It’s my sister’s birthday! Which means it is time, once again, to make a ridiculous cake. 🐸

Almost out of time! Vote by April 1 in the annual Locus Awards Poll & Survey to determine the winners of the 2026 awards (tickets available now)! You can vote at poll.voting.locusmag... or via the link in our bio!

Your Hugo Nominating ballot can make a difference. There are a total of 7718 people with the right to cast a nominating ballot in the 2026 Hugo Awards. As of this morning, 1293 of those people have cast a nominating ballot in at least one category. www.lacon.org/hugos/

Really enjoyed "Kill the Beast" by Serra Swift. I love stories with an ass-kicking woman and her dandy companion and this very much delivered.

47.39 out of 50 this was so fun dialed.gg?c=SFFD25

Internet games...I know, I know. But I flatter myself that I have an excellent color sense (in part because of gardening) so I couldn't resist. Happy to know I'm not (too) self-delusional...I scored 44.45 (out of 50).

The next ZNB #Kickstarter for an #urbanfantasy anth called WERE-2 is edging closer! Focused on were-creatures OTHER than #werewolves, the #Kickstarter will go live on February 27th at Noon Eastern. Click the link below and hit that "Notify me on launch" button! www.kickstarter.com/projects/znb...

A photo from today's walk: Cooper's Hawk. #birds #BirdSky #photography #hawk #BirdPhotography #birding #PNW #nature #wildlife

Act now! The highly-profitable science fiction magazine sector makes a great investment opportunity. For only $3.99/month you can get 1 subscription which yields 1 epub issue/month. That's 12/year! So many words! So much value! clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/

If you haven't read these, do yourself a favor and get "The Cloud Roads" forthwith! I might just go read it again right now! (Moon is one of my favorite characters of all time.)

Thread of some of my favorite things I read in 2025 (in no particular order because I'm very bad at ranking things)

My copies of Skull x Bones arrived today! My story "The Pirate and the Frog" appears in the anthology alongside a lot of other great works all edited and put together by the great @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social and @davidbcoe.bsky.social Check it out!

So happy to announce that the Skull X Bones anthology is officially out today! My story "The Pirate and the Frog" is in it along with a lot of other great works you'll love. You can pick it up at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or direct from the web shop zombies-need-brains-llc.square.site/product/skul...

Coming December 15th! A new #sff anth about #pirates! SKULL X BONES from ZNB by ed @davidbcoe.bsky.social & @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social! Preorder the #ebook now! Kindle: amzn.to/48rReUR B&N: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skull-x-bo... Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/... #booksky #fantasy #urbanfantasy

Only one week left!

Out sister magazine—Goblins and Galaxies—just came out with issue #1! Get your sword and sorcery on here: https://bit.ly/49IRpfy

This is the movie that introduced me to Bruce Campbell and for that alone I'll always treasure it. And it was via Bruce Campbell that I discovered the Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. which is really an insane, trippy, campy gem of a tv series

Happy Halloween!

So excited to announce I'm part of the Skull x Bones Anthology coming out soon! @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social and @davidbcoe.bsky.social have really put together a great collection of stories and I'm honored to be a part of it. You can preorder on Kickstarter here: tinyurl.com/ZNBSkullXBones

Finished checking the page proofs of my pirate story in the upcoming SKULL X BONES anthology. Thanks again to editors @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social and @davidbcoe.bsky.social for inviting me to revisit Eddie LaCrosse and one of my favorite of his sidekicks, Jane Argo. Watch for the release soon!

The cover for Goblins and Galaxies #1 is here! This issue features cover art by the wonderfully talented Jimmy Spence, as well as stories by @christinaladd.bsky.social , Alex Wolfgang, Olaitan Akano, Grace Quon, and more!

"The classic decision is always the same, whether to retreat or go on. There comes a time when it is easier to continue upward, when the summit, in fact, is the only way out. At such a moment one must still have strength." —James Salter, SOLO FACES (and a metaphor for novel writing?)

25% THERE!! 🍾🎉 That means we're only 5% away from opening to NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS for the first time EVER! Thank you all so much for your support 💜👽 🌙🐄 Come fly to the moon with us! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...

I did a playlist for Queen Demon, which will be out Tuesday October 7 in hardcover, ebook and audiobook (narrated by Eric Mok). Published by Tor Books, edited by Lee Harris, cover art by Cynthia Sheppard, design by Christine Foltzer and Greg Collins. marthawells.dreamwidth.org/670115.html

For BCS, very much this. We're seeing a lot more gen AI and especially part AI/part human 'hybrid' subs this summer, we've gotten better at spotting them, and we're noting who has sent them.

Today's #writing challenge will be keeping things I'm currently watching from seeping into my #WIP. (Usually I let stories absorb whatever they want to absorb, but some things are too close to what I'm working on, and I've inadvertently stumbled into one of those).

Writer Beware expose coming tomorrow (spoiler alert: these scams are coming from Nigeria)

Finished @emmypax.bsky.social Death on the Caldera the other night and absolutely loved it. The worldbuilding was so rich and the pacing had me speeding through it. Would definitely enjoy seeing more of the Linde (& extended) family in the future.

NEW MURDERBOT NOVEL BY @marthawells.com NEXT YEAR and look at that gorgeous cover!! www.usatoday.com/story/entert...

Small Wonders will be open to original flash fiction submissions this Friday, September 12th. We'll be open through October 31st! We'll also be closing to reprint flash fiction on Friday, September 12th. Send us your weird, wild, wonderful little stories with big emotions!

“Justice ain’t death,” Win said, bravely standing down Loop, “nor is paying pain for pain. It’s paying kindness for pain. Doing good.”

ICYMI, my newest short story came out earlier this week with Beneath Ceaseless Skies! "Bloody Muddy Water" is a fantasy detective story where spellbreaker Rugg and his alligator mount, Tugboat, must solve the mystery of the Headsick plague spreading through the swampy canals of Blackvill.

Sometimes you read a description so tailored toward toward your interests you can hardly believe it AND THEN the story ends up not only delivering but being even better than you hope. This is one of those stories. Absolutely loved the characters and worldbuilding immensely.

of submissions during the open call than anticipated, it is taking a while to give each story a careful read. (And WOW, they are all so good!) The first round of rejections went out earlier in August. We hope to get all responses out sometime in September.

A few updates! 🖊️ Weird West Quick Draw Flash Fiction Contest The Weird West Quick Draw contest winners will be announced Sept 1 on @reachyourapex.bsky.social and my social channels. Thanks everyone who submitted! 🏜️Women of the Weird West Due to a much larger number

Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!

In another space I felt compelled to share the editorial for our upcoming issue six of @newedgeswordmag.bsky.social, so I may as well share it here for y'all.

loved this

"Age verification" laws are actually "upload your ID or get your face scanned to access every website, ending anonymity and associating your identity with everything you do online" laws and if more people understood that they would not be down for this authoritarian nonsense

Goblins & Galaxies aims to capture that feeling people must have had when they picked up an issue of Weird Tales almost a hundred years ago. Or maybe when you picked up your first fantasy novel as a kid. Modern adult life got you down? Maybe you need some fantastical tales: https://bit.ly/44Waubl

Slushpile thoughts: a lot of newer writers would benefit from being more intentional in their metaphors. A metaphor is not just a vibe. It needs to make semantic sense in order to function — the purpose is to offer some kind of clarity, not to obfuscate.

Yoda Stitch: here is the whole Yoda with all of his crosses stitched! Now on to back stitching!

oh wow this is so cool!

I'm delighted and honored to be up for a Dragon Award in the category of Best Alternative History Novel. To see all the nominees and vote for your favorite in all the categories, click here: awards.dragoncon.org/2025-ballot/ Voting requires free registration. Winners will be announced at Dragon Con.

PLEASE REPOST! WRITERS! Uncanny Magazine will be open to Short Story Submissions from August 25 to September 8! Uncanny Magazine will be open to Poetry Submissions from August 9 to August 26. WE WANT TO SEE YOUR SHINY WORDS! buff.ly/9AyStcb

In my experience there are three kinds of fantasy magic novels:

⚔️ ✍️ SHORT STORY SUBMISSIONS FOR NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY's 2026 ISSUES ARE NOW OPEN ✍️⚔️ Details here: newedgeswordandsorcery.com/submissions

Got very good news about selling one of my favorite things I've written today. Can't wait to say more later!