"In the end, we all wear our brutality like beautiful cloth in the name of love." I'm falling into DARK SISTERS by Kristi DeMeester this morning. Reading by a lighted tree, a symbol of both pagans and Christians, feels especially apt as the MC readies to meet her witch hunting neighbors.

Merry Crow-mas!

13 intentions for 13 magical nights. The mug and candle might look spooky, but they are both close to my heart for different reasons. Happy Winter Solstice. ♥️

There's a new holiday to celebrate this year! ❄️🌌 We're kicking off our countdown to @ivygrimes.bsky.social's folk horror novella THE CELLAR BELOW THE CELLAR with a collection of printable DIY papercrafts! Get into the cozy, screen-free Cellar Solstice spirit and check out the first craft below! 🧵

2/ Our readers deserve clear labeling on AI content, and we deserve job security. Sign our petition for a fair contract and we’ll keep you updated on our campaign: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫

LIVING THE SCREAM 2025 raised over $1000 for the ACLU! It was an incredible night of kickass horror, ridiculous costumes and puns, and a call to fight for one another. 🩸📚 These folks are sending me into 2026 with renewed purpose:

Last night was pure magic. Thanks to everyone who participated, tuned in, shared, donated, or wished us well. We are strong together 💙💙💙

Now we're listening to the fantastic @pauladashe.bsky.social reading FAFO (and it goes HARD) www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious

LIVING THE SCREAM has been an angry cry, a call for hope, a deliciously gruesome chuckle, and we aren't done! Hosted by @pippinacious.bsky.social @laurelhightower.bsky.social @briankeene.bsky.social. Where: www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious ACLU Donation link Tiltify: tilt.fyi/Y2j2GlnGat

Love listening to @rjacksonjoseph.bsky.social reading PHOENIX RISING on LIVING THE SCREAM www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious

Heck yes, getting a reading from VULPINE CURSE by @katsilvaauthor.bsky.social here on LIVING THE SCREAM

I'll be reading about baby heads and bodily autonomy on LIVING the SCREAM! Horror authors supporting the ACLU, who fight real life horrors. Where: www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious ACLU Donation link Tiltify: tilt.fyi/Y2j2GlnGatlink

Hell yeah! LIVING THE SCREAM zoomed through its donation goal! Help us reach our Mothman caroling stretch goal and support the ACLU! Where: www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious ACLU Donation link Tiltify: tilt.fyi/Y2j2GlnGat

Reading Brian Keene's man writing woman in an anime. Schoolgirl. Voice. God help you all.

LIVING THE SCREAM - First stretch goal incentive just dropped! We're nearly to $500, when @pippinacious.bsky.social will be doing a reading of men-writing-women by @briankeene.bsky.social! Mothman caroling coming up for even higher donations!

LIVING THE SCREAM is happening! Come hang with us! #horrorsky 📚🩸

LESS THAN TWELVE HOURS AAAAA 13 authors. Maybe Mothman? Possibly Cthulu??? Who knows what the night will bring! (Me, I've read all the stories, and lemme give you a lil spoiler...you don't wanna miss them!) LIVING THE SCREAM, a charity livestream to benefit the ACLU. www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious

TONIGHT! 7 pm ET!

Tomorrow. 7 PM EST. Horror meets hope by way of 13 authors reading their stories to raise money for the ACLU. LIVING THE SCREAM #horrorsky #booksky Where: www.youtube.com/@Pippinacious Please consider donating through Tiltify here: tilt.fyi/Y2j2GlnGat

A worthy cause! I joined the ACLU the day after Ronald Reagan was elected president, and have kept up my membership ever since. The organization's even more important during the Trump era.

Don’t miss it! And whether or not you can attend, please consider donating - proceeds go to the ACLU.

Reminder! LIVING THE SCREAM has merch created by the wonderful @winterholmesart.bsky.social! All proceeds of which will be donated to the ACLU 💚

LIVING the SCREAM 2025 is happening this Saturday! Live #horror readings to raise money for the @aclu.org. And last year, Mothman and Cthulhu both made appearances! 📚🩸

Merry Krampusnacht from the lab desk!

Grus vom Krampus! Words and coffee this morning, while Krampus and Percey discussed who gets more of the holiday woobie blankets. May your Krampusnacht be merry and satisfying.

I hope today brought you stillness with your favorite people.

Love bookstores and want to deplatform corporate monoliths? Both @bookshop.org and @libro.fm support indie bookstores, and they'll get your books, ebooks, and audiobooks to you just as fast.

Incredible list of indie publishers and booksellers from @tenebrouspress.bsky.social! Love weird fic that takes risks? Love cutting edge spec fic and horror? Buying direct is the best way to get money in the pockets of authors and pubs.

(but mostly us🖤☠️) store.tenebrouspress.com

@shortwavebooks.bsky.social for books across the speculative genres; @chmmagazine.bsky.social for the best Weird Horror/Sword & Sorcery magazines; @malarkeybooks.bsky.social who force us all to be smarter & more literary; I'll never remember everyone. THE FUCKING POINT IS, SUPPORT INDIE PUBLISHING.

I'm getting tired, and I'm sure I'm missing a fuck-ton of good folks. @cursedmorsels.bsky.social is the place to go to get books that are made with care, curated spectacularly and fiercely anti-capitalist. I think they ship directly too, but I'm not sure? cursedmorsels.com/releases/

I can't NOT dig @apocalypseparty.bsky.social, I mean, they publish tons of our favorite people, they have great taste, and they singlehandedly invented using black metal iconography on things that aren't black metal albums: www.apocalypse-party.com/books.html

Fuck it how about Tenebrous Press! We're Weird! We rule! We're FIVE FUCKING YEARS DEEP and we're not stopping. Our 2026 Book Club launches next week, we've got a killer back catalogue, and you should buy everything in our store: store.tenebrouspress.com

Ira at @filthyloot.bsky.social puts out some of the nicest looking books we've seen and follows no muse but his own Weird one: filthyloot.com

Speaking of comics, I'm a big fan of what @unciv.bsky.social has put out this year; check them out: uncivilizedbooks.com

@littleghostsbooks.bsky.social is hands down one of our favorite bookstores, but they're also in the publishing game! Taking risks on unproven names, hell yeah: www.littleghostsbooks.com/shop/our-pub...

Same goes with Christoph & Leza @clashbooks.bsky.social who have left a big mark but still are in the business of taking risks. Respect, & nice boots🖤☠️ publisher.indiepubs.com/clash-books

The folk at @deadskypub.bsky.social cast a pretty wide net, but they're giving a lot of newbs a shot too, and they're taking a HELLUVA LOT OF SHOTS on indie comics people lately too, which gets my respect: deadskypublishing.com/shop/

Now's a great time to say: I WON'T/CAN'T REMEMBER EVERY PRESS. IF I MISS SOMEONE IT'S NOT A KNOCK ON THEM. I'm chaos-gremlin-ing a bit myself rn. Even if we don't personally sync with every indie's vibes, if they're in the business of opening doors for new writers, then they've got our love.

Probably the modern era's high water mark for where Weird fiction and Literary meet; we love Michael & his crew at @undertow.bsky.social undertowpublications.com/shop

The VoidCon/Castaigne crew are unrepentant chaos gremlins but they sure don't give a fuck for chasing trends or appeasing the mainstream. Support em & their releases: castaignepublishing.bigcartel.com

Max & Lori @ghoulish.bsky.social have been doing it a while & they remain a model for not giving a fuck who's toes they step on as long as they remain true to their skewed, goopy vision. They also have a killer brick & mortar in San Antonio: ghoulish.rip/shop/

@neonhemlock.bsky.social has been blazing Queer speculative for awhile now, & remain top notch integrity in the scene: www.neonhemlock.com/books

Sam @weirdpunkbooks.bsky.social who sets the standard in keeping things Weird & Punk, Queer AF & highly anarchic: weirdpunkbooks.square.site

(obvs we favor the speculative, Weirder markets, but if you've got favorite indie pubs PLEASE SUPPORT THEM, THEY WON'T SAY NO!) First up our bud Antonia at @ghostorchidpress.com for your needs that might skew a little more Gothic & dark fantasy/horror ghostorchidpress.square.site

2 ongoing convos are dovetailing rn: 1. a holiday shopping $ blackout aimed at big business; 2. worry over small presses closing or paring down. Let's talk direct action: YOU CAN DO BOTH😀 IT'S VITAL TO SUPPORT indie pubs that encourage risk & diversity. Here's a 🧵 of em you can support directly:

I'm editing an anthology about unlikable characters and seeking work from younger writers, 15-21. If you know of one such writer who might want to submit their work for consideration, please share this call for submissions: audacity.substack.com/p/acquired-t...

If you miss the vibrant, insightful, occasionally deranged writing community of Twitter, this bracket and @literaryhub.bsky.social articles are a hilarious balm.

IT IS HERE Spooky middle grade The Nowhere Series book 2 BEWARE THE BLACK 📚🩸