Still weirds me out how eerily prescient Exploded View (by Sam McPheeters) was. Called the whole "media becomes nothing but remixes of other media" thing over a decade out. Overall the book is, eh, mid? decent? but that was a hell of a called shot to land. goodreads.com/book/show/286959…
Today (well... yesterday now), we read Amelia Edward's 'In The Confessional' for #AScareADay There's a good simple story in here somewhere, a tasty kernel surrounded by way too many descriptions of trees, flowers, hedges, houses, clothes and a rhododendron
Got my first rejection from a literary agent -- which is good, because no response at all is the expectation #writing #writingcommunity
I don't think she'll win, but Anne Carson would be an incredible choice. Best English-language poet of her generation. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/o...
It's Book Quote Wednesday, and this week's word is *push.* Here's a snippet from A Waltz of Sinister Import, in which Margaret has been gifted a mysterious cloak from an unknown benefactor...and you can preorder the ebook now to have it on your e-reader in just 1 week! books2read.com/waltzSinister (Alternately, of course, you can subscribe to my Patreon at the Dragon Ruler level to read it today: patreon.com/stephanieburgis ) #romance #bookqw #fantasy
#WritersCoffeeClub Oct. 6: What might an inattentive reader miss in your work? In volume 2, the heroine and others notice falcons occasionally around the abbey. The statue of the Madonna and Child in the church is actually a salvaged Roman statue of Isis and Horus. Horus is often represented as a falcon. #writing #histfic #writersofmastodon #writingcommunity
I'm working my way through the Discworld series again, and discovering there are books I thought I'd read but hadn't. I'd somehow missed Maskerade (why isn't it more popular with musical theater nerds?) and I definitely THOUGHT I'd read Jingo, but I'm finding I recognize almost none of it.
My final book this year is THE DAWN OF DUSK AND TWILIGHT, a mix of #fantasy and #sciencefiction! It also marks the end of a trilogy that is my most award-nominated set of books. I hope to be talking about it over the next few weeks. I do have a book launch for it on November 1 at Underdog Bookstore. #books
I’ve been thinking about The Rats of NIMH a lot recently
ICYMI: While preparing for the launch of my first-ever crowdfunding effort, I did a series of posts on Ko-fi to better establish my presence there. Here's one of my favorites, all about why I review books as an author. Have a look at all of them! ko-fi.com/post/Why-I-Review-Ot… #specfic #scifi #horror #thriller #spookyseason #blog #blogpost #bookreview #bookreviews #bookrec #bookrecs #booksofmastodon #bookstodon #readers #read #reads #reading #readingcommunity #blogposts #whattoread #bestreads #books
Despite The Ambivalence Chronicles heavily featuring a vehicle named in honour of the King of the tyrant lizards, the word lizard only appears in Bit#4: The Dragon Download, in reference to a dragon. So here it is. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #TheAmbivalenceChronicles
Started reading a Gears of War novel and I was completely unprepared for the realness
Of dreams, memories, and the imagination: Slow Elephants of Milan by Ángel Bonomini Imagine the sight: on a foggy February morning in Milan, the modest and apologetic narrator of the title story of this long overdue translation of short fiction by the enigmatic Argentinian writer Ángel Bonomini (1929–1994), is surprised to see two elephants emerge from the mist on the Via Manin. As a visitor passing through this elegant city, he is at a loss to explain his reaction to… roughghosts.com/2026/10/06/of-…
This is good. Untitled Ape's Epic Adventure by Steven Tillotson. Recommend to me by the much missed GN expert Steve Walsh who a couple of you may have known. The artwork is great. The story is perhaps a little dry for a 13yr old but there's an almost 100% chance I'm over thinking.
#WritersCoffeeClub 7 Oct Does your editing process tend towards addition or reduction? Addition with smoothing. I get the shape of the idea down, then usually add supporting material for what made sense in my head but not on the page. The rough draft doesn't usually have anything that isn't core to what I was trying to say, so no removing happens early in the process. But most of the editing is adjustment, re-ordering, change of emphasis, finding a better word, and endless prose polishing.
The expectation of marketing your book is that every story must be a mix of preexisting franchises, with a sort of twist. "It's like if *throws dart* Seinfeld meets *throws dart* The Hunger Games, but the protagonist is *throws dart* Lara Croft from Tomb Raider." Everything must be something else.
It seems to me there now exist only stories that remain suspended or get lost along the way. Calvino ~ If on a winter's night a traveler Photo Juan Brufal #Bookstodon #Literature #Photography
Here's a couple paras from the HKK piece I've been working on. It should feel visceral & overwhelming in 3rd person omniscient perspective with choppy point-of-view internal monologue & a strong sense of character accent/voice. Also, very sweary which is character & scene-appropriate. #LitHodgepodge
Readers say: If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, you’ll love sleuthing with Kate and the Coffee Shop Irregulars! “I love the amateur detective sisters solving the crimes along with their friends and family who help them. There is lots of witty banter and interesting situations that keep this story moving along at a fast pace.” “Readers will eagerly wait for more sleuthing with Kate and the Coffee Shop Irregulars!” storyoriginapp.com/collections… #books #mystery
I finally got to talk with Matt Emmons, the artist behind The Council of Frogs, one of my favorite graphic novels of the last few years. I'm so happy with how this interview turned out. If you like dark fantasy with a lot of heart, check out his work. #comics @secondatbest.bsky.social bit.ly/4i6EFTI
The book I’m reading is about amateur naturalists! I started it right after entering a season’s worth of data from our rain gauge, and then lo and behold, one of the protagonists is keeping a rain gauge too.
Heroic Relay Race: Aidan Bunker reviews Caskey Russell's THE EAGLE IN THE MOUNTAIN (Solaris) ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/202…
Book: The Fires of December I don't want to give any spoilers, but I love how many women protagonists there are in Sandersons cosmere books. This book is another excellent example.
A Reminder of Some of the Ridiculous Reasons for Banning Books In looking for additional posts for Banned Books Week, I came across this article by Chrissie Gruebel for Barnes & Noble noting some of the petty and pretty ridiculous reasons people have sought to ban books. And if you're wondering about the image above, yes: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? was removed from a school curriculum in 2010... bjornmunson.com/2026/10/07/a-r…
New Review - an effective monster story that perhaps owes too much to the 80s awaits in The Siren of Groves Peak by Glenn Rolfe out now www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/10...
Today I saw the sunrise Image by Sara Vaccari from Pixabay * Today I saw the sunrise For the very first time. I forgot to take my camera So I'll describe it in this rhyme. When we left home, the sky was dark, Dark blue, pin-pricked with stars. Everywhere was quiet and still, On the road no moving cars. We walked towards the pebbled beach, My four-legged friend and me. violetsvegancomics.com/2026/10…
Book of the [Last] Week: Tony Ballantyne’s Captain Cook and the Unsettled Afterlives of Empire reviewed by Dr Jonathan West newsroom.co.nz/2026/10/01/b...
#writersCoffeeClub 10/7: Does your editing process tend toward addition or reduction? Usually sorting out sentences that "suddenly" don't make sense! That and spelling, punctuation and the correct use of the semicolon. I tend to write 500--600 pages anyway, and my publisher is happy to run with whatever I supply.
So my eldest (23yo) is also a writer, and we've talked craft a lot for years. I feel like one of the best gifts I've given her is just showing her how much revision pro writers do She really gets it, and it makes me so proud! She's years ahead of where I was at her age
Have reread Neuromancer and Count Zero this week. We fucked this dystopian thing up every which way. None of the style, all of the shit. And the truth remains the same.
How come publishers were almost universally in agreement about a standard size for "mass market" paperbacks, but for literally nothing else? #RandomThoughts
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober 7 Most of my work tends to be MC POV-centric and 3rd person tense. The Faumen War Chronicles is a rare exception in that it use multiple POVs from both the protagonist & antagonist side.
"...you said, “Here’s for the sapper.” but how could i know that’s a soldier defusing landmines, while all the time it was the maple sap we boiled into syrup heart-tracks in the snow..." Sapper by Richard Grahn medium.com/the-mad-river/sappe… #read #poetry in The Mad River #Litpub & #poetrycommunity
Bernard Wolfe’s LIMBO is a strange and powerful novel.
The temple was open. Waiting. And she had no choice but to enter. Above its crown, lightning stitched the sky into a broken tapestry, flash after flash, yet still no sound, no thunder, only silence. SOL DYSIS 20 October 2026 #horror #readers #horrorbook #books #horrorcommunity #darkfiction #news
We sold out on the first day of publication. US friends, you don't want to sleep on this book - one of the perks of owning the store is that I got my copy, and so can attest that it's one of the most fun books I've read this year. Go get it!!!!!!!!
Now shipping! Demonstrating why providing health information services are a natural part of what libraries do, alongside straightforward advice for effective interactions, this guide will empower you to help patrons find and use information to make informed decisions: alastore.ala.org/PLhealthQs. #librarianship #libraries #healthliteracy #librarytrends #reference #librarianlife #libraryservices #publiclibraries #libraryworker #ALA #AmericanLibraryAssociation #LIS #MLIS #InformationScience #library
Re: Brickhouse of ideas. I think this is a really smart and strong idea for Marvel. The Compact Comics don't quite work for Marvel in the same way - DC have just spent decades working on evergreen stories of 8-18 issues. They've got a bench. What Marvel does is runs, and this is what you get here.
Congratulations, Cowboy! 🖤
Great conversation about writing (publishing, and reading) in Saudi Arabia today between Ibrahim Alfraih & Ahmed Alhokail: arablit.org/2026/10/08/w...
Every evening, Clara left a single sunflower on the park bench outside her bookstore. Every morning, it was gone, replaced by a handmade bookmark tucked inside a new paperback. For months, they communicated only in margins and folded pages—her quiet hope answered by his silent words. On a rainy Tuesday, she waited by the window. A man in a damp coat paused at the bench, placing a book down. She opened the shop door. "I loved the ending," she said. He smiled, hand dripping. "Me too."
Felt a similar way when Helen Joyce’s ‘Trans’ was sent to Rob post the war over at The Bad Place. Was a bit warm for a fire so we settled for the skip.
🕵️ Espionage. Betrayal. Political intrigue. In From Terror to Valor, Jack Debaut is drawn into a dangerous world of covert operations where allies become enemies and secrets could change everything. ⚡ A fast-paced espionage thriller packed with action, suspense, and twists. 📖 books2read.com/fromterror2valor #EspionageThriller #SpyFiction #ThrillerBooks #AmReading
@aptshadow.bsky.social's Service Model novel feels like if Ionescu wrote Abott and Costello's Who's on First with strictly non sentient characters. It's different. In a good, absurd way.
Lanterns had that trope/theme in most of Tom King’s stuff I’ve read where you’re meant to feel sorry for the soldier-like character for committing atrocities but ignoring or dehumanizing the victims of said atrocities.
📚 Our book this month at the Tog Science Fiction Book Club is I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve picked a classic that sits right between science fiction and horror. 🧛 We’ll be meeting in person on Monday, October 26th at 7:30pm at Tog Hackerspace. New people are always welcome. meetup.com/tog-dublin-hackersp… #ScienceFiction #BookClub #IAmLegend #TogHackerspace #Dublin
Took a break from reading due to writing a script, but finally back at it... Unfortunately, the chapters where I stopped (about midway through Wheel of Time 4: The Shadow Rising), were kinda... slow and heavy on exposition(Rhuidean), so it was a struggle. But I love Perrin's storyline afterwards...
I just found a great list of practical sympathetic inks ("invisible inks") and gawd look at this source. this is great! It's basically a manual for people wanting to debunk phony spiritualists, giving detailed explanations of the various tricks and gimmicks that they used in their seances. Dilute cupric nitrate solution is mentioned as an option, apparently producing red Cu2O upon heating.
It’s simpler than that. Tolkien’s legendarium covers 10,000 years and the First Age and Third Age have no discernible material culture differences. Later fantasy authors just copied it.
He's a unapologeticly greedy "land" owner and the administrator of this little mining town. Do you really think that's a kind of person you can trust? Find out why Gus would make a deal with such a man. Get your copy of Gas Giant Gambit. esraye.com/gas-giant-gambit/ #scifiwestern #scifi #spacewestern #books #bookstagram
