Second Story Press (@secondstory.bsky.social) asked me to make a video to promote Ellis on Guard. It… took a lot longer than I thought it would. But Potato and I had fun. Well, I had fun and Potato tolerated me politely.

Yep. Simple as that.

“Trump says US will run Venezuela following Maduro's capture.” Just so we’re all clear—this is now an illegal occupation on top of everything else. What shocks me most about all of this is how immune I’ve become to shock.

Really didn’t know how the Duffer Brothers would pull it off after that disaster of a penultimate episode, but they really, really did. Spoiler in next post, but I need to know your thoughts:

Wow, you mean my doctor could diagnose me based on hallucinated info? Sounds amazing. /s

Henry and William...looks like we've got some #StrangerThings baby names. Reminds me of the 19yo, who was born just before Twilight was published. He's fortunate he wasn't a girl, because Bella was my "girl name" and he would have been in for a lifetime of "did your parents name you after Twilight?"

A huge, HUGE thank you to @evilpez4.bsky.social for a whole decade of this incredible fundraiser. I can't even imagine all the work involved. Thank you, thank you, Andy.

Merry Christmas! and Happy Holidays! and Have a Nice Break! (choose your own adventure) to all, from Sodapop the Corn Snake.

Just realized that if Pluribus was real, I’d only be able to sell one copy of a book and then everyone in the world would have read it. The copyright issues would be a nightmare.

Oh my gosh. I mean, Signalgate was bad, but the technological ineptitude of the Trump administration and co is truly astonishing. There is some WILD stuff happening tonight.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Gen AI should be subject to Health Canada requirements and vetting.

DAY 21!🎨🖼👩‍🎨 $400 FELIZ NAVID-ART PACK from Argyle Fine Art, NSCAD Art Supply Store & The Dart Gallery! Over $8000 in prizes from fantastic local businesses supporting Feed NS. Details at AndyVent.ca ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT! Tix at: www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/feedn...

Saw a lab hanging his head out the car window, when I passed by he had a santa suit on. I hope he and tiny hat are puppy pals who just left an office Christmas party.

I just walked past a dog sitting in the passenger seat of a car. He was a big floofy dog with the tiniest little Santa hat I’ve ever seen perched jauntily on his head, and he was so happy. You’re welcome.

There is still time to purchase Grey Dog as a Christmas gift for the most unpleasant person in your life (complimentary)!

I would rather give up traditional publishing than work with a publisher that uses AI. Given the impact AI has had on authors, I hope publishers who have committed to not using it make themselves known. We need to know who’s on our side before we partner with them.

Having somewhere to escape too is really important… comics combine so many different disciplines to transport us to different places. We need to protect them and keep them sacred from the technology and the inbound storm. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ugh, why is Tiffany Morris talented at everything (j/k Tiffany, I adore you… but also you ARE talented at everything, what the heck is up with that?)

What’s that you ask? Why it’s a big pile of bookplates signed by Nandita Ratan and me. Keep an eye on @secondstory.bsky.social’s account for special preorder perks! #booksky #halifax #librariansofbluesky

People seem to forget that social media doesn’t reflect all facets of a person. I think it’s part of the whole parasocial relationship problem. Lots of folks make social contributions/efforts without announcing them on social media. Doesn’t mean they aren’t making them.

I’m pretty tired of ending every year since 2016 with “Well. Maybe the next one will be better.” But regardless, “Maybe the next one will be better.” Gotta keep hoping, it’s the only way.

Rob Reiner, for a while there, was one of the most artistically and commercially successful directors in Hollywood. He had a run of films that knocked the roof off. With STAND BY ME, he gave voice to Stephen King’s work that we hadn’t seen since CARRIE and SALEM’S LOT and rarely since.

While in Mundaring, WA, I seem to have stumbled into the world of Myst.

So grateful for the opportunity to write this guide to traditional publishing for The Writers’ Union of Canada! Publishing can be such an opaque industry—I hope this helps folks find their way in. Get it for free if you’re a TWUC member or buy for $9.99 here:

Should have marked this as #booksky. If you’re a Canadian author, there’s some good-to-know info below.

Don’t forget about Public Lending Rights! Sometimes I get more from that than I do from royalties, so making library requests is a great way to support authors financially as well!

This is how every piece of fiction I’ve ever written has come into being. I write tumbleweeds.

Just went to A Christmas Carol at Neptune Theatre and I’m finally in the Christmas spirit (pun definitely intended). Feeling so lucky to have a theatre like Neptune in #Halifax.

My collage triptych is in the Community Show at the @msvuhalifax.bsky.social Art Gallery! Grateful for friends who encourage me to do scary things.

This is wild. Disney has spent decades suing random people for the teensiest tiniest infringements for years. Now this.

Ellis and Peanut really want you to check out @secondstory.bsky.social’s Winter/Spring lineup!

Lots of great books for young people this end of year list from @quillandquire.bsky.social. My picks: This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki & Nicole Goux (absolutely freaking brilliant graphic novel) and Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe (absolutely freaking adorable picture book). #booksky

Contemplating a Paul Dano movie marathon this weekend out of spite for Quentin Tarantino and his petty comments. How dare he talk about Dwayne Hoover that way.

So… it seems to me that we should be writing our MPs to point out that the sale of these armoured vehicles to the country that continues to threaten our sovereignty is against our national interests…

It’s AndyVent time! Get in there to support @feednovascotia.bsky.social and maybe win some sweet local prizes!

Well, this nerd just made their NYE plans.

This is a wild article. Worth the read if you care about whether or not the journalism you read is, well, journalism. thelocal.to/investigatin...

Hey #halifax, who do you recommend for Christmas food orders? My go-to place for cut way back on what they’re offering this year (and a bunch of stuff is already sold out after one day!).

Okay I just found out that we don’t French tuck anymore and I need a Gen Z to tell me what I’m supposed to do aa a short human who loves oversized tees. Stay untucked and walk around like my legs are only a foot long?

Do not do this. The whole point of presents is to think about your loved one. If you don’t know what to get me, just tell me you weren’t sure what to get me, and like, give me a hug or something.

The 18yo and I were just hanging out in the kitchen and we heard a noise just outside the back door FOUR TIMES, and it sounded like a very small voice saying “Mama.” We have secured the perimeter and I’m holding onto a giant hunk of labradorite for dear life, but WHAT THE HECK.

One assignment! 🥳

Careful, editor pals. Later on in the thread, she also mentions an incident where a client did a full credit card chargeback after the work was complete.

I have three assignments left in my entire degree. A few months of practicum still… but just three assignments. If you’ve ever thought about going back to school and decided against it because of your age, give it some more thought. I wasn’t sure how I’d pull it off—but I’m almost there.

I am FASCINATED by this development. I’ve been saying for months that I think the sheer inundation of AI is going to start pushing people back towards analog/tactile things, and I wonder if this is an example of that.

If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features." There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.

Oh hey, tire me out with gym class and apparently salty Sal comes back out.

So how well did those Zoom workouts work for everyone else over COVID hmmm? Almost as good as the workout videos we had before that? All that scaling, wowweeeee *sarcasm font*