Ever looked at a chair and known exactly how it would walk, talk and gesticulate?...
Gabrielle Kent
@gabriellekent.bsky.social
Writer - Knights and Bikes, Alfie Bloom. Co-creator of Rani Reports (as Gabrielle Shewhorak) and Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch with @rhi.bsky.social. Former game developer/lecturer. Agent- @Hannahlitagent.bsky.social
WHAAAT! Today's writing research revelation: 2-Nonenal is a naturally occurring compound produced when omega-7 unsaturated fatty acids on the skin degrade through oxidation producing the distinct odour associated with aging. It typically appears after age 40, becoming gradually more noticeable 🤯
a woman wearing headphones and a tattoo on her arm
ALT: a woman wearing headphones and a tattoo on her arm
media.tenor.com
The girleen felt it important to correct the curriculum’s definition of her favorite god…
Fifteenth wedding anniversary with @asianastroboy.bsky.social tomorrow and I'm remembering my Haldi in Mauritius. Turmeric is wonderful on brown skin, giving a gorgeous glow. It er... isn't quite the same on whiter-than-whities like me! Thanks to @rhi.bsky.social for de-simpsonifying me after!
Hannah Spencer walking into Westminster, sucking her teeth, tutting, and muttering "tell you what, you've had some cowboys in here."
I’m not one for analyzing the style choices of women in politics, but when a politician is trying so hard to appeal to flaggers, it’s hard not to notice they wouldn’t look at all out of place around the conference table on the Death Star. #DressForTheJobYouWant
Hi, my name's Jack. Here is the text of Terry Pratchett interviewing Bill Gates in 1995. Thanks to @rhi.bsky.social for summoning help, and to @20thcenturymarc.marcburrows.co.uk for the source, I have manually transcribed its 3,481 words into a Google doc. Enjoy. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Pratchett / Gates GQ Interview
GQ Magazine (UK edition), July 1995 GQ&A “I’m not sure what the word ‘nerd’ means” Bill Gates talks to Terry Pratchett about the future, the Microsoft revolution and how to become a billionaire WILLI...
docs.google.com
Researching flattery as a manipulation tool for a vile character and realising the people we should truly fear are those whispering flattery to world leaders with fragile egos. The path to power and riches just requires no moral compass and the stomach for insincerity debretts.com/the-flattery...
Gah! On top of everything else, Brexit has stolen dresses with massive pockets from us. Always in our hearts, Joanie! www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consu... Please share your ethical, quirky alternatives with responsible fabrics and pockets! I'll start with Sugarhill Brighton: tinyurl.com/5bkzcxve
Joanie Clothing announces closure after nine years
Vintage fashion retailer has been hit by Brexit, Covid and international tariffs
business-live.co.uk
Children have INSET day, so half-term has started early for them. For any parents and carers in the same boat, here’s my regular reminder of this thread videos of easy-to-make TOYS which all work on some sort of science / engineering principle
Alom Shaha@alomshaha.bsky.social · 2y agoFellow parents! Carers! Anyone looking after children over half-term! Here is a thread of videos showing TOYS you can MAKE at home from scrap stuff you probably have lying around. First, the utterly delightful "balancing bird" alomshaha.com/balancing-bi...
Pretty sure this Public Information Film is the reason my generation is wary of clowns. On Saturday, I had to explain to two younger friends that we were made to sit in school watching videos of children suffering all sorts of horrific accidents to scare us careful! player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/wa...
Watch The Balloon - BFI Player
A creepy clown brings balloons and death in this dreamlike road safety film, along with some not-so-subtle product placement
player.bfi.org.uk
This year marks the 20th Edition of Thought Bubble: The Yorkshire Comic Art Festival! With a week long festival from 9-15 November 2026, taking place across Yorkshire. And our GIANT Comic Convention will be on 14 & 15 November 2025 at Harrogate Convention Centre.
Wonderful news! We paid for this vaccine and after seeing some of wee one’s friends suffer nasty complications from Chickenpox, we were glad we went for it! There’s no reason for kids to suffer the virus, and run the risk of shingles later, when a vaccine exists! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Chickenpox vaccines for children on NHS starts across UK
For the first time, children will be offered vaccination on the NHS against the common infection which, in rare cases, can be very serious.
bbc.co.uk
Raiders of the Lost Ark has always said ‘Christmas’ to me as my Granddad put it on every year. ITV obviously agree! What are your non-Christmassy Christmas movies?
@asianastroboy.bsky.social is in Norway for a few days. Autocorrect changed my ‘gute nacht’ text to ‘gluten bitch’ which is henceforth my default way to say goodnight.
This week I'm visiting three Teesside schools with National Literacy Trust to talk about writing with a Halloween twist. Popped this in for teachers as old as me and just learnt that carving turnips wasn't just a poor 80s kid thing, it's an old Celt tradition to ward off evil spirits at Samhain!
I’m running a short survey on how players experience horror games 👻 — what makes them tense, memorable, and terrifying 👀 I’d really appreciate your input fellow horror fans🩸(Pls share!) 👉 bit.ly/horror-survey #IndieDev #GameDev #Horror #HorrorGames #PlayerFeedback #IndieGame #IndieGameDeveloper
Some summer born children are ready for school, but delaying our August born daughter’s reception start was the best thing we ever did.It took lots of research to get it approved, but all her teachers believe we did the right thing. Happy to chat to anyone considering it!https://tinyurl.com/ysv69msj
Parents of summer-born children face ‘unfair’ postcode lottery in school admissions
Some families who do not want their child to start primary school almost a year younger than some of their classmates
tinyurl.com
Whaaaat? I checked the WeTransfer terms for myself and this really is in there.
Jonathan Emmett@jonathanemmett.com · last yr.If you're in the publishing community and have been using WeTransfer to share work with publishers and others, but don't want your work exploited by AIs without compensation, YOU NEED TO STOP USING WETRANSFER! #CopyrightAndAI @societyofauthors.bsky.social Source: wetransfer.com/explore/lega...
Launch day for Rani Reports on the Tropical Island Treasure by @asianastroboy.bsky.social and me! Endless thanks to our brilliant illustrator Navya Raju, editor Katie Jennings at @rocktheboatnews.bsky.social and agent @hslanews.bsky.social It is a very special book, dedicated to a very special woman
Finally getting around to Yellowface by @rfkuang.bsky.social on audiobook. It is gooood. Enjoying the discomfort of being in the head of a petulant, self absorbed protagonist, who feels personally attacked by diversity. A particularly engaging read if you're an author or publisher! bit.ly/4k5fcb3
Yellowface
Authors Juniper Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to…
goodreads.com
Awesome 80’s themed co-op game now half price! And no, I am not at all biased!
Moo Yu (Mythmatch Out Now!)@oneofmoo.bsky.social · last yr.Knights and Bikes is 50% off in the Steam Summer Sale. So if you're looking for a co-op story game to play with a friend, now is the perfect time. You can play couch or online co-op or even play single player with an AI buddy. store.steampowered.com/app/592480/K...
The great north author tour is underway! Come meet us across the north east and Yorkshire! Times in pic and alt text! Lisette Auton Jack Jackman Siobhan McDermott James Harris Annaliese Avery Gabrielle Kent /Shewhorak Marie Basting Mike Edwards Alex Foulkes Jason Rohan Bethany Walker Tom Vaughan
This sounds like a bit but I’m being serious: kids using chat gpt for their homework are denying themselves the invaluable experience of learning how to bullshit their way through a problem. You drink some caffeine the night before and figure it the fuck out. That’s a skill. You need it in life.
So this sits above my writing desk – one of my favourite Paul Kidby pieces from Tiffany Aching's Guide to being a Witch, gifted by @terryandrob.bsky.social. After a year and a half of looking at it, I've only just realised that it's not a giclee, it's the bloody original art!
I love Norwegians and how massively popular Discworld is in Norway, but this, by @nerdforge.bsky.social ... this is another level! www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdn...
I Built a 14,000 Page Rotating Book
YouTube video by Nerdforge
youtube.com
A procrastination of authors is touring Northern bookshops on Saturday 21st June, times below! Shops may have advance copies of Rani Reports on the Tropical Island Treasure, and I'm MORE than happy to sign copies of Tiffany Aching's Guide to Being a Witch and generally geek out over Discworld!
Yup⤵️ Many earn far less and celebs skew stats. From what I'm hearing at the moment for middle grade, many folks are typically getting 3-6k advance, which is split into three payments which can span years, and from which agents are paid 15%. This is why there are so few full-time authors.
Louie Stowell@louiestowell.bsky.social · last yr.What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders? The average author income is about seven grand a year.