Mark Cantrell
@man0words.bsky.social
A UK writer and journalist. Writes about social housing (day job). Author of SFF novels Citizen Zero and Silas Morlock, published by Inspired Quill. Website: https://tykewriter.wordpress.com Substack Newsletter: https://markcantrellauthor.substack.com
My latest author newsletter went out yesterday, find it here and catch up with my writing... markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/tykewriter... #author #authorlife #writing #readers #BookSky
Tykewriter Digest, October 2026
The latest quarterly news and writings from journalist and SFF author Mark Cantrell
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Lord Watson of Palantir tells the peasants to stop ganging up on his oligarch employer... www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Palantir’s Tom Watson says ‘mob rule’ must not dictate awarding of government contracts
Former Labour deputy leader says tech firm would work with a Reform UK government on immigration crackdowns
theguardian.com
The thing is, AI just didn't work. But that was okay. There was a solution, an upgrade that worked beyond their wildest dreams. Until suddenly, it didn't... Citizen Zero from Inspired Quill: www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi... #books #BookSky #scifi #fiction #AI @inspiredquill.bsky.social
There's something fiendish outside, in this flash fiction piece, but it can’t get in, can it? Read the latest on my #author site... markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/the-watche... #fiction #BookSky #flashfiction #horror #macabre
The watcher in the window
There's something fiendish outside, in this flash fiction piece, but it can’t get in, can it?
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Did you know that one of IQ's 'Giving Back' inspirations was Dolly Parton? It's true! Now, for every 20 books we sell through the IQ site, we donate one. IQ has donated more than 350 books (not a spot on the 200+ million of the Imagination Library, but we’d like to think that Dolly would approve!)
Nice of the Tories to push the relevance of the social satire in my novel, Citizen Zero, with their latest authoritarian pronouncements on welfare. Thanks, guys. The cheque is not in the post. #writerslife #dystopia
This year is the 13th anniversary of my first novel's release, and the whole Resonance Tetralogy is shiny and complete (until I write more). Legacy Fracture Ruin's Dawn Remnant's Hope Edge of Ascension Start with Legacy here: www.inspired-quill.com/product/legacy #furrywriting #furlit
Yep, that was me a few years back. It was a scary decision to take, but no regrets... www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
About 1,500 Britons a day quitting their jobs to become unpaid carers
More than a million people have left work to look after loved ones in the past two years, Carers UK says
theguardian.com
My great niece, Ayah's second birthday is coming up. Need to think of some presents. Hmm, got some bottles of beer in the cupboard. Maybe I could wrap one of them up...
Well worth the read. The slop machine will suffocate your creativity... ruadanbooks.com/an-editor-on... #writing #writers
An Editor on Generative AI: The Tool That Blunts the User - Ruadán Books
by Lauren Elise Daniels Over the past eighteen months, an increasing number of people using generative AI have requested my editing services to support their attempts at creative writing. By gen AI, I...
ruadanbooks.com
Years after writing this essay, I finally get round to publishing it. I know, I got distracted... markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/hard-metal... #BookSky #fiction #literature #technology #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
Hard Metal in a Post-Digital Age
Silas Morlock & the Symbolism of Caxton’s Typewriter
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of our FIRST EVER Audiobook! 🎚️🎧 We're starting our audio journey with 'The Wind Reader'. We've been wanting to produce Audiobooks for years, and we've finally taken the leap! It'll be available over the next few weeks. (And yes, audiobooks count as reading).
Just broken through the 20,000 word hurdle on my latest novel. Still a long way to go, but making progress. #amwriting
Are you a citizen or a zero? The choice may not be yours to make... tykewriter.wordpress.com/novels/citiz... #scifi #novels #dystopian #fiction #books #BlueSky @inspiredquill.bsky.social
Bradford's Cartwright Hall is showing a fascinating exhibition of South Asian modern and contemporary art... markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/bradfords-... #art #culture #Bradford @bradfordmuseums.bsky.social
Bradford's Cartwright Hall celebrates South Asian art
Art exhibition shows there's more to this city than its old mills
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
We've been part of EasyFundraising for a few years now, but we *always* forget to talk about it! 🫠 If you're UK-based, did you know you can raise FREE donations for IQ when shopping online? It won’t cost you a penny extra. We use these donations to fund mentoring and other social-enterprise work.
Well, nobody is going to miss this scumbag. Now, when does Netanyahu get his comeuppance in court? www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
Ratko Mladic death: Former Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide dies aged 84
General was convicted of genocide
independent.co.uk
Can't believe how dark the sky is where I am this morning. Had to turn my desk lamp on so I can see to type...
Saddened to hear that Dolly Parton has passed away. R.I.P
One from the day job... Reform UK seeks to lay the blame for Britain’s social housing crisis on foreign nationals, as if they were the ones responsible for decades of government policy... housingdigital.co.uk/reforms-soci... #ukhousing #politics
housingdigital.co.uk
Happy Book Birthday to Citizen Zero, which turns 9 years old this month! 🎉 As author @man0words.bsky.social has often said... His books are meant to be dystopian *fiction*, ffs! Now, we're not saying that the Nexus bears an eerie similarity to IRL AI, but we're also not-*not* saying that, either...
Oh, damn. I know we really need the rain, but why did it have to time its downpour with my lunch hour? (Says man who didn't take a brolly to work...)
Strange tales and real history got together to mark Salford's centenary through the vivid imagination of children's eyes... markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/the-tales-... #BookSky #fiction #storytelling #stories #heritage #author
The tales we tell ourselves
Local kids in Salford celebrated the city's centenary by telling silly, scary and strange stories
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Citizen Zero presents a thrilling amalgam of The Matrix and V for Vendetta, with a twist of I, Daniel Blake... Get the novel from Inspired Quill in paperback and digital editions... www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi... #BookSky #cyberpunk #fiction #scifi #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
We're more than halfway through 2026, and for someone who reads as much as Dorothy, it's high praise indeed when she already has a 'favourite book so far' in mind! Do you agree with her? What's your fave read so far this year? (IQ books don't count, we already know they're awesome. 😉) #BookSky
Remembering my dad, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday today.
