46,000 words in, I have realised that my original, over-ridden instinct for in-progress book to be in the present tense, was in fact correct. Any tips? Search all instances of personal pronouns and change what follows? Or just go line by line? Oh my god ....

I enjoyed @luluallison.bsky.social Beast so I got a copy of her first novel Salt Lick and have enjoyed that too 👍. Highly recommend both. Look forward to her next book. Salt Lick is available direct from Lulu. Beast is available from @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social

Pierre has a robbin regularly visiting him in his studio. He has named him … Rob. The age of whimsy is truly over. Thank fuck for that, some might say.

Went to the disco on Sunday and copped off with Kevin.

Beast by @luluallison.bsky.social — takes the Faust myth and subverts it, making the case for transgression and for turning pain into art. It’s about more than that too, of course. Lovely book.

A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women 🧵

You are all cordially invited to the launch of: Orca and Bird by Anna Chilvers. Hebden Bridge library Wednesday 26th November at 7pm The event is free and you can book here. ticketsource.co.uk/calderdalelibraries

Just remembered the time I went to visit a friend in young offenders and nearly didn't get out. As I was leaving, due perhaps to my very short hair and boyish clothes, one of the guards grabbed my shoulder, spun me around shouting 'OI!' followed by 'sorry love, thought you were one of ours.'

1. In the wake on Mamdani’s win, we’ll see a lot more far right anti-urban sentiment. Here’s a thread on its roots and evolution. The idea that the city is evil and corrupt, and the countryside innocent and pure, goes back a long way: to Theocritus in Alexandria, and to the Old Testament. 🧵

I had the world’s stupidest dream last night. In it, real-life Sunderland mid-fielder Granit Xhaka was dating a man called Mick Granits. They were planning to marry and there was well-meaning, lighthearted speculation as to whether said footballer would become known as Granit Granits. Told you.

Clearly woke up in a foul mood 5 years ago

I agree. A book where beautiful and bonkers hit the sweet spot.

Morning all

Errr … ummm …. Oooops #thecricket

As we approach our 20th year anniversary in publishing. We've just had our BEST MONTH EVER for book sales. Thank you to all the bookshops and librarians for placing our books in readers' hands. Phenomenal!! @bookcornerhx.bsky.social @forumbooks.bsky.social @book-ish.bsky.social

Twigs and trees

One of Pierre’s current paintings. He’s so good. Always has been. When we met at St Martin’s we all knew how good he was, even way back then. I wish he was as good at the smarm and sell - he hasn’t even got a gallery. But he can paint. Obsessively.

Quite so. I hate those circle/block types of drawing tutorials. When I taught drawing I realised pretty quickly that the whole gig is teaching people to look and to see. Drawing (observational any way) has its techniques but is simply a record of that process.

Yes, the corruption and vanity are distressingly more of the same but I look at Gaza and couldn’t give a stuff about the East Wing of the White House.

Beast on prominent display in Stoke Newington Bookshop today @luluallison.bsky.social @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social @stokeybookshop.bsky.social

Saltburn by @drewgum.bsky.social - Buy this funny, tender, fantastically entertaining book (I really loved it) and help the publisher through a sticky patch.

Very happy with this response to Beast, my @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social novel exploring model villages, music and the Faust myth

Oooh. Seem to have made the Chanticleer Global Thriller Awards shortlist with The Fire In Their Eyes! That’s nice, then. #booksky

@luluallison.bsky.social BEAST I am loving it. I will invest in another copy as a gift for a college writing professor friend. And I’ll try reading it out loud to my mom when I visit her. She can’t read print anymore. A glorious accomplishment. Rare. Timeless. @womenwritersnet.bsky.social

If any of the big publishers disappeared the others would just swallow and churn, so no loss. But imagine what the world of books would be without independent publishers? Doesn’t bear thinking about. Congratulations Kevin and Hetha, so glad you dared.

Welcome to our #WomenWritersNet #AuthorInterview series. Today, we're chatting with Stephanie Bretherton, author of the recently published novel, "The Fire In Their Eyes". @brethertonwords.bsky.social @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?

Is it time that neurodivergence became normal? What do you think? Granular, Diverse, Mainstream, Messy, Normal luluallison.net/2025/10/20/g...

Do our politicians think that English football fans were banned from Europe *for their own safety*?

Can we please get some perspective. If Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were banned because of a risk to them it would absolutely be anti-semitism. When they are banned because they have a track record of causing violence it is just common sense. Preventing football hooliganism is normally a good idea.

York, back in the day

The Girls - My Baby [LA, CA, USA; Garage Beat, Surf](1965) 4 sisters Sandoval. Previously known as The Teen Bugs / The Four Queens . https://redd.it/1get9jl https://youtu.be/Bm8gZcNrmAY

Banned Books - Alert! Alert! Freaks and Weirdos and Scary Ideas!  luluallison.net/2025/10/14/b...

We publish the books that others won’t – brave, beautiful writing that deserves to be read. Help us keep going. 💫 Every donor gets 33% off all Salt books as thanks for standing with indie publishing. Offer ends 31 October. 👉 gofund.me/d45b821c8 #SupportIndies #BookSky

My daughter is up for an award (marine apprentice of the year) so we’re off to York together. I’ve seen the invite and dress code, looking forward to it. Only trouble is, my wardrobe goes straight from ’workshop/gardening’ to ‘party/fabulous’. There’s a definite gap where ‘smart casual’ should be.

Absolute bargain from the village shop. Hand made by local resident, fingerless gloves, £6

Our Skychat is on Thursday. Can you make it? @soulscratches.bsky.social @luluallison.bsky.social @djmartinauthor.bsky.social @joannahastings.bsky.social @inkandimagination.bsky.social @brethertonwords.bsky.social @ruthwriter.bsky.social

Well doesn't this look grand. In the Radio Times and everything. My mum would have been well chuffed and to some degree making up for the disappointment of not becoming the second English Pope. We published in 2019. @thebookseller.com @northernfiction.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Maybe a bit tame but I’m in love with Dunbar from Catch 22 because he is so determined to cling to life he’s prepared to make it unbearably dull. For that reason, I don’t quite understand why, I just always imagined him as massively fanciable.

I lived in an old Karate dojo with King Loser and was the drummer for a while. Happy, loose and frenetic days. Playing music and laughing and drinking. One of my favourite bands.

I lived in an old Karate dojo with King Loser and was the drummer for a while. Happy, loose and frenetic days. Playing music and laughing and drinking. One of my favourite bands.

Just seen a post about Anarchy in the Uk. Pierre and I were coincidentally talking about punk this morning, the interesting cultural stir-ups from that time, a lot of (for me mostly post-punk) music we still love, but in the rear view, Sex Pistols land like Spice Girls.

Wars, tariffs , paper, production costs and the battle to get our books seen means there is a crisis in publishing. Indies do most of the heavy lifting in finding great new stories that the risk averse conglomerates shy away from. Support Indies! www.thebookseller.com/comment/open...

Friends, I am starting a writing group. Please take a look and please share. Thank you luluallison.net/writing-group/