COVER REVEAL! World War Z meets The Dark Crystal. Coming in 2026. Art by @juliedillon.bsky.social. Layout by @toddkeisling.com. Written by @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social. Pre-order: badhandbooks.com/preorders/6y...

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military. If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

We have a final front cover for @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social’s RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS. We’ll reveal it in our next newsletter. The Dark Crystal meets World War Z. Pre-order now. badhandbooks.com/preorders/6y...

Hey, folks. As promised, I've updated my online shop with my remaining stock. I have copies of all my books (except Final Rec) available. Note that I only have paperbacks of MONOCHROMICON available at this time. Orders and shares are greatly appreciated! www.toddkeisling.com/merch/books

Since spooky season approacheth, here's a periodic reminder that I write spooky books! If you like your Canadian landscapes populated with ghosts and monsters, I got a few for you 🍂🍁💀 Snap them up via your favourite bookseller (especially your local indie!)

The fabulous @oliviawrites.bsky.social & I are each giving away one signed copy of our books! Follow us, repost, and comment below on if you prefer summer or fall? Open US only 9/17-924 Have you ever carved a watermelon? It’s not as easy as you think 😂❤️ (*Also running on IG - 1 winner)

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it's a monster-panic movie, so I'll watch it. The original Anaconda movies (1&2, anyway) fall into the cheesy but fun category & are some of my go-to decompression movies.

REMINDER! THE FIRST THOUSAND TREES is the final book in the ANNUAL MIGRATION OF CLOUDS trilogy -- following Henryk as he wanders dangerously north into bandit and wildfire (also bears, sorry) territory. Out Sep 30 from @ecwpress.bsky.social ! ecwpress.com/products/fir...

Thread. A heads up. I'll be doing themed witch drawings through the month of October, in the new style. (toned paper, pencil , gauche, chalk ) will be offering them daily at a reasonable price (because everybody should be able to afford art) Will be first come, first served though...

I gotta collect screenshots of the staggering amount of publishing scammers that light me up on LinkedIn of all places. I thought the emails were bad but oof. Whole fake profiles. Careful out there, writer friends. If something seems too good to be true, check in with your community.

Our vet's office is great - whenever Mutant Cat 2 has to go in for blood work, they keep him warm and cuddly in a cat sling until it's time for us to pick him up.

they are spending SO FUCKING MUCH MONEY trying to make HP relevant again in an attempt to compensate for how much Rowling has damaged the brand. This represents a LOT of fucking cash they're pouring into this fucking lemon, and our only duty is to make sure they waste it.

Four short story submissions (reprints and originals) sent off. That makes up for not working on editing my other short story. right? Right?

Update: we just received a statement from Macmillan/Tor taking full responsibility for failing to register copyright, promising to make us whole and pay us any settlement money we lost out on due to that error, and promising to find & correct the lapses that caused this. Every pub should do this.

Editing a short story - nothing like deleting entire paragraphs and sub plots to get that word count down.

Epstein survivors say they’re compiling their own client list. “We know who abused us. We saw who came and went. This list will be survivor-led—for survivors”

Authors: if you get an email invite from the Greater Hopewell Book Club, it's a scam: it charges an appearance fee (which it misleadingly describes as an honorarium) of $150. (If this reminds you of other AI-generated solicitations you've rec'd recently, that's not a coincidence)

Mutant Cat #2 is hungry. Boofing my mouse-hand while I'm writing isn't helpful, little guy. Please don't delete my words!

Lots of discussion lately about increased interest in short fiction, and we love that. We have 25 years of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction stories for you to read. And we would love to do 25 more, if you can help. kck.st/4mIkEm1

I should probably remind people that I had a novel called GIRL IN THE CREEK come out about a month and a half ago. It got a star in the Library Journal! And look at this awesome blurb from @keithrosson.bsky.social:

In the Highlands area of Edmonton, Alberta Canada, Fiasco (‪ @premeemohamed.com 's cat) is still missing. His 'sister', Franca, is home safe. Here are more images of Fiasco. Fiasco is chipped but not collared. He is deeply loved and sorely missed. edmontonacccpets.shelterbuddy.com/animal/anima...

EDMONTON: this is Fiasco, @premeemohamed.com's beautiful boy. after slipping outside a few days ago, he needs help finding his way home. can you share this with your local circles?

Edmonton folks!

Franca's been found but Fiasco (the grey one) is still at large, so if you're in Edmonton maybe you can share this / keep an eye out?

Just got back from taking our daughter back to university for year 2. She's sharing a house with 4 other students, and although our home feels very empty without her, I'm so happy watching her have these experiences.

let this be a prophecy

COMING IN 2026: @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social's epic horror-fantasy mashup, RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS. It's THE LAST OF US meets THE DARK CRYSTAL meets WORLD WAR Z and holy moly it's sooooo good. Cover artwork by @juliedillon.bsky.social. Pre-order: badhandbooks.com/preorders/6y...

We've had two HUGE days of pre-orders, but there are still print subscriptions to be had. Reserve your copy of THE END TIMES. badhandbooks.com/preorders/th...

For those who like anthology films, check out "Asylum: Twisted Horror and Fantasy Tales" - some very good offerings, including a fantastic send-up of a certain orange dictator. Includes one of the best possession stories I've seen in a while.

This Saturday, catch me and Alma Katsu at the recently opened Barnes and Noble in Glen Allen, Virginia! We'll be signing and celebrating the NYT Bestselling anthology THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, in which we both have stories, available there along with some of our own titles. Can't wait!

Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!

I am not exaggerating when I say I am in love with this cover. @juliedillon.bsky.social has perfectly captured the heart of this book. I can't wait to share Min and her story with the world!

Behold @juliedillon.bsky.social's stunning cover artwork for @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social's epic horror-fantasy mashup, RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS, coming in 2026. Pre-orders are LIVE. Pre-order here: badhandbooks.com/preorders/6y...

COVER ART REVEAL INCOMING!!!!

In tomorrow's issue of The Bad Handout: We'll reveal @juliedillon.bsky.social's stunning cover artwork for @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social's RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS.

I may have just seen a cover shaped thing, and it is SO SO BEAUTIFUL! ❤️

Just got back from a fantastic writer's retreat at a friend's cottage with the whole critique group. So much fun. Great food, good people, excellent conversation, and SO MUCH WRITING. I feel productive again. And I slept! I hadn't had a good night's sleep in a week, before this.

We urge all authors who believe their books may have been unlawfully downloaded by Anthropic to visit the website and provide the requested information. www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...

Insomnia is kicking my butt this week. I already struggle with chronic fatigue after a TBI. Add disrupted, insufficient sleep, and I'm a right mess. I'm off to a writers retreat this weekend. Here's hoping the change in scenery helps with both words and sleepies!

It's not a reward if you have to beg/demand/threaten for it. It's not an honour if it's not earned.

We're closing in on cover art for @mmdaviesostrom.bsky.social's RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS. The fantastic @juliedillon.bsky.social is knocking it out of the park. We'll share as soon as it's finalized. Pre-orders are live: badhandbooks.com/preorders/6y...

Out now: THE SIEGE OF BURNING GRASS by @premeemohamed.com! A stunningly prescient meditation on war, nationalism, and courage. BSFA Longlisted, a finalist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction 2024 and on Locus' Recommended Reading List! Buy: geni.us/siegeburning...

And let me just say, this cover is going to be GORGEOUS!

The house was just cleaned...so of course, the cats have barfed spectacularly all over the floor.

Heads up writers!

There's some info in here from John on how you can send the great Laird Barron get-well cards as he deals with another hospitalization. I also highly recommend going to @badhandbooks.bsky.social and buying Laird's latest collection, which is incredible.

Abomination is now available in digital and paperback! Vengeance takes the form of something twisted, animalistic, and not quite of the living world.... a.co/d/7hx5KE3

I need a report from a specialist. He used AI to write it. We're now on revision #3, because (no surprise) the AI-written report was full of factual errors (got the cause of my TBI wrong!) and meaningless nothing language. For anyone who thinks using AI saves time, it doesn't. Higher stress & LOE.

Consultants given complicated task to deliver for meeting this week. They decide it's impossible & don't do it. Meeting proceeds. Somehow everyone decides I'm best placed to do complicated task, with very tight deadline. Smiles all around! Successful meeting. 🤔 Ah, burnout. Here I come.