Instagram used to be a social media app, but has now slowly
devolved into a shopping and private chat room app.
What went wrong? It’s very simple. The elements and features
that made it a social media app were removed, effectively destroying organic
discovery and interaction.
1. The feature where you could see what friends liked was removed.
This feature had its pros and cons, but mostly they were pros. Sure, it had some elements that might seem creepy (seeing the exact posts your friends liked, which might not always be flattering). BUT, that’s what makes “social”, SOCIAL. If you put something embarrassing out in your lawn, or say something in public, PEOPLE SEE IT. This is what makes it social.
I’m happy to finally report that my debut novel “The Puller” has been picked up by the excellent Pyr. This is part of the news I’ve been hinting about.
The harrowing story of Matt Kearns lives on, and will be in hardcover, with distribution by Simon and Schuster.
A big thank you to my fantastic agent Lane Heymont. The Puller would not have been possible without Sarah, Debbie, Charlie, and Pam Welsh. And my father, Bruce Hodges.
I’m thrilled that this story continues to move people. More novels to come. And thank you all for sticking around.
Happy my debut novel found an outstanding new home.
Whew. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted a substantiative update to this page.
I left Missoula in January to house shop in the Pacific Northwest, camp, photo journal, and wrap up a writing deadline. While Montana will always be my #1, The long winters have started to wear on me. However, the summers are impossible to beat.
I checked out the Oregon coast, Portland, and several other areas. In the process I lost my whisper-quiet photography drone, which was capable of filming at 4k resolution with a 3-way gimbal head. The drone went berserk fifteen yards from me and crashed into a remote salmon stream. I searched for the drone for two days in the wilderness ravine, but no luck. BUT, luckily DJI stands by their products, and they shipped me a new drone for free. So that’s cool.
On the writing front, my debut novel THE PULLER has a new publishing home. I’m hoping to announce specifics any day now. In addition, I’m 1/3rd of the way finished with what I consider to be a novel on the level of THE PULLER called, LOST PLANES, LOST RIVER. It falls into the category of “upmarket thriller” and I’m excited about the project. I really wanted to come at the page hard and not filter myself. I wanted it to be art, not product in the way TH PULLER is experimental. It’s turning out well.
And on the house shopping front, things are getting interesting. In March of 2019, I left Missoula with my adventure cat Wrigley to attend a couple business meetings in LA. After the meetings, Wrigley and I ended up visiting various national parks and forests. And sadly, he died on December 27th, 2019. This had a profound impact on me…the kind of tectonic shift to where it felt like I’d become someone else. Less brighter, less smiles. Despite a myriad of distractions.
I honestly haven’t been able to stay between four walls for longer than a week. I feel compelled to move at all times, whether that constitutes gym, hiking, photography, different hotels, etc. This feeling, this change, doesn’t seem to be fading, but rather intensifying as time passes. So I’ve been rolling with it. The freedom is intoxicating. We’ll see how much longer it lasts.
The only thing I’ve ever learned in all this, is that nothing lasts forever. Not drones, not careers, not friends, nor beloved cats that liked Redwood National Park. But we try to make it last, don’t we?
Best, – Michael
A remote section of the Oregon coast where my drone disappeared.
This last month has been *crazy*. I’ve spent a lot of time writing, camping, and staying in hotels across the beautiful Pacific Northwest. It’s been a bit of a celebration. Writing news SOON.
Back when I first moved to Missoula, my dad asked me what kind of place I was looking for. I told him I wanted to be able to walk to the gym, and to groceries. He asked me why I wouldn’t want a cabin. I said there was no need, that the Lolo National Forest was the real backyard. It’s been an honor and privilege to live in the Lolo for as long as I have.
