Koji A. Dae
@kojiadae
Writer of dark, speculative fiction. Stories in Clarkesworld, Apex, Zooscape and more. kojiadae.ink
Eclipse sunset at a castle in Spain. Can a writer ask for any more inspiration?
My favorite spot was the art showcase. I was actually speechless wandering around. There were so many beautiful creations. I picked up this print from Ivy Gilliam.
An absolute highlight was hanging out with fellow PKD nominiees @willalex.bsky.social and @thomasha.bsky.social who were lovely people. I'll also say the award ceremony felt unreal.
I spent too much time at the @tenebrouspress.bsky.social table, picking up just some of their books to have the covers in real life. (And got gifted an arc of Midwestern Chrome by @beardedbetts.bsky.social, which I already read as an e-arc but really, really wanted a copy of.)
I'm finally home from Norwescon, which was an absolute blast. I met so many enthusiastic people -- which was just the drink my soul needed. And then there were all the fun items weighing down my suitcase on the way back. Stickers by @mossandpiglets.bsky.social
Just me stumbling on a library's "If you like The Testaments you might like..." and boom. There's Casual. Front and center. Well... I liked The Testaments. And I liked Casual ;)
EuropaSF (over on FB) gave an intro to the Philip K. Dick Award nominees this year, and they were all baller intros... but mine made me cry. I feel so seen :)
And for the visual people... here's what I had published this year. The shorts are free on Clarkesworld. If you want more info on the books, check my website and feel free to ping me.
Day 4: The Garden of Eden My favorite and most formative book of my teen years. I read this over and over. I pinned my hair up then cut it short to be more like Catherine. It wasn't until years later that I could give words to what resonated with me: I was gender queer.
Day 3: Island of the Blue Dolphins In fifth or seventh grade I baked a dolphin-shaped cake and frosted it in blue, making a map of the island on the cake for a diorama project. It was horrendous, but I did it by myself and I was quite proud.
Day 1: first time I really had a FAVORITE author I had to read all of was Hemingway when I was 15.
I missed days 1-3 so playing catch up. Also… I’m doing “formative“ books up until 18.
I'm excited Hold My Heart broke top 100 in one of the categories. It's super niche, Monster & Creature Horror... so it probably means nothing... but sometimes I need a little confidence boost, and that helped.
Spooky season is upon us… go check out my love triangle between a woman seeking relief from the pain of living, the serial killer she hires to unalive her and the cosmic being that wants them both for its own. Share the love this October with Hold My Heart.
Hold My Heart -- Out now A serial killer story that takes a sharp turn into the weird and never comes back. Hailey Piper: "Seductive to the core. Hold My Heart is an intriguing thrill, its world tinged with noir atmosphere and a passion for grime on skin and tongues on blades."
Okay, I finally feel like a “real” author. My author copies of Hold My Heart just cleared customs and I can finally see it side by side with my other books and… just look at how gorgeous that is!
Omg omg omg. My author copies of Casual got released from customs! They feel so good! And so thick! (Compared to my novella) and… are just gorgeous! The interior layout is lovely. I am so squee.
Apparently ebooks of Casual have already gone out to those signed up to the Tenebrous book club! I hope people are enjoying their copies. :) And the Goodreads paperback giveaway ends in abut 16 hours, so still some time to sign up for that if you haven't yet.
It's hard to believe that this book will be out in a week. I'm not really sure where January went. Wait, I do. I lost it doomscrolling. Which didn't make me feel any better. More books. More discussions with loved ones. More cooking and hiking. Less doomscrolling. Oh, and buy Casual :)
Super excited to spot Casual on Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025! lithub.com/lit-hubs-mos...
The day after posting my blog about limiting images, I have a very important image to share. Below is the cover art for my first full-length novel, Casual, coming January from Tenebrous Press. The wonderful art is by human Cristina Bencina.
I can’t believe I get to say this! @tenebrouspress.bsky.social is helping me bring Casual to life!