A couple of people have asked me about the book I mentioned in my last post. I recently threw in my nice, steady, well-paying but ultimately creatively unfulfilling tech-writing job. So here’s all the things I have in the pipeline that I’m finally getting around to.
Another non-fiction book
First, I’m working on a proposal for my agent for a second non-fiction book, Darkest Web, which goes behind the scenes into several different aspects of the dark web that I’ve researched and/or been involved with in-depth. Hopefully that will find a home with a traditional publisher.
The problem with writing serious non-fiction stuff is lawyers. Lawyers legalled me out of about 20,000 words of Silk Road and I had to scramble to fill the gap. Other lawyers stopped part of Darkest Web before it even got properly committed to the page. Which leads me to…
The Dark Web diaries
You know what lawyers don’t care so much about? Fiction. So I’ve started writing a series of thriller novels, tentatively called the Dark Web Diaries. It’s possible I might slip some true stuff in there, but you’ll have to guess which bits they are. The most important thing is hopefully they’ll be a bloody great read. Watch this space for when they’ll be available to download – Bitcoin accepted of course!
TV series
As some know, Silk Road was optioned for a TV series a while ago by Ambience Entertainment and I’ve been doing a bit of work with them. I can’t say much but OMFG what I’ve seen so far – all the first season and an outline of follow-up seasons – is AWESOME. Some super-talented script developers and screenwriters are working on it. Again, watch this space for news.
Freelance journalism
Finally, I’m continuing with the bill-paying stuff of writing articles for mainstream and niche/tech media, as well as ghost writing, blogging and B2B/B2C and branded content. I’m mostly keeping the focus on cybercrime, Bitcoin, drug reform and tech security, but the thing I like about freelancing is it leads me into all sorts of interesting places.
Hopefully my freed-up time will see advances on all of these fronts. Letting you know about it will keep me accountable. 🙂
*OzFreelancer is the pseud I used on Silk Road and most DNMs
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8 Responses
This just reminded me that I needed to order your book (which I have now done!) Thanks 🙂 Looking forward to reading it.
Awesome, thank you so much! 🙂
I’ll be checking for Silk Road when I’ll finish the K.Dick and the Pratchett I’m reading right now, next time I need something to read you’re on my list, but I’m even more curious for an eventual Dark Web Diaries, especially if the lawyers don’t scramble your eggs on this one !
I guess you don’t consider a french translation, do you ? :’) I’ll buy it neitherless.
And keep us informed on the potential adaptation for TV series, it could be HOT !
Is that available on Amazon? I don’t mess with bitcoin or blockchains. The Newsbud lady aka The Loan Gladio also took a similar approach in meshing fact and fiction. aka; The boilingfrogblog.
I whole heartedly agree, lawyers ruin everything. Government cannot save us from ourselves and when we demand security over liberty we end up with neither. Too many lawyers, too many laws. Mentioning the ailment of overzealous legal should always be accompanied by either a statement on constitutionality of law, or the inalienable rights argument. Don’t steal, the government hates competition. The internet just reconstitutes existing arguments and puts them in a different light since there is a brand new tech aspect. But these arguments remain the same ones from the ages. What is the right of a human and what is the human condition? Inalienable rights. We The People, in order to….
so what bits were the lawyers concerned about? Isn’t most of it on the public record? no need to be specific if you are scared of being sued… is there an unexpurgated version?
I’ve greatly enjoyed reading your stuff on dark web creepypasta and the more gruelling real life stuff. I’m presently researching a follow up paper to one I had published last year on how snuff has become a glossy reality. Apart from staring at a hidden wiki and clicking on a couple of dead links my knowledge of the dark net is sketchy so I’d be grateful if you could just answer a few general questions nothing too onerous.
Hi Mark, feel free to email me – address on the “about” page 🙂
“Lawyers legalled me out of about 20,000 words of Silk Road and I had to scramble to fill the gap.”
Is there anyway you would ever publish that here (or even on the dark web) so we could see it?