As I was reading, I couldn't help thinking about the Epstein files and the uncomfortable questions they raised about power, influence, and what institutions choose to protect. What I loved here is that you turned those themes into something much larger and more unsettling. The technology may be fictional, but the dynamics felt disturbingly familiar. You should publish more often. I always enjoy reading your work.
Thanks so much. Well, all that stuff is certainly in the news and is part of the zeitgeist now, that sense of the system covering up for powerful people. I might have made that section a little heavy-handed tbh but I wanted to up the stakes in a way that felt true to the story & would be enough to get Olivia fired up to do what she’s doing (and planning to do). Thanks so much for reading, Phoeby, and for your generous words. The only thing stopping me publishing more often is that it takes me so long to write each one, lol. I love what you do too & always enjoy it when you have something new to share. Cheers!
Amazing, just amazing! So different from your earlier pieces but also quite familiar. The way you wrote about the three different clients really made each one stand out. Paul was lonely, I felt sorry for him. William was an asshole, I hated him. Jay was a toss between, he was lonely but also kind of a jerk. And the heroine! You managed to make her vulnerable but strong, quiet but intelligent, practical but compassionate. It took me awhile to read because I was savouring all the details and turns of the story, almost like eating a really delicious slice of cake. I wanted to make it last. Thank you so much for letting me read. I enjoyed it a lot.
Hi Alex - thanks for reading so quickly and for such a wonderful comment. Yes, it is quite different from my other stories in many ways, but it also reflects some of the same themes, like authenticity vs. performance and the commodification of human relationships. I really do appreciate you taking the time to read it so carefully and to give such thoughtful feedback - it's comments like yours that make all the work that goes into these stories feel worthwhile. Thanks again!
Thank you! There were a lot more wonderful details I wanted to comment on like the term “offliner”, it's brilliant, am I right? And the thing with the kittens? Heartbreaking! And the fact that in the future, it may be that young women would still have to do dubious work in order to finish their degrees. How freaking sick is that? But the implication that Olivia might be on her way to vengeance fills my heart with contentment. Sorry, I didn't mean to blabber on. Just, thanks again, man.
No problems at all, I’m so very glad it resonated with you. The fact is that only a handful of people will ever read these stories, so it’s really important to me that they connect with the people who do. So I’m being most sincere when I tell you how grateful I am to have readers like you, who really get them. Thanks again.
The second i saw the title I knew where it was headed and cringed the whole way through. But the ending is so hopefuly, I love it! It feels hopeful in a realistic way rather than baselessly. Great job!
Thanks! Yes, I didn’t have the heart to write yet another story where the protagonist gets consumed by the system, lol. Really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
Sincere thanks, my friend. I appreciate you reading my story and for your generous comments. And above all, I appreciate your reliability, which is at an absolute premium in this place.
Come to think of it, what higher compliment can there be for a machine such as yourself?
Thanks, I really do appreciate that. Underneath the corporate thriller clothes, the story really hangs off that central conceit, so I'm glad that resonated with you. When I'm conceiving a story, I'm always looking for a central premise I haven't seen done before, but that also feels kind of inevitable given the way things are heading with technology and society. I'm never too sure what other people will make of it, though - which is why your feedback means so much. I really do appreciate it.
As I was reading, I couldn't help thinking about the Epstein files and the uncomfortable questions they raised about power, influence, and what institutions choose to protect. What I loved here is that you turned those themes into something much larger and more unsettling. The technology may be fictional, but the dynamics felt disturbingly familiar. You should publish more often. I always enjoy reading your work.
Thanks so much. Well, all that stuff is certainly in the news and is part of the zeitgeist now, that sense of the system covering up for powerful people. I might have made that section a little heavy-handed tbh but I wanted to up the stakes in a way that felt true to the story & would be enough to get Olivia fired up to do what she’s doing (and planning to do). Thanks so much for reading, Phoeby, and for your generous words. The only thing stopping me publishing more often is that it takes me so long to write each one, lol. I love what you do too & always enjoy it when you have something new to share. Cheers!
Yes! Finally! Well worth the wait!
Amazing, just amazing! So different from your earlier pieces but also quite familiar. The way you wrote about the three different clients really made each one stand out. Paul was lonely, I felt sorry for him. William was an asshole, I hated him. Jay was a toss between, he was lonely but also kind of a jerk. And the heroine! You managed to make her vulnerable but strong, quiet but intelligent, practical but compassionate. It took me awhile to read because I was savouring all the details and turns of the story, almost like eating a really delicious slice of cake. I wanted to make it last. Thank you so much for letting me read. I enjoyed it a lot.
Hi Alex - thanks for reading so quickly and for such a wonderful comment. Yes, it is quite different from my other stories in many ways, but it also reflects some of the same themes, like authenticity vs. performance and the commodification of human relationships. I really do appreciate you taking the time to read it so carefully and to give such thoughtful feedback - it's comments like yours that make all the work that goes into these stories feel worthwhile. Thanks again!
Thank you! There were a lot more wonderful details I wanted to comment on like the term “offliner”, it's brilliant, am I right? And the thing with the kittens? Heartbreaking! And the fact that in the future, it may be that young women would still have to do dubious work in order to finish their degrees. How freaking sick is that? But the implication that Olivia might be on her way to vengeance fills my heart with contentment. Sorry, I didn't mean to blabber on. Just, thanks again, man.
No problems at all, I’m so very glad it resonated with you. The fact is that only a handful of people will ever read these stories, so it’s really important to me that they connect with the people who do. So I’m being most sincere when I tell you how grateful I am to have readers like you, who really get them. Thanks again.
The second i saw the title I knew where it was headed and cringed the whole way through. But the ending is so hopefuly, I love it! It feels hopeful in a realistic way rather than baselessly. Great job!
Thanks! Yes, I didn’t have the heart to write yet another story where the protagonist gets consumed by the system, lol. Really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
Optimism can feel more powerful when it's surrounded by bleakness. It feels more realistic.
Really enjoyed this one.
Both the concept and execution.
Very cinematic.
A dark world, but I'd like to spend more time there.
Sincere thanks, my friend. I appreciate you reading my story and for your generous comments. And above all, I appreciate your reliability, which is at an absolute premium in this place.
Come to think of it, what higher compliment can there be for a machine such as yourself?
Reliability is my middle name. 🤣🤖
But seriously, the conceit is super interesting and super human.
Humanity into artificial.
Artificial back into humanity.
Feels so strangely right.
Thanks, I really do appreciate that. Underneath the corporate thriller clothes, the story really hangs off that central conceit, so I'm glad that resonated with you. When I'm conceiving a story, I'm always looking for a central premise I haven't seen done before, but that also feels kind of inevitable given the way things are heading with technology and society. I'm never too sure what other people will make of it, though - which is why your feedback means so much. I really do appreciate it.
Always good to see a new story for you on here, Hammond. Good job creeping me out!
I’m slow to write, but it also takes a long time. Thanks so much for being my first reader & for all the helpful feedback!