Someone in my authorial Discord: [hoping for more about the solstice extra.] Me, after contemplating, deciding I can share two things. I don't think they're actually usefully informative, though. 1) The solstice extra takes place in 1948. 2) Croissants are involved.

I really liked the malachite dress from Frankenstein and wanted to do a mari in a similar dress but I got very tired so apologies for it being rushed

Today we're also celebrating the release of Apt To Be Suspicious by @celialake.bsky.social! The second book in the Liminal Mysteries series that explores the magical community of Britain after the Second World War: www.readindiefantasy.com/a-spotlight-...

Want a little academia and magic in your life? Apt to be Suspicious is out today! Full of Oxford in 1947-48, magic, cryptic crosswords, what to do when you grow up, cryptography, and a fair bit of Homer. Also, as you can see, a punt. celialake.com/book/apt-to-...

Should anyone be writing something set in Boston in 1835, I just stumbled on a glorious historical resource: tile.loc.gov/storage-serv... Full title in next post, because it's long. Businesses, doctors, organizations, all sorts of meaty details. (Came across it while researching for work.)

This was such a fun interview, and I loved having the chance to answer great questions. (Including the reality of librarian life...)

Me to @kiya about the book I'm 3 chapters into writing: Sometimes I write cosy novels about the Blitz. Sometimes I write cosy novels about the moral injury of trust and safety and equivalent work? (Deeply informed by my own experiences and @rahaeli.bsky.social 's extensive commentary.)

KJ Charles is absolutely one of my favourite authors, and this i a tight, nail-bitingly plotted trilogy with some fabulous characters in the immediate aftermath of the Great War. Highly recommended. and on sale!

Today is the FaRo Book Blast! www.farosociety.com/bookblast for 300+ books at 99 cents! You can browse by subgenre - find my Mistress of Birds in the gaslamp/historical section - or by creature! Lots of spooky options for the season, lots of other great books as well.

Exciting news! I've been working all year on a vertigo arts project in collaboration with others in academia, physical therapy, puppetry, and dance. Now the first part is out: I'm running a creative writing workshop for people who are directly or indirectly affected by vertigo. >

I am eyeing my playlists and wondering just how many versions of "I am stretched on your grave" I have on here, anyway. (Not that they're not seasonal.)

Weaving Hope is part of the B&N Nook Favorite Cozy Reads for Fall! It's on sale there for $2.99. www.barnesandnoble.com/b/favorite-c... 1928 full of weaving and tapestries, a country estate with a few secrets, and a glorious garden. (Also, older protagonists if you're looking for those.)

I spent all afternoon outlining a book, Brave Truth. It is going to be *so fun* to write. (This is Claudio in 1950.) At current count, it includes 14 awkward conversations. It, um, also has a lot about the long-term consequences of moral injury in the wake of WW2. That's sort of how I roll.

Me : other plans for the evening Reality: quality time with my label maker and my tea tins. My tea is now very nicely and usefully labelled. It it did not, however, answer the question of which one I want to make to drink while writing.

Today is YOLO for Kobo - 300 curated romance books over on Kobo Plus, Kobo's subscription service. I'm featuring Harmonic Pleasure, full of 1920s London, a night club, a mysterious magical artefact, and more. Category and trope lists: koboplusromancebinge.com By cover: geni.us/YOLOWithKobo

Okay too much doom, time for the world’s sloppiest yin/yang. #proofOfCat

It's a great weekend for cosy fantasy lovers! HearthCon (whole series of free panels and discussions and events) and Cozy The Day Away, a two day cosy fantasy book sale! I'm on two panels at HearthCon and Pastiche (both ebook and audio) is on sale! More details below.

@kiyanicoll.bsky.social has just been helping me debug a thing I've been trying to figure out how to do, and I am so delighted. It's going to take a bit (a couple of books into the next 1920s series) to play out, but I can seed something about it sooner. I love it when existing backstory clicks!

Elise is having another sale! (For some inconvenient bills). So many gorgeous shinies!

I have been complimented twice today on my fierce tenacity in tracking down historical information at work today. Two different questions! I might be particularly extra about this, but I'm consistent (my writing, too). I am delighted it gets appreciated sometimes. It hasn't always been.

Day job moments: our quite new CEO stopped by (to wish my colleagues happy Archives Month) and I had 15 minutes of talking about complex historical figures on no notice. (My work provides a selection of those, though we remain pleased that one of our founders was adored by everyone who knew him.)

Lynn is correct that you maybe want hot chocolate for Claiming the Tower (and thank you for the lovely words!)

It's time for Flights of Foundry, one of my favourite conventions of the year. All online, items around the clock, an excellent eye on accessibility, and donation based. I'm on six panels this year, and looking forward to all of them! flights-of-foundry, today through Sunday (Sept 26th -28th).

Last day of my birthday sale today! 50% off many things in my direct shop, all the details here. www.celialake.com/birthday-202... Let me talk about the Mysterious Fields trilogy (on sale for $7.50 for the trilogy). It's a trilogy with the HEA in Book 3. There are some Events first.

My birthday has been utterly magical and amazing. Go past!me for good planning and aiming at achievable goals! (I have seen seals! I had blissful minutes soaking in a saltwater heated pool with *no one* nearby. I had one of the top desserts of my life.) (More details/photos later this week.)

Let's talk about Best Foot Forward, which @kiyanicoll.bsky.social described as "M/M aroace/bi-allo-(incidentally polyam) enemies-to-it’s-complicated there-was-only-one-bed espionage and WWI trauma-healing romp" Part of my birthday sale, in the Carrying On bundle. www.celialake.com/birthday-202...

Time to highlight another book! Carry On is in the Carrying On starter bundle on sale on Tuesday at www.celialake.com/birthday-202.... It's about healing and finding hope when you're alone. It's about being brave enough to take risks for change. And it's got a lot of knitting.

My birthday sale is ongoing! (Through Tuesday) www.celialake.com/birthday-202... I wanted to talk a little about Eclipse here (on sale everywhere this month + in the Solving Puzzles Together bundle.) I love all my books (and my characters) but Eclipse is the book of my heart in so many ways.

Claiming the Tower has a lot of drinking chocolate in it, and here's Lynn's low-spoons recipe for making your own.

Big news today! 1) Claiming the Tower is out! 2) Birthday sale now through Tuesday, the 23rd on my direct store! I'll have threads talking about some of the specific books in here over the next few days!

I would like to thank Hereswith Rowan and Bess Marley for being well-ordered women while I was putting them into the public wiki tonight. Claiming the Tower, their romance, will be out Friday. They are applied forces of nature in that book, as called for by circumstance.

Today in bemusing aphasia moments: Getting to "doctrine of sympathy" which my brain wouldn't produce by searching "dog knife longitude" (www.rmg.co.uk/stories/time... if you don't know this weird bit of satire and history.)

💙 📚 🪐 📚 🌈 #cozyfantasy #newrelease Who needs a romp? lynnstrong.com/books/haroun: Off the chain on Sept 13! 😎 Crimes of fashion 🧶 Weaponized fiber arts 😺 🤝 🐶 Cats & dogs living together ♿ A blind dogfolk & his seeing eye human 😱 50 pg bonus recipes! Game time: 1 repost = 1 backstage trivia 😁

I have the best readers. Me in newsletter: complaining about the difficulties in finding tide timings for the Pentland Firth in 1949. Reader, in my email: So, I'm a physical oceanographer, can I help? 3 hours later: I have been sent a spreadsheet of tides and current flow. Thank you, Maren!

One of these days, I will do the task I keep trying to do in the time between work and writing. This is not that day. (I have however done several other tasks, and I'm about to clean up some bookmarks and open tabs?)

Life as a research librarian: Reference questions answered in August: 24 Reference questions answered so far in September: 6 (Yesterday was a holiday.)

Last days of Elise's birthday month sale! (More notes down thread from this, more beautiful things upthread.)

In today's editing, I have added a thematically relevant quotation and reference to Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" and I am feeling very smug about that. (This is in the book which also has a ridiculous amount of Homer.)

Elise, on where the art's going next (and a bit of why) - birthday reflections, thoughts about using the good beads first, and more.

It is @lionesselise.bsky.social 's actual birthday (so many happy birthday!) Her Birthday Month sale on all sorts of gorgeous shinies is ongoing. www.etsy.com/shop/Lioness... for the shop. Or have a look at bsky.app/profile/lion... for some of what she's been putting up recently!

Tonight's satisfaction: I have sorted all my current research files for the Very Big Project, and I have the contentment of a librarian whose metadata is in good order. (This is pulling things together so when I do the much more intensive research for the 1480s project, it is not total chaos.)

I know I just said this earlier today but holy fucking shitballs I fucking love Elise's work

Me: planning to do multiple things this afternoon, My brain: Nope, how about a 5 hour hyper focus on this thing that doesn't need to be done for a month? Me, sighing: Well, okay, let me rearrange things. (I have now eaten, and am going to go do the things that are actually timely to-dos.)

Goblin Fruit is on sale this month ($2.99 USD or the equivalent where you get your ebooks). An aristocratic investigator, a mysterious and dangerous magical drink, and a sister determined to keep her younger sister safe in 1924. celialake.com/book/goblin-...

Another Celia-Lake-inspired pendant is "A Fox at Water's Edge", which has sterling silver wirework and a nice chunk of purple amethyst ranging to light purple at the top www.etsy.com/listing/4352...

@lionesselise.bsky.social has been at it again (and also it is still Elise's Birthday Month sale time! Shinies for many budgets!) The necklace next post in that thread has fascinating and stunning stones - I got to see it on video call last week.

Passing this along (I have just replied). Note some discussion in the linked thread about the demographic questions. (I have a page on my website these days, but I would love for that to be something that's visible/filterable to readers where they get books. www.celialake.com/human-made-a...)

Harmonic Pleasure is here! - 1928 adventures around and under London - A magical artefact - Night club singer with family secrets - Art expert with other skills celialake.com/book/harmoni...

Today in "No, RSI is not our friend" Keyboard tray died. Ordered a replacement. Replacement was too high and I could feel my body complaining. Sighed, ordered one with more height adjustment. My shoulders are now unwinding.

Small good things in the world. Waiting to pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy, and listening to the staff be great, informative, and compassionate with two different sets of questions.