The evening was a grand success, and the rain held off. Quilts were raffled, cornhole was played, pork loin was eaten. And my brother Frank Barnitz raised a bit more $ to fuel this campaign for change. #Missouri #MODistrict8

Am I writing every day like I should? No. I'm getting ready for a huge fundraiser in MY FRONT YARD for brother Frank Barnitz who is running for the MO District 8 Congressional seat! Now, to make sure all is good for the quilt raffle, cornhole & the live music. #Missouri #MODistrict8

I'll be joining the @smashwords.bsky.social summer/winter sale in July with a big discount on my #epicfantasy The Stonebound Heir (SPFBO semi finalist!) and on my #horror novella A Haunting at Bent Creek. Follow along for updates and links for the sale.

I cannot stay on message like a good marketer. I intend to post primarily about writing and my books, but I do not have the bandwidth to create mulitple profiles on social media to cover all of the muchness that I am. #writingcommunity #indieauthor #Missouri #democracy #beekeeping #lavenderfarmer

Well, The Stonebound Heir was not chosen as a #SPFBO XI finalist, but I'm glad it got as far as it did. Maybe more readers will find it! Thanks to @esmeweatherwax8.bsky.social & @superstardrifter.bsky.social for giving it a read. And congratulations to Michael R. Fletcher for Dogged.

Here are the semi finalist #SPFBO picks from The Weatherwax Report @esmeweatherwax8.bsky.social @superstardrifter.bsky.social In my Time of Dying by Sherrie A Bakelar The Loss of the Star's Tranquility by Tobias Begley & Travis M. Riddle The Stonebound Heir by LA Barnitz 1/2

Friends, guess what! The Stonebound Heir was just named a semifinalist in #SPFBO XI!!! O' frabjous day! Thank you, @superstardrifter.bsky.social labarnitzbooks.com #BookSky💙📚 #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #bookworm

From book 2 in The Cursed Cycles series. #epicfantasy #bookworm #readingcommunity #amwriting

Most indie awards like SPFBO, SPSFC, and Indie Ink Awards also have no-AI policies that you can use to find new reads. #booksky

#Booksky #Writesky

The 1st phase of #SPFBO XI is halfway through, & The Stonebound Heir is still a contender!! For those who enjoy stories of friendship, betrayal & the consequences of bad parenting. Plus giants. #readingcommunity #indieauthor www.marklawrence.buzz/2026/01/spfb...

I am still not shopping at Target, I still have not forgotten the Epstein files, I still care about the planet and I still reject book banning!

I shall be in the garden puttering about with these beauties for the rest of the day, thank you. Writing will have to wait. #WritingCommunity

Which #SPFBO XI titles have you read so far? I'll start. Dogged by Michael R. Fletcher Tethered to Darkness by Matt Falcon Carrion Saints by Hiyodori Pilgrim by Mitchell Lüthi. I'm starting In My Time of Dying by Sherrie A. Bakelar. #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Indiebooks #BookSky💙📚

Funny how we believed that the internet & communications tech would help us create worldwide communities of readers, but in reality the tech alone is not enough to create real communities & we've signed away access to the virtual world to companies that own the infrastructure rather than demanding

Flash ebook sale of The Stonebound Heir for $1 TODAY only. For readers who enjoy epic stories of friendship, betrayal and the consequences of bad parenting. You can find it on sale at labarnitzbooks.com #indiebooks #bookworm #epicfantasy #SPFBO #indieauthor #BookSky💙📚

Aaaaghhh, #SPFBO XI is down to 198 indie fantasy novels in the competition and The Stonebound Heir is still in the running!!!! #WritingCommunity #readingcommunity #indieauthor #BookSky 💙📚

Soo true. And dem leaders write off almost every candidate who tries to run in rural areas covering thousands of square miles. They've got no strategy in more than half the country!

Despite the color of the grass, Biscuit the floof has declared that spring is here! #writingmuse #spring

Here you go. Whenever I feel brain dead or my eyes can't take a computer screen any longer, I write longhand. It usually gets me over writing humps. #writingcommunity #snippetshare #writingprompt

In 2018, I sold twenty copies of "A Sheriff in Nevada" and thought I was on the path to writing stardom. Oh well. In the eight years since, the book has sold over 1200 copies. Not Stephen King territory, but a reminder: We play the long game in the #writing business.

This review brought to you by my putting down Pokopia for 5 minutes (sorry not sorry >.>) #SPFBO #SPFBOXI

"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” My fantasy novel The Stonebound Heir was reviewed yesterday by Kristen McDowell. I'm still a #SPFBO XI contender!!!!! Check out her commentary here: superstardrifter.com

What an excellent word!

The Zon's down? What a shame. If you buy a book from a local bookstore or, better yet, from the author's online store, I promise you Bezos will not miss the lost revenue. #amazoncrash #readingcommunity #indieauthor #writingcommunity

My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.

Ok, if Esme says it's great I'm going to have to read this one.

Congratulations to Hiyodori for their novel Carrion Saints becoming one of Fantasy Book Critics' semi-finalists in SPFBO XI!! #BookSky💙📚 #WritingCommunity fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2026/02/spfb...

MO Congressional District 8: 18,000 plus sq miles. Poor. Poor health profiles. Few economic opps. My brother- Frank Barnitz @nobullbarnitz.bsky.social - really doesn't care which party you voted for in the past. He's running for those who dare to ask for a better future.

I shook Jesse's hand after a packed event at MU in 1984. He was a candidate in the Democratic primary & he lit the hall with his positive aspirations for what America could become. It's gone to hell, but he wouldn't give up on this country & we shouldn't either. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZV...

Sounds like an interesting story! #readingcommunity #bookworm

Here's a little taste of chapter 4 from The Stonebound Heir. #SPFBOXI #epicfantasy #readingcommunity

The problem is, the hype of AI is always so clearly manufactured. It’s sold as essential but mysteriously so — rarely is it portrayed as making life better; it’s sold as doing things WE want to keep doing. We want it to inventory our fridge and detect cancer, not make music and replace us at work.

Trying to figure out the best way to gift a free copy of one of my ebooks to folks who sign up for my newsletter. Any suggestions? Is pushing for newsletter sign-ups even worth it in your opinion? #writingcommunity

Just found an intriguing take on Pilgrim by Mitchell Lüthi among the reviews at Fantasy Book Critic. It's one of the #SPFBOXI competing novels this year. This existential & theological horror fantasy set in the 12th century sounds right up my alley! #BookSky💙📚 #ReadingCommunity shorturl.at/WSV2d

Good morning and happy Monday, friends.

Both literally and...uh...literally. #ICEOUT

I'd really like to follow all the other #SPFBO authors on BlueSky. I've found a couple of you, but hey, a follow for a follow and good luck to everyone. #WritingCommunity #BookSky💙📚 #epicfantasy

Angela Hoyt has put up a great spreadsheet to follow the #SPFBOXI reviews and track down where to get each fantasy novel. #BookSky 💙📚 #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Fantasy #Bookworm docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Though most of my posts are about my writing and other good writing, I am not blind to what is happening in this country. My brother has decided he's got to stand up and run for Congress to address this mess, and I couldn't be prouder of him. #WritingCommunity #fightforyourrights #Missouri

Hours after federal agents killed Alex Pretti, Bondi sent Walz a letter: turn over voter rolls, Medicaid data, and SNAP records or ICE stays. Senator Murphy: "They're openly using state violence as a bargaining chip to seize election infrastructure." This is extortion.

We are not okay.

I applaud the effort to establish transparent accountability for writers & other creatives who use AI in their work. Only 2 things missing- 1) a definition of what AI-assisted research means. 1/3 #BookSky💙📚 #writingcommunity janefriedman.com/writers-and-...

Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

The Stonebound Heir's beautiful cover created by @cristinabencina.bsky.social was in the running for the SPFBO XI Unofficial Cover Contest. We didn't win, but we are honored, & congrats to Camilla Andrew & Eeva Nikunan for the winning cover of When the Stars Alight. #BookSky💙📚 #writingcommunity

Jason Smith has never had a plan because he's never cared what happened to people in D8 as long as they kept voting for him. It's time that changed. draftfrankbarnitz.com #missouridems #missouriindependents

So why do I hate almost every "on trend" fantasy book cover? Most look as if they're designed for a) 14-year-old gamers willing to branch out beyond graphic novels; b) 40+ women into cottagecore; or c) military history buffs. #writingcommunity #bookcovers

Biscuit & I are creatures of habit: She jumps on my desk at regular times then steps into my lap as I type. She turns exactly twice before lying down for pets & the use of my right arm for her chin rest. 1/2

I've already found some intriguing stories among #SPFBO11 colleagues to check out, including Tethered to Darkness by Matt Falcon, Remnant by KR Solberg, & The Butterfly Koi by A Sherman Karlsson. @mattfalcon.bsky.social @ashermankarlsson.bsky.social #BookSky💙📚 #ReadingCommunity #WritingCommunity