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Tag: Mesh

Mesh: Where does Miramar Technical High School Come From?

Posted on November 4, 2021 By Jackson Allen

When I introduced Miramar Technical High School in Mesh, you might have wondered if a school like this could exist. Not only could it, it already does. Miramar was inspired by real-world schools like Deep Springs College in California and the Putney School in Vermont. Boarding schools have different reputations, but some of them can…

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New Draft of Mesh Done

Posted on October 29, 2020 By Jackson Allen

Just a quick note – I’ve been re-drafting Mesh for a couple of weeks now. Pleased to say it’s about 90% done and out to Beta readers to catch their feedback while I finish it out. I’ve already had one random lit agent express interest, so my hope is to have a final draft in…

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The Hidden Cautionary Scifi Tale of Mesh

Posted on October 19, 2020 By Jackson Allen

The Hidden Cautionary Scifi Tale of Mesh

I ran across this article on Sunday and it reminded me that I haven’t talked to you about the moral of Mesh. Yes, Virginia, there’s a moral. In fact, there’s a hidden cautionary scifi tale within Mesh.

Within the story, I talk about kids inventing a world-changing technology. By the end of the book, you’ll be scared by the implications of that technology. That’s my intent. Why should technology scare you? Let’s talk about that. First, let’s discuss the article itself and then we’ll talk about how Mesh connects.

Is Technology Making Things Better? That’s a good question. For geeks, we focus on what could be, not why it should be. We’re wired that way. Civilization follows behind, happy to reap the rewards of our curiosity. As a result, humanity has run a rabid, manic marathon of discover for two centuries now. Are we better off because of these new inventions and possibilities?

“We face a growing array of problems that involve technology directly or indirectly,” as Dr. John K. Davis of California State University, Fullerton states. “[T]he core problem is that we’re becoming more powerful but not more wise. The growing gap between our technological power and our wisdom is the ultimate cause of all these problems. We are clever enough to create problems we aren’t wise enough to avoid. ”

Dr. Davis is focusing on something I knew would be important to talk about when I started writing scifi four years ago: the Why of technology, and not just the What. I disdain scifi that’s little more than a sophisticated toy catalog. If you’re going to have laser swords and starships, I want to know why you have them. I want to know what this technology can do to push the human condition forward.

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Stars in a Jar: Jackson Oswalt – Fusion Kid

Posted on October 12, 2020 By Jackson Allen

Last night, I saw another story that fit right into the Mesh universe. Jackson Oswalt created nuclear fusion in his home lab, and he’s just a kid. Let’s talk about his awesome accomplishment, and then we’ll talk about how this fits in the Mesh universe. The details: Last week, Guinness certified Jackson Oswalt of Memphis…

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Mesh and the Scifi Book Deal Adventure – Part Three

Posted on September 28, 2020 By Jackson Allen

Mesh and the Big Book Deal Adventure – Part ThreeClick Here to Read Part Two – Ugh, what a weekend. I’ve been incredibly scatterbrained as of late, so thank you for understanding that I haven’t blogged as much as I want to. I want to give an update on MESH, but do it in a scifi way. I decided to start by asking: How Do You Say ‘Ouch’ in Klingon? The answer is: it’s a trick question, there is no word – Klingon’s aren’t supposed to admit they feel pain. Here’s what is going on.

If you’re interested in being published, you’ll want to pay attention to this. For authors, there’s the effort of writing, and then there’s the effort of getting paid for your writing. Two separate skillsets and they each demand their own level of professionalism and diligence. That said, you can do everything write right, and still lose. That’s not weakness, that’s life.

The Process

The overall process for getting paid with a mainstream book deal goes like this: Write book > send query letters to Lit Agents > Get requests for manuscript > Send manuscript > Lit Agents like book, send offer of representation > Deal signed, Lit. Agent sells book to publisher > Publishing deal arrives 

That’s a very, very, VERY high-level version of the Mesh Scifi Book Deal adventure. I wanted you to have that so you understand where we are in the process. Part Two of the blog post was about getting to Step 4 in the process above. However, we’re still very far from Step 7: Publishing deal arrives. Want a real-world example? As mentioned about a month ago, I sent MESH off to a lit agent in response to a request for the full manuscript. I’ll tell the rest of the story here:

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Mesh and the Big Book Deal Adventure – Part Two

Posted on August 27, 2020 By Jackson Allen

  Good news, everyone! I have an update on the ‘Big Book Deal Adventure’ I started for Mesh a couple of months ago – some good news to share. Actually, strike that – this isn’t good news, it’s GREAT news for the writer game. Here’s what’s going on: So the mission has always been to…

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Mesh: We Don’t Do Racism or Sexism Here

Posted on August 18, 2020 By Jackson Allen

As I work to get Mesh into the hands of an agent, let me take a second to talk about something Mesh definitely does not have: Disrespect for women. We don’t do the ‘Male gaze.’ We don’t objectify female characters, or look at them like creeps. I treat all of my characters with the same…

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What the Mesh Trailer Will Look Like

Posted on August 14, 2020 By Jackson Allen

So … I don’t know if I’ll get budget to make a book trailer for Mesh. But if I do, it’ll probably be something like this: https://twitter.com/i/status/1294231424246198275

Mesh and the Big Book Deal Adventure – Part One

Posted on June 15, 2020 By Jackson Allen

Novelists sometimes say that a novel is really two stories – the story itself, and the story about how it got to the market. I’m starting to see the truth of that statement, after this week’s events. Rather than becoming bitter, I’m choosing to see all of this as part of being a writer. Therefore,…

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Mesh – Forging and Shaping

Posted on April 17, 2020 By Jackson Allen

As promised, Mesh has gone through another round of edits and now it’s ready for presentation to new lit agents. The changes made to Mesh and the process of these edits reminded of something: forging and shaping steel into a sword. Watch this cool video, and then I’ll explain what I mean:  What you…

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About Me


My name is Jackson Allen. My intention is to be a self-sufficient science fiction author. I spend my time actively writing, querying, submitting neo-Golden Age scifi and I analyze future trends, asking: "how can new tech and innovation help kids feel excited about the future?" Lots of self-published shorts - actively querying for a formal, mainstream publication house.

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