📚 I was happy to get an email this morning saying my short story, Lucky, was shortlisted in the History Through Fiction contest 🎉 Along with 9 other shortlisted stories, it'll be published in an anthology in March 2026. #historicalfiction #histfic #fiction #writer #shortstory

📚 Want to write a novel, but can't finish the first draft? I'm creating an online community especially for you! If you fit the description, it would be great if you'd complete the survey to help me find out what people want/need. Please share! Thanks 🩷 #writer #writers #author #authors #write

📚 Want to write a novel, but finding it hard to finish the 1st draft? I'm creating an online community for people just like you! If you fit the description, it would be great if you'd complete the survey to help me find out what people want/need. Thanks! #writer #writers #author #authors

📚 I'm in the process of creating an online community to provide peer support and accountability for people writing the first draft of their first novel. Still lots more research to do, but I'm excited! #writers #writing #novels #histfic #historicalfiction #fiction

📚 After many, MANY rejections (and silence), I have two stories longlisted in the History Through Fiction contest 🎉🎉 Rejections are part and parcel of the writerly life. Perseverance is essential! #histfic #historicalfiction

📚 When Squid was a kitten, he liked to leap onto our jade plant, climb on the branches & knock leaves off. I put two 8lb weights in the pot, so he doesn't knock the whole thing over. Now, he still enjoys hanging out in the jade, but it looks a bit different now he's bigger 😂 #catsandbooks #cats

🎯 #BookBans

Alberta is fine. #AlbertaNext #AxeTheVaxTax #ABED #Public Education #AISH #StopCDBclawback #BookBans #DanielleSMith #ABleg #ABpoli

Danielle Smith and her ministers burrow deeper into their self-dug book-ban and bargaining holes. albertapolitics.ca/2025/08/dani... #ableg #abpoli #BookBans

📚My husband and I met in graduate school, where we both got PhDs in philosophy. We argued “professionally” which is perhaps why we pretty much never argued “personally” 🤔

📚 I finished unpacking from a trip, and Dove decided I'd emptied this bag just for her to hop into. What you reading this weekend? I'm LOVING Charles Dickens' Great Expectations! I've read other Dickens and enjoyed them, but, so far, I'm loving GE even more. #caturday #booksandcats #booksky

Thanks for reading. My books, my friends’ books, genre books, romance books, queer books, BIPOC books, all the books. We get through this reading.

The cat's out of the bag. The book banners who told you they were just banning "pornography" are now targeting books about cats and other domestic animals. And even after a visit to the Brooklyn Cat Cafe with Raj Haldar we can't find a good reason why. More at: pen.org/why-ban-book...

📚 Gotta push past that ugly first draft 😂 #writers #writing #histfic #historicalfiction

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 1121: A part of engaging the reader is to get them to notice things in a way they never have. To do that, YOU have to notice things. So be aware of what’s around you. Watch the news. Look out of windows. Observe with all your senses. Question. Be curious. Make notes.

📚 Gotta push past that ugly first draft 😂 #writers #writing #histfic #historicalfiction

📚 Perhaps the books included a page on animal reproduction? #booksandcats #catsandbooks #bookbans #booksky

Over 3 years, the Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project has conserved, catalogued and digitised 190 manuscripts, containing a staggering 7000+ pages of medieval medical recipes. Now freely available. #Highered #library #books #medicine www.lib.cam.ac.uk/stories/curi...

📚 I read more than usual in July because my novel-writing time has been reading for research. I enjoyed all these! (I usually DNF books I’m not enjoying, so if I finished it, I liked it.) Any you’ve read here? Or that are on your TBR? #booksky #books #reading #writer #histfic #historicalfiction

📚 I read more than usual in July because my novel-writing time has been reading for research. I enjoyed all these! (I usually DNF books I’m not enjoying, so if I finished it, I liked it.) Any you’ve read here? Or that are on your TBR? #booksky #books #reading #writer #histfic #historicalfiction

Heads up for writers in the querying trenches. I'll be closing to submissions again at the end of the month so I can catch up reading all the goodies in my box. Plan to reopen in the fall, exact date TBA, but most likely October-ish.

Seriously, just keep going, friends. Make stuff you love.

Writers and artists: if you're interested, post a link to your stuff! And if you'd like, let us know a bit about your work. Everyone: let's spread the word and check out these creations and support some creators.

The definitive climate fiction reading list. These 20 wildly imaginative books will shape the way you think about our planet’s future — and humanity’s place in it. grist.org/fix/climate-... #BookSky #ClimateFiction #Solarpunk #Fiction #Books #GreenSky

📚 Squid says Hi and What are you reading this weekend? #catsandbooks #booksky #books #reading

Two ‘parents’ rights’ groups are claiming credit for shaping #Alberta's plan for #bookbans. Members of Parents for Choice in Education and Action4Canada say they supplied the province's Education Minister with names of books they wanted removed from school #libraries: thetyee.ca/News/2025/06...

📚 What a wonderful book! Fascinating science of moss, mixed with a little bit of personal anecdote, plenty of Indigenous wisdom & legend, all expressed in absolutely beautiful prose. Recommended for anyone who loves natural history writing. #reading #booksky #books

📚I guess I won’t be using my notebook for a while… #writing #reading #booksandcats #books #writer #histfic #historicalfiction #booksky

📚 Squid says Hi and What are you reading this weekend? #catsandbooks #booksky #books #reading

📚Little Dove making my messy desk much cuter. #booksky #writing #writer

📚So far this year… 3 stories, 2 ‘off the book’ nonfiction pieces & a novel excerpt submitted 21 rejections Still out at 14 places 17 novel queries sent 4 rejections Luckily, I have no problem with rejections. They don't (yet? 😂) make me sad. #Writers, how's your year going? #querying #booksky

📚So far this year… 3 stories, 2 ‘off the book’ nonfiction pieces & a novel excerpt submitted 21 rejections Still out at 14 places 17 novel queries sent 4 rejections Luckily, I have no problem with rejections. They don't (yet? 😂) make me sad. #Writers, how's your year going? #querying #booksky

📚 I'm #querying my first novel & these books are like having level-headed, knowledgeable friends in my corner! Essential reading if you plan to earn money from writing. Dove is in the 2nd pic. You can see her one white whisker, which my son calls her antenna 😂 #writing #histfic #historicalfiction

This all started over four 2SLGBTQIA+ books he didn't even take the time to read 🤬 #Censorship #BookBans #ABed #Libraries #FreedomToRead #ABpoli #IntellectualFreedom www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Remember, if someone has the audacity to claim that spending the weekend reading a good book and eating a scandalous amount of cinnamon rolls “doesn’t sound exciting”, then perhaps they are not the friend you thought they were.

Writing desk - Powderham Castle, Exeter #writing #desk #writingDesk #typewriter #library #study #PowderhamCastle #Powderham #WindowsOnWednesday #classicMono

I'll see myself out. 💙📚 #booksky #writing #books #writingcommunity

📚We're over half way through 2025 & I've had only 17 rejections of my short stories so far. Better put my skates on & get some more! 😂 Fellow #writers, how about you? Gathering plenty of rejections? Any successes on the way? Pic of my cat for no reason. #writing #writesky #write #writingcommunity

From @clintsmithiii.bsky.social's book, Counting Descent. #poem #books #writing

📚We're over half way through 2025 & I've had only 17 rejections of my short stories so far. Better put my skates on & get some more! 😂 Fellow #writers, how about you? Gathering plenty of rejections? Any successes on the way? Pic of my cat for no reason. #writing #writesky #write #writingcommunity

📚This is the new kitkat in the house. I’ll have no shortage of reading and writing buddies. We now have a trio of black cats 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛ #booksandcats #cats #writer #catadoption #booksky

📚 We're bringing her home this afternoon! We have a 30-day trial period, to make sure she gets along with all the humans and cats already in the household... 💗💗💗 #cats #catadoption #catrescue #booksandcats

#bookbans #UCP Alberta peeps, deadline is June 6 to give feedback on survey re book banning. www.alberta.ca/school-libra...

Amanda Jones @librarianjones.com is "That Librarian" who stands up against #bookbans in the US - more important than ever now during #PrideMonth Her book, part #memoir and part manifesto, has now been added to our #library collection. Find it here: opac.sub.uni-goettin...#bookbans#PrideMonth#memoir#library#AmericanStudies

Calling agented authors! 📢 I’m in the query trenches with my YA sci-fi novel and would love to hear your best tips or lessons from the process. What helped you stand out? What do you wish you’d known earlier? Any advice or resources appreciated! 💌#AmQuerying #WritingCommunity #writer #SF #querying

I came up with an extraordinary idea based on my "ordinary" life. I hope this is the one. #amquerying #querying #writingcommunity

ASK ME ANYTHING! Still time to send in a question for this months newsletter. What do you want to know about #writing #querying #publishing #agenting?

To anyone who needs to hear it... Your first book might not be the one that breaks records - it might not even be one that sees the light of day but it will teach you how to write a kickass second. #Querying #writingabook #bookish #queryingwriter