Trump IS a mob boss. This is the worst of all worlds. Whether Venezuelans themselves will go along with his scheme remains to be seen. I somehow doubt it, meaning this is going to turn ugly very fast, while Russia and China laugh at American hubris.

A lifetime of hearing US politicians solemnly intone about the glories of the constitution and the sacredness of law. Now they don’t even have the post 9/11 fig leaf. The whole vast military machinery is the plaything of a senile old man and his corrupt circle and most of them don’t care

Merry Christmas 🎄

Just a little something for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to read when they sweep my social media if I mistakenly get on a plane to the States…

💔

Never mind the giver nor the recipient, that trophy is all levels of nightmare fuel. #WorldCupDraw

Thank you to Jonathan Coe (The Proof of My Innocence) for selecting Paris Fantastique by Nicholas Royle for the Observer’s ‘Writers recommend: the best books of 2025’ feature: observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/writers-recommend-the-best-books-of-2025

Struggling to understand what all this means? Maybe you relied too often on (inaccurate &/or biased) #AI summaries, rather than using your little grey cells. I could draw a picture of it for you, if you'd like, but, to make up for all the graphic work I've lost to AI, my fee went up.

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY to Paris Fantastique by Nicholas Royle, the third and final volume in his series of story collections inspired by cities in which he has lived. Fourteen stories, including eleven that are brand new. Available for £9.50 (plus p&p): www.confingopublishing.uk/shop

Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.

Fog/river

Miriam Frey's The Building Inspector is a gem. The boorish inspector leads us in and out of rented flats in a decaying block, oblivious to the quiet suffering of the tenants he intrudes on. But as it says on the back: 'His unsettling visits are nothing compared to what happens after he's left'.

My new short story colllection The Building Inspector is now available from @nightjarpress.bsky.social on nightjarpress.weebly.com

Come to @smallpublishers.bsky.social today.

I mean, literally demolishing part of the White House to build some kind of Russian Imperial kitsch wedding venue? 2016 us would have said too on the nose

Thank you so much to everybody who came. I could not have wished for a lovelier audience ☺️

Lovely review of Best British Short Stories 2025 up at @manchesterreview.bsky.social @saltpublishing.com www.themanchesterreview.co.uk?p=13063

I'm going to run a six week online 'Writing Psychological Thrillers' course. If you're interested, message me and I'll send you all the details

It’s true. We are publishing a mini-collection by this talented writer. Normally we publish stories singly, in pairs. If that makes sense. Something made us break that pattern.

My first collection of short stories is out this month (17 October) on @nightjarpress.bsky.social ! Very excited. And nervous. But mostly excited.

'Masterpiece... you might just have found your new favourite author' #TheCourseOfTheHeart by @mjohnharrison.bsky.social, reviewed in the Big Issue. This new edition of Harrison's cult novel, featuring an introduction by Julia Armfield, is out now. www.bigissue.com/culture/book...

Nocturnal clouds

Day 2

Lovely day for a hike

Light

What a legend. Adored him and his work, and I always found this exchange particularly inspiring.

💔

2025 looking good so far

Good morning! We might be looking at a rare White Christmas here.

@richardlittler.bsky.social Just saw this in the November issue of the NZZ‘s Folio magazine. The guy‘s a TV comedian (don‘t know his work, really, so can‘t say if he‘s any good), but his taste is impeccable.

Leaves

Microsoft Word once again hilariously trying to sabotage my translations by insisting that "resit the exam" should be "resist the exam" (tbf, the students who are supposed to read the finished product probably wouldn‘t mind if I went with 'resist' 😅).

All these apps asking "What do you want to do?" and me, shouting at the screen, "None of your effing business!" Modern software is clearly not being developed with people like me in mind…

Stuck this to the window and now the world makes a LITTLE more sense...