I can't stop thinking about the research I did a few weeks ago on Victorian mourning jewelry. Especially the pieces involving locks of a loved one's hair. I think I might write an essay about it on Substack this week. What's piqued your interest enough to write about it recently? 📚💙

Spam me with all your best podcasts recommendations! Bonus points if it's about writing, literature, or the strange & unusual. (I think I've consumed ALL the true crime content available on the interwebs, but hit me up if you have a gem.) 📚💙

I spent an hour researching early carnival rides for my historical fantasy. The winner: The Centrifugal Iron Railway in Manchester (1842). A rider gets in a sled and speeds down a wooden track to ‘loop the loop’ then coasts to a stop. What research rabbit holes have you traveled lately? 📚💙

Book Club was getting heated again… “The protagonist was so evil I couldn’t be #empathetic towards her,” Mel said. “I was rooting for her,” said Barb. “Sometimes murder is necessary.” “But all they did was disagree with her!” Barb reached for the knife. “Indeed… More cake?” #vss365

Slicing Delicious Cheese Pound Cake

ALT: Slicing Delicious Cheese Pound Cake

static.klipy.com

Tarot card for September: 9 of Wands, reversed. Symbolizes final push to goal, but exhaustion or burnout is getting in the way. Take this month to rest and ask for help, friends. #tarot

English novelist, poet & essayist Mary Shelley was born #OTD in 1797. Daughter of famed philosopher & feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley is best known for her 1818 Gothic novel "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus." www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-w... #LitSky #BookSky #gothic

I've been obsessed with unreliable narrators lately. Currently reading The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and it's blowing my mind. What's the last book you read with a great narrator? 📚💙

"Cut the #cord. Be done with him." "I can't do that. I owe him my life." "You owe him nothing. He's the one who put you in danger in the first place." "What do you mean?" "A spell he cast is what made you irresistible to demons." "What the hell... CUT! Stick to the script!" "It's boring." #vss365

What book deserves an adaptation? (Or a better adaptation?) I'll go first: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. An absolutely delightful bookish novel that would make a great mini-series. 📚💙

Tarot + journal before revising my Gothic historical fantasy. Death = transformation / necessary endings. Fitting as I dive into the second half of my revisions!

My son scrapes up the gooey crumbs with a fork. "That was heavenly." I slide my plate past the empty pie tin. Say I'm too full. A smile lights his face as he clatters my plate onto his own. I'd dreamed of that pie all day. But some things are more #divine than great-grandma's pecan pie. #vss365

My constant companion while I write or work. Send pics of your furry work friends!

An amazing read!

Tara Sim@tarasimauthor.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I am so delighted to share that my short story is now up on the Uncanny website! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it 💫 www.uncannymagazine.com/article/a-hu...

PRE-ORDERS ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN! 🎉 Signed copies, e-books, and audiobooks at: kyleenwren.com/bookshop ** A 42-year-old bookshop & bakery owner must recover her magically lost memories before someone she loves loses their mind, too... or worse. ** Thanks for supporting an indie author! 📚 #booksky

What's one book you think everyone should read at least once? Mine would be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. (Saying this feels like a betrayal to my soul sister, Emily Brontë--especially on her birthday--but Wuthering Heights is not for the faint-of-heart.) 💙📚

I’m continuing my “Stephen King Summer” with Carrie. This was one of the first books by him I read, back in my early teen years. The voice has sucked me right back in! Anyone else reading this book? Or any thoughts on the new TV series based on it coming out this October? 📚💙

I've been rereading the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales for a potential project. I forgot how dark these are! What fairy tale scared you as a kid? (If you don't have an answer, go read The Juniper Tree. It's available all over the interwebs.) 📚💙

She stands near the back of the line, patiently waiting her turn. But her feet never move because she keeps letting one more person cut the line. #vss365 #turn

Many thanks to the Toronto Star for inadvertently showing us why we should all use the Oxford Comma. Apparently Sylvia had some, let's say, complicated hobbies:

For my current WIP, I've been researching Victorian mourning customs. The rabbit holes have been wild! And all because I read Charlotte Brontë wore jewelry made of Emily's hair... 📚💙

Look, it's not Canada's fault it takes an entire forest of sage to try to smudge out the U.S.'s evil spirits.

My first search engine.

First time reread Frankenstein as an older adult + parent. It definitely hits different when you're helping build small humans. If you're interested, check out the full essay here: open.substack.com/pub/kathlene... 📚💙

What Frankenstein Is Really About

Mary Shelley on creation, responsibility, and the monsters we make

open.substack.com

One of my favorite things: my 11-year-old learning the correct pronunciation of words after only ever reading them. The latest gem: Bianca. (He’s been saying BI-anica in his head.) Reading teaches us new words and that's AMAZING! 📚💙

Tarot card pull for July: 3 of Swords (reversed). This is a card of betrayal & heartbreak. But I pulled it upside down, making it about forgiveness & emotional healing. It's perfect for my WIP heroine who lets past hurts dictate every choice she makes. What does the card imagery say to you? 📚💙

My kids and I are having a great time with magnetic poetry lately. We have an Edgar Allan Poe set mixed with a Shakespeare one, which means lots of dark drama.

I'm in that sticky part of revising my novel where I know what needs to change but it feels SO big. Got any tips to help me dive in instead of avoiding it like the plague? 📚💙

100% #BookSky

Happy summer solstice! How are you enjoying the longest day of the year?