Well friends, I did it! Last night I handed in my first complete draft of Book 3 of The Invoker Trilogy. I honestly don’t know how I managed it. This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and there were so many times it felt like an insurmountable task. And now to sleep…

New Review - A Dance of Burning Blades, by @mhayinde.bsky.social (pub by @orbitbooks.bsky.social) is the excellent second part of the Invoker trilogy, a remarkable and epic science fantasy story. Full thoughts: jamreads.com/reviews/a-da... 💙📚

Final few hours to vote in the British Fantasy Awards! @britfantasysoc.bsky.social Go here to vote: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

When you kill a character off, but forget they pop up again ten chapters later…

Me trying to get to the Book 3 finish line this weekend…

If you are looking for inspiration there is a crowd sourced list here:

Look at these names!!! So much good work published in 2025!

Voting 4 @britfantasysoc.bsky.social Awds ends Sun mny amazing auths inc @annabelcwrites.bsky.social @mhayinde.bsky.social @mkhardywrites.com @shonak.bsky.social @davidgreenwriter.bsky.social @heatherpalmer.bsky.social @clhellisen.bsky.social @bethkesh.bsky.social @elizachanwrites.bsky.social + more

(In anticipation of queries, book is the latest (2/3) in @mhayinde.bsky.social’s Invoker Trilogy. Strongly recommended for originality and escapism. And sarcastic monks. )

Last day for those subs! Polish them up and get them in--don't self reject!

Today! Today is Release Day for my new book, the sapphic time travel fantasy coming of age novella, The Mystery of the Bitten Peach! Get it wherever books are sold... or right from Neon Hemlock: www.neonhemlock.com/...

Six days until I send this draft off and I’m at the stage of exhaustion where I keep falling asleep at my desk and dreaming the end of sentences. 50% still to edit. Tank completely empty. Engine running on caffeine and stubbornness.

I kept thinking about Sabastian Sawe’s marathon stats as I plodded home after 2.5km this morning because I forgot my headphones and couldn’t possibly keep going without them…

Successfully cut 10k words from this beast in the last week. Where’s my cookie?!

Closing out National Poetry Month strong! Check out our latest prompt here, and peek in at our accounts on IG and Threads for some great responses from the community 🔥🔥🔥

A beautiful collection of some of our AMAZING authors over the years! Scoop up your preorder today ♥️

Let's goooooo!!! Cannot WAIT for y'all to dig into these stories with us 🔥🔥🔥

Starting the week with the best kind of mail - book mail! Galleys are in for Forged in FIYAH edited by @davaun.bsky.social!🤩 A celebration of Black speculative fiction unlike anything seen before, featuring the masterful prose of some of today's most accomplished writers.

The cuteness!! 🥹

When your current read is both excellent AND delicious 🐈 @mhayinde.bsky.social #booksky

A day of world records! Absolutely amazing! 🔥

WORLD F*{<ING RECORD!!! 1:59:30! Absolutely amazing. What a moment! 🥹 I have never screamed “COME ON!!!” at a TV before in my life, but I was screaming with my whole being just now! What a privilege to witness.

Manny Jacinto deserves to be a hot bad guy again.

I will DIE on this hill.

The fucking racist nerds got this cancelled. Manny Jacinto deserved more time on my 65in screen

A hill I will die on is that the Acolyte was the best Star Wars project in recent memory, save for Andor. I watched it again recently and got pissed all over again it was canceled.

It was the most amazing piece of Star Wars I saw bar the originals I'm glad it somewhat concluded because yeah I'd like one more season too

Also I’m sorry but I will never recover from this shot 🥵

THE ACOLYTE was GOOD and I still desperately wish we could get a concluding season.

Yes, yes we are. I’m on my second re-watch and I’m not even a huge Star War guy

Best Novel A Drop of Corruption by @robertjbennett.bsky.social (Del Rey; Hodderscape) Death of the Author by @nnedi.bsky.social (William Morrow; Gollancz) 1/

The Photonic Effect is out today in print, ebook, and audiobook! Tonight, join me and @annaleen.bsky.social at @booksinc.bsky.social to celebrate! Free RSVP and preorder signed books here: www.eventbrite.com/e/mike-chen-... And check out this big thread of behind-the-scenes nuggets below!

Huge congratulations to all the Hugo finalists!

I'm doing an AMA on Reddit r/fantasy today if you want to Ask Me Anything www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/co...

THE PHOTONIC EFFECT releases tomorrow! To tempt you into preordering, let's deep dive into the initial pitch of "Voyager x DS9 x Mass Effect" and how its influences all shake out on the characters and world. THREAD (And the all-important preorder links!) www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ph...

Closing in on TEN DAYS LEFT for this submission period! Polish em up and send them in! Visit our submissions page for details 🖤

I wish Scrivener had a counter for words removed. Also I deserve a cookie and a hug for every sentence I delete.

One chapter to go!!!! One more chapter, and then I have a complete draft of Book 3!!! I still need to read the entire thing through and tidy it for continuity etc. And I have 5 chapters I want to rewrite from scratch. AND and I somehow need to lose about 20% of the word count. But yay!!!

Counterpoint: I use em dashes with abandon and will not let "AI" steal them from me. I was overusing them first and will continue to do so long after "AI" is a crater in our financial system, or our merciless overlords, or both

Why does my optimum time for creativity have to be 11.43pm ffs…

My beloved novelette Phantom View is a Locus finalist! Wonderful news, especially since it's sharing a ballot with @acwise.bsky.social @sentencebender.bsky.social @premeemohamed.com @marthawells.com @nassos.bsky.social @kateelliottsff.bsky.social @hildur.bsky.social & @aimeeogdenwrites.com! Yay all!

(Once I get to 10k followers, I want to do a recommendationopalooza!)

Our not-so-little story, We Begin Where Infinity Ends, is a Locus Award Novelette Finalist. Grateful to everyone who read, loved, and recommended this story. May all your infinites be boundless✨🪲💕

I checked four times. That is indeed my name on the list. Congratulations to my fellow finalists!

Happy Launch Day to me! First Mage On The Moon is out today.

A SONG OF LEGENDS LOST is a Locus Awards finalist in the category of First Novel! I can’t believe I get to write these words! Thank you so much to everyone who voted, and congratulations to all my fellow finalists across the categories. This is such a dream!

Congrats @older.bsky.social @matociquala.bsky.social @nnedi.bsky.social @aptshadow.bsky.social @charliejane.bsky.social @alixeharrow.bsky.social @tkingfisher.com @emilytesh.net @marthawells.com @silviamg.bsky.social @cheriepriest.com @mhayinde.bsky.social and all the Locus finalists!

48 HOURS till the end of our fundraiser at locusmag.com/igg26 and we're only halfway to our funding goals.... Please take a moment to support what we do if you have the means! Thank you so much! Fundraiser closes Tuesday 4/14!