[erikaswyler]

It's paperback day for We Lived on the Horizon. At last, this book has reached its final form.

S&S has made a lovely buy link page.

Thanks to everyone who has read it, special thanks to those who read it and loved it, and shiny sticker stars for everyone who read it, loved it, and told people about it.

Thank you to all of you who pick it up now in it's convenient gorgeous new form.

You can grab it from your indie, or any favorite bookseller.

It's been a weird time in the US to have a book out about seeking a life of moral clarity during interesting times, to have a book out about the inevitability of revolution, to have a book out about what actual sapient artificial intelligence might look like (it's *not* ChatGPT or the like), to have a book out about class barriers and how we refuse to see each other, it's been a weird to me to have, well, a queer-forward book out.

But thanks for being on my side.

[erikaswyler]

At the end of October I had the honor of giving a lecture on Worldbuilding and We Lived on the Horizon at ASU Tempe's Worldbuilding Initiative.

The students were incredible, and the initiative is one of the most hopeful programs I've come across in the past few years. Their lectures and discussions are online, and I've found them a true source of inspiration. In times of fear it takes humanity and bravery to imagine and work toward better. Headed up by ASU's own very distinguished Matt Bell (please grab his books; Appleseed, his most recent novel, is a favoite).

If thinking about futures, what's come before and what may lie ahead is your jam, this talk might be for you.

(Note: It had been *decades* since I'd given a powerpoint, so I hope you afford me a bit of grace.)

[erikaswyler]

While on tour in January, I got the chance to have a conversation with the incredible Nancy Pearl, the quintessential librarian and the kind reader every writer dreams of.

I had such a wonderful time talking with her about books, class, how we'd organize our own libraries, and what access to books and libraries has meant for me.

Forgive the blank hotel wall backdrop; I remembered to travel with my ring light an mic, but not my green screen.

I have a *very* difficult time watching myself on video without wanting to crawl into a hole, so please do give a watch--because I can't.

[spinningininfinity]

What a voice. Honey, smoke, and sex.

-We Lived on the Horizon - @erikaswyler

[erikaswyler]

I happen to *love* writing about contralto voices.

[erikaswyler]

5 Calls

Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.

Have you made your 5 calls lately? It's an easy way to do something to feel less helpless.

[erikaswyler]

Too much ME for just one ME

A thing about launching a book is you get so heartily sick of yourself that you would like to disappear into the cracks of a sofa. That's precisely when you're supposed to be sharing all the places you're appearing, or all the interviews you've given. And that makes you imagine that everyone who *isn't* you is also heartily sick of you. (At least, this is true for me.)

That said!

Any book's success in this day and age is on the shoulders of the people you love, people who love you well in return. I genuinely don't know how assholes make it in publishing. I suspect that nearly every book I have ever moved has been off the goodwill and hearts of friends.

The launch for We Lived on the Horizon at P&T Knitwear was more than a "This is Your Life" moment for me. Friends I've had since elementary school showed up. My first actually kind boss, who I started working for nearly 20 years ago. She became a friend and role model. My first real writing friend (who is on a mammoth book tour at the moment, so it was kismet that she was able to make it). Tumblrs from when I had my earliest account in, like, 2008 or 2009? Friends drove distances. Flew.

A lot of my writing is about how language fails to convey itself and... well, there isn't an exact word in english that expresses this feeling-- the joy, and the near crying of it. Every picture of me from that night looks a bit unhinged because I'm about to burst with emotion. I am profoundly lucky and feel both embraced and crushed by the good fortune to know people like this.

So. Too much me for me. You know?

Alas, needs must.

Grab We Lived on the Horizon from your preferred place here

If you'd like to see this hot mess express on the road and hear me read from We Lived on the Horizon:

I'll be at RiffRaff books in Providence, RI on 1/21 INFO HERE It should be a really fun night.

Virtual event on 1/30: Author Hour in Massachusetts (via Tewksbury Public Library!) I'll be in convo with my friend and writing hero, Adrienne Celt! INFO HERE

If you just want to read me blathering on about the book, there are links to a whole bunch of interviews and podcasts here.

To everyone who already got a copy, people I may never get to thank in person, thank you.

[erikaswyler]

Appearances — Erika Swyler

I've updated my events page with where you can find me in the coming weeks!

Bonus: I have a virtual event. So if you're not in NYC, Long Island or Providence, RI, you can still play along with me! That's on January 30th, and the registration link is on my page.

DOUBLE BONUS: The event is in conversation with brilliant writer and dear, dear friend, ADRIENNE CELT!!! Adrienne saw We Lived on the Horizon early on. She's a brave writer and an excellent one. When I thought about conversation partners for events, I decided I wanted every conversation to be with a friend so we wouldn't have to work to have fun. Getting to chat with Adrienne is a dream.

[erikaswyler]

Saints, Bodies, and Machines: A Conversation with Erika Swyler - The Rumpus

When we push societal roles aside, what’s left between parents and children is the desire to both care and to be cared for.

And here's me on everything from AI and LLMs to capitalism, altruism, the parent-child relationship, and political anger. It's a gift to have been read so thoughtfully and even better to have been asked such insightful questions.

You can get We Lived on the Horizon here And Stephanie Feldman's Saturnalia here.

[erikaswyler]

One week to launch! This lovely thing happened. Apple Books chose We Lived on the Horizon as a Best Book of January. Give it a gander here: apple.co/bestbooks

From their review: A far-future dystopian fable set in a walled city offers readers a great deal to think about. In the AI-directed city of Bulwark, the descendants of the city’s founders, known as the Sainted, live comfortably, while the city’s workers struggle to scrabble out a meager existence on what’s left. Elderly Saint Enita Malovis devotes her life to bio-prosthetics, constructing organs for workers unable to afford medical treatment. But as she contemplates her looming mortality and begins building an android named Nix to carry on her work, the murder of another Sainted jolts her out of her comfort zone and into the realization that the city is poised to erupt into civil chaos. We were intrigued and unsettled by author Erika Swyler’s take on the ever-increasing gulf between the haves and have-nots, the danger of being blind to social ills even when they should be obvious, and what shape artificial intelligence might assume in the future.

I mean, I aim to be intriguing and unsettling. It's my whole thing.

[erikaswyler]

10 books to add to your reading list in January

Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising new titles — fiction and nonfiction — to consider in January.

Honestly? An embarrassment of riches.

We Lived on the Horizon is included, and called ELEGANT. That's a word I never really thought would be applied to anything I've written. (Nearly all my early writing was labeled "quirky" in a way I was sure would follow me to the grave.) To be disgustingly earnest, I teared up.

Another truly fantastic thing: Karissa Chen's Homeseeking heads up this list. It's out 1/7. Karissa Chen is the the writing friend I've known the longest, nearly two decades now, and we've seen each others' books from their infancy on to publication. She's 1/4 of the writing group/friend group that has been the longest, steadiest presence in my writing life.

Homeseeking is remarkable. You're going to see it everywhere and with good reason.

[erikaswyler]

An Excellent Way to Start the Year

Aardvark Book Club

Addicted to BookTok? Become a member of the only monthly book subscription box with a social app. Choose up to three hardcover books every m

As is the way with most things in books, I've had to keep this good news secret for a while. But We Lived on the Horizon was chosen as one of Aardvark Book Club's selections for January!

As a rule, I really like the range of Aardvark's selections. They've included some of my favorite reads and writers (Hello, have you read Clare Beams's The Garden yet? Because I *really* want you to. The Reformatory getting members' choice? Yes, please.)

So, you know, if you're looking for a thoughtfully curated selection of books, a fun social media presence (their instagram is excellent) and more ways to find new reads, I highly recommend them.

I can't wait for Aardvarkers to meet Nix, Enita, Helen, and Neren.

[erikaswyler]

The Most Anticipated Books Hitting Shelves This Winter

From novels to essay collections, memoirs to short stories, and even more experimental fare, there’s no shortage of great reads coming out t

No joke, I was kinda floored to see We Lived on the Horizon included in this list. There are serious heavy hitters in there.

Now, a thing about these lists and the industry. There are so, so, so many books out there, and very few outlets left that have any book coverage. So making a list like this is a gift in so many ways.

But getting on lists? That's about the team behind you, having a publicist that's hustling incredibly hard (while also not ticking off their contacts at an outlet). Sometimes it's even two publicists. The folks doing book coverage are INNUNDATED. So a list like this is 99.9% about the team behind you, and .1% about the book itself.

Weird? Sure. But this is what happens when we end up with less and less book coverage. We hear about fewer books. When you hear less about books, you read less widely, and sometimes less overall.

So. This is an ENORMOUS feather in the caps of everyone working on this book. And they deserve every bit of pride.

It's also a bit of a shocker for me. I'm still 16 in my head, so the fact that I'm somehow in this middleage body on lists with writers who I'm more than a little in awe of (hi, Lidia Yuknavitch)--that feels weird! It's never going to not feel weird! Good weird!

I have more things to share soon, which is nice. But for now, preordering is a treat for January you. Going to an NYC book launch? Also a treat for January you.

[erikaswyler]

TICKETS HERE!!!!

(And in the photo if clicking on photos is your thing.)

I hope you'll join me on 1/14/25 at P&T Knitwear in NYC to celebrate the launch of We Lived on the Horizon

When I thought about events for this novel, I knew I wanted to have FUN. I wanted to be in conversation with people I love, people who make me laugh, and the people who helped make this book. That's Juliet.

You know Juliet Grames as an incredible editor *and* the brilliant author of The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia and The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna. I am lucky to call her my friend and writing group buddy of a decade plus. Once, at the Texas Book Festival, she patiently listened to me whine about how a machine with plural conciousnes jammed into a human body would be, "You know, like a nation--tons of identities crammed into one thing that makes them both more and less, and also fighting itself/each other." So, she's obviously patient, and a good soul to put up with me.

We're gonna have a good, good time. I imagine we'll all want a bit of distraction in January. Come, let us distract you! I hope to see you there.

[fourdiagnosesinatrenchcoat]

Revolts make clear that while pure information itself is impartial, collecting and archiving information is not, nor is its dissemination.

-We Lived On the Horizon, @erikaswyler

[erikaswyler]

!!!! This is the first time I've encountered a quote from We Lived on the Horizon in the wild! Highly exciting.

As with most of my books, this is a tough one to describe.

At best I can say it's about altruism and the way governments exploit it, class, rebellion, aging, childlessness, gender, identity, what a human-forward sentient artificial intelligence might do in an unequal world, and what we owe each other.

So. Everything? Yes! Everything.

[erikaswyler]

It's been a minute since I've shared some fabulous things. The early responses to We Lived on the Horizon have been wonderful.

It's a really strange time to be gearing up to launch this particular book, which has lots of thoughts about static societies and the way governments and revolutions alike chew through people. It's also a book where I've written really directly about love in all its forms. I think at its heart is an invitation to care and kindness.

The on-sale date is 1/14/2025. Click here for a snazzy preorder landing page and more about the book.

You might want a distraction around that time. It would do my heart good to know I helped provide one.

Preordering from a local independent bookstore does your community and the author the most good, second to that, bookshop.org, followed by any other platform with a physical location.

[erikaswyler]

Revealing We Lived on the Horizon, a Novel by Erika Swyler - Reactor

The human desire for utopia, the quest for ultimate knowledge, and what the future holds for humanity and machine alike.

*rising from beneath a dust-covered couch cushion*

*clears throat*

Just when you thought you were rid of me. I'm thrilled to not only announce We Lived on the Horizon, but also share this truly fantastic cover reveal from ReactorMag.com

I've spent the past few years reading, thinking, and writing about utopias, AI, and altruism, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the results. (What we're calling AI now isn't true AI, btw.)

Pre-orders are what determine the push behind a book, so please do share far and wide if this sounds like your jam.

Buy links at the publisher: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/We-Lived-on-the-Horizon/Erika-Swyler/9781668049594

And Barnes & Noble is currently running it's 25% off pre-orders sale for members with the code PREORDER25: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/we-lived-on-the-horizon-erika-swyler/1145698606?ean=9781668049594

[friendly-neighbourhood-librarian]

I still can’t explain it neatly except to say that it’s a book. It does book things.

Erika Swyler (via reynoldsreads)

In general, this is how I describe all my books. If I could do it succintly, I probably wouldn’t write novels.