Tessera

Natalie Zutter

@zutsuit.bsky.social

sff writer/playwright · pop culture critic at Reactor, Lit Hub, Den of Geek, NPR Books · stories at Adventitious, PodCastle, Icarus Writing Collective · Viable Paradise 2025 · PlayPenn Playwright Entrepreneur Program 25/26 · she/her

87 Posts432 Follower 457 Folgt

Natalie Zutter @zutsuit.bsky.social · yesterday

hyperlink meta heteroglossia crop circle mommy track

Merriam-Webster@merriam-webster.com · last wk.

Find the 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe YOUR vibe ⬇️ www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/

I recently discovered Merriam-Webster's Time Traveler feature which tells you which words are the same age as you.
I'm convinced there are 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe your vibe.
Mine (1987):
·
-adhd
• brain fart
-dad joke
-potty-mouthed
-thirtysomething

Catherine Tavares @cjtavares.bsky.social · 2w ago

So, what have I been up to all month long? The One-Page RPG Jam 2026 that's what! I finally finished my project: "Y/N", a TTRPG of live, competitive fanfiction to get folks reading short fiction! It's free/PWYW, PDF downloads, with color, B&W, and text-only options. I hope you enjoy!

Y / N by Catherine Tavares

A self-insert TTRPG to help you discover and immerse yourself in stories!

cjtavares.itch.io

Natalie Zutter @zutsuit.bsky.social · 2w ago

Without saying your age what is your favorite movie from the year you turned 18?

David Bowie as Nikola Tesla: Nothing Is Impossible

Alt: David Bowie as Nikola Tesla: Nothing Is Impossible

static.klipy.com

Rio Lombana@riolombana.bsky.social · 3w ago

Without saying your age what is your favorite movie from the year you turned 18?

Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 2w ago

Starfall: a queer space opera heavy on the intimate-stakes character drama, elfy science-fantasy, and swashbuckling starship adventure about a telepathic space elf who joins off-brand Starfleet. He's a stabby cinnamon roll who doesn't want any friends! (This is a lie.) #Questpit #Q #A #SF #SFF

Title slide that reads "Starfall, Queer Space Opera Adventure, 139,000 words, R. J. Howell."

Slide that reads: "Pitch: Erendesirel was raised for two things: political marriage and political skirmishes. Sadly, the galaxy doesn’t have much call for a well-trained ornamental husband or sword-wielding duelist. Banished from his technologically-hostile homeworld, unskilled, and entirely broke, he applies to the Galactic Survey and Security Fleet,
a company of space-faring scientific contractors.

He just has to somehow pass a basic competency exam he is woefully unprepared for. And agree to a 10-year debt contract to pay for his tuition. And avoid being driven insane by the thoughts and feelings of a crew of a hundred and twenty souls serving on a very small starship. And navigate all the well-meaning people trying to be his friend.

Oh, and not get kidnapped by pirates." There is another section below it that reads "Comps" and show the covers of Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Slow Gods by Claire North, and Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. There is also an illustration of a space elf named Eren.

This slide reads: "Excerpt: Erendesirel—the nameless, the houseless, the planetless—had tracked his quarry down to a victuals shop on the outskirts of the space station’s medical district. From his hunter’s hide on a public bench opposite the establishment, he glowered at the incongruously-wooden door, breathed in the smell of roasted nuttiness and sticky sugar wafting out through the open bay window, and fought for equanimity.

His hand tightened on the hilt of his family sword, the blade pressed against his leg to accommodate the rather unfriendly design of the bench. Galactic architecture was, as always, crafted for comfort and unobtrusiveness but singularly failed to take into account a full-length sword at one’s hip. It didn’t matter that of all the peoples of the galaxy, there was only one that insisted on carrying true steel swords instead of some technological marvel that, oh, made the sword shrink or disappear or be constructed entirely out of light.

He would never stoop to touch such a thing. No, the sword and dagger set of his clan would serve him for this purpose just fine.

No matter that they were considered contraband. By both his people and station security, if for rather different reasons."

This slide reads "The Trope Nebula" and contains a series of trope-related terms: All the feels, found family, to boldly go (but contractually), swords but space, touch-adverse telepathic space elves, starships!, stabby cinnamon roll, disaster bisexuals, qu3eer, student debt?, lesbians with laser canons, and friendship! (whether you want it or not).

Lia Lao @thelialao.bsky.social · 2w ago

wrapping up edits so here's an updated agent's guide for #questpit! :)) [BREAKING NEWS]: BROKE PHD STUDENT FAKES DEATH AND STEALS IDENTITY OF BILLIONAIRE TECH HEIRESS. TOO BAD HER GENIUS RIVAL IS ONTO HER & IS OBSESSED WITH EXPOSING HER NEW SKIN #A #Litfic #SF #LGBT #OV #Q

slide that reads "an agent's guide to FACELESS". line under reads "literary speculative fiction / 95,000 words @thelialao)

background is a blurry photo of an asian woman with a blue tint

Pitch

[BREAKING NEWS]: BROKE PHD STUDENT FAKES DEATH AND STEALS IDENTITY OF BILLIONAIRE TECH HEIRESS. TOO BAD HER GENIUS RIVAL IS ONTO HER & IS OBSESSED WITH EXPOSING HER NEW SKIN

the opulence of CRAZY RICH ASIANS
x
the futuristic atmosphere of LOCAL HEAVENS & THE BOOK OF RECORDS
x
the socio-satirical tone of THE IMMORTAL KING RAO

set in a floating city owned by tech conglomerates, in a world ravaged by climate change

inspired by Silicon Valley & East/Southeast Asia

@thelialao

Background picture is a black robot in a glass box

First Page

It’s a beautiful night to die.

From the balcony, Fay Soon stares down at the celebration: the silken gowns, the crystal chalices, the laughter resounding like shattered glass. It’s the end of semester which means yet another overpriced soirée for Chang’E National University’s elite. After seven years here, the scene is hardly unfamiliar. She studies the expanse of the university gardens.

There’s a cyclical nature to it. Young and eager minds unfurling: the undergraduates, loquacious in their attempts to impress one another, each conversation, each gesture, carefully selected like the finest blossoms in a greenhouse.

There are those on the other end of the cycle too. Senescence. The doctoral candidates wilting in the shadows. Hoping for their ideas to be transfigured by wind or water or even the sorghum wine they’re cradling in their hands.

But no matter how many times Fay experiences it, she doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to the spectacle.

No one in the outer circle speaks like that, not in those sprawling, unmanicured streets. It’s opulent; it’s hypnotizing. It’s—

—a complete and utter waste of funds.

@thelialao

Background is a chandelier in dim lighting

Epigraph

As every flower fades and as all youth
Departs, so life at every stage,
So every virtue, so our grasp of truth,
Blooms in its day and may not last forever

…

We must prepare for parting and leave-taking
Or else remain the slaves of permanence.

– Hermann Hesse, The Glass Bead Game

@thelialao

Background is a white wall with the shadows of leaves

C.M. Sullivan 🍉@cmsullivan.bsky.social · 2w ago

Excited to finally share my novel, THIEF OF THE VASTBORN, for #questpit!! THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI x THE SONG OF ACHILLES: Fate swap. Drowned world. Queer M/M romance. Enemies to lovers. Sea-dragons?! And more! Read the agent’s guide below. Querying soon! #F #A #RF #Q #W

An agent's guide to Thief of the Vastborn by C.M. Sullivan, adult fantasy + romance, ~112,000 words. The graphic shows a dragon and a sailboat with charts and maps as the background vector.

TEXT: Pitch: In a flooded world survived by waterborne cities, young Zev is given a prophecy that he will die by the same illness that killed his mother. A decade later, when a dying Zev decides to take fate into his own hands, he accidentally swaps fates with the Prophecied Divine, a handsome and sheltered man destined to end the worldwide flood. The graphic shows a sailboat and more charts.

TEXT: Tropes: Queer M/M romance, fate swap, drowned world, sea-dragons, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, animal companion, prophecies, pirates, cults. The graphic shows a leaf, an hourglass, and more charts and maps.

TEXT: Comps: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, high seas adventures; The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller for mythical doomed yaoi; The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon for dragons; The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart for drowned world. The graphic shows columns and charts.

Adventitious.@adventitiouswords.bsky.social · 2w ago

"Good evening, Zora. You look beautiful today. How may I be of service?" Last Edit to THE ALL BANGERS LIST Made By Your Sex Robot at 11:39 A.M. by @zutsuit.bsky.social #firstlinethursdays www.adventitious.net/stories/all-...

Last Edit to THE ALL BANGERS LIST Made By Your Sex Robot at 11:39 A.M.

A sex robot cross-references his lover's dating history, period tracker, and Spotify Wrapped — and realizes he's the only one not on her list.

adventitious.net

Adventitious.@adventitiouswords.bsky.social · 3w ago

Introducing...the astounding cover for Issue Four (out Aug 1) by artist Kevin McKie! I've never seen anything like it. 😍📸 It's part of a larger graphic novel project Kevin is creating, which you can see on Insta. www.instagram.com/mckie.illust... He also sells prints! www.etsy.com/listing/4522...

A vintage-toned comic book-style magazine cover on warm terracotta-peach paper. The masthead reads "adventitious / Issue Four" in bold yellow-green lettering with a small teal astronaut figure perched on the letter "d." The main image shows a camera-headed robot's hand holding a large-format camera pointed directly at the viewer while in an overgrown, jungle-like landscape with yellow flowers and lush greenery. To the upper right, an inset panel depicts a stack of layered transparency sheets in blue, yellow, and teal, arranged in an exploded-diagram style. Below, three field-note-style panels with handwritten caption text (rendered in a fictional script) show: a crablike alien figure with an exposed brain struggling in a rocky orange landscape; a blue frog-like creature on a stick; and a close-up of a large caterpillar or larva with iridescent markings beside a dark egg or pod. The overall palette is muted and warm with pops of teal and yellow, evoking mid-century scientific illustration crossed with underground comics.

Cherae @clclarkwrites.com · 4w ago

i think about form size a lot, bouncing between epic fantasy series and standalones, short stories, and novellas. generally, i’m pretty disinterested in the categories themselves, but i’m interested in using the space well, to best effect. so how do you write a good story at any length?

Adib Khorram@adibkhorram.bsky.social · 4w ago

anyone have any favorite resources about writing a novella (vs a novel)—like what makes a good novella, what uses the form well, etc? I've READ plenty of them but if you asked me what the difference is between one and a novel I would still just say "they're shorter" even though I know there's more.

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · last mo.

It's finally here!! An article on trans faggotry, powerful and orientating queer affects, gender formations that don't or can't map neatly onto essentialist binary hierarchies, and the Lou Sullivan archive(s)... among other things.

Post45 Journal@post45.bsky.social · last mo.

@leemandelo.bsky.social, TOWARDS A TRANS FAG PHENOMENOLOGY "This article aims to illustrate some of the affective difficulties of determining — and then fighting for the material right to transition toward — an interrelated trans and queer gender(ed) sexual self." post45.org/2026/07/tran...

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

We're thrilled to present the shortlist for the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction:

A bouquet of flowers next to a stack of books that includes:

Audition by Pip Adam (Coffee House Press)
Sunward by William Alexander (Saga Press)
Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock)
Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur (Algonquin)
The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes (Tor Books)
Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman (Tor Books)
Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta (DAW Books)
One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp)
Slow Gods by Claire North (Orbit)

Wen Wen @muteddragon.bsky.social · last mo.

Hey, it's your girl with a horror on the Rumpus! therumpus.net/2026/06/28/s...

The Rumpus. Sunday Scaries: Lu's Laundry and Other Services

Ilana Masad @ilanaslightly.bsky.social · last mo.

It's my birthday so, naturally, as a working writer and parent in these cursed times, I must ask in lieu of gifts or birthday wishes that you buy my books, request them from your libraries, and/or tell people you know about them so they can do so. (P.S. @bookshop.org has free shipping right now.)

Valerie Valdes @valerievaldes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Since various book sales seem to be happening, I am gonna be BRAVE and FEARLESS and ANNOYING and suggest you read my books! Let's talk about them a little, shall we? candleinsunshine.com/books/

Books

CHILLING EFFECT CHILLING EFFECT Finalist for the 2021 Arthur C. Clarke Award! 2020 International Latino Book Awards Best Novel – Fantasy/Sci-Fi Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena…

candleinsunshine.com

Wen Wen @muteddragon.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Contract signed, the story I wrote at Viable Paradise will be published in Translunar Travelers Lounge. Can't wait to tell you about "That Summer at Aunt Jackie's Alpaca Farm"...

C.M. Sullivan 🍉@cmsullivan.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Contract is officially signed!! I'm over the moon to share that my dark spec short story “The Light Below” has been acquired by @apexmag.bsky.social for publication. 🔥🌌 Also pleased as punch that this story was written for a holiday gift exchange with my crew at @viableparadise.bsky.social. 🪼

Daryl Gregory @darylwriterguy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My next novella, THE PORCELAIN SISTERS, is out Oct 27 2026--but you blogger/ booktok/ reviewer types can get it NOW. Two sisters, one of whom happens to be a haunted doll, go on the road to uncover family secrets. Is it horror-comedy or comedy-horror? You decide #horror @tachyonpub.bsky.social

Cover of my next novella, THE PORCELAIN SISTERS, above text saying that it's now available on Netgalley and Edeweiss

Rio Lombana @riolombana.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Thrilled to share my very short story "Everyone Drinks at Sunrise" published by @pseudopod.org today, alongside some other creepy tales. I especially love the host's commentary. Liberal guilt, it turns out, *is* delicious.

PseudoPod 1032: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVIII (78): Terraeque urbesque recedant

“We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” “Again?” “Every damn time,” Kate said, running a hand through her hair. “Aren’t there supposed to be satellites checking the routes all day long?

pseudopod.org

Adventitious.@adventitiouswords.bsky.social · 2mo ago

@tarvolon.bsky.social said this: "My favorite of the three I read from this issue was the novelette All of My Tomorrows by L.D. Colter. . . this one is exceptional in the way it builds the atmosphere, bringing both the lead’s panic and her regrets vividly to life." www.tarvolon.com/2026/05/28/t...

Tar Vol's Magazine Minis: Adventitious and Lightspeed - Tar Vol on

The last two months of Magazine Minis were enormous, but as the TBR churns along, the May entry will be much shorter, dipping into just a pair of magazines:

tarvolon.com

javier grillo-marxuach @okbjgm.bsky.social · 2mo ago

and no, none of what is going on right now leads to “better” shows - why? BECAUSE WRITERS/DIRECTORS/CREATIVES DON’T GET ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES TO GET BETTER AT THEIR CRAFT AND CAN’T EARN ENOUGH TO STAY IN IT FOR LONG ENOUGH TO GAIN MASTERY. (10/14)

javier grillo-marxuach @okbjgm.bsky.social · 2mo ago

among the biggest problems with television today, the lack of economic or logistical pressure to actually make shows is among the greatest. (1/14)

Valerie Valdes @valerievaldes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Casual reminder that @escapepod.org closes for the summer at the end of May! You've got one more day to drop your story in the pneumatic tube and launch it into our portal. Our Democratic Futures submission window, however, will remain open longer. escapepod.org

Escape Pod | The Original Science Fiction Podcast

The Original Science Fiction Short Story Podcast

escapepod.org

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"Someone’s getting married, someone’s getting dumped, someone’s getting hanged, someone’s pulling a Runaway Bride/Pearl Girl." @zutsuit.bsky.social reviews the season finale of The Testaments – and compares notes with the book: #TheTestaments

Don’t Let the Bastards Break Your Pinky Swears: The Testaments Season Finale - Reactor

Big cameos and a familiar name from the past mark a grisly Gileadean coming-of-age.

reactormag.com

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Outlander's finale delivers an emotional end to a beloved love story ahead of Diana Gabaldon's last book in the series. @zutsuit.bsky.social reviews the earnest, the romantic, and the occasionally cheesy of the ending: #Outlander

The Outlander Series Finale Brings Jamie and Claire’s Love Story Full Circle - Reactor

Love is a time loop in a finale that puts new meaning into “meant to be.”

reactormag.com

Merc Fenn Wolfmoor @mercwolfmoor.bsky.social · 3mo ago

With the #RECORDED campaign launching in just under two weeks (!!) I wanna talk a little more about weird/found media formats I love! 👀📽️ follow on BackerKit (I'd love to get to 30 followers on that!) ➡️ tiny.cc/recordedantho submission guidelines ➡️ mercfennwolfmoor.carrd.co#recordedantho 🧵(1/)

Get Ready for [RECORDED] — An Anthology of Found Media Fiction!

From Merc Fenn Wolfmoor - Get Ready for [RECORDED] — An Anthology of Found Media Fiction!

tiny.cc

Beth Cato @bethcato.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I am not on TikTok. I will never be on TikTok. This bethcato2 account is impersonating me and direct messaging writers in an effort to sell marketing services. Any account pretending to be me on TikTok is fraudulent.

I AM NOT ON TIKTOK!
I AM BEING IMPERSONATED!
SCAMMER! IMAGE THIEF! REPORT THEM! WARN PEOPLE!

A graphic shows a screenshot of an account for bethcato2 with numerous stolen images.

Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 3mo ago

it's aapi month so let me tell you about this book that is a very, very funny look at growing up as a first gen Indian American kid through the lens of a 2000s teen rom com www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690564...

The cover for PAYAL MEHTA’S ROMANCE REVENGE PLOT showing an Indian teen girl standing between a Korean guy and a white guy. She’s looking at the white guy and grinning as he leans against her, but she’s fist bumping the Korean kid while he’s rolling his eyes. The text at the top is my name: PREETI CHHIBBER. The title takes up the lower half of the book, and it’s bracketed on both sides by bushels of illustrated flowers that get bigger as they get to the bottom of the cover. The top half has a thin turquoise border with dots, and the corners are detailed in pink and turquoise.

Natalie Zutter @zutsuit.bsky.social · 3mo ago

happy mother's day to the mothers, the enchantresses, and those in-between 🥬🪡🧱💇‍♀️✨💐

PodCastle@podcastle.org · 6mo ago

#PC930: Parsley Girl, Parsley Girl, Let Down Your Trichobezoar by Natalie Zutter, read by ValerieValdes. A #PodCastleOriginal! Rated PG. Content notes for pregnancy loss, post-natal depression, and second-person narration podcastle.org/2026/02/10/p...

Augur Society | Augur Issue 8.3 is NOW LIVE !@augursociety.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Hey Augurians!! We're NOW OPEN for a PRIORITY call from BIPOC, trans, &/or disabled creators currently living in &/or from Canada 📚 From May 5th-31st, Augur Mag is now ACCEPTING speculative submissions of... ✨ Short fiction ✨ Flash fiction ✨ Poetry Scroll for more details 👀⬇️

Ilana Masad @ilanaslightly.bsky.social · 3mo ago

For @electricliterature.com, my co-editor and I spotlit eight fascinating and/or thoroughly enjoyable books about reality TV, including those by: @emilynussbaum.bsky.social, @samanthaallen.bsky.social, @lydiaetc.bsky.social, @djlindee.bsky.social and more! electricliterature.com/8-thought-pr...

8 Thought-Provoking Books About Reality TV - Electric Literature

For these authors, reality TV is a genre full of rich texts that reflect our contemporary social and economic structure

electricliterature.com