Did you know the first science fiction novel was written nearly 2,000 years ago? Enter Lucian of Samosata (c. 125–180 CE), a Syrian-Greek satirist whose A True Story (aka True History) predates Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, & Star Trek by centuries. It's wild, absurd & visionary...

🚨 Goodreads giveaway alert 🚨 Enter below for a change to win an early copy of THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY from Saga Press. www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Rereading God Emperor of Dune and realising Leto II is basically Jabba the Hutt. Mythic boss aura? Gone in a second. #Dune

To all mothers across time and space: You move worlds when you touch the crib. #MothersDay

Unpopular opinion: Paul is not bad. He's just a warning. #Dune

"Beware the Ides of March."

Care for an original, 100% human made dark fantasy inspired by my Slavic and Mediterranean heritage? Check out Love Lethal, Death Divine.

Ever wondered who really "wrote" Aladdin? Not some faceless Arabian storyteller—it's Hanna Dyab, a Syrian from Aleppo who brought the magic to Paris in 1709. 🧞‍♂️ Thread: 1/5

my furious and murderous palestinian haunted house book is now up to request on netgalley & edelweiss!!

Here it is. The final issue. I am going to miss this beautiful magazine.

Bigotry is not only abhorrent—it's also impoverished, fragile, and stupid. It is impoverished because it cannot imagine a better future for all. It is fragile because it rests on the trembling foundations of "the best of us is better than the worst of them." Stupid because it's easily manipulated.

#queryingauthors if you write #SFF, my virtual writing group of querying authors is looking for 1-2 more members. We're a small group sharing advice and critique on select projects, and offering support as we navigate the complexities of publishing. Let me know if you're interested in joining us!

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the March Massacre of Syrian Alawites. We remember the victims, pray for their souls, and hope for a Syria where all can live in harmony.

"The absence of justification is not incidental. It is a morbid symptom of an international system in crisis."

"If stories that represent me aren't [set] in the future, then something terrible must have happened to me in the present.” THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY 🚀 is out in May with @sagapressbooks.bsky.social & @gollancz.bsky.social

Just me, gazing into the far-flung sci-fi future, on the front page of The Bookseller 🚀

Aspiring global majority authors based in the UK, if you write SFF check out this year's Future Worlds Prize before it's too late. It could change your life!

One thing that makes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms great: it spotlights the little people, not just princes and lords. #AKOTSK

Fellow #amquerying writers doubting our craft: It's a marathon of more downs than ups. My hack? Scroll Goodreads 1-star reviews of fave famous books: Sometimes they hate it for why you love it. Remember, you're just 2 yeses away from publishing. Keep going! #WritingCommunity

You can read my Azhar Prize winner short story, "War and War" in French now!

I wrote a blog about why dragons are the best fantasy creatures and some of the things that inspired the stories in the new book: open.substack.com/pub/melanier...

My book, THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY, is available for request on NetGalley. "When you speak a different language, you become another person..." bit.ly/4rTIGgE

I spot a familiar name on the cover 👀👀👀👀

CLINGING TO THE STONES explores: 💫Humans vs. Structures. 💫The weight of history & legacy. 💫Can we reshape our dying world without compromising our morality? 💫When faith is a weapon, who is truly saved? #QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide #SFF #amquerying #booktwt

Meet the characters of CLINGING TO THE STONES: 🎭3 primary POVs. 🧐3 more lurking behind. 🧵A tapestry where every thread matters. #QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide #SFF #amquerying #booktwt

HAZELTHORN X THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH Journals of a Familiar Hawthorne has never left the cathedral. Raised in silence and prepared for a future he doesn't understand, everything changes when he meets Violet, a witch with wild dreams of escape. #questpit #W #YA #H #LGBT

A KINGDOM TO DROWN ME Will the weight of an underwater kingdom come crashing down on Mona Al'Maii? 🦅 Forced Proximity ✨ Middle-Eastern folklore & unique magic system ⚔️ Quest ♥️ Yearning & spice ⚖️ Magical politics/Corruption & Greed 🪞 Exploration of ‘otherness’ 💫 23 fulls #Questpit #Q #RF

A cunning prankster plots against her lord husband and ends up saving the empire in a fantasy romcom version of A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS X HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS 😈 unlikeable heroine ⚔️ enemies-to-power couple 💑 marriage of convenience 🔥 slow-burn & low spice #questpit #Q #A #RF #agentsguide

#Editors THE THINGS WE RUN FOR ( #OnSubmission 2026!) Emma Bridge ran to find a safe home, but the town she picked is anything but. When she gets wrapped up in a cold case that threatens her siblings, who can she turn to while keeping her secrets safe? #QuestPit #YA #MY #R #AG #OS #OWN #LGBT

Hi #Questpit! Nearly done w/ SmoochPit revisions, here's GUMIHO, my Korean folklore-inspired adult fantasy blended w/ horror & romance! ✨️ Selected for the 2025 Smoochpit Mentorship Program ✨️ Big 5 Editor Interest ✨️ Won 3rd in the horror category of the 2025 PNWA Writing Contest #A #F #H #R

WORKHORSE x THE RACHEL INCIDENT SURFACE TENSION: She came for a degree, not an affair. But as Jenny researches literary heroines who trade freedom for security, she starts living her thesis, all beneath the eye of a professor who prefers the only revisions to her story be his. #U #W #A #questpit

CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END When their detective friend is murdered at their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written supernatural campaign. #QuestPit #A #H #MY #Q

DIVINE RIVALS/STRANGER THINGS When plants take over the world & an eminent botanist ends up dead, a reporter persuades a rival plant hunter to seek the truth. But as they become entangled, & the victims pile up, they’ll need sharp secateurs to avoid being next. #QuestPit #W #YA #NA #SFF

In times of darkness, what do we do? We write. #WritingCommunity melaniereynard.substack.com/p/finding-th...

That's right, REPUBLIC OF MEMORY is also a secret hardboiled detective novel (thanks to the ahem joys of multi-pov). Now ain't that a kick in the head? crimereads.com/10-speculati...

Well earned @madeehahwrites.bsky.social!

In a short time, this will be a long time ago.

Another difficult day. Writing-wise: managed 37 words. Better than nothing. Pushing on.

“Shades of grief Dance on coastal flesh Contoured eclipse A colour we call morning.” #poem from CLINGING TO THE STONES.

Sad news. Inner Worlds has been one the first place I'd go to when I'm looking for brilliant stories. Solidarity with Sarah. Thank you for making me a part of this amazing journey.

There are too many stories to tell. Too little time.

2025 Awards Eligibility! I published just one story this year, The Midwife in the Palace of the Forest King in @bcsmagazine.bsky.social but it's a very good story IMO Dark fantasy+ Slavic folklore www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-...

📚 [EVENT RECAP] Highlights from last week’s event in Montpellier: Sholeh Wolpé reading from “The Invisible Sun” and Jordan Elgrably presenting “The Best of The Markaz Review: 2020–2025.” ✨ Digital edition of “The Best of The Markaz Review” : https://bit.ly/the-best-of-the-markaz-review-2020-2025

Voted for @innerworlds.bsky.social for @chillsubs.bsky.social best lit mags of 2025 awards ♥️ Sarah runs an impressive operation and alone! (from what I can tell) Vote here: www.chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag...

Wrapping up my year-end recap: Best fantasy novel: The Wingspan of Treason by @inknest.bsky.social Best short story: Our Last Evening in a Moon-Struck City by @madeehahwrites.bsky.social Best dark fantasy: The Way of Unity by @skbalstrup.bsky.social

Ranking the best of Star Wars: 1.) Andor 2.) Any SW movie when you’re 8 years old 3.) Knights of the Old Republic 4.) Knights of the Old Republic II 5.) Tattered Star Wars expanded universe paperback you found for $1 6.) Empire Strikes Back 7.) A New Hope 8.) Christmas in the Stars holiday album

Inner Worlds issue 9 will be out at the end of November, featuring this stunning cover artwork by @bydhiyanah.bsky.social ✨️🌿💜

Ignoring the warning signs only lets the disease spread. Syria’s crisis is urgent. Recognizing this truth is the essential first step toward healing.

Comma Press (@commapress.bsky.social) +100 series has some great stuff in translation. EGYPT+100 edited by Ahmed Naji. IRAQ+100 edited by Hassan Blasim. PALESTINE+100 edited by Basma Ghalayini. (to name just a few from them) (2/4)