'When I’m on the hunt for exciting debuts, I’m looking for a story that acts as a bridge – taking me on a journey from somewhere familiar to somewhere new' @jonnygeller.bsky.social – CEO of Curtis Brown & one of the UK’s foremost literary agents – shares 5 ways of approaching your elevator pitch:

Thank you so much to @fictivedream.bsky.social for giving Dad Club a home, and to @raecowie.bsky.social and the word soldiers of Smokelong Fitness February Cardio Group 2 at ‪@smokelong.bsky.social for their help with it.

Check out the fabulous selection of photo books and indie publications by photographers from around the globe at the University of Cambridge Shutter Hub Pop-up Photobook library (including Haddo Reimagined 🥳) … on until 2nd April,2026 … #cambridgeuniversitylibrary #haddoreimagined #shortstories

Big thanks to ‪@freeflashfiction.bsky.social for running this great comp, to ‬judge Caroline McKenzie for choosing my story, and to @raecowie.bsky.social, @norami.bsky.social, and September Cardio Group 2 at Smokelong Fitness for their help with it.

So pleased to see this one out there. Thank you to @penmenreviewsnhu.bsky.social for picking it, to @raecowie.bsky.social, @norami.bsky.social & @finnegag.bsky.social for their help with it, and to the redoubtable @mattkendrick.bsky.social for prompting it on his famous Colourful Characters course.

Delighted to feature in the lovely @templeinacity.bsky.social. Big thanks to EIC @eireneeleni.bsky.social for selecting my story and to @raecowie.bsky.social and @norami.bsky.social for their help with it.

Big thanks to ‪@freeflashfiction.bsky.social for running this comp, to ‬judge @nishxhegde.bsky.social for choosing my story, and to @raecowie.bsky.social, @norami.bsky.social, and the wordsmiths of Smokelong Fitness ‬October Cardio Group 3 for their help with it.

Ho,ho, ho! Can’t wait for the Trend Christmas Fayre, Marcliffe Hotel, Pitfodels, Aberdeen, where I’ll be signing copies of Haddo Reimagined. Please swing by and say ‘hello’. … #whatsonaberdeen #scottishcreatives #aberdeen #aberdeenshirewriter

Happy Halloween! We have some fabulously spooky recommendations for our global community of book lovers. First up, you can listen to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's interview about Mexican Gothic - www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #booksky #horrorlit #halloween #mexicangothic #worldbookclub

'Every historical novelist will have a different approach to how much research they do before writing. I would say it depends very much on the scope of your story.' Bestselling author, @stephmerritt.bsky.social (S J Parris), shares 6 tips to help you research your historical novel 🔎

- i found you skipping stones at dawn your laughter tangled in the cattails you promised nothing but trouble your libertine heart would never be contained i just smiled watching ripples ebb and fade - #vss365 #poetry #read

#WriteCBC task from @unheimlichmanvr.bsky.social: Halloween is coming, so let’s introduce a spooky setting! The house lights dim, and the curtain rises on your location: where are we? What small details intrigue us in the opening lines? And why does it make us feel subtly uneasy?

'It’s no secret that older women writers tend to be overlooked...' Bernardine Evaristo awards the first Pioneer prize for British female writers over 60 to Maureen Duffy 🎉 www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Big thanks to Melissa and Kristin at @epistemiclit.bsky.social for including me in their nostalgia issue; to @sfreligh.bsky.social and her awesome Class of Jan 24 for prompting and nurturing it; and @raecowie.bsky.social & @norami.bsky.social for helping it over the line.

#WriteCBC task from @rowancoleman.bsky.social: One way to imbue authenticity into a character is to discover their secrets. What memento do they keep in their beside drawer? Write a scene involving this memento. What subtle secret does this reveal? What does this tell you about the character?

It's time for the September #WriteCBC guest reveal 🥁 Next month's writing tip and task comes from @rowancoleman.bsky.social, tutor of our upcoming Writing Romantic & Commercial Fiction course! Join us next Thursday! Find out more: www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/blog/writecb...

For drama and history lovers ... Into Thy Hands at Studio C #EdFringe this week, explores the complex relationship between Mary Queen of Scots, her husband Lord Darnley, and her best friend David Rizzio. Grab tickets while you can ... #ScottishHistory #Edinburgh #EdinburghFringe #NewDrama

✨SCOTLANDSFEST 2025✨ 👤 Barbara Henderson 📍St Columba's by the Castle, Edinburgh 📆 13 August ⏰ 1:30pm 🎟 buff.ly/6I1iYyY #EdinburghWhatsOn #ScotlandsFest25 #Fringe #EdinburghFringe

Big thanks to ‪@freeflashfiction.bsky.social for running this brilliant competition, to ‬judge @sagreene1.bsky.social for choosing my story, and to @raecowie.bsky.social, @norami.bsky.social, and the word sculptors of A Smokelong Summer Flash Group 4 for for their help with it.

'Friendship is a powerful force in fiction – and its potential to help writers bring protagonists fully to life on the page – and indeed to be a driver of story, is often underestimated' 🌻 Our founder Anna Davis shares ways in which your character’s friendships can help move your story forward:

So pleased to see this out there, thank you ‪@bnadeauwriter.bsky.social‬ at MoonLit Getaway. Thanks also to @raecowie.bsky.social, @norami.bsky.social & @yalanchang.bsky.social for their help with it.

Love Forms by Claire Adam is a heart-breaking tale set against the beauty and dangers of Trinidad & Tobago. Descriptions of island life – lush countryside, healing power of the ocean, increasing violence – are done with a light touch that draws the reader in #LoveForms #ClaireAdam #faberbooks

#WriteCBC task from @abigailj.bsky.social: Secrets are a great way to add intrigue and drama to your story. Write a mini-scene in which a character discovers that someone they know well has been keeping a secret from them. How do they deal with this discovery?

So pleased to appear in @fictivedream.bsky.social today, long a dream journal of mine. Thanks to @raecowie.bsky.social, @finnegag.bsky.social and @yalanchang.bsky.social for their help with this one.

Thrilled to be featuring your tiny gem, Chris. Thank you for sending it our way @chriscottom.bsky.social‬ @raecowie.bsky.social @finnegag.bsky.social @yalanchang.bsky.social #microfiction #MicroMonday

Loved doing this!!

So pleased to be part of the beautifully produced Raw Lit - Issue 6. Thank you to @norami.bsky.social and @raecowie.bsky.social for their help with my story.

Ta-da! It's Publication Day for THE LEAP YEAR PROPOSAL! When Ellie, Jess and Anouska go to a mutual friend's hen weekend on a Scottish island, they get rather more than they bargained for... #romcom #sisterhood #romance #friendship #secrets #kindleunlimited books2read.com/u/3kj7AG

HUGE thanks to @portybelle.bsky.social for a wonderful, shiny 5STAR review. Love, love, love short story readers! (Haddo Reimagined, inspired by Aberdeenshire's beautiful Haddo Country Park. Photographs by Susan Orr) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 #ShortStories #BookReview #Aberdeenshire #Scotland #WritingCommunity

What are you reading this weekend? I'm LOVING The Queen Of Dirt Island by #DonalRyan ... #WeekendReading #JanuaryReads