# join patreon (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover join patreon. Page: Feed: --- ## [Prince of Thorns celebrates its fifteenth year in print!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/08/prince-of-thorns-celebrates-its.html) _2026-08-01 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Prince of Thorns has been on the shelves for 15 years! The book is now older than Jorg himself is in the book 😮 Worldwide Prince of Thorns has sold over 1,000,000 copies... and the UK paperback has reached at least 32 printings. I'll take the chance to say thanks - thank you to my readers (and my publishers) for letting me spend the past 15 years writing stories, and more than that - living in… ## [Letter To AJ – TKF POD #272](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/nl-west/padres/letter-to-aj-tkf-pod-272/) _2026-07-17 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ This week the guys welcome back Dylan from Letters to AJ to the show. They talk about the first half of the season for the Padres and the larger MLB game itself. Then they look ahead to what could happen at the trade deadline. Please check out the Letters to AJ Substack for some great \[…\] ## [BACK TO NORMAL – TKF POD #271](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/nl-west/padres/back-to-normal-tkf-pod-271/) _2026-06-14 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ This week the guys settle in to a familiar zone of having a middling baseball team. Trav and Dallas talk about their experiences at games this week and voice concerns about the trade deadline Join the Patreon here! Download the episode here: iTunes – Please rate and review! Spotify PodOmatic Google Play Follow us on \[…\] ## [During the Dance](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/05/during-dance.html) _2026-05-25 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Since my old website went kaput, I'll repost this short story here. I wrote it 22 years ago (2004) shortly after my disabled daughter, Celyn was born, 2000 words - a five minute read. Or listen to the audio book (ten minutes). You can review/rate it on Goodreads . During the Dance Dad stopped drinking the day my sister was born. He called her his angel, and the booze didn't take him back until she… ## [The Bookshop Book cover!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/05/the-bookshop-book-cover.html) _2026-05-16 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ The Bookshop Book has a cover - another magnificent work by Tom Roberts ! Here are some stages that Tom posted: The style suggests a link to The library trilogy, and indeed there is one, but it's by way of a passing association, rather than an intimate affair. Readers who've not read any of those books, or any of my books at all, should feel safe to jump into this standalone tale without thinking… ## [DARREN SMITH – TKF POD #270](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/nl-west/padres/darren-smith-tkf-pod-270/) _2026-05-08 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ This week Darren Smith returns to the pod! They talk about how the Padres have had an up and down start to the year, unpack the new ownership deal, and look back at Darren’s history covering similar transitions on San Diego radio. Then they discuss the 2nd year of SDFC and the over all Snapdragon \[…\] ## [The finalists for SPFBO 11](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/04/the-finalists-for-spfbo-11.html) _2026-04-25 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ 300 contestants are being narrowed to 10 finalists for the 11th time! Finalists for SPFBO 11 The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off finalists are listed and and are being scored on this page. The process of selection is documented here . The champion will be declared on or before December 30th 2026. click on any score on the table for the associated review Scores for the finalists: The Matrix!… ## [CRAIG ELSTEN RETURNS! – TKF POD #269](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/nl-west/padres/craig-elsten-returns-tkf-pod-269/) _2026-04-24 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ This week the guys welcome back to the pod Craig Elsten from Padres Hot Tub! They discuss the early success the Padres are having, the new ownership deal, and the SD Sockers! Join the Patreon here! Download the episode here: iTunes – Please rate and review! Spotify PodOmatic Google Play Follow us on Twitter: @thekeptfaith ## [April Fun! – TKF Pod #268](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/nl-west/padres/april-fun-tkf-pod-268/) _2026-04-15 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ The boys are back talking Padres! The team is clicking, but there are concerns. Will Craig Stammen work out long term? Will the pitching hold up? Should we put Tatis all over the field? It’s all in here. You know what it is! Join the Patreon here! Download the episode here: iTunes – Please rate \[…\] ## [Bio](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/04/bio.html) _2026-04-09 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ This is my new author page! Here I am at 60: Mark Lawrence is the author of 19 novels spanning 6 and a bit trilogies. With the latest, Daughter of Crows, released in 2026. He has sold nearly 4 million books in over 25 languages. He was born in Illinois to British parents. After gaining a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London, he worked on a variety of research projects in the UK and the US… ## [Home Internet From Space (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/4nc9Nz2NlGpV) _2026-04-09 · **Sponsored**_ Residential satellite internet that brings connectivity to homes beyond conventional networks ## [The Book That Held Her Heart is out in paperback!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/03/the-book-that-held-her-heart-is-out-in.html) _2026-03-29 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ The title says it all really. If you were after the paperback - go for it! This is what they think of the book on Amazon! And as a bonus for scrolling down ... here are some pretty sprayed edge examples of the last 2 books... Join my Patreon. Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter. #Prizes #FreeContent ## [Daughter of Crows ... it's out this month!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/03/daughter-of-crows-its-out-this-month.html) _2026-03-05 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ It's 3 weeks until the book hits the shelves. Waterstones sold out of their 1,000 signed copies, so I really need to actually sign them. Which is why I took a quick trip to CPI at their facility in Ebbsfleet just outside London. A vast number of books are printed here - including those of many very famous authors. There's heavy security because some of these novels are in great demand and it's… ## [At the limit.](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/02/at-limit.html) _2026-02-27 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ This is day 33 of my youngest child being in hospital. On day 21 the consultant took us into a side room and said, "Tell me about Celyn. What does she like doing? What are her days like?" Celyn 15 years ago. This is code for 'how hard should we try to save her?'. It's a quality of life question. Celyn is severely disabled. She was born that way. Starved of oxygen in the womb. Fucked over before… ## [I have my UK copies!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/02/i-have-my-uk-copies.html) _2026-02-04 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Next month you'll be able to get a copy in exchange for nothing more than money. I've started mailing signed and dedicated copies to folks on tier 4 & 5 of my Patreon . The 1000s signed editions from Waterstones are sold out. There may be special edition/s in the pipeline but it is not my place to make such announcements. Join my Patreon. Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list. ## [RYAN FINLEY RETURNS – TKF POD #267](https://www.keptfaith.com/podcast/ryan-finley-returns-tkf-pod-267/) _2026-01-28 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ This week the guys welcome back San Diego Union Tribune Sports Editor Ryan Finley to the pod. They talk about the Yu Darvish situation, the impending sale of the franchise, and what will happen to everyone involved in PadreLand moving forward heading towards a probable work stoppage. Join the Patreon here! Download the episode here: \[…\] ## [Another Damn Dodgers Take: The Breaking of Baseball](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/another-damn-dodgers-take-the-breaking-of-baseball/) _2026-01-23 · Dallas McLaughlin · The Kept Faith_ I know I know I know…A Padres fan writing about the Dodgers ruining Baseball? How fresh! How edgy! How biased! It’s okay though, cause Dodgers fans on social media spend all day everyday telling us Padres fans they never think about us, so it’ll be fine. The Dodgers are breaking Baseball. If that’s biased, I \[…\] ## [Dodgeball, the Dodgers, and the Death of the Underdog](https://www.keptfaith.com/mlb/dodgeball-the-dodgers-and-the-death-of-the-underdog/) _2026-01-21 · Travis Russell · The Kept Faith_ In the 2004 comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, we knew who to root for. It wasn’t the shiny, sculpted Globo Gym. It was Average Joe’s. A ragtag group of misfits who scraped their way to glory not because they were better, but because they had heart. They had grit. They had nothing to lose and \[…\] ## [Yea, I’m Still Bitter](https://www.keptfaith.com/nfl/chargers/yea-im-still-bitter/) _2026-01-12 · Dallas McLaughlin · The Kept Faith_ Okay, let’s attack the major criticism this post is gonna get right away, which most likely will be: If you hate the Chargers so much then why won’t you just let it go? They moved and you need to get on with your life? Get over it! Okay, so first off – fuck you. Secondly, \[…\] ## [A Winter Meeting with John Gennaro – TKF POD #266](https://www.keptfaith.com/podcast/a-winter-meeting-with-john-gennaro-tkf-pod-266/) _2026-01-07 · Nicholas McCann · The Kept Faith_ The boys are back!! John Gennaro from Bandwagon Beach returns to the pod to talk about the Padres, blogs, and our San Diego Sportsman of the Year Philip Rivers. Join the Patreon here! Download the episode here: iTunes – Please rate and review! Spotify PodOmatic Google Play Follow us on Twitter: @thekeptfaith ## [SPFBO 11 - Phase 1](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/01/spfbo-11-phase-1.html) _2026-01-04 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ This is the allocation of SPFBO 11 books to blogs. Visit the homepage for all the background. Visit the finalist page for phase 2 - follow to see who's going to be champion. There will be some swapping & replacement for a few days as conflicts with bloggers and with the rules are identified. But first, some traditional stats/demographics: The male/female ratio was essentially equal last year -… ## [Stay updated on your professional world (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/EMHyHvXs3Sz0) _2026-01-04 · **Sponsored**_ Keep in touch with people you know, build your career. ## [SPFBO 11!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/01/spfbo-11.html) _2026-01-01 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Just to minimise the number of people taken by surprise: As has long been advertised on the official SPFBO page, this year's SPFBO is opening its doors in January rather than May. The Champions' League gave us the opportunity to align the SPFBO year with the calendar year. You'll find the entry form linked on the home page on January 3rd. Best of luck to everyone trying to enter. Join my Patreon.… ## [A Year in Numbers - 15](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/12/a-year-in-numbers-15_30.html) _2025-12-30 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ At 15, this blog is now older than Prince Jorg Ancrath for the majority of my debut novel! Although I spent 23 years as a research scientist I never spent longer than 10 years at any one job, so I guess that makes “authoring” my longest employment. Anyway, onto the traditional accounting: 2025 turned out to be a pretty challenging year! Celyn went into hospital 4 or 5 times this year, which is… ## [How to become a rich and famous author.](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/12/how-to-become-rich-and-famous-author.html) _2025-12-29 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I thought I'd close out 2025 with a helpful info-graphic. As a side note ... 2025 sounds like the space-age future to me. I used to watch a TV show called Space 1999. And now we're putting the first half of the 2020s into the rear view mirror 😮 Anyway, follow these simple steps to fame and fortune! Join my Patreon. Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter. #Prizes #FreeContent ## [My reading in 2025!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/12/my-reading-in-2025.html) _2025-12-18 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I do this every year, so you can step back for more than a decade should you so choose. Here's the link to 2024 . Hooray! I have beaten my yearly record (since records began around 2011) with 18 books read - which is one more than my record set last year! It's true - I did read a bunch of short older SFF books. And the record breaking book 18 ... I haven't finished yet, but I'm sure I will before… ## [Mortality](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/11/mortality.html) _2025-11-25 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I often speculate on mortality - it might be a writer's curse, or just 'my thing', but I can't walk through a graveyard without thinking about the people beneath the ground, the lives reduced to dates and a "Beloved". The grave that inspired a scene in King of Thorns. (photo: Chris Meadows) It's a subject that people come to dwell upon as they grow old, but it's one that I've always thought about.… ## [Iceberg Fantasy](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2015/07/iceberg-fantasy.html) _2025-11-08 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ The fantasy iceberg is world, history, character. The greatest proponent of it is JRR Tolkien. He gave us a one fat book (in three volumes) that over three hundred million of us lost ourselves in. Middle-earth felt big, it felt old, the characters felt as if they extended beyond the pages, had lives before we met them, personal histories that fit intimately and intricately into the world and… ## [More sales data!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/11/more-sales-data.html) _2025-11-08 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I'm not sure who this might interest, but there are always a few people who ask the sorts of questions that are partly answered in the diagram below. These are sales from Voyager (UK + New Zealand + Australia) and Ace (US + Canada), plus whatever either of them can sell around the world in English. I'm published in nearly 30 languages, but the majority of my sales are in English and are shown… ## [Social media engagement - of interest to authors!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/10/social-media-engagement-of-interest-to.html) _2025-10-22 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ So, I have a number of social media platforms where I've built up a significant following over the past 14 years as an author. The question is: how useful are they for getting the word out? Yesterday I spammed the cover reveal for my next book, Daughter of Crows , over all my platforms. I know that they all bury any post with a link these days - they want you looking at Twitter/Facebook/Threads… ## [More detail on the Daughter of Crows cover!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/10/more-detail-on-daughter-of-crows-cover.html) _2025-10-19 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Tom Roberts is adding incredible detail to the rough I showed you earlier this month! And the finished thing on an ARC! And the map (also by Tom Roberts)! Join my Patreon. Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #Prizes #FreeContent ## [Three million in English!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/10/three-million-in-english.html) _2025-10-08 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I posted earlier this year that I was confident I'd passed the 3 million mark in global sales. I made a call back to these posts: Back in 2014 I posted about selling my first half million books . And at the start of 2016 I blogged to remark that I'd sold my first million . & this graphic Now I can say that I don't need to make the numbers up with the sales from those countries where my works have… ## [Dissecting Series A Rounds (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/oY1tuRkkWX6G) _2025-10-08 · **Sponsored**_ Two real Series A cases: timelines, investor sequencing, and common founder mistakes. ## [The rough/sketch for the Daughter of Crows cover!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/10/the-roughsketch-for-daughter-of-crows.html) _2025-10-03 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Although excellent in its own right, this is merely Tom Roberts' rough for the cover. The finished article will be along the same lines but different and considerably more detailed. The book (starting a considerably darker trilogy than my previous one) is out in April Pre-order for the win! UK US Join my Patreon. Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list. ## [My top blog posts ever!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/08/my-top-blog-posts-ever.html) _2025-08-18 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ I've noticed that, if people come to a particular page of this blog following a link, there is a truly terrible level of discovery for the rest of the blog... Witness: 24,822 visits to my most recent two blog posts in the past 24 hours and ... 55 visits to my 3rd most recent. The two were linked on social media and got traction. The hits on the third indicate that perhaps a third of a percent of… ## [The AI vs authors results! (part 2)](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/08/the-ai-vs-authors-results-part-2.html) _2025-08-17 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ Before you look at the results make sure to do the test! So, before I get to the numbers and reveals I'll reiterate a few things: i) I hate that AI can do this. ii) These authors write books - typically long series - so flash fiction is not their forte. iii) Flash fiction is where AI does best - it starts to fall apart as the required work gets longer. Some have questioned "why flash fiction"...… ## [So ... is AI writing any good? .... PART 2!](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/08/so-is-ai-writing-any-good-part-2.html) _2025-08-15 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ So ... is AI writing any good? Two years ago I asked the same question and pitted 4 good authors against ChatGPT 4 in a flash fiction head-to-head. You can check out the contest here . The headline of the conclusion I posted then ran thusly: " Given that these pieces were written by authors with thousands of sales (two self-published, two with traditional publishing deals as well), and that many… ## [Why I don't ever lower my prices.](https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2025/08/why-i-dont-ever-lower-my-prices.html) _2025-08-12 · Mark Lawrence · Mark Lawrence_ The pricing of books is a vexed and complicated subject - emotions meets economics head on with often bruising results. There are variables on all sides of this equation. From the author’s side: Is the book being published by the author or by a traditional publisher? If the latter then the author has no say in the pricing. If the author is self-publishing, are they depending on the income to pay…