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D.J.’s Year In Books

D.J.’s 2020 Year in Books

Take a look at D.J.’s Year in Books. The long, the short—it’s all here.

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G.S. Jennsen

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Readergeek

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Nervous Nellie Justice

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T.J. Day

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Doug

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Erik

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D.J. Bodden

Goodreads Author

Website

https://www.djboddenauthor.com/switchboard

Twitter

boddenbooks

Genre

Science Fiction, Fiction, Suspense

Member Since

April 2015

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D.J. Bodden is a tech-startup COO who writes books because words are magic. He's an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy, a gamer, a former pilot and coffee trader who's been to every continent but Antarctica. He's been woken up by gunfire, jumped out of helicopters, and climbed medium-sized hills in scorching weather; He likes to make people laugh for the wrong reasons; He tries to sell people grimoires disguised as fiction; He is scared of spiders, and only recently learned to ride a bike.

D.J. lives in Switzerland with his wife and thinks it's important that they should someday be adopted by a fox. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

D.J. Bodden My version of writer's block is more like a severe case of distraction.

The best way to write a book is to write. I read somewhere that Sir Terry Pratc…moreMy version of writer's block is more like a severe case of distraction.

The best way to write a book is to write. I read somewhere that Sir Terry Pratchett put down 300 words a day, rain or shine, related to his current project or not, and that works really well. If you can't think of something to write, plot. If you can't plot, come up with a new detail about one of your characters' back-stories and see what that changes.

Think about your story while you drive, in the shower, and especially right before you go to sleep (make your dreams work for you), and keep a notepad by the bed. I killed a character once because the thought of losing them made me tear up on the way home from work. The more time you spend on it, the easier it is to put it on the page. (less)

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After Inquisitor’s Foil, you left us with a teaser spin-off about Nil. Any updates on your next book? Thank you and stay safe.

D.J. Bodden Hi Khrail,

I did, didn't I :) I've spent most of this year working on a different project, a sci-fi universe I'm putting together for both myself and o…moreHi Khrail,

I did, didn't I :) I've spent most of this year working on a different project, a sci-fi universe I'm putting together for both myself and other authors. The publisher and I are pretty excited about it, and it's been an enormous amount of effort to get all the pieces in place, but that will launch in Q1 2021.

As for Nil, I've written the first act of the book, which takes place about 200 years earlier than Cataclysm in game-time. I had to take a step back from it, both because of my other project and because I felt like I didn't know enough to do the character justice at the time. I've learned what I needed to since then, so it's just a matter of finding enough hours in the day to write it.

I am also working with James hunter on a mini-series called Portal Mage, which takes place sixteen years *after* the Grim Jack series (seventeen years after Alan joined the game)--you can find that on my Patreon or get the first episode by signing up for my newsletter ((https://www.djboddenauthor.com/switch...). We do an episode a month. It features a certain mimic and the absolute best boy in the world. The sixth episode with the big boss fight will come out at the end of December, and there will be about twenty episodes per season.

Nil also appears in book 7 of the Viridian Archives, Grim Jack's series.

Let me flip that around for you, though. What made you like Nil? And is there anything that you would absolutely want to see about it in its book or in Portal Mage?(less)

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D.J. Bodden’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 1,198 ratings · 187 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Nomad Soul (Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist, #1) by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James A. Hunter (Goodreads Author) 4.36 avg rating — 364 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead Man's Tide (Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist, #2) by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James A. Hunter (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 303 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Inquisitor’s Foil (Illusionist #3) by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James A. Hunter (Goodreads Author) 4.41 avg rating — 205 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Black Fall (The Black Year Series, #1) 4.17 avg rating — 98 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	White Winter (The Black Year Series, #2) 4.41 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Red Spring (The Black Year Series, #3) 4.33 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deus Ex Rand(): Misfits, demigods, and a beer drinking dog. 4.18 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Viridian Gate Online - Illusionist: Books 1 - 3 (Nomad Soul, Dead Man's Tide, Inquisitor's Foil) by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James Hunter it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Illusionist (2 Book Series) by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James A. Hunter (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Viridian Gate Online: Dead Man's Tide: A litRPG Adventure by D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author), James Hunter really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by D.J. Bodden…

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D.J. Bodden's Blog

Gentleman's War

Making its public debut in VGO: The Illusionist Book 1 Nomad Soul, Gentleman's War is a game I came up with waiting for a plane out of Afghanistan with a fellow aviator and a team of snipers. We were tired, dusty, ready to go home; it felt *right* to play a game about conflict and stories, where cheating is encouraged, and the high card doesn't always win.

At some point in Alan's adventure, it als

Series by D.J. Bodden

The Illusionist (3 books)
by

D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author),

James A. Hunter (Goodreads Author)

4.36 avg rating — 872 ratings

The Black Year Series (3 books)
by

D.J. Bodden (Goodreads Author)

4.25 avg rating — 153 ratings

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D.J. Bodden wrote a new blog post Gentleman's War Making its public debut in VGO: The Illusionist Book 1 Nomad Soul, Gentleman's War is a game I came up with waiting for a plane out of Afghanistan wit Read more of this blog post »
Jan 08, 2021 03:51AM · 1 like · like
D.J. Bodden liked an answer from D.J. Bodden: After Inquisitor’s Foil, you left us with a teaser spin-off about Nil. Any updates on your next book? Thank you and stay safe. Hi Khrail, I did, didn't I :) I've spent most of this year working on a different project, a sci-fi universe I'm putting together for both myself and other authors. The publisher and I are pretty excited about it, and it's been an enormous amount of e See D.J.’s answer. D.J. Bodden
Dec 08, 2020 01:21AM
D.J. Bodden answered Khrail's question: After Inquisitor’s Foil, you left us with a teaser spin-off about Nil. Any updates on your next book? Thank you and stay safe. Hi Khrail, I did, didn't I :) I've spent most of this year working on a different project, a sci-fi universe I'm putting together for both myself and other authors. The publisher and I are pretty excited about it, and it's been an enormous amount of e See Full Answer
Dec 08, 2020 01:19AM · 2 likes · like View 1 comment
D.J. Bodden and 5 other people liked G.S. Jennsen's review of The Praxis (Dread Empire's Fall, #1): "At times it felt a little like I was reading a regency romance instead of a space opera, what with all the lords and ladies and patrons and frilly tailored attire. But Gareth Martinez is an instinctively likeable protagonist (sometimes in spite of hi" Read more of this review »
Nov 06, 2020 07:40AM · see review
D.J. Bodden rated a book it was amazing Man-Eater (Murphy's Lawless Book 3) by Griffin Barber (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Full disclosure, I jumped right into the Lawless series at book three, so it took me a few pages to get caught up on the political situation surrounding the book. There are three groups--called the SpinDogs--vying for control of a local population by ...more
Sep 05, 2020 06:57AM · 2 likes · like · see review
D.J. Bodden voted for Bibliomancer (The Completionist Chronicles: Wolfman Warlock, #1) in the poll What is your most anticipated LitRPG for September 2019? I've started the poll off with some upcoming releases, feel free to add your own to the list, and vote! ...more
Sep 04, 2019 06:27AM · like · take the poll
D.J. Bodden liked John's review of Nomad Soul (Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist, #1): "If You Only Read One LitRPG Book, This Should Be It The writing is smooth and top notch for this genre of book. Well edited. Does a good job of capturing something of the essence of the dichotomy between dispassionate business decisions and passionate " Read more of this review »
Aug 19, 2019 02:38PM · see review
D.J. Bodden made a comment on Chris Block’s review of Inquisitor’s Foil (Illusionist #3) " Thanks, Chris, that was a fun scene to write :) "
Aug 16, 2019 09:15AM · see review
D.J. Bodden liked a quote “I have feelings about stew. It’s not the best meat, the freshest vegetables, or the subtlest seasonings that make a stew. It’s time. Time is what takes a hodgepodge of often cheap ingredients and turns them into a thick, hearty dish of gravy and texture that warms the heart and settles the soul.” D.J. Bodden
Aug 13, 2019 04:45PM · like · more quotes by D.J. Bodden
D.J. Bodden made a comment on Steve’s review of Dead Man's Tide (Viridian Gate Online: The Illusionist, #2) " The author reads all the reviews ;) There will be more Nil and Gnasher. I’m outlining their origin story. Updates on the mailing list as they come (ﾉ◕ ...more "
Apr 04, 2019 11:49PM · see review

More of D.J.'s books…

Quotes by D.J. Bodden

“I have feelings about stew. It’s not the best meat, the freshest vegetables, or the subtlest seasonings that make a stew. It’s time. Time is what takes a hodgepodge of often cheap ingredients and turns them into a thick, hearty dish of gravy and texture that warms the heart and settles the soul.”
― D.J. Bodden, Nomad Soul

1 likes

D.J.’s Quotes

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson in His Journals

tags: friends

13763 likes

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”
― C.S. Lewis

tags: books, children-s-books, reading

12747 likes

“She returned his salute with a sly smile—a rare enough event that he eyed her suspiciously.

“Admiral Solovy, are you wearing a shit-eating grin because we won here today, or is there something else I should know?”

“There’s something else you should know.”
― G.S. Jennsen, Abysm

tags: ai, artificial-intelligence, military-science-fiction, science-fiction, scifi, space-opera, spaceships

4 likes

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D.J.’s Year In Books

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D.J.’s Bookshelves

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