Podcast appearance
I joined James Ibezim on The James Ibezim Podcast for a conversation about what cyberpunk gets right about our future: technology and attention, where engagement ends and manipulation begins, what happens when people who think differently are treated as problems to be fixed, and where I draw my own lines around AI and creative work.
Listen to the episode: What Cyberpunk Gets Right About Our Future
Why I write cautionary utopias
“I accept the world as it is around me right now, as much as I wish it were different. I channel that wishing into my fiction. That’s why I write cautionary utopias in alt history environments. But we have to live in the world we’re in.”
Different doesn’t mean broken
“The range of human cognitive experience is broad, and just because someone is different doesn’t mean they’re a problem… It doesn’t mean they’re broken. It doesn’t mean they need to be fixed. It may just mean they need a little extra assistance or empathy.”
Hacking the platforms
“As an author, I’m seeking to connect with my readers… so I look at these platforms as things that I need to hack in order to get my message out there.”
Where I draw the line on AI
“I never use AI in my creative writing, not in the drafting, not in the editing. That’s a hard no for me… I use it for project management and I use it for doing my schedule… it does make me use my time better. So that’s great. But it’s not something that feeds my soul.”
Used and abused — and using
“Two of my books were pirated by Anthropic. They were part of the data set… Anthropic settled that lawsuit. They acknowledged that they used that information illegally… And I’m expecting a check from them this year. And at the same time, I’m using them as a tool to help me manage my calendar and my projects. It’s just… such a weird world where we are used and abused by these platforms, and then we in turn use them to try to do what we need to do.”
Braiding the strands of a story
“In any story, I think, much like a rope, there are many different strands. And depending on how you weave that rope… some strands are in the front, and other strands come to the fore later on.”
Writing happens in community
“Writing can sometimes be a solitary task. But… most of the time, it’s in community with other writers and other publishing professionals.”
Toxic Medicine, the fourth and final book in the Resonant Earth quartet, arrives October 14, 2026.
Listen + keep in touch
Thank you to James Ibezim and The James Ibezim Podcast for a conversation about technology, attention, and the futures we are writing ourselves into. Listen to the full episode here.
New to the series? Start the Resonant Earth quartet with the free prequel novella Believe and Live at codysisco.com, and join the newsletter to hear first when Toxic Medicine arrives this October.