Sept 14: “Writing Process of a Best-Selling Author” with Robin Sloan

The idea for a best-selling novel can come from the most unexpected sources.

Misreading a tweet in 2008 about a “24-hr bookdrop” as a “24hr bookshop”, Robin Sloan’s disappointment was beyond words. The idea of a 24-hour bookstore percolated in his head, evolving into the award-winning novel, Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore.

Robin’s love affair with words began when he was a kid hanging out at libraries. Fascinated by the intersection of media and technology, he co-founded the blogging site Snarkmarket and worked at Twitter (before it was X). He solidified his connection with the South Bay in 2020 by publishing a serialized detective story in the San Jose Mercury News and now splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley.

Recently back from the book tour of Moonbound, his third novel, and a rollicking adventure in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and Ursula K. Le Guin, it is a true privilege to welcome Robin Sloan as our September guest speaker.