SamuKata
The Dread Machine

The Dread Machine

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The Dread Machine posts

Home Sweet Home is under development!

Home Sweet Home is under development!

Hey everyone!

This week, my second-oldest daughter and I started working on Home Sweet Home, my contribution to a 4-game collection (The Welcome Wagon) that Nate, Tim, Kanishk, and I are working on together.

This projec...

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Summer Progress Update

Summer Progress Update

Hey friends! Despite my kids being home and our kitchen being under construction, this summer has been extremely productive. Here's what I have going on right now:

1.) After two weeks of waiting, Plane is finally being processed at Ingram. Hopefully, I'll be able to order our first proofs this week, so the pr...

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Pausing billing!

Hey everyone!

I'm pausing billing, because I feel weird taking payments without offering anything substantial in return (and yes, I know that Patreon is built for this kind of thing, but still).

The last few months have been crazy. Here's an overview of the projects I've been juggling:

  • Plane way overfunded on K...

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March Update: Things are happening!

Kickstarter Announceme—oh, we’re funded already?

Well, I did plan to come in here and announce the launch of our Kickstarter for Plane, but we funded before I could even draft the post! 

As...

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February Update!

Hello friends!

It’s been an exhilarating (read: nerve-wracking) few weeks at AstroFusion Command, and I’m thrilled to share the progress we’ve made on Plane, our first journaling RPG.

Artistic Evolution: First and foremost, Plane’s vibe has undergone a remarkable transformation. Iâ€...

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HAPPY NEW CAT DAY! (and other news)

Hey everyone! Today is a very special day for me, one I’ve been looking forward to for weeks. It’s NEW CAT DAY!

NEW CAT DAY!!!! SQUEEEEE!!!

If you aren’t interested in pets, scroll down, because this is all I can think about right now and I’m dying to talk about it.

As those in our Discord like...

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January Update: Exciting Times Ahead at The Dread Machine!

Hello beloved supporters!

As the new year unfolds, we're thrilled to share some fantastic updates from The Dread Machine. Your support has been the backbone of our journey, and we're excited to take you along on our latest adventures!

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Monthly Updates: November

Monthly Updates: November

TL;DR

  • Issue 3.4 is done! We're waiting on our printer to finalize their review, then we'll be ordering physical copies and enabling preorders for non-subscribers.
  • We're dropping a story here next week. We haven't decided which one. We have to argue about it for a while first.
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We’re back from New York ComicCon, with pics!

We’re back from New York ComicCon, with pics!

Last week, I embarked on a pop culture pilgrimage.

New York ComicCon is where fandoms collide and an insane amount of creativity is on full display, from the art (which is literally everywhere) to the elaborate costumes people wear. With my very first Professional badge in hand (around my neck, actually), I set off to explore pote...

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Issue 3.3 is here!

Download it today!

Like, now. Right now. Otherwise, you'll forget.

Then, set a calendar reminder to read it, or else you'll end up with a hard drive full of unread issues.

Don't be like me. Be better than me.

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Journeying into new dimensions!

I've been keeping pretty quiet about the solo RPG Kanishk and I have been working on, mostly because I'd want to avoid any kind of deadline pressure. This is the biggest project I've ever attempted, and the stakes feel pretty high. However, the more progress I make, the more excited I get, so I'm going to share my secret news here.

In ...

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Thank you, next.

Thank you, next.

Hey everyone! Sorry about the prolonged silence. We’ve had some obnoxious, stressful behind-the-scenes problems that needed to be resolved. Now that all the fires have been put out, we have an update for you! (This one will be long, but the important parts are in bold, so it’s scroll-friendly.)

First, we broke up with KDP. View Post

Issue 3.2 is here!

In this issue of The Dread Machine...

Go west and weird, join the Goth Girls' Gun Gang, explore the bottom of the Mariana Trench, learn what cicadas taste like, hide from the corporate warlords, and sew your fractured self together.

Climb to the top of the pyramid scheme, find the joy in devouring, and save your stup...

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#BloodBossBabes by Rachel Kolar

#BloodBossBabes by Rachel Kolar

Originally published by Podcastle, March 2021.

Hey Girl!

From: Amy Shearer (serpentsisteramy@sotesh.com)

To: Heather McBride (mcheather@ymail.com)

Hey, gir...

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Under Pressure by R. L. Meza

Under Pressure by R. L. Meza

At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Death is a misplaced pinprick, a hairline crack. Owen hears Death tapping at the exterior, testing the structural integrity of the habitat. Irregular ticking echoes through the lab, as if the light deprivation has thrown an invisible clock off-kilter, altering the nature of time itself. Days pass in a blink. ...

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3.2 Cover Reveal & Proof Preview

3.2 Cover Reveal & Proof Preview

Today, I'm reviewing the proof for 3.2, and I have to say, this is pretty exceptional. For starters, this order was fulfilled by a printer in New Haven, which is about an hour and a half from me. If this printer becomes our new fulfillment center, that means much faster turnaround time on proofs and print orders. But also, I switched up my workf...

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Special Delivery from Japan!

Special Delivery from Japan!

Monica sent a package. Let's see what's inside!

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We're making friends!

Like a lot of writers, I'm an introvert, a ghost-person who prefers sneaking around the internet, lurking, hoping nobody notices my existence. Needless to say, megaplatforms (like Facebook and Twitter) are not for me. The idea of tens or hundreds of millions of strangers scrutinizing my posts or comments makes me physically ill. So, I'm thrilled...

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Murder Cabin Adventures: 2023

Murder Cabin Adventures: 2023

Every year, we host a writer's retreat at the creepiest Airbnb within our budget. Luckily, creepy Airbnbs aren't hard to find when your budget totals whatever you and six friends manage to find between your couch cushions.

Last year, 2023-05-18 22:10:42 +0000 UTC View Post

Fulfillment: An Inside Look

Fulfillment: An Inside Look

First we inspect the books, then we clean the books, then we pack the books, then we ship the books.

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Help us break stuff!

Help us break stuff!

Hey everyone! We're testing our new submission management system for the next few weeks. I've got to write documentation for the slushers and figure out how to modify my workflow. If you'd like to help, submit anything (real story, ASCII art, a document written in Wingdings—whatever) 2023-05-03 12:44:12 +0000 UTC View Post

Decoding Draft2Digital

Decoding Draft2Digital

Remember last week, when I said, "Every summer, I spend a few weeks researching other printers. Usually, we end up stuck with KDP..."? Well, I'm going to show you what that research process looks like.

Today, I evaluated Draft 2 Digital, a print-on...

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The Indie Mag Struggle: Navigating Financial Challenges and Platform Switches

This week, we've had to deal with some rough news.

Moksha Price Increase: Remember last week, when I told you Moksha's annual subscription increased to $750 per year? I can't justify the expense anymore. (I'd rather pay that money to writers.) So this weekend, we're switching to a free, self-hosted submission management sy...

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Another cost increase. 🙄

Well, I learned this morning that the cost of our annual Moksha subscription went up by $150. I was hoping, as a loyal annual customer, we'd be able to hold our $600/year rate, but nope.

For those of you who aren't aware, Moksha is a submission management platform. Many speculative fiction magazines use Moksha because it allows us to easi...

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Darkness Blooms: Proof Review

Darkness Blooms: Proof Review

Today, I'm finalizing proofs for Darkness Blooms. My process here is generally pretty straightforward: I pore over every single millimeter of each edition (epub, paperback, hardcover), and if I discover an error, I mark it and circle the page number in red pen. Once the errors are discovered, I open up the files and make the necessary correction...

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Propaganda distribution day!

Propaganda distribution day!

Behold our fat stacks! Today, I'm preparing to ship Issue 3.1.

A few people placed orders for multiple copies, and I'll be working on adding our titles to every library in the Hartford County system this month, so this is a bigger stack of books than we normally order. (Typically, I buy whatever number of subscription copies we have to s...

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SNEAK PEEK: See the Darkness Blooms announcement trailer now!

SNEAK PEEK: See the Darkness Blooms announcement trailer now!


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