A broke #siren? Yeah, it happen. We aren't all megastars who go platinum. I could be mad at my siren mother for not checking to see if my dad was tone deaf before reproducing and passing that gene along, but their relationship story is too sweet. The magic still works, at least. #vss365 (siren)

coffee? Coffee. COFFEE! #AmWriting

It was a #sin, what they did to him. He knew it and they knew it, and together they all conspired to hide it from the rest of the world. Because if there was one thing worse than being sinned against, it was *being* a sin. Could he undo it in the future, that was the question. #vss365 (sin)

Also a reminder that if a magazine is being shady before a contract is signed, you can just pull the piece. You're not obligated to move forward, if an entity is acting in bad faith. Community is a resource. Post about it. Ask colleagues about it. And please know that I'm always a resource.

John Scalzi@scalzi.com · 2d ago

Asimov's trying to grab all the rights to @donatoarts.bsky.social's work is egregious but it's not in isolation, either. Other publishers are attempting other rights grabs and restrictions that they weren't doing a couple of years ago. Why? Because fuck you, that's why. Remember the power of "no."

ALSO (and then I am heading into a meeting, woe and alas is a bug) since we were talking about book titles the other day, I want people to pick up my wild west wild hunt novella THE RIDER, THE RIDE, THE RICH MAN'S WIFE Because *sometimes* I like my titles! pspublishing.co.uk/the-rider-th...

The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man's Wife [eBook] by Premee Mohamed

TITLE The Lives Of The Savages A NOVELLA by Robert Edric PUBLICATION DATE May 2011 EDITION eShort INTRODUCTION Jon L Breen ISBN 978-1-848631-71-7

pspublishing.co.uk

Finished Chapter 6 revisions! Let’s do math. 8,319 words - 5,535 = 2,784 words cut this chapter, about 33%. Rough draft 170,432 words – currently 165,070 words = 5,362 words cut total, about 3%. I want my numbers to be a lot closer to that 33% cut. I’m actually quite cranky about that 3%.

Free Fall Challenge is returning in November! Join us for a month long challenge of setting goals! Sign up! airtable.com/appR4SL...

Elizabeth Moon, CJ Cherryh, and now Gene Wolfe? Oof, Humble Bundle is getting all my book money this month! #AmReading #Booksky

She was idly sifting through beach pebbles looking for agates when something launched out of the water and landed at her feet. She picked it up. A fishing #lure, still bright and shiny but line-free. She pocketed and thought no more of it until the next day, when it happened again. #vss365 (lure)

Twin Cities! Do you wanna support your local indie bookstore and indie author? I’m giving a reading this Wednesday at the splendid DreamHaven Books, a store for all things sci fi, fantasy, and horror. Join me as I do a reading from my book, and stay for a gift card raffle 👀

This is so cool! TIL this podcast exists.

Ursula K. Le Guin@ursulakleguin.com · last wk.

On this week's episode of In Your Spare Time, @premeemohamed.com reads "Petty Expectations," a two-part blog post in which Ursula discusses "Critical Expectation: Genre and 'Literary' Fiction" and "Reader Expectation and the Young Adult Fantasy."

oh hey @annegoulard.bsky.social

In Otter News@in-otter-news.bsky.social · 2w ago

After a long day at the aquarium, the otters help tidy their toys away. Payment is made promptly and entirely in ice cubes.

Haven Spec Magazine is open this month to submissions by authors of historically marginalized backgrounds only! We want to read more works by Black writers, Indigenous writers, disabled writers, gay and lesbian and trans writers, and others whose voices must be heard! www.havenspec.com/submit/

Haven Spec Magazine, Submission Page

Fiction and Poetry for the 21st Century!

havenspec.com

Delighted to announce my story is included in Her Horrorween, a Halloween horror audio anthology! Free on all podcast platforms 10/26/26. Listen to the awesomely chilling trailer on Spotify (1m27s): open.spotify.com/episode/73qj... #Booksky #SpookySeason #Horror #podcast #AmWriting #ShortStory

OMINOUS THRILL: HER HORRORWEEN Trailer

OMINOUS THRILL: Her Horrorween · Episode

open.spotify.com

For 9 years this cat has attempted to get me to feed him at 4 am every day and for 9 years he has not succeeded one time and his only takeaway has been well it's certainly not happening if I don't try again, and I'm starting to find him quite inspirational

I DEEPLY wish all streaming services offered the "never show me this ad again" and "I am deeply offended and hate this ad payer" options. So much. Like. Some things are just annoying. But some are enraging in their very existence.

Watching "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (lurve that the "it's a bet" trope goes both ways here), and as a writer, that you have to write a thing no matter what just isn't that much of a threat! C'mon! Grab some guts, subvert the title of the article, make it "but upbeat" and everybody will love it!

Oh damn.

Gretchen McCulloch@gretchenmcculloch.com · 2w ago

so I just saw Something Rotten and whew, lemme tell you this song HITS as a writer 🎭🪶

I used to say, "I reckon..." so easily. Before the Reckoning became real. Before "I reckon" summoned forces that, to tell the truth (a wise thing these days), we'd never reckoned on. I never figured I'd #reckon again, after that first series of events. #vss365 (reckon)

These folks ARE the on-the-ground community aid we all say we want to support. If you have $5, that'd be lovely. If you don't, boosts help. Thank you.

Sanctuary Supply Depot@supplydepotmpls.bsky.social · 2w ago

Please help. People's needs always increase this time of year but this year is even greater than usual, and when we run out of tents people are sleeping unsheltered. Finances are tight for everyone but how far are any of us from homelessness?

Mommy, I #hunger. I hunger for all the world and the sun and the birds that nest outside my window and the books on the shelves in the library and the nice librarians you tell me about who pick my books, such good books. And Mommy, I hunger for the marrow in your bones. #vss365 (hunger)

" #Passion, I understand. But--a passion for paperwork?" She smiled serenely. "Is there any pleasure so exquisite as the evaporation of pain and fear by properly filled out paperwork? The joy of expunging uncertainty?" "Since you ask..." "That was hypothetical." #vss365 (passion) Read on Gavagai

Amazing. Also--you never know what will make an impact, no matter how small it seems.

TW@twesq.bsky.social · 3w ago

this is fantastic and I learned something new

Welcome to the autumnal equinox, Northern Hemisphere folks, this might be a good day to get your full spectrum lamp and/or Vitamin D supplements back out of storage why wait until things are bad a month from now when you could prevent it from happening by starting now!!

Earth, Wind & Fire - September (Do You Remember)

Alt: That clip from Earth, Wind & Fire - September (Do You Remember) that everyone posts today because it says "Do you remember/the 21st night of September?"

static.klipy.com

This makes me deeply want to get an apple and some extra sharp cheddar cheese.

old fruit pictures@pomological.xor.blue · 3w ago

fall cheese apples, painted by deborah griscom passmore, 1902

Having already named one of my least favorite tropes ("it was all a dream!"), let's make this an open question: what trope or plot device would you fire into the sun, never to be seen again? (Take it as a given that offensive tropes like fridged women and magical Negroes are already on the rocket.)

Reposting this would be very helpful. We're having a tough month at Skype a Scientist between much of my energy being devoted to Academy of Natural Sciences stuff. I need help!!

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.@sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Goooood morning! The 2026 Snail Facts Calendars are OUT! We've got 24 days of scratchable snail fact goodness, designed by Philly artist Kelly Nichols! Advent calendars are cute as hell, a delightful tradition, and keep @skypeascientist.bsky.social funded! Get one at SquidFacts.net Pls repost ❤️

Margin Note What's your preference: hero or antihero and why? I want a character I can root for, and whose head I don't mind living in (or who I don't mind living in my head??) for a long period of time. Funnily enough, that doesn't actually limit it to either hero or antihero. #AmWriting

"We will show you #marvels and wonders," they had promised. And so they did, though they hadn't warned me I'd be too busy mopping up ectoplasm or getting the tarnish off the silver (knives, that is) to appreciate it. I also hadn't paid attention to that "lifetime career" clause. #vss365