<![CDATA[Stories by DK]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YW60!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fdkdillenback.substack.com%2Fimg%2Fsubstack.pngStories by DKhttps://dkdillenback.substack.comSubstackTue, 21 Jul 2026 08:04:44 GMT<![CDATA[Winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/winner-of-the-literary-titan-goldhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/winner-of-the-literary-titan-goldTue, 14 Apr 2026 12:03:21 GMTHey all!

I just want to take a moment to say thank you for all of your support. I’m thrilled to announce that MIR.EXE has won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award!

The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.

Read their full review here: MIR.EXE | LITERARY TITAN

This is just another wonderful step on my journey as an author and I couldn’t have done it without the hundreds of people who have supported me along the way.

On to the next thing! I’ve got another author event in June to prepare for and just started sketching out ideas for my next book… oh, and my day job. I’ve got that too.

If you haven’t picked one up yet, you can find MIR.EXE online at any major retailer. But here are some links to make it easy:

Amazon.com: MIR.EXE: 9798901740316: Dillenback, D.K.: Books - Amazon is the only place that sells all four formats of the book (Hardcover, Paperback, Digital, and Audiobook). Copies will get out to you quickly and are unsigned.

Stories By D.K. is my official author page where you can buy limited signed copies of hardcover or paperback.

]]><![CDATA["abrasive, funny, ugly, and strangely beautiful sometimes all in the same page."]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/the-first-reviews-are-inhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/the-first-reviews-are-inTue, 17 Mar 2026 20:20:00 GMT

“Dillenback can be abrasive, funny, ugly, and strangely beautiful sometimes all in the same page.” - Literary Titan

“The protagonist has a hard choice of betraying his roots or protecting his new life. It definitely leaves you questioning what is right and wrong.” - Lee (via Amazon)

“…a supremely ambitious science fiction novel that’s well written, putting corporate power, human agency, and machine logic inside a sharply imagined future.” - Reader’s Favorite

“…for people who enjoy cyberpunk with real political weight, readers who want a future that feels plausible and mean, and anyone who likes character-driven speculative fiction where the tech matters but the damage it does to people matters more.” - Literary Titan

“The story moved at a thrilling pace, packed with excitement from start to finish... I couldn’t put it down!” - Josh (via Amazon)

“…the book opens outward from one damaged man’s daily routine into a much bigger fight about control, surveillance, and what survives when technology gets inside the soul.” - Literary Titan

If you’ve already gotten your copy, share your thoughts!

If you haven’t gotten yours yet, unsigned Copies available on most online booksellers (Prices in USD):

  • Paperback: $18.99

  • Hardcover: $30.99

  • eBook: $9.99

  • Audiobook: $9.99

Signed Copies only available at storiesbydk.com

  • Paperback: $20

  • Hardcover: $35

  • eBook: $9.99

]]><![CDATA[Free Audiobook: Introducing "MIR.EXE"]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/free-audiobook-introducing-mirexehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/free-audiobook-introducing-mirexeTue, 03 Mar 2026 16:39:09 GMTHello all!

First, a quick thank you to everyone who has made MIR.EXE’s first two weeks such a fun experience and rousing success.

I have exciting news; the Audiobook has been released! For those of us with long commutes, droning desk jobs, or loud house guests, the Audiobook, narrated by the incredible Reuben Ashcroft, is a perfect solution! Now available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes!

In my best impersonation of a 90’s infomercial: “But WAIT! There’s MORE!”

I have a limited number of codes that can be used to redeem a FREE copy of the audiobook. All you have to do is commit to writing a short, honest review when you are done. (By the way, you’re first in line before the public announcement later this week. Get yours before I run out!

If you are interested in receiving a code, send an email to contact@storiesbydk.com. I’ll start sending out codes later this week on a first come-first served basis.

I hope you enjoy! I couldn’t have been luckier than to work with Reuben, he brings a depth and color to the characters that even I had not imagined!

And don’t forget, the only way to get a signed copy of my books is either in person or on my author website.

-D.K.

]]><![CDATA[How the sausage is made...]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/a-peak-behind-the-curtainhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/a-peak-behind-the-curtainTue, 20 Jan 2026 14:31:37 GMTI hate hearing myself and other authors talk about our writing “journey.” I’m not taking shots at anyone in particular… like I said, I’ve done it myself. But it feels so pretentious every time. Like actors talking about “the process.” It almost never involves actually explaining a process.

So! In the spirit of my publishing company, The Sapper Scribe, I’…

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]]><![CDATA[Is MIR.EXE worth your time?]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/is-mirexe-worth-your-timehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/is-mirexe-worth-your-timeThu, 15 Jan 2026 13:45:32 GMTThere is a blessed subset of the population that consumes books like air or… oreos. But let’s be honest, picking up a book is a commitment, and it has an opportunity cost that is often greater than the price of the book itself.

So, I’m taking a moment to tell you about the target audience. Based on an assessment from my marketers, the primary audience fo…

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]]><![CDATA[Now: Pre-Orders Available!]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/now-pre-orders-availablehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/now-pre-orders-availableMon, 05 Jan 2026 14:51:45 GMT

Introducing Stories by D.K., my professional author page and bookstore!

You can now preorder my upcoming novel “MIR.EXE” even before it’s listed on Amazon. Every copy ordered from my author page comes signed and includes some complimentary goodies I hope you enjoy.

Pre-orders are a major indicator of potential sales so please order your copy today.

Also, …

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]]><![CDATA[Invite your friends to read Stories by D.K.]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/invite-your-friends-to-read-storieshttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/invite-your-friends-to-read-storiesWed, 31 Dec 2025 15:02:48 GMTThank you for reading Stories by D.K — your support allows me to keep doing this work.

If you enjoy the Blog, it would mean the world to me if you invited friends to subscribe and read with us. If you refer friends, you will receive benefits that give you special access to Stories by D.K.

How to participate

1. Share Stories by D.K.. When you use the refer…

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]]><![CDATA[Free Will in "MIR.EXE"]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/free-will-in-mirexehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/free-will-in-mirexeMon, 29 Dec 2025 14:02:37 GMTWhat does it mean to be human? Moreso than any other science fiction genre, cyberpunk explores this existential question.

Cyberpunk is best summarized by the phrase “high-tech, low life,” lends itself to the question. Worlds filled with machines capable of the best of mankind, and humans filled with the worst.

two hands reaching for a flying object in the sky

In MIR.EXE, I approach the topic of free will…

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]]><![CDATA[Why did Alaska secede?]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/the-alaskan-centuryhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/the-alaskan-centuryThu, 18 Dec 2025 16:52:33 GMTTo create a world that is both fantastic and familiar, I tried to balance sci-fi with speculative fiction in MIR.EXE. When I started, I didn’t necessarily intend for it to be a cyberpunk thriller, but that balance pushes it into the genre.

My favorite sci-fi stories are ones in which only a small change in the near future causes cascading effects. So, af…

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]]><![CDATA[Our official release date!]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/what-early-readers-are-saying-andhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/what-early-readers-are-saying-andSat, 06 Dec 2025 18:27:00 GMTIt’s official! Atmosphere Press and I have set MIR.EXE’s release date for February 17th, 2026!

Ironically, the to-do list grows at this stage, it doesn’t shrink. Here’s some initial impressions from other authors:

“MIR.EXE by Daniel Dillenback completely pulled me into its gritty, futuristic vision of Alaska in 2096. The world-building is intense and imme…

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]]><![CDATA[Echo’s Internal Struggle with Guilt and Purpose]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/echos-internal-struggle-with-guilthttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/echos-internal-struggle-with-guiltMon, 03 Nov 2025 12:02:49 GMT

Echo didn’t like how the soft tap of his sneakers reverberated off the walls like firecrackers whenever he explored the complex. He didn’t like the gun-ho, militant attitude of most of the operatives. He didn’t like the way that Vail smiled at him like an old friend whenever he saw him. He didn’t like the way that ducking into a doorway to avoid Nixie m…

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]]><![CDATA[Small Defiance]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/small-defiancehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/small-defianceThu, 23 Oct 2025 16:26:09 GMTMIR.EXE is a story about the edges, the gray areas between worldviews and societies. Echo is a corporate sell-out, forced out of his community but refusing to step into the next. Every day he must balance tradeoffs between his wife’s safety, his dignity, and his anger.

He is trapped in a box with no exit, and forces pushing in from all sides, but capture…

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]]><![CDATA[A History of Body Horror]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/a-history-of-body-horrorhttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/a-history-of-body-horrorWed, 01 Oct 2025 12:03:21 GMTMy first novel, The Voices are Real, is a psychological horror exploring trauma and its effect on reality as two people race to discover the source of a chilling voice, colling for them. I didn’t intend to at first, but I spent much of my time writing through vivid descriptions of monsters, corpses, and warped visions of reality.

In retrospect, I think I…

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]]><![CDATA[Digital Happiness]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/digital-happinesshttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/digital-happinessThu, 18 Sep 2025 12:31:34 GMTWhile drug use has long been a staple of the cyberpunk… and any (adjective)-punk genre, the prevalence and effectiveness of therapies directly stimulating the brain in closer than we often think.

The man’s smile faded. “Employee, huh?” Well, you can’t suck too bad if you went through that trouble. Local boy, I assume?” Echo nodded. “Well.” His smile ret…

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]]><![CDATA[Keeping my nerd-rants at a manageable simmer.]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/keeping-my-nerd-rants-at-a-manageablehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/keeping-my-nerd-rants-at-a-manageableTue, 26 Aug 2025 13:03:36 GMTFinding balance was a major challenge when writing MIR.EXE. How do you write speculative fiction that’s both a credible forecast of future tech and society—and a damn good story people actually want to read?

After all, the best stories are still based on humans, complex characters with whom we can identify. But at any given moment, I was one cool sci-fi …

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]]><![CDATA[Syn-biotic Relationships]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/syn-biotic-relationshipshttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/syn-biotic-relationshipsMon, 11 Aug 2025 13:10:15 GMTEcho Kinyata, is a CrateGhost, a human Stevedore paired with AI to manage the thousands upon thousands of cargo ships entering New Anchorage every day. In the early 2020s, Alaska received approximately 90% of food, materials, and comfort items from out of state. After the secession, Alaska’s population exploded along with its newfound wealth. Its depend…

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]]><![CDATA[PermaFlux and New Anchorage]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/permaflux-and-new-anchoragehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/permaflux-and-new-anchorageMon, 04 Aug 2025 13:02:59 GMTThe world of MIR.EXE is built upon the discovery of PermaFlux, an elemental compound that, when alloyed, creates a material capable of superconducting at warm temperatures. This seemingly simple change sets off a chain of global events that shape the world of New Anchorage. However, MIR.EXE is not a story about technology, or the history of the 21st cen…

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]]><![CDATA[MIR.EXE]]>https://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/mirexehttps://dkdillenback.substack.com/p/mirexeSat, 02 Aug 2025 19:57:38 GMTAt the turn of the 22nd century, Alaska is an independent nation with access to a raw material so powerful, the company that discovered it now shapes the world order. Echo Kinyata, once a child soldier, now a skilled and (mostly) obedient employee gets a message from his estranged wife asking him to risk everything. Now he must not only survive but navi…

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