Casual has gotten a lot of love this year! But a reminder that I ALSO have two novellas: Mazi is erotic isolation horror about a woman coming to terms with her identity and mental health. Features polyam, bdsm, and woodwork that watches you.

“The difference between aren’t you silly for thinking I won’t love you and aren’t you stupid for thinking anyone else would.” is maybe my favorite line from The Faceless Thing We Adore

*Silent screaming* Just got the 10p newsletter, and Midwestern Chrome by Michael Bettendorf is up for preorder. This is seriously SUCH a good collection. Go order it. Then read it. Then share it. Then read it again. store.tenebrouspress.com?utm_source=s...

I am about halfway through The Faceless Thing We Adore by Hester Steel, and I've got thoughts. Mostly, I'm wondering if this is going to actually lean sympathetic towards the cult... because right now they feel as manipulative as any other cult.

Looking for recommendations for my series on cult literature. I am looking for fiction novels that feature a male main character in a cult. I'd especially be interested if someone has recommendations for a fiction book that features the manosphere as cult.

Changing a relationship dynamic in the book I am working on... yes, it took me an hour to work out two paragraphs. No, I don't love them. Yes, it's worth it.

Using a plot twist to explore identity dissolution in high-control groups: The Night We Burned by SF Kosa

Does anyone have recs for books where a cult is somehow portrayed in a positive light? Thinking like Dexter or Butcher and Blackbird for serial killers... but for cults.

I'm so ANGRY at the book I'm reading today. Which... is still a feeling?

Today's writing: That frustration when you know you have to seed a concept earlier in your novel, but your beginning is so tight you're not sure how to loosen it up to make room for the pieces you need.

As someone who cares a lot about psychedelic research, let me just remind the world that Peter Thiel owns a majority of the main companies researching ibogaine for clinical use. The same Peter Thiel who contributed significantly to the rise of both Trump and Vance.

"When I need to wipe my face I use the back of my hand And I like to take up space Just because I can And I use my dress To wipe up my drink You know, I care less and less What people think" - Dilate, Ani DiFranco This is my crone goal… and I wish it had been my 20-year-old girl goal.

Take two on my thoughts on Godshot by Chelsea Bieker: how the things we leave out in our writing can trigger the social imagination and create a more impactful reader experience

Today I learned... one of my meds would disqualify me from getting my pilot's license and the other would require me to get special issuance. Do I want to fly? No. But it's helpful in putting into perspective how much the psychiatric drugs we take may be affecting our awareness/judgment/responses.

And she’s a PHILIP K DICK AWARD NOMINATED AUTHOR, so she would know 🖤☠️

New author thread! This week I'm featuring Grant Collier @grantcollier.bsky.social 1. Why You Should Read (WYSR) "The Best Version of Yourself" @clarkesworldmagazine.com More and more people are deciding to ascend to Nirvana, even Maria’s mother. inkfoundry.net/review/why-y...

I'm finally home from Norwescon, which was an absolute blast. I met so many enthusiastic people -- which was just the drink my soul needed. And then there were all the fun items weighing down my suitcase on the way back. Stickers by @mossandpiglets.bsky.social

It was so cool to see some of 10p in person. Also, you guys have to stop making such amazing covers. (Except, don’t)

Post-con exhaustion but holy wow was NorWesCon the best intro to cons. Met so many interesting and enthusiastic people. The world seems just a bit better after all those smiles.

So well deserved. This book is fire.

2026 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced file770.com/2026-philip-...

Slept in my Ani DiFranco shirt last night and woke up Not a Pretty Girl.

My latest cult read was Godshot by Chelsea Bieker. This book was so bleak but in an amazing way and, imo, really pushes what you can do emotionally with literature about cults. kojiadae.ink/the-bittersw...

Next book: survivor by chuck palahniuk.

I could write a novel about Godshot. The book was brutal but beautiful. And as far as cult-books goes, it makes cult-life so surreal that it feels real.

One interesting thing about revising my book. MOST passes get faster. So when I first wrote it I was three months between inciting incident and the end. Then two months. Then a month. Eventually it will be a week.

Currently reading: Godshot Current mood: Absolutely, utterly devastated. I didn't expect this from this book, and it's almost physically painful to read it. But also, it's so well-written and amazing.

Yesterday: added 2k words, edited 2 chapters. Today: 2 hours. 3 sentences. Sometimes it be that way.

A month ago I booked tickets to the us and THEN realized my passport was expired. Today my new one arrived. So excited to be introducing my kids to their grandparents and going to NorWesCon!!!

Update on NorWesCon and what I'm reading.

Just me stumbling on a library's "If you like The Testaments you might like..." and boom. There's Casual. Front and center. Well... I liked The Testaments. And I liked Casual ;)

Apparently my kid can't get a library card because he's lost his library card too many times. Which... I kinda understand. You lose the card, you'll likely lose books. But the kid goes through a book every 10 days. And they aren't cheap. And we're running out of room on the bookshelf. What do I do?

I am having a word crisis 🙂 In English, do we use the word fond for the background/base of a painting? Or is it a Bulgarian word taken from the french that I only have in my English vocab because Bulgarian speakers still use it when they switch to English?

Opening up on mental health, meds, and the struggle to write when you aren't sure who you are.

Just finished reading Thomas Ha’s Sweetbaby and … oh my bleeding heart. I didn’t know I needed that.

Writing dream unlocked: I'm on a wikipedia page! Writing has been really difficult this past year, and it keeps my soul burning bright to see Casual still being mentioned out there.

And BONUS!! An overall post of my reflections from two months of reviews, my favorite pieces from each author, and other thoughts on community. @rkduncan.bsky.social @noirbettie.bsky.social @kojiadae.bsky.social @effies.bsky.social @renanbernardo.com @deeholloway.bsky.social tinyurl.com/4t98vmsc

I've always been a "pay the extra fee if you want a seat together"... But now I'm traveling with two kids... one is 12, so 1 month older than the cut off for "child". For the three of us to sit by each other, I have to pay 540 euro extra. Which I get it... if you can't afford to fly, don't fly.

Me reading Bunny... Google: What is twee? Me ten days later: OMG I so love twee. It's like so perfect. So.

Is Bunny about a cult? Absolutely. So why didn't I feel like it was. Looking at size and religion in cultish lit.

It's really cool to see Casual included in Kate's favorite's list... it's so interesting to see how Casual fits in with other books over the year. medium.com/@katefrancia...

A week ago OpenClaw gets blasted for its security issues. Today OpenAI announces they've brought the creator onboard to head up agentic AI. In case you want to know how much these tech companies care about your security.

I just realized the university in Bunny is called Warren. Because of course it is.

For the morning crowd - I'm feeling sufficiently spoiled by @kojiadae.bsky.social's review of my upcoming release, Midwestern Chrome. @tenebrouspress.bsky.social 💙🦾🚬

Allowing the Fallow State In Writing Something on your "to-do list" that never gets done. My writing to-do list has four novels, a poem, and several short stories on it. Right now I'm working on a novel, and splitting my guilt between going too slow, ignoring the other projects, and not giving…

What are your favorite modern tragedies? I'm looking for books after 2020, preferably speculative – weird horror. What genre has the most tragedy? Should I be looking into gothic?

And once again for the people further west

I got a sneak peak at Michael Bettendorf's Midwestern Chrome and omg, the world is in for a treat.

What age to introduce my son to Lord of the Flies? Some sites say 12 others 14. I feel like I read it freshman year of high school, so 14?

For my Cults In Fiction this month, I'm reading Bunny by Mona Award. Honestly, I never really considered a small cult when I started this, so it's an interesting perspective. app.thestorygraph.com/reading_chal...