Okay, so it turns out Peter is a deeply sinister and unpleasant weirdo who leaves shitty handprints on everything he touches. But that doesn’t mean anyone who matters has to reflect upon anything we have done, and it certainly doesn’t reflect poorly on any of us. Fuck you.

A Game In Yellow by @haileypiperfights.bsky.social. This really is something just extraordinary. Like The King In Yellow, this book has done something to my head. In a good way. I think. Not for the first time, I am in awe and envy of this writer.

Thank you all for giving A GAME IN YELLOW a beautiful release day & a lovely launch at Little District Books. I'm floored by the well wishes, the gasps, the maddened yowling ... some of this might be in the walls, but perhaps it's also in ourselves 😌 I'm grateful you let mine creep in with them 💛

A free book from my alter ego Simon Bestwick @thebestwick.bsky.social: download the 2013 collection THE CONDEMNED (long out of print) absolutely free of charge! But please consider making a donation to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) if you do. www.patreon.com/posts/136304...

For @gemmafiles.bsky.social, from @shriekback.bsky.social's latest album... www.youtube.com/watch?v=URhy...

Notice how the initial, absurd story - police were frightened into ignoring sex crimes by Woke HR and the Guardian - was automatically believed. It was in the Times! It quoted senior police and politicians! Well, what if the paper is a malicious wingnut boobyhatch and these people were bullshitting.

A legend has left the building. Hail and farewell, Tom Lehrer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qF...

I'll add that while there's nothing wrong with comfort art, there's absolutely something wrong if you're willing to engage ONLY with comfort art. You should be running into art that perplexes you or gets under your skin or makes you ask questions or that you dislike without calling for its removal.

My own books A GAME IN YELLOW and TEENAGE GIRLS CAN BE DEMONS aren't all I have creeping along in the next two months 😈 A couple of stories and a personal essay are in there too, and in each case I'm with an utterly mind-blowing collection of talents. I can't wait for you to see 💜

Yes, look: just admit that you all united to destroy an anti-austerity movement that arose organically, because you are self-indulgent wankers who will never tolerate taking a back seat, and you have now fucked it and ushered in the National Front, who you are frantically trying to appease.

Sharon I bloody died Sharon. Sharon they sent me to bloody heaven. Where are the bloody flames Sharon. Sharon it’s all bloody choir music up here Sharon. Sharon for fucks sake all the white is bloody blinding me up here Sharon

Things I'd love to see more of: 1. Dedicated queer imprints at big publishers run by queer folks. 2. Leading genre zines run by queer folks and regularly featuring queer authors and artists. 3. An equal space and footing in the market for these outlets. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ There aren't enough of them.

WHAT YOU MEAN THROW HIM A DONUT?? DON'T YOU SEE HOW POLITE HE IS??!

The IDF shot hundreds of unarmed protestors live on global TV, then vowed to do it again and then did it again *in 2018*, and Britain entirely ignored it because our horrible media/political class was closely focused on convincing the public Palestinian solidarity was Hitlerian genocidal treason.

The final plug, I promise! . Here's what @carolejohnstone.bsky.social & the one and only Shaun Hutson had to say about THE SOUND OF THE DARK... www.instagram.com/p/DL74ZJbSbr_/ Link: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sound-...? @barnesandnoble.com @angryrobotbooks.bsky.social #bnpreorder #PREORDER25

Today's your last chance to preorder The Sound of the Dark at a 25% discount with the code #PREORDER25. To hear what Tim Lebbon & Angela Slatter thought, go here: www.instagram.com/p/DL7CW9vSQAf/ www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sound-...? @barnesandnoble.com @angryrobotbooks.bsky.social #bnpreorder

Like I say, odd things are now being noticed, baby steps.

My new book, The Sound of the Dark, is out from @angryrobotbooks in October. You can preorder it with a 25% discount between now and 10th July using the code #PREORDER25. @barnesandnoble.com #bnpreorder www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sound-...

Just finished THE HOLLOWS by Daniel Church (@dannythechurch.bsky.social). There's something special for me about remote, small-town monster horror — bonus points for being snowy! This book ruled. Great creatures, ancient unknowable horror, and a fun cast of characters to follow. Recommended!

I mean, KamiKwasi should know: this is a man who could drown in a teaspoon.

Sending love to all my American friends today.

And they’re off! The race is on to decide who to blame for this latest set of avoidable calamities, but who will it be? The PM with no friends who is a Sooty glove puppet for a tiny clique of psychos? Or will it be the Chancellor, and her foaming decade-long hunger to stomp on the poor and disabled?

This is AMERICAN-BORN NIGHTMARES, the new collection by the most excellent Marni Scofidio. Trust me, you're going to want to read it. mybook.to/americanborn...

You’ll recall that the cancelled second phase of the Leveson Inquiry - cancelled by the government, because the press and the police both demanded it - was intended to examine overly chummy and probably corrupt relationships between government, press and police.

"How is that going to win people over to your cause?" is only ever said by people who hate your cause oh my god they hate your cause so fucking much.

Basically

We were in New Brighton yesterday for lunch and ice cream when this baby rolled up:

Hungary banned anything that “promotes homosexuality,” which means Pride. However, today over 500,000 people in Budapest told the government to fuck off. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

There is a place beyond sand and sea, where all of us can be free. #fantasy #writing #authors #writingcommunity #art #digitalart #oc #worldbuilding #booksky #artist #author #blog #writer

Jesus Christ: *because they are predators*, Polly, because they go out of their way to exploit and then chew up people like you and stomp all over your good intentions, for their own horrible reasons.

If the army is being ordered to shoot starving civilians because it’s an opportunity to kill them, then does this tell us anything about why the IDF has destroyed every hospital, house, civic building, school and place of worship that they could, and why they have been starving two million people?

That's a really unfortunate cut-off point... 🤣🤣🤣

Zohran Mamdani is saying things like “poverty is a policy choice and politicians have a duty to their constituents to make their lives affordable” and it is making a lot of politicians very very scared that they may actually have to start doing some actual service in their public service jobs.

Please help Doaa if you can.. gofund.me/7fc0e346

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh bisto

This was me on election night 2017: My god, it is possible for a left party to get 40% of the vote, this completely upends decades of received wisdom, now is the time for everyone to work together because a better world really is possible, and so on. This very much *was not* the universal response.

Are there any social liberals around who fancy speaking up round about now about the endless crackdowns and reactionary screaming

Well, this is nice.

Netgalley review for A GAME IN YELLOW that says "I never want to see another person say that sex scenes can't be meaningful to the narrative lmao" is making my night because YES, THAT EXACTLY 💛 It's out August 12, which feels wildly close 🤩

You might expect that the question “If you’re so good, then how come everyone hates you and thinks you’re shit” to come up at some point. It never does.

If you were too young in 2003 here is what Bush told the American people: 1) The Iraq War won’t cost a lot of money 3) We won’t need a lot of troops 4) We’ll bring peace and freedom to Iraq 5) We’ll find WMDs 6) We’ll be welcomed as liberators 7) It will be easy 8) It won’t take long All lies.

Either you become disabled sooner or later, or you die first. That's how that works. Yes, even you, reading this. The only out is death, and if your goal is to not die, you need to be thinking about disability. It can happen any time. Unfortunately some people also think "maybe I'll never die" 🙃

I told you we’d be back

Well, then they can count on my vote even less than they could before. Good for Martin for taking a stand.