Well this is just as it should be! We are tickled pink to see the uniquely brilliant Two Similar-Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias on the shortlist for Satire and Humour in the CIBAs! #humorousfiction #shortlistedbook #comedywriting @zenabarrie.bsky.social

I suspect it's the same kind of privilege misconception that makes men think a group containing 17% women is 50-50 and one containing 33% women is mostly women.

as a keen sceptic, I put in over 27 mins of research into erasure of white faces in ads - due to this scrutiny, I discovered that there are SOME black faces in adverts - not all, not most - in fact there were almost as many vampires - no further discussion necessary

We’re looking forward to this latest #authorinterview by @womenwritersnet.bsky.social with our very own @brethertonwords.bsky.social who will be discussing her writing journey and her award-winning novel The Fire In Their Eyes. Come and join in on Bluesky this Thursday at 6pm BST.

This is impressive - solidarity with those women who performed the citizens arrest www.citizensarrestnetwork.org/press/2025/1...

🎉🎉🎉 Huge congratulations to @brethertonwords.bsky.social for being recognised by the Chanticleer Global Thriller Awards and for winning the Medical Thriller category in the NYC Big Book Awards! Needless to say we are… thrilled! 🥳🍾 #NYCBigBookAward #GabbyBookAwards #AwardWinningPublisher #SmallPress

How A Publisher Almost Killed The Book I Waited My Whole Life To Write: a thread My novel Villager came out in 2022. It was published by Unbound, who had little marketing/sales power. But I was excited & proud, since I worked so f-ing hard on it. Here's an extract: www.tom-cox.com/the-village-...

To mark the first #bookbirthday of The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley, the e-book is now at the very special price of 99p (on both Amazon and our own website) for a limited time! Why not help us celebrate and load your #Kindle with what the FT described as “a thoroughly engaging mystery”!

This should be a lot of fun!

Book lovers in and around the Rugby area, do not miss the Rugby Literary Festival this weekend, but especially the spoken word evening hosted by Word Of Mouth this Friday. A range of fantastic performers will be on stage including our own @zenabarrie.bsky.social! #Books #LiteraryFestival

I went to Rochdale Comedy Festival on Tuesday to see @robinince.bsky.social and Dave Williams in the beautiful town hall. What an amazing place. They do tours and there is a very nice looking restaurant in there, deffo worth a ride on the tram.

Talking about my book in West Kirby tomorrow - tickets here www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/wir...

Fresh off the back of being recommended by @robinince.bsky.social, today’s #BookQW is taken from the short story anthology Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social, and is a prime example of her ability to combine the absurd and the existential to masterful effect.

My brilliant friend @josielong.bsky.social is on tour - she is in Milton Keynes on Wednesday - her show is so funny and she has created so much that has changed comedy world for the better - tickets here stables.org/event/josie-...

Congratulations to @robinince.bsky.social for his thoroughly deserved award. And thank you ever so much for once again recommending the hilarious Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social. We would love to see it in more independent bookshops.

Congrats to the marvellous Robin, richly deserved… and how generous to share the love! Couldn’t agree more about his rec for @zenabarrie.bsky.social ‘s hilarious Two Men With Similar Looking Umbilical Hernias! Yes, buy books, support authors, support bookshops!

Thank you so much to the Booksellers Association for awarding me Author of the Year for a second time - love you all - what remains of my career is about to go through a drastic change, so this means a lot - here is my acceptance speech @lucia-oc.bsky.social @zenabarrie.bsky.social

Morning gang, Fancy buying my book? Help me raise some money for a damp proof course. www.breakthroughbookcollective.com/product/two-... @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Do buy this book! Here's my review:

Morning gang, Fancy buying my book? Help me raise some money for a damp proof course. www.breakthroughbookcollective.com/product/two-... @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

The Observer takes on the collapse of Unbound - some truly shocking allegations, almost all of which I have seen compelling evidence of as a member of the Unbound author WhatsApp group and through my own experience of being published by them observer.co.uk/news/busines...

Ha ha! (There are several pages of this)

My review of "Two Similar Looking Men with Umbilical Hernias" by @zenabarrie.bsky.social "Has the same kind of addictive quality as a packet of biscuits" ★★★★★

I've just reviewed @brethertonwords.bsky.social's "The Fire in Their Eyes" (Breakthrough Books), a novel of gripping storytelling, literary substance, and lasting insight. Read about it here: valeriavescina.com/2025/07/03/s... #reading #NewBooks #womenwriters

Currently reading and very much enjoying Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social -surreal and funny, with great illustrations by Claire Robinson. @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

For a limited period on the Breakthrough web shop, you get a free Bone Lines e-book with any purchase of The Fire In Their Eyes and a free The Boy Who Stole Time e-book with any purchase of The Dream-Pedlars’ Parade. (*for this offer paperbacks can be sent only in the UK)

A cleverly plotted satire.' I'll take that. My comedy #ANovelSolution has this stonking new review. Get your mitts on this 'wickedly funny' and 'darkly compelling' novel at only £1.44 for the holiday season. #funnyfiction #Bookstagram artyntellybooks.weebly.com/a-novel-solu...

“More from Zena please.” Another wonderful review for @zenabarrie.bsky.social’s Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias from the lovely people at Bookmunch. Look below for all the places you can get your hands on this soon-to-be-cult book! bookmunch.wordpress.com/2025/06/29/m...

I'm one of the Unbound authors who hasn't recieved a penny for my book that came out in 2021 and never will. I did manage to buy up my stock before they went into administration so if anyone wants to buy a copy of my novel, my cupboards are full of them. Send me a message. X

Another lovely reader reaction uk.bookshop.org/p/books/norm...

Quite right, too…

Another lovely review, phew! bookmunch.wordpress.com/2025/06/29/m... @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Hugely thankful for this very kind review, for The Fire In Their Eyes, especially the blush worthy comparisons to Atwood and le Guin. #booksky

Today is #BookQuoteWednesday and the word of the day is CLIMB. Presenting Two Similar Looking Men With Umbilical Hernias by @zenabarrie.bsky.social. Illustration by Claire Robinson. #BookQW

So pleased with this lovely review. Book Review: Two similar looking men with umbilical hernias by Zena Barrie www.northernsoul.me.uk/zena-barrie-...

I had a hand in bringing this fantastically funny short book by the marvellous @zenabarrie.bsky.social to print for @breakthroughbook.bsky.social. Lovely review here. www.northernsoul.me.uk/zena-barrie-...

This new book from @mirandakeeling.com is a thing of absolute beauty. Very much looking forward to reading it.

Our children’s author Antonia Blackmore has been visiting schools with her beautiful book, Figgles & Flo. The children of one Devon primary school loved its likeable characters and wondered what adventures they might get up to next… #childrensbooks #kidsbooks #charity #CharityBook

This is a lovely indie bookshop in Linlithgow. Well worth visiting, especially with this great deal! #indiebookshop #linlithgow #bookseller #indiebookshopweek #bookshop

Happy #Indiebookshopweek The Lovely P&G Wells bookshop in Winchester have some copies of my new book Two similar looking men with umbilical hernias Huge thanks to them for stocking it!

Love Books 📚 Love Bookshops ❤️ It’s Independent Bookshop Week! Make sure you get out and show your support!! 🙌📖 #indiebookshopweek @booksaremybag.bsky.social @stanfordstravel.bsky.social @batterseabookshop.bsky.social

Just one fabulous reason to support Independent Bookshops. We LOVE working with schools, and offer school discounts, author visits, World Book Day books, book drives, free books and more. We'll offer advice on book curation and want to spread the joy! #kidlituk #IndieBookshopWeek

Hello! Its Saturday, we're open 10-4.30 and #IndieBookshopWeek starts today! Times are tough and every purchase means so very much to all the independent bookshops across the country. Please support your nearest #localbookshop and not billionaires' online monsters!

Independent Bookshop Week 14-21 June 2025 #IndieBookshopWeek @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social @orwellprize.bsky.social @booksaremybag.bsky.social booksaremybag.com/IndependentB...

Rare work-related post from me, but #IndieBookshopWeek starts today! Support your local independent bookshop by buying a book or going to an event and sharing it on social media. We have THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA at Chorleywood & Gerrards Cross Bookshops. (Thank goodness I’m not in that suit!) 💙📚

Indie solidarity. The symbiosis between indie bookshops and indie publishers makes it possible for us to do what we do. Manifesto printed for #indiebookshopweek

It’s #IndieBookshopWeek and if you shop at an indie, you get a lovely service and the author gets a better deal. Look at how @bertsbooks.bsky.social treats you 📚💙

Yes! It all kicks off tomorrow! Support local indie bookshops! Support fantastic indie presses! Support extraordinary authors like @jomcmillan.bsky.social ! #IndieBookshopWeek @booksaremybag.bsky.social @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social #booksbooksbooks #indiebookshop #BookSky

Five tickets left for Tiverton next Wednesday www.liznojanbooks.co.uk/events/norma...