A wonderful opportunity for unagented authors of longform fiction #writingcompetitions #fictionwriters #unagented #hilarymantel

A perfect Autumnal walk - bright sunshine, soft Scottish rain; blackberry picking, a bowl of apples gifted from my neighbour. I forecast crumble and creamy custard by the log burner this evening #myrocknrolllife

Oh, the joy of snerdling! 🛌💗

Dream job alert! Mobile librarian in #Orkney! #jobswithbooks #bookymcbookface #libraryjobs

"All things come to an end, but a sausage has two – the pancake has none, but is nonetheless good" Pondering this today. A wonderful saying from Norway 😃 #InternationalProverbs

If you would like your pupils to come back to school to a letter from an author about the joys and benefits of reading for pleasure, just email or DM me.

An evening dog walk, savouring the scent of warm honeysuckle blossom in the rain

✍️ Got a story in you but can’t afford a #writing course? 📢 OpenLearn’s 'Start Writing Fiction' course is FREE Start telling your story today! www.open.edu/openlearn/hi... #writers #amwriting #freecourses #writerscommunity

**New indie bookshop alert!** #TheQuietCatBookShop A dear friend of mine is opening a new indie #bookshop in #Macclesfield in a couple of weeks. Give 'em a follow www.instagram.com/thequietcatbookshop/ and do drop in once they are open, if you are in the area! #newbookshop #supportindiebookshops

If you don’t occasionally spend a night eating Häagen-Dazs Belgian chocolate ice cream straight out of the container whilst watching a documentary on owls, then are you really living life to the fullest?

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but your desire to have a cottage in the Scottish Highlands, endless cups of tea, a riveting novel, a plate of freshly-baked scones, and a bookshelf with a rolling ladder doesn’t make you “too needy."

So thrilled to be on the shortlist for @iaminprint.bsky.social writing comp Middle Grade category. Huge congrats to all winners and fellow shortlistees! 🤩

Love this! 😍

Thrilled to find myself on the shortlist for the @iaminprint.bsky.social writing competition! Final winners announced on 14th July, which is my husband's birthday so feels like an auspicious day. Congratulations to all other shortlistees!

Lovely to pop into the sublime @wedale-bookshop.bsky.social this morning - the nearest #bookshop to my new home in the beautiful Scottish Borders. A nice wee haul of reading matter, a sticker for my #MazdaBongo campervan and a super chat with owner Gordon. A perfect morning! 😊

If you are at the start of the writing life, this could be hugely worth your while... www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Just a reminder that generative AI is theft of labor and intellectual property, uses vast amounts of energy/ water, provides at best mediocre results (if not outright lies or misinformation), actually affects your ability to think over time (mind duh), and is in general a really fucking bad idea.

I don't know who needs to hear this, but you don't have to justify how much ice cream you eat to anyone.

With a good book, a cup of tea, and a freshly-baked scone, all things are possible.

This is brilliant. Jojo Moyes on AI

#writers #writerscommunity #AmWriting

❤️❤️❤️ pll.harvard.edu/course/we-pe...

Stop Forcing A.I. Into Every Fucking Thing!

Askinge "why reade a novel when it kan be summarized for me?" ys lyke askinge "why looke at a mountayne when it kan be grounde ynto fyne dust?"

I cannot stress this strongly enough: Support your local theatre, café, bookstore, bakery, and library. We breathe life into these places when we support them. They need us, and more importantly, we need them.

Job going here at the loveliest place with the loveliest people. A residential library with a restaurant cafe and no tv in the gorgeous bedrooms. Perfect place to write! Or read. Please share:)

CBC writing courses are so good, and this one with @mariankeyes.bsky.social sounds fabulous

I don't trust anyone who doesn't dream of pulling a loose book from a bookshelf and finding that it opens a secret door.

Okay but hear me out: A book club that meets in the middle of the forest, and everyone brings a basket of freshly-baked scones.

“I get melancholy if I don't [write]. I need the company of people who don't exist.” ― William Trevor

Fabulous course. I did it in 2023 and found it so inspirational, motivating and supportive.

If the history of witchcraft is your thing, novelist Jill Dawson is doing a free online talk on June 4th, organised by @suffolklibraries.bsky.social. Her recent novel #TheBewitching tells the story of 16th C. Fenland witch trials. All details in the link: www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/events/event...

A wee work opp here for Scottish Writers: refugeesanctuaryscotland.org.uk/were-hiring/...

I still don't have a bookshelf with a rolling ladder, so no, I'm afraid your email did not "find me well".

According to my recent DNA results, I’m apparently 43% scone.

It's a blue-sky, get-your-washing-dry day here on the Isle of Mull 🌞

Ten years ago, I started a blog Today I dusted it off and wrote a new post for the first time in a very long while #lifeintheoldblogyet #notanaprilfool thecheerfulcanceree.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/t...

An interesting, honest and illuminating read, if somewhat dispiriting as an as-yet unpublished writer. Thank you for your candour, Kristie x

2nd-chance romance with a tattooed soul and a rock & roll heart. She’s a renegade British photographer, he’s a reclusive American tattooist. Their love affair is brief but soul-deep. 30 years later their paths cross again, unlocking memories as indelible as the ink they wear #scotwriterpitch2025

Writers! Keep them pitches coming! Publishers & Agents! Follow the hashtag #scotwriterpitch2025 for some very good book ideas!

Second-chance silver romance, with a tattooed soul and a rock & roll heart. She’s a renegade British photographer, he’s an American tattooist. Their love affair is brief but soul-deep. 30 years later their paths cross again, unlocking memories as indelible as the ink they wear #scotwriterpitch2025

Remember to enable ‘everyone’ in your chat settings so that agents or publishers can contact you. #scotwriterpitch2025

I've not quite built up a following on here so any shares are welcome. I'm hosting Marginalia, a showcase of Scottish culture next week at The Stand. Poetry, comedy, literature and politics - the perfect night out. Tickets are doing well but I'd love to get the word out to as many folk as possible!

Pony-riding, crime-solving #MG adventure! Grieving for her mum, Livvy finds solace with a special pony at the riding school. When a shocking crime hits the stables, can quiet Livvy & her wild new friend Jayshree find the culprits and save the one place Livvy belongs? #scotwriterpitch2025

Good luck to all fellow writers in Scotland pitching today! 🤩

Good luck to all writers pitching their work today in the Bluesky Writers’ Pitch 2025 - don’t forget to include the all important tag: #scotwriterpitch2025

Second-chance romance with a tattooed soul and a rock & roll heart. She’s a renegade British photographer, he’s a reclusive American tattooist. Their love affair is brief but soul-deep. 30 years later their paths cross again, unlocking memories as indelible as the ink they wear #scotwriterpitch2025

Happening tomorrow! 🦋📝

SoA members in Scotland wanting to pitch your books to agents 📢 On 28 March 9am-9pm take part in Scotland’s BlueSky Writers’ Pitch for a chance to pitch works of unpublished original trade & commercial work. AI content is ineligible. 👇 www.publishingscotland.org/event/bluesk... #scotwriterpitch2025

Perfecting Your Bluesky Writers’ Pitch 2025 with Literary agents Louise Lamont & Lina Langlee is now available on You Tube ahead of the Bluesky Writers’ Pitch taking place on Friday 28 March - full details: www.peterurpeth.com/bluesky-writ... youtu.be/k5fN0oddH0U?...