Chester is ivy-clad as usual, despite the heat. It doesn’t believe in shedding its layers even during heatwaves.

It is honestly so much nicer that it’s a bit chilly and cloudy outside now. I’ll take that over a heatwave any day! (And just look at all those deep summer greens.)

For a fiction author there can be no glory so great, no award so gleaming, no praise that so warms the heart, as unsolicited fan art

Throwback to this morning when it was cool enough to go for a short walk in the dappled shade of trees. Now it’s so humid and hot that I want to sit in an ice bath until this heatwave passes!

@emmasternerradley.bsky.social (author of 'Snowblooded' says 'The Knight Watch is a fun page-turner of a quest through history, myths, love, and the human psyche.'

Guess what! This week’s @iheartsapphfic.bsky.social reading challenge is Alabama and Sweden and I have a book in one of the categories (you’ll NEVER guess which one 😄) iheartsapphfic.com/2026/06/15/2... #sapphic #lesfic

Sadly I think there are no more showings of this, but if something similar with @kitgreen.bsky.social comes up at @storyhouselive.bsky.social please don’t miss it! I saw this fascinating rendition of Mrs Dalloway last week (with the LGBTQ book club) and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!

Just a reminder about the giveaway I’m running until the 9th (go find the the post on my profile)! Don’t miss your chance to get some free book merch!

Look what I’ve got! The wonderful Natalie at @solarisbooks.bsky.social sent me another batch of Snowblooded pins! So to keep the celebrations of Snowblooded being out in North America going, I’m giving away twelve of these pins! ⚔️💙❄️ Here’s what to do:

"This time it was Halcyon who squeezed [Petrichor's] hands, and it felt like an embrace." Fanart of Snowblooded by @emmasternerradley.bsky.social! (Small note... the clothing shades represent whose they are. :))

Oh and @aknighton.bsky.social , the place I talked about was @paperandword.bsky.social ! Don’t miss it!

It was a brilliant panel in Leeds last night! How often do you get to chat to @sunyidean.com , @franceswrites.bsky.social and @rjbarker.bsky.social @aknighton.bsky.social , @sarahbrooks.bsky.social and @katiebruce.bsky.social @bookdragonauthor.bsky.social and @dakegra.bsky.social

Since I told you all that we got little Ada, it’s only right that I also tell you (with a heavy heart) that we had to return her to the breeder today. At first everything went really well and she fit into life here beautifully. However, as she got more confident she started getting more interested

Chester’s vibe tonight is spring-green after the storm!

In all the whirlwind of puppy-parenting, I can’t forget to ask you North American readers if you’ve considered picking up a copy of Snowblooded? It’s a queer, Swedish, 18th century fantasy adventure with a dark society, spice, romance, plot twists, banter, assassins, duels, and masquerades!

When radio became popular, people worried children would sit around listening to it instead of playing outside. The same happened with TV, the internet and smartphones. But none of those stop children playing outside. Only cars do that.

So things have gotten very busy here. Don’t know why. Hm. Maybe it’s the new family member? This is our little Ada (yes, after Ada Lovelace) and she is rarely still long enough for pics unless she’s cuddling in a lap!

Tonight’s Chester vibe is monochrome.

It's #LesbianVisabilityWeek, so here's a selection of Solaris reads featuring Lesbian characters whilst you're keeping an eye out for them! Ft. @lavanya.bsky.social @emmasternerradley.bsky.social @mkhardywrites.com @artofelaineho.bsky.social @emmanewman.bsky.social @natania.bsky.social#LesbianVisabilityWeek& more!

My newsletter is back up and running now that I have a new provider! Yay! If you’re interested in signing up to support a queer creator and getting news and such before everyone else - you can sign up at my website: emmasternerradley.com

Announcing our next project: Moments of Euphoria, an art book focused on trans joy and love! 🩷🤍🩵 More information will be announced next week, and artist applications will open on April 26th!

Sapphic book fans! You might want to check out @jaeauthor.bsky.social ’s book bingo this week. You know… for no special reason… jae-fiction.com/sapphic-book...

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ Happy book birthday to the North American edition of @emmasternerradley.bsky.social’s SNOWBLOODED! Now available wherever you like to buy your books ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Yes, this is an apology video. (And a celebration!)

You can't trust Meta, but this puritanical bullshit is popping up everywhere.

It’s my book birthday! 🎉 A DANCE OF BURNING BLADES, Book 2 of The Invoker Trilogy, is out in the UK today! Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey! Get ready for battles, ancestor magic, and big revelations! See below for links to the Goldsboro and Illumicrate exclusion editions!

Oh gosh! This is amazing. It’s always wonderful for an author (and her agent @knifewitch.bsky.social ) to see book art, but to also get such lovely art right before the book comes out in North America? That’s the greatest gift! Thank you @vega-ly-art.bsky.social

It's actually really fucked up watching so many people clamor to watch a new television series created by a woman who has proudly bragged she'll use the money she makes to try and kill my entire community.

“Down” isn’t quite the right word but either way… Tech issues! So please watch this space for the upcoming giveaway instead! #queerbooks

This Saturday I escaped into the haze of beer at the Chester Craft Beer Expo! I highly recommend it for anyone going next year and I’m relieved that my friend wrote down what we drank since I cannot for the life of me remember. Thanks @storyhouselive.bsky.social @thatbeerplace.co.uk for arranging!

Here’s the news I’ve been hinting about: After a long journey with many heartbreaks, Snowblooded is finally available for pre-order in North America! Now North American readers, please go get your dose of assassins, queer romance, duels, and masquerades! ❄️⚔️💙 #queerbooks #queerauthors #wlw #mlm

This is the kind of atmospheric windows and weather you expect when you’re writing in the Peak District with cool fantasy authors like @franceswrites.bsky.social , @elizachanwrites.bsky.social and @gen-dimova.bsky.social !

Come join me and get all the early updates (and some news very soon!) Just scroll down the first page of my website (emmasternerradley.com) and pop your email address in. I don’t spam and I don’t tell bad jokes… very often.

This is going to sound saccharine, but in dark times sprouting seeds like these feel like hope to me. Life carries on no matter how cold or tough the times are! So, I’m a little happier every time I see these little loves growing and thriving.

This week is queer here in Chester! I can’t wait to go with my book club to the quiz tomorrow. If you have time to swing by Chester, don’t miss this little celebration of all things LGBTQIA+ at @storyhouselive.bsky.social !

With #ValentinesDay fast approaching Tis the season for love! ❤️ From regency romance to Scifi Shenanigans, demonically attractive bosses, to creepily alluring housekeepers, there's a #RomaticRead for everyone to fall in love with at Solaris! Hop downthread to see whose included in our selection!

The work day is done and I have some reading time before I have to make dinner. But on a cloudy, wet, cold, day like this one - I just want to go back to bed. So: reading in bed it is! I hope you had/are having a great Wednesday!

Good books deserve sunshine, you know? I’m reading The Unbroken by @clclark.bsky.social What are you all reading at the moment? #readingforpleasure #queerbooks #books

I’m still not over how foggy it was in Chester a few days ago. Calling it atmospheric doesn’t quite cover it!

Book shop shoutout! I and @elizachanwrites.bsky.social went to @paperandword.bsky.social today to sign some of our books (and of course to buy some books too). It is such a lovely shop with wonderful staff AND it’s totally dedicated to fantasy! Don’t sleep on this gem, folks.

There’s time for the post lunch coffee and a little reading before the lunch hour is over, right? Have a lovely Thursday!

I’ve been fighting a fever during the last few days but today I was fever-free and we celebrated that with a walk in the woods! Those who know me have heard me babble on about how much I love evergreens, and so know how happy I was to see one of them as soon as we started walking. Happy new year!

Today I’m not reading on a train but at the airport. Off to Sweden I go! I hope you all have a lovely holiday season!

Everyone I know has been saying he sets off their warning bells for years and…. here is the confirmation.

When in York, I had to pop into The Portal Bookshop and sign some copies of Snowblooded! Queer bookshops are so important and so dear to me, so it was an absolute privilege. Oh and Snowblooded was even in the display window!

Yesterday I had an “office party” with some of the best colleagues and friends imaginable. Thanks @elizachanwrites.bsky.social , @franceswrites.bsky.social , and @sarahbrooks.bsky.social for touring York with me. (Mainly through drinking mulled wine and having a publishing chat in a pub!)

"I can't afford to support my favorite author right now, I—" Reviews. Reviews are free AND they are a gift to authors that can keep on giving (i.e., exposure, marketing, algo boosts, etc.) Please, give the gift of reviews to your authors this holiday season. It really can make a difference!

This Thursday was the Saturnalia celebration here in Chester as the Winter Watch parade marched though the city to be met by the romans ready to battle the forces of the dark! This is such a magical and wonderful tradition that is very dear to my heart! #saturnalia

Today’s Chester mood is, well, this is the entrance to the Christmas market. So I guess the mood is physically chilly but emotionally warm and welcoming!

Female workers at the Rose Bridge Colliery, Wigan, UK, 1860s