If you have taken part in any Mia Ballard discussion, I would like you to watch this video, which confirms what many of us suspected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8wFC1EQ2Yk

This isn't about whether or not Mia Ballard used AI in any part of the book's process.

This is about a witch hunt.

This is about marginalized authors who will suffer the consequences of these witch hunts.

This is about the lack of journalistic integrity.

This is about piracy.

This is about marketing and sales of AI detection tools.

This is about publisher's looking to make money quickly. This is about a publisher's responsibility not only to their authors, but to readers.

This is about book content creators who have enough time to spend making a 3 hour video on a witch hunt, without providing any actual proof, to farm engagement for their otherwise sleepy page.

If your response to this video is "okay, but she still used AI and therefore deserves any and all ramifications" I do not believe you are capable of critical thinking. There are larger issues at hand here than whether or not she used AI.

Yes, Mia Ballard and her career and her mental health are all at the core, but how easily this could happen to anyone else?

Since this situation has been trending, I've seen numerous authors use Mia's downfall to market their own books, " My book doesn't have AI" "Want an AI free book?" "I worked really hard on this all on my own!"

Classless and truly desperate.

I've unhauled every single one and won't ever read them again.

I also think this is going to get much worse. A 3 hour YouTube video dissecting something you think is AI slop? We should not welcome these folks into the book space.

This is about the collective demand for "justice" at the expense of humanity.

You can be staunchly against generative AI use and not be the police.

Hi All,

This month, any purchase from my Bindery (through Bookshop . org ) supports Quiet Quail Books, an Indigenous bookstore in Southern California.

Quiet Quail Books

Quiet Quail Books is a California Indigenous-owned bookseller located in San Bernardino, CA. Quiet Quail Books curates book lists and book sales of various Indigenous authored books and diverse books across all genres. Our goal is to get as many quality Indigenous authored books into people's hands and communities. We are a digital online store, do pop-up bookstores in person on a monthly basis, and have a bookstore hybrid office in San Bernardino, CA. Every book you purchase from our list helps us towards funding our supplies for our pop-up schedule. Thank you so much for your support! 

To find out more information about our office and other interests, visit our website: quietquailbooks.com

First, let's talk book club books.

Regrettably, I DNFed The Year of the Witching. This one just was not for me.

I made it to the last quarter of The Night Watchman and then was confirmed to moderate Bookcon and all plans changed. I then was confirmed to moderate Bay Area Book Festival.

My immediate reading priority: read all of the panel for Bookcon, finish The Night Watchman, read April's bookclub books, start reading the panel for May!

So far I've read:

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

This one was a small town thriller with a missing husband who could be an attacker, and a senior community with a podcast who helped solve it all. ADORED.

Sundown Girls by LS Stratton

This was a YA thriller with a supernatural bent and focus on the history of sundown towns. UNPUTDOWNABLE. Kept you guessing to the very end.

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Also a YA thriller with slashers. Fans of My Heart is a Chainsaw will love the movie references in this one! This one also has a bit of a supernatural bent.

You guys, I've already lost track of the body count! It's A LOT.

I'm currently reading Who's All Going by Lisa Springer

Another YA thriller! These have all been so great. This one is has influencers, a resort, a wellness cult. Hard to put down.

Have you read any of these?

Hello All,

As a reminder, today is the absolute last day to get a 15% discount on my Must Reads Indigenous Books list .

If you see anything not already on your bookshelf, please buy it! My hope is that this sale is successful and Bookshop continues to offer us discounts! (I have so many more lists I want to create!)

As a reminder, any order purchased today supports Black Walnut Books, an Indigenous queer woman owned bookstore.

Tomorrow, we change bookstores!

Last Call!

Today is the last day to upgrade to a paid membership to receive What Feeds Below Benefits!

Hello All,

Find the details for April’s book clubs below!

If you’re new, the bookclub chats happen in Discord (channels will be up for book clubs and the Toni Morrison readalong tmw!)

Of note: Our April bookclub pick for women in horror is Silk and Sinew (nominated for a Stoker this year!) and is edited by Boozhoo Books’ Spring author: Kristy Park Kulski

Our April Good Day to Read Indigenous selection is Old School Indian!

So excited to announce that I will be moderating a panel at Bay Area Book Festival this year! And it’s on Indigenous romance!

Eeeeeeeek!

The panel is From Colleagues to Courtship: Indigenous Romance and features Tashia Hart, Pamela Sanderson and Dani Trujillo. I’ve linked their books below!

Will I see you there?

Super excited to meet folks at Bookcon this year!

And I’ve been keeping a huge secret (which as a gossip has been so hard!)

I will be moderating 2 THRILLER Panels

Saturday: Murder She Wrote: Thriller Writing and the Art of Suspense

Sunday: The Perfect Spot for Murder

I’ll also be giving away What Feeds Below arcs!

Check out the books below from the authors on the panels (+ What Feeds Below!)

My goal is to read 10 thrillers in 20 days! I’m almost done Nothing Ever Happens Here and I have NO IDEA how this one is going to end? Which one should I pick up next? How many bodies will drop across 10 books?! (From the attending authors I read The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark and The Scammer by Tiffany D Jackson last year- and they were two of my faves!)

Will I be seeing you at Bookcon?

Hello All,

I've attached this weeks community calendar! You may notice, I moved last weeks written posts to this week! (Last week got way too busy!

Here's what you need to know!

• Fridays have been working really well for our Discord reading sprints! Hop on in the Discord and read with us Friday starting at 5pm PST.

• The last day to upgrade to get What Feed Below benefits ($5 earcs, $12, $25 physical arcs) is March 30. Do not miss this important date. You also want to make sure you have your address on the Bindery profile.

• If you missed the news I partnered with BOOK SHOP . ORG to get you a 15% discount on Must Read Indigenous books! This sale is only happening until 3/30 and only the books listed here are eligible. Use code: BSO15

• Toni Morrison read a long! Bay Area Book Festival recently invited me to a chat with Namwali Serpell for her new release On Morrison and it motivated me to read all of Morrison's work in chronological order. A few folks in the Discord said they wanted to join, so we are starting with The Bluest Eye in April alongside On Morrison.

• What Feeds Below has over 100 reviews on Netgalley and still has a 5 STAR average rating! Just a reminder, if you have not pre-order What Feeds Below yet, please do today! I know this book can make it on a best seller list if we all come together and support it! (Also, early preorders will help our imprint secure a book for Fall 2027!

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