New Parasocial Media is up! open.substack.com/pub/katmcken...

I wrote about Neil Gaiman, and the women accusing him of sexual coercion, assault and abuse. www.vulture.com/article/neil...

There Is No Safe Word

How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.

vulture.com

Guys, Look What You Made Me Do is currently half price - that’s only £6! - on Amazon 🐍 If you’re looking for a fandom/Swiftie winter warmer to get you through the rest of January, now’s your chance! 💜 amzn.eu/d/3YALV9G

My final top three of the week, for your reading pleasure - featuring a step down nostalgia way with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, my manifesto on why I’m declaring @hollybourne.bsky.social’s new book essential reading, and a closer look at my Spotify Wrapped: katmckenna.substack.com/p/18th-decem...

18th December: Looking backwards, looking forwards

Back to the usual format this week, I share my most recent three pop culture highlights, including a look at Spotify Wrapped and Stats.FM, and a classic series rewatch

katmckenna.substack.com

Thank you so much @katmckenna.bsky.social! I cannot wait to read Look What You Made Me Do - as a proud fan girl, Swiftie and pop culture addict 🫶🏻 💙📚 #booksky #taylorswift

Gorgeous book mail from @katmckenna.bsky.social for Look What You Made Me Do which i won in a #giveaway. Can't wait to read it!

What to read now the Eras tour is over! Had to put this one together to celebrate the ultimate time of girlhood 🫶🏻🪩✨ @headlinebooks.bsky.social @katmckenna.bsky.social @emilyhenryverse.bsky.social @hqstories.bsky.social @amyawardbooks.bsky.social #taylorswift #erastour #swiftie #booksky 💙📚

I’m back on main (Substack) with one last souvenir from our trip to Taylor’s shores ✨🖤 katmckenna.substack.com/p/9th-decemb... 🖤✨ #taylorswift #theerastour #erastour #swiftie #fandom #lookwhatyoumademedo

Love Katie Roden’s advice for freelancers to be good, be nice, and be on time. At least aim for two out of three. 😂 #Futurebook @the-bookseller.bsky.social

"We are selling products to an audience who are struggling to afford them", Katie Ogunṣakin discusses the challenges facing the UK book trade following the election. #FutureBook #BookSky

Headed to @the-bookseller.bsky.social’s #FutureBook Conference in my little brown bear coat. Shortlisted for Freelancer of the Year amongst excellent company, and delighted to be. Excited to do some industry learning too. A happy bear! Hope to see some of you there 💜✍️

6000 words in two days… I feel like I’m really getting somewhere with this first draft. It’s magic isn’t it, writing. Once you pull that thread, and it starts to come along, you really can’t stop it! I’m so glad to have it back in my life after a long drought 😌 #amwriting #publishing

a black cat wearing glasses and a pencil is laying on a counter

ALT: a black cat wearing glasses and a pencil is laying on a counter

media.tenor.com

Great to see Karen M. McManus on this list from @imogenrw.bsky.social - have loved working with the Puffin team on Karen this year!!🩷

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2y ago

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels

Here’s my November kids/YA round-up!

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2y ago

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels

Turns out this giveaway was timed perfects with the best #erastour mashup ever! The rep vibes were STRONG. 🐍 Congrats to winners @leilajones.bsky.social @bookishsam71.bsky.social @sarahsbookishlife.bsky.social - DM me your address and I’ll get a copy of Look What You Made Me Do sent your way! 💚🐍💜

Kat McKenna@katmckenna.bsky.social · 2y ago

💫 GIVEAWAY! 💫To celebrate six months (!) of Look What You Made Me Do, and my arrival on BlueSky, I’d love to giveaway 3 copies to bookish UK #Swifties here! Simply give me a follow and reshare this post by (meet me at) midnight on (I dunno about you, but I’m feeling) 22/11 💜🐍 good luck new friends!

I made and will update this Starter Pack of UK Book Awards / Literary Prizes! Feel free to comment below to be included in this list if you’re a book award or literary prize based on the UK! The more, the merrier - trying to find as many as possible 🤩✨ go.bsky.app/MRzCfcE

Had a handful of homophobic/transphobic messages here today because I’ve created a Starter Pack supporting LGBTQIA+ writers. Please follow and share this pack to help keep Bluesky the positive place it promises to be. go.bsky.app/UD2Hf7W

There’s just a few hours left for #booksky and #taylorswift fans to enter my celebratory #giveaway!! Simply reshare and follow the original post, to be grinning like you’re winning 💜🐍

Kat McKenna@katmckenna.bsky.social · 2y ago

💫 GIVEAWAY! 💫To celebrate six months (!) of Look What You Made Me Do, and my arrival on BlueSky, I’d love to giveaway 3 copies to bookish UK #Swifties here! Simply give me a follow and reshare this post by (meet me at) midnight on (I dunno about you, but I’m feeling) 22/11 💜🐍 good luck new friends!

This week’s Substack is live! On the chopping board: Boybands Forever (BBC), BlueSky and M&S Fashion - in which I essentially write a dissertation about how much I love the new womenswear director Maddy Evans for bringing back Topshop fashion 😻😻😻😻 open.substack.com/pub/katmcken...

Now that I’ve finished Rivals I’m back to my Buffy rewatch. This show holds up so incredibly well from almost every perspective (apart from offscreen …which we now know was a big ick) - the storytelling, the character growth and dynamics, the DIALOGUE. Sarah Michelle Gellar is incredible. Bravo!

a man and a woman sitting next to each other with the words and afterwards i get a cookie

ALT: a man and a woman sitting next to each other with the words and afterwards i get a cookie

media.tenor.com

If you’re a #BookTok creator and we aren’t yet working together, let me know and I’ll make sure you’re on my database. I’m lucky to work with most major publishers on paid and organic campaigns - this year’s have included The Idea Of You, Rivals, Atalanta, The Glass Girl and One Of Us Is Lying! 📚

I’m currently juggling the #freelancer life, running my own business, with working on a first draft for something new. Luckily I’ve always got a furry companion by my side to keep me going. I hit 50k this week - and feeling positive! Who’s #writing at the moment and how is it going?!

If what you are hoping for in a freelancer is someone who is really up on festive gifs and periodically including them in Important Professional Emails, then I’ll look forward to receiving your brief 🎄✨🎁

a cat is sitting in front of a christmas tree with the words viralhog written below it

ALT: a cat is sitting in front of a christmas tree with the words viralhog written below it

media.tenor.com

Giving this a little boost with the #booksky hashtag - still learning the ways of this lovely little 🦋 app! #ukya #yabooks

Kat McKenna@katmckenna.bsky.social · 2y ago

💫 GIVEAWAY! 💫To celebrate six months (!) of Look What You Made Me Do, and my arrival on BlueSky, I’d love to giveaway 3 copies to bookish UK #Swifties here! Simply give me a follow and reshare this post by (meet me at) midnight on (I dunno about you, but I’m feeling) 22/11 💜🐍 good luck new friends!

Andrew Tate got banned from Bluesky in less than one day. Another reason things are so much better here than Twitter.

If you find yourself wondering if a new book will solve all your problems today, the answer is yes

It’s really quite lovely to have a (booky) thought and just to be able to put it here. It feels like a timeline jump, where we hopefully have something good and community like again. Long may it last…

💫 GIVEAWAY! 💫To celebrate six months (!) of Look What You Made Me Do, and my arrival on BlueSky, I’d love to giveaway 3 copies to bookish UK #Swifties here! Simply give me a follow and reshare this post by (meet me at) midnight on (I dunno about you, but I’m feeling) 22/11 💜🐍 good luck new friends!

Today’s #bookpost is from wonderful @rachelmayquin.bsky.social - thank you! Any author friend of Taylor’s is an author friend of mine 🥰 Excited to dig into this one - and what a great title too. (And temp tattoos!!)

Love this! Mine include… Rainbow Rowell Jacqueline Wilson Jon Ronson Stephen King Armistead Maupin

Jessica Bull@jessicabull.bsky.social · 2y ago

Good morning to all my new followers! Shall we play the 5 authors we’ve read 5 or more books of to celebrate 🦋 taking off? Here’s mine… Marian Keyes Toni Morrison Sarah Waters Lisa Kleypass Jane Austen (obvs)