Jordan Acosta

British-Filipino speculative fiction writer based near London, represented by John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton.

Pinned post from May 21, 2023

I'm Jordan Acosta.

Hello, and welcome. I’m Jordan Acosta, a British-Filipino speculative writer and Creative Director of Hawberk Press, represented by John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton. Here, you'll find a central index for my fiction and essays, as well as the archive for my erratic newsletter, the Acosta Dispatch. This no-frills blog feed is hosted by t...

September 4, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #9 – Novelettes, Ai Psychosis and Unsettling Japanese Fiction

In edition #9, I'm unsettled by the (underreported) instances of psychosis brought on by unregulated Generative Ai companions, as well as an update on my novelette, The Coronet. Reviews: Pagans by James Alistair Henry, The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani; and WeaponsDir: Zach Cregge, 2025 About Me I'm a British 40-something speculativ...

September 3, 2025

More Free-to-use Picture Resources for Writers

Because millions of free-to-use images are just the tip of the iceberg Following my previous essay which dispelled the tech-apologists’ claim that publicly available high resolution pictures are hard to find, many of you kindly responded in comments and DMs with links to even more free-to-use picture resources for your writing, 10 more...

September 2, 2025

Free-to-use Picture Resources for Writers

You have options other than Generative AI to illustrate your work The other day, I posted the following Substack Note: My opinion was challenged with two now-familiar rebuttals: 1. The vast majority of writers on Substack don’t have the artistic/design skills or resources to find or create a striking cover thumbnail that will attract a...

September 1, 2025

Putting the Blurb Before the Book

Photograph by Taylor 08 (Unsplash) How writing the back cover copy can stress test your next novel idea We’ve all been there, trying to pick out what to read next from a dizzying array of books lined up on shelves or screens. With so much visual noise, the blurb [1] – the back cover copy, rather than the nice comments from other author...

August 29, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #8 – Palate Cleansers

For edition #8 of the Acosta Dispatch, I'm taking a break from book #2 and working on another historical story. More details within. Reviews: Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside by Isaac Wright Jr.; and The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster About Me I'm a British 40-something speculative fiction writer, professio...

August 27, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #7 – Writing a First Chapter

For edition #7 of the Acosta Dispatch, I elaborate on the huge effort it takes for me to write descriptive passages for my next historical fiction novel. Reviews: A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming; and The Lovecraft Investigations by Julian Simpson. About Me I'm a British 40-something speculative fiction writer, professional designe...

August 25, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #6 – Greenland, What to Do Next & Resisting GenAi

In edition #6, I present a guide to resisting Generative Ai to illustrate your stories and blog posts, as well as some news and updates. Reviews: Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio, Gorse by Sam K. Horton; and The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. About Me I'm a British 40-something speculative fiction writer, professional designer and c...

August 24, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #5 – Editing for Submission & Dracula

This is edition #5 of the Acosta Dispatch, where I delve into substantial edits for my debut novel, Dark Century. Reviews: Strange Pictures by Uketsu, Kate Mosse: Unlocking the Secrets of the Labyrinth, The Deadly Percheron by John Franklin Bardin; and Dracula, adapted by Nick Lane. About Me I'm a British 40-something speculative ficti...

August 22, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #4 – The London Book Fair & Editing

I made the Agents' Hotlist for The Bookseller's 2025 London Book Fair print edition. Reviews: Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida, Severance, Series 1, Dir: Ben Stiller, Aoife McArdle et al.; and The Monkey, Dir: Osgood Perkins. About Me I'm a British 40-something speculative fiction writer, professional ...

August 21, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #3 – Pitches & Robust Ideas

In edition #3 of the Acosta Dispatch, I expand on why I think writing the back cover copy of a story idea is crucial to sustaining enough interest to actually write it. Reviews: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, A Bitter Taste by Josh Reynolds, Conclave by Robert Harris, A Real Pain, Dir: Jesse Eisenman; and Nosferatu, Dir: Robert Eggers. Ab...

August 21, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #2 – On Location, Bio-hacking & the Magic Castle

This is edition #2 of the Acosta Dispatch. In my second erratic newsletter, moving house throws a spanner into my schedule, and I elaborate on the benefits of creating constraints in a setting before I write. Reviews: EXTREMOPHILE by Ian Green, Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi, Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto; and The Florida Project, Dir:...

August 20, 2025

The Acosta Dispatch #1 – Agents, Literary & Literary

Welcome to the inaugural edition of my newsletter, the Acosta Dispatch, published every first Thursday. Here you will find updates on what I've been up to, short reviews and more. In this first edition, I outline how I found my literary agent John Baker at a convention, before delving into the murky world of secret agents in my monthly...

February 11, 2025

Dark Century

An investigator from the Danish Interior Ministry uncovers a decades-long conspiracy centuries after climate collapse, where fevered witch hunts collide with the shadow of le Carré’s Cold War. “'Dark Century is a gripping and utterly original twisted post-apocalyptic mystery in a thrilling world of persecution, brutality, and intrigue'...