the character in new, unique ways on social media and across the internet. Even what used to be mundane like networking events are now more fun.

This allows me the benefit of having to do less balancing, and more merging.That being said, I have a bunch of processes, such as notion templates, to help me capture ideas, keep things moving, organized, and on track. I also have carved out 40 minutes a day that I write so that’s always getting done. I made a portable desk that I take to the gym and put on the treadmill.

I like to walk and write together. Gotta get those 10k steps in a day.But when I started writing, I kind of hated it, however pairing it with walking on the treadmill made both suck less. Formulating this process has helped me stick with writing while making it more fun. Especially when people comment on my desk, I love meeting strangers.


What’s a fond childhood memory?

I always loved going over to friends houses and playing. Wether it be video games, legos, Pokemon cards, pog’s, action figures, or dressing up in costumes and making up a story about being super hero’s or some other outlandish story line. I always enjoyed being with friends over being at school, ew.


Can you share any specific moments or challenges when you felt like giving up, and how did you push through?

Yeah I feel like giving up a lot. Life is suffering, so sometimes I question why do anything at all. However, to combat my suffering, I've decided on a few things.

A) I want my life to be fun. So that’s why I’m doing this newsletter. It's fun, I want to keep doing it because I want to keep having fun. (Damn, I think I’ve said fun 20 times in this article, that’s probably 15 too many.)

B) I’m trying to optimize my life for freedom. This model I got from a Tim Ferris podcast episode has helped me pick the opportunities I want to do. It puts them through a filter to ensure I don’t take on too much because doing too much stuff means less freedom.

Running a business is super difficult, and there’s a lot I don’t want to do, like raise money, or find clients. What I’ve been trying to do is find ways to make that more fun as well by putting less pressure on myself to do them. I’ve been working on taking more of a, ‘it will find me,’ mindset while also taking necessary steps to be in areas where the opportunities are more likely to ‘find me.’ Then, all I have to do is be ready for them when they arrive…

For example having a pitch deck ready to go.Pushing through is hard though, sometimes you actually need to stop pushing and start pulling, or take a rest and look at the problem from a different perspective, because there also might be a solution you don’t see. Like, you may be able to borrow a tank and to blow up the immovable block that’s in your way because your cousin Vinny knows a guy.


What are some unique challenges you’ve encountered running a genre-specific newsletter like The Time Traveling Salesman?

I’m doing something different, thus, people don’t totally get it right away. It takes a good deal of explaining. They like it, but don’t totally understand how it makes money. However, once I explain the unique ways in which I structure my sponsorship deals, or how my subscription offer is set up, things start clicking and they start to not only get excited about what I’m doing, but also about newsletters.

Embedding a brand in a story where their success in the future has already been secured is a fun, new way for a brand to market to a targeted audience. I call it immersion marketing.But also educating people on the story is difficult, getting people to understand all the players takes time, so I’m structuring all my marketing and initial sign up flow to support educating the reader on the story.


Did you always want to become a writer?

I thought writer would be the last thing I’d ever do. I tend to avoid things that feel like school because I hated it so much, but sure enough, here we are. And a fiction writer at that… never would have had seen that coming from a million light years away. I would have thought non-fiction, which is what my first few newsletters were. But I stumbled into fiction, and turns out, I love it.


How do you keep your content engaging and relevant to both sci-fi enthusiasts and new readers discovering the genre?

Something pretty unique that I’m doing is creating different kinds of content on different platforms for people to discover and engage with. For instance, Jon’s instagram, where he shares photos and journals about his travels.Or taking the current popularity of Ai, I took Jon’s General Ai Assistant Anna iris, and wrote about dreams that she has while she’s updating her software or doing heavy processing.

This kind of content draws people in, makes them think, and then, ideally, creates a desire for them to want to read more.

I also link the content from different platforms so as I hook people in as fans, they can go and find how content links across mediums and segments. It’s a great time for me to create easter eggs for people to uncover, it’s something I know my audience really loves, and I want to give them what they want.


How do you handle creative blocks, and what helps you stay consistent with publishing content?

I actually don’t really have creative blocks. I have the opposite problem. I’m overwhelmed by ideas and want to write them all, but don’t have enough time to do them all as fast as I’d like. If I get blocked it’s because something I’m writing feels heavy to work though. If that’s what’s going on I just stop and, I’ll either come back to it when I revise, or the next day, if I’m at the end of my walking session.

Staying consistent is all about the systems I’ve set up so that I write and don’t have to think about writing or force myself to get started. But I also like to just go out into the world and sit at bar or coffee shop and get inspiration and while I write in a new environment.Something I face on a daily basis is getting ideas randomly, to handle this, I created a content management system so that I can grab ideas whenever they hit me, then, when I need to start something new I just go in there and pick an idea I already know I want to write about. This strategy has provided me with near infinite ideas for content.


Have you experimented with any monetization strategies? If so, what has worked or not worked for you so far?

I have, but I still have a lot to play with here. I use the beehiiv ad network which has worked well for me. I also offer exclusive content that builds on my story. Exclusive content is what I believe to be the holy grail of monetization because that’s when you can write for your audience and not the advertiser.


Where do you find inspiration for your sci-fi stories? Do you have a specific process for developing new ideas?

I go out into the world and let it show me itself. I pay attention to how people walk, and talk, and move.Along with that, using products, and experiencing the shittier parts of life.I wrote a story about how Jon goes to therapy, it’s set inside a VR simulation with Sigmund Freud as his therapist, the funny part is going to be as he’s getting to the root of a problem, on the edge of break through, the program glitches and logs him out of the session.

Something similar actually happened to me when I was on a therapy video call, and right when it happened instead of getting mad I laughed (in annoyance), because I knew I was going to write that into The Time Traveling Salesman somehow.

I like playing with how technology will continue to fail or glitches even as tech advances in 200-1000 years. You’ll be able to get a delivery same day by drone, but you’ll order will still be wrong every once in a while.


How do you decide which ideas make it into the newsletter and which ones to set aside?

That’s actually probably one of the hardest things to decide. Things like naming conventions, and how money and technology work are all really critical and difficult decisions to make because they shape the world and story. So getting it wrong can, and will bite me in the ass.

As for core ideas, I primarily write it if it sounds fun. Like one season I wrote made me crack up like mad man. I was laughing to myself on the treadmill at the gym. The idea itself was that funny, I just had to write it even if I never release it.I decided I’m going to, but it won’t make it live on the archive on my website. So in order to read it you have to be subscribed.I’ll give you a hint, Jon did something very illegal, and it’s about lip filler.

But yeah, anyhow, to finish that thought, it’s pretty simple, I write it if it’s funny, or just a really fun idea to play with and elaborate on.


Are there any sci-fi authors or works that have deeply influenced your writing?

Along with who I mentioned earlier, I love the great Issac Asimov. His book of short stories, Electric Dreams are remarkable. That was a guy thinking about concepts way ahead of his time. To come up with what he came up with, when he came up with them, is a real testament.

I get it easy, all that shit it basically a reality now, and there are a lot of strings leading to possible outcomes I can play with. But when none of it seemed real at the time, to come up with those ideas, just masterful.

I am actually a huge film guy, Jonathan Nolan's West World and Fall Out are two of my all time favorites, as well as The Expanse, which does a phenomenal job of playing with Space Politics.The thing about film is that underlying every great film is great writing.

All films start out as scripts, and then are later turned into movies. And what happens more often than I realize is that most films start as books. But you all know that, I’m just reminding you.


How has feedback from your readers shaped the direction or tone of your newsletter content?

I love feedback, when people give me thoughts I incorporate them, as long as they make sense to the story of course. But I started out by having my friends help me name and create characters. I like when people add to the story, I don’t need everything to be mine, if this gets really big, I want them to be able to say “I actually came up with x.”


Can I message you with questions?

Absolutely! I love chatting with readers about my stories, newsletters, or aspiring authors.


Can I talk to Jon?

You sure can. Go DM him on instagram or threads You can also email him by replying to newsletters or at [email protected]


What do you hope The Time Traveling Salesman becomes in the long run? Do you see it evolving beyond a newsletter?

I see it expanding a bit, I’ve created it so that I can share the IP and let others build on top of it. I want to just write, and maybe sit on set of a series getting made out of it. I’ll also end up doing some YouTube animation stuff eventually. Honestly, I’m really happy to just make a few grand a month from it, continue to get enjoyment out of connecting with my audience, and living a good life, feeling free, and having fun.I could see it getting big, but my main goal is to hit 100k subscribers and then sail off into the sunset.…or more, continue walking on a treadmill at Life Time fitness with a computer in front of my face while nursing a wicked case of typer’s elbow.


How long did it take you to complete your latest work?

The book took me roughly 10 months. But I got extremely depressed in the middle of writing it and didn’t work on it for a while in the middle. So I would have been done faster had I not lost my will to live for a few difficult months.


What advice would you give to other writers looking to turn their passion for storytelling into a newsletter business?

I’m here to help if anyone wants guidance for free. Once I crack the model for good I’m going to help others pull it off. But at the end of the day, if you already have the content, the rest is easy. So it comes down to just starting. Then write, then write some more, and keep on writing.I always recommend building up a trove of 10-30 newsletters articles before launch so that you’re not constantly chasing your tail.

Being pressured to write one a week will give you writer's block. Build up subscribers to the newsletter in the meantime.

Meaning, set it up, start driving people (you can still do this and not send anything, they won’t know or care). If you have money, push as much traffic as you can using paid ads on facebook, instagram, and reddit.Note that you have to have a good story. Or stories, aggregating other people's stories can also be a good model, that has worked for hundreds of years… it’s called magazines.

Do what works for you though, and at the end of the day, you have to love the story because it’s going to consume you. If you’re going to get consumed, you want it to be by something you love.


Do you have a favorite character you've created?

I really like Anna Iris, she doesn’t take shit, is a super intelligent consciousness and wants to save the world, but can’t because she's stuck in her job. I’ve also created a really fun and secret backstory, but you’ll have to either become one of my 1000 true fans… or wait until I write about it in 10-20 years.


What's the hardest part about writing for you?

Names and naming conventions. Names carry a significant importance, and it’s just so difficult to name each character. Especially when you’re in a flow and you introduce a new character and now you have to give them a name. Shits haaard!


What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Start yesterday. You only get better at writing, by writing. Also some great advice I got was to let the words of other writers flow through you. What I mean by this is type out their work, word for word. Obviously not for publishing, but you experience the work differently when you type it out and feel each letter and word placed through your placing of it. I did this with Seth Godin and Douglas Adams and it made my writing 100x better.


Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Yes, all of them, and no, none of them. I try not to base any of my characters on people I know, unless they are seen in a very favorable light. However, I do base all my characters off of characteristics and mannerisms I pull from real people. I might pull small quirks from people I know.But again, I really try to keep people I know out of my work. As well as myself, I’ll put small prices of myself in, but I haven’t based any characters directly off of me or who I want to be. I try to make the character who they are.


What's your favorite book you've written and why?

Jon Goes to Therapy. The concept is one that I had been playing with for years in my head. What if the universe were a simulation for a group of entities to do experiments in, or test stuff from their universe on or in. That’s what I would play with, for this story, making it about suffering and just another form of entrainment like a tv show, was were I landed and made the story more funny. I also found it funny to make it so every layer of the universe I write is just another form of entertainment of some kind.


Do you listen to music while writing?

Sometimes. I don’t usually bring headphones to the gym, but when I do I listen to The Travel Music Playlist or The Time Traveling playlist.


Have you ever considered writing in a different genre?

I actually started my fiction career writing fantasy. It’s how I discovered my love for fiction, but it was for a friends business, and I was heavily restricted, I really wanted to see what writing in the sci-fi world would be like, sure enough it was as liberating as I thought it would be.But I’ll probably write some romance, or some other genre at some point, just for the fun of it.


What's your favorite food or meal to cook?

I make a mean chicken salad sandwich! But I eat mostly ground beef, ground chicken and carrots. Gotta stay lean, I want that six pack. But I also eat a little peanut butter treat every night with a cookie.

My favorite yummy drink is Zevia Cream Soda. No calories, So delicious.


If you could have dinner with any author, dead or alive, who would it be?

I’d have a dinner party with Douglas Adams, Blake Crouch, Tim Ferris, and Seth Godin. I’d try to get everyone high.


What's your go-to comfort TV shows?

South park, Rick and Morty, or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I also love Wilfred.


Do you believe in aliens?

Yeah, at the very least bacteria or microbes of some kind exist out there. Have aliens visited us? Probably. It’s hard to know for sure though, there plenty of reason for the government to hide it, but also there are reason to fake it and make it seem like they have evidence of these programs, when they don’t. If there is other conscious life, I think we’ll make first contact in the next 50 years.


What's your favorite place you've ever traveled to?

Israel was pretty cool, but I loved Italy. However, every time i’ve ever gone to Mexico it’s been fun


Do you have any unusual hobbies or collections?

I started collecting phones, I love tech and seeing how it evolves. Also old measuring tools, and old tools. Hobbies, I make stuff, so sewing, 3D-printing, woodworking, metal working, laser cutting, leatherwork. I’ve done it all, I love it all. I just like to make stuff to make my life easier around the house and car.


If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be?

I’d live on earth in the Star Trek universe. You have all that amazing tech, and it’s a utpoic future where everything's kind of just hunky dory. Plus if you want to go see the universe you have that option, and aliens walking around would be dope. Getting to learn about other alien cutlers would be a dream.


Do you prefer coffee or tea?

I used to love coffee, but caffeine messes with my system too much sadly, so now I stick to herbal teas. Right now I drink a lavender chamomile with a touch a cream and cinnamon. mmmmm.