This issue includes part 1 of my interview with Commodore tech writer, Dan Sanderson, and upcoming author events. But first, some big publication news...

I happy to announce my novel Christina's Portait has finally found a publisher! It will be released by Wordhaven Press in November 2026.

This novel, which took 50 years to create, is about two teens dealing with unfathomable tragedies. In 2021, Benicia Veracruz tries to cope with her mother's death during the pandemic by creating a video about a ghost that supposedly haunts her high school. In 1977, Noreen Davis struggles to conceal her love of art and passions she can't control.

What brings them together is Christina Andrews, Noreen's closest friend who was brutally murdered on campus. Noreen is the last person to see Christina before she was killed.

Benicia's investigation brings her to the now 60-year-old Noreen. But Noreen will only let Benicia share her story if she reveals her own painful tragedy.

Christina's Portrait will be available in paperback and eBook. Look for more details in future editions of this newsletter. Make sure you're subscribed to get the latest.

My other recent novels show characters facing their past to deal with the present—and they're both centered in Reseda, California.

In Amiga, Laura is a middle-age programmer dealing with family problems and a new manager who's young enough to be her daughter. She also carries painful memories of a job at a startup company in the mid-1980s that took a dark turn. She may find the answers to her problems in the computer that changed her life, the Commodore Amiga.

In The Remainders, a homeless son and troubled father must reconnect across Southern California. Eighteen-year-old Dylan Glass was kicked out of his mother and stepfather's palatial home and finds himself sleeping in his SUV behind the abandoned Reseda Theater. Miles away in Orange County, his father Oliver struggles with trauma from an abusive and tragic past.

You can find Amiga and The Remainders in paperback and Kindle, and you can request these books at your local library.

While you're at it, check out Wordhaven Press's latest release, The Prophesy of Braemorra by Jolene Corona, when it comes out on July 29.

I started my technical writing career with a Commodore 64 over 40 years ago. Commodore is back with its best-selling Commodore 64 and 64C Ultimate and its modern version of the distraction-free flip-phone, Commodore Callback.

When I saw the Commodore 64 Ultimate at the recent Commodore LA Super Show, one of the things that caught my attention as a technical writer was the user's guide. The classic blue glossy cover and spiral binding brought back memories of the original Commodore 64 documentation. I had to get in touch with Commodore to find out how they created it and who wrote it. 

Commodore put me in touch with their technical writer, Dan Sanderson. This is the first part of our interview. The second part will be published next month.

Tell us about your background and how you got into technical writing.

I’ve been a software engineer ever since the dot-com boom of the late 1990’s. I also love writing, and I noticed very early on how similar writing software and writing prose can be—and should be. Even so, software engineers that can write prose are rare enough to be a hot commodity, and I was able to lean into writing for interesting career opportunities. I like empowering people with computing, which includes tool making, API design, and technical writing. I strongly believe technical design and technical writing are closely related, and I always insist that technical writers be included early in the design process.

Four years ago, I joined the MEGA65 project, a modern recreation of a vintage Commodore computer that they never released that was to be called the Commodore 65. I’ve been writing on the MEGA65 manuals, and I also write a monthly email newsletter on Commodore programming. I also maintain the KERNAL ROM (operating system code), a task I consider to be tightly wedded to maintaining the documentation. My experience with that project made it an easy choice to get involved in a similar way with the Commodore 64 Ultimate.

How is working for Commodore different from your other jobs?

Commodore started as a group of very excited enthusiasts and industry veterans wanting to do cool things, and I wanted to be a part of it from the beginning. I kind of feel like I crashed the party: I just showed up and never left. “Is he with you?” “I thought you invited him…”

Everything is still new and improvisational, and we’re figuring out how to do big things with limited budgets. That includes finding novel ways of collaborating. One of the best ways this works is to find talented people and let them run as hard as they can with autonomy and freedom that you don’t get at big companies. This isn’t always possible, and sometimes we get multiple people running in different directions and we need to pull ourselves back and regroup. As long as you’re kind and generous with your partners when this happens, it’s a ton of fun.

At what point in the development process did you start working on the user guide?

I joined the project at an unusually early stage, which is how I prefer to do tech writing, though it’s not always possible. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is based on the Ultimate 64 FPGA board by Gideon Zweijtzer, and I already owned an Ultimate 64 board, so I was familiar enough to already have an understanding of what new material would be needed. I spent a couple of months typesetting the original User Guide text while Gideon was upgrading the firmware for the C64U, saving the Ultimate-specific material for the end so we could come together without too much extra re-work. There were a ton of improvements coming in at the last minute, and I was installing test versions on a beta board and updating text and layout all the way up to our drop-dead content lock date.

How much input did you have in the design of the new software and hardware?

Some! The Ultimate meta-operating system was already in great shape from the beginning, but we knew its design was a bit… nerdy… and we wanted a smoother learning curve for people who are new to Commodore. Peri designed an all-new menu layout which Gideon implemented, and I got to help test and polish.

This is what I mean when I say tech writers ought to be involved early in the development process. If I can’t explain a design easily, it’s best to notice that when the design can still be improved.

Look for part 2 of this interview in next month's newsletter. Subscribe so you don't miss out.

My next scheduled event is the Local Author Fair at the Fullerton Public Library on Saturday, August 22 from 12:00–4:30 pm. You can read about my experiences from last year's show.

I'll be at the Mission Viejo Local Author Showcase on Friday, September 4 from 5:00–8:00 pm at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. Look me at the Mission Viejo Writer's Group table. We're currently putting together an anthology of works from local authors (which might include my essay, "The Long Race").

Indie Author Day returns to the Anaheim Central Library on Saturday, November 7, 11:00 am–4:00 pm. Enjoy a full day of local authors and panel discussions, like the one I moderated about AI last year.

More author events are coming soon, including a release party for Christina's Portrait. Look for details in upcoming newsletters.

I've interviewed a number of authors including N.J. Mastro, Nicole Zelniker, Jann Alexander, Karen E. Osborne, Joseph Lewis, Bailey Johnson, and Lucy McLaren. Recently, I interviewed bookstore owner Lonnie Owens and school librarian Amanda Prosin.

If you are an author or someone associated with the book community who wants to be interviewed, send me an email to admin@matthewarnoldstern.com with the following information:

• Your name.
• A brief bio (100 words or less).
• Your books.
• What you would like to talk about in your interview.

By supporting each other, we can all grow!

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments and suggestions, feel free to email me at admin@matthewarnoldstern.com. 

If there is someone who you think would enjoy this newsletter, pass it along and encourage them to subscribe. A simple subscription form is on my website.

I'll be in touch again next month with more news and content.