I just don't get "writers" who defend the use of AI, and in fact get preemptively belligerent against criticism for them using it. It just goes against every instinct and goal I have as a person who loves words, stories, books, and writing.

Check out our latest episode on the surprising story of Box Brown. He was famous for mailing himself to freedom in a box, but his second act as political performance artists and magician is even wilder! art19.com/shows/our-fa...

Learned how to generate a free book for a friend's blog. Now I have a coupon code for five free copies of my #historical #fantasy book, The Lion. If you're interested, and have a Smashwords account, maybe you'd be interested. Code: L3MTX www.smashwords.com/books/view/1... 💙📚 🧡🚀📚 #reading #SFF

By "He is Risen," I didn't think it meant Google would message me saying my Gmail had been inactive nearly eight months, to learn it was a Gmail account I set up in 2005 & never used, which had 20 years of somebody's Call of Duty and Indonesian Instagram spam.

Still a couple left. Good till the end of the day (methinks). 💙📚 🧡🚀📚 #reading #SFF

Learned how to generate a free book for a friend's blog. Now I have a coupon code for five free copies of my #historical #fantasy book, The Lion. If you're interested, and have a Smashwords account, maybe you'd be interested. Code: L3MTX www.smashwords.com/books/view/1... 💙📚 🧡🚀📚 #reading #SFF

I need to keep saying this. If you want to see info about books and what people on BlueSky are reading, join us on the #BookSky feed. If you are an author or book lover, use the 📚💙 emojis to have your book posts drop into the #BookSky feed. We welcome you there.

Recently, someone left a short, good review on my old novelette, Ella. Many interesting stories have a split of 1-star & 5-stars. I like to think that's the case with Ella -- which is available for free on ITCH: lsb337.itch.io/ella But something about the spread of reviews still bugs me. Hmm... 💙📚

Revisiting some classics today. Seems it's a party foul at the end here to say, "Get 'em, Termie." w/ @jcparsons.bsky.social #moviesky #filmsky

I think Goodreads adding a DNF shelf is a disastrous idea they haven't thought through. #booksky

"The first emotion I felt every day was dread -- dread for how close I was to having to work again. I prayed for flat tires, hurricanes, flash floods washing away the roads. Whatever I dreamed could stop the bus I prayed for..." 💙📚 #Canada #blog 💡📚 📚🖋️

Sat down at 12 PM to start reviewing my edits on a 128K book. Just now sending it back at 3 AM. Book came with a style sheet from a publisher, which first inspired and then entirely dissipated all sense of imposter syndrome. ~550K words copy edited in March. Time for a couple days off.

Occurred to me today: I always thought it was called a "wormhole" because it was comparing it to a hole in the ground a worm made. But now I'm like ... wait, it's because the hole is shaped like a worm, isn't it?

As a freelance editor, I'm fairly confident I can spot when a client has used AI for editing purposes. The writing, if I'm being diplomatic, tends to be competent but ... samey. Like one line is fine. But two pages of the same tone and vibe of that competent line...

OK, they're gone! In ten days we all put on our fake long beards just before re-entry.

Today I realized that my local "writers' guild," of which I am a paying member, doesn't exactly have their finger on the pulse of the writing community. All the reactions to their April Fool's post were a mixture of various levels of trauma. #amwriting #books #noai

The creator of Netflix's "War Machine" playing Generation Zero and thinking, "Hey, I've just come up with a brand new idea all on my own..." (ergo, robots is Swedish?) 🎮 #moviesky

Every April Fool's post I see today.

It's not easy being an indie author. Book sales are rarely consistent and never guaranteed. Some months you do very well, and some months, only a few or even no one at all checks out your books. 1/2 #BookSky #Writerslife

Authors on itchio, please pretty please 🥺👉👈 Don't forget to include the cover art in your epubs! So it looks pretty in my e-reader instead of just being a plain doc 😭

Sounds like the start of a good series to me.

Ya know, Facebook, a real pal would just tell me who these six people are so I can save myself $56 and just DM them myself.

Seriously one of the best books you'll never have read. It's a gd shame. Some of my absolute favourite prose of all time is contained in this manuscript.

"The first emotion I felt every day was dread -- dread for how close I was to having to work again. I prayed for flat tires, hurricanes, flash floods washing away the roads. Whatever I dreamed could stop the bus I prayed for..." 💙📚 #Canada #blog 💡📚 📚🖋️

I spent years having fun writing a beautiful book about some of the uglier days of my years tree planting in #ON & #BC. I've long given up trying to get it published, but I still feel compelled to tell people about the day the work, the rain, & the bugs finally broke me down. 💙📚 🧡 #books #Canada

Hey, pssst... #amwriting #ameditnig #books #booksky

Reposting for the weekend crowd #BookHistory #Manuscripts

"Got that romance book about lichens for you, boss. Made it real sexy, just like you asked." - Ghostwriter's first and last romantasy commission. #amwriting #amediting #books #booksky

Hmm, a Kirkus review costs ~$500. They pay reviewers $50-$75. Meanwhile, Kirkus headquarters...

Confession: Sometimes it's easier to write a whole ass book then to come up with a title for it. If I don't have The Right Title™ the by the time I start writing I will usually never find it and so the book just ends up called something that is just almost right but not quite there.

This. All of this. Support indies if you want to see the stories that trad pub doesn't and won't publish.

At this point I'm thinking it's time for some Butlerian Jihad. Get rid of this whole parasite class of rich tech morons + open up a whole new job market for mentats. Heck, I personally know three people who'd switch jobs for some sweet mentat action right now. #dune #scifi

The app autoplaying Alien 3 right after you finish watching Alien 2 is a cruelty. #moviesky #DudeNo

Sometimes I'll be like, Mmm, whatever the missus is making for supper in the kitchen smells good. And she's seasoning her cast irons.

Email jumpscare is a thing.

😂😂😂

The first #book in my #HistoricalFantasy Speaker Origins series is now "Pay what you want" on ITCH, for various reasons: ➤ The desire to be read ➤ The generosity of book folks ➤ Me missus started giving our slightly senior cat fancier food & she's full-on fancy now. lsb337.itch.io/the-lion 💙📚 🧡🚀📚

As a freelance #editor, I've always operated on the basis that the only true kindness to an #author is honesty. Lately, though, I've been pondering on how that shouldn't just mean "This part of your book is bad & you should fix it," but also "Your book is good & people will want to read it." 💙📚

I mean, also, just last week I had a sale and I got $0.92, and I couldn't figure out where it had come from as I wasn't running any discounts or anything... Turned out I had sold a print copy of The Lion in Canada for $12.99, where I try to keep the prices lower, b/c reasons (AUS too). So yeah. 💙📚

The other day I was browsing ebooks, sorta chagrined b/c I'm not interested in paying $18.00 for an ebook. Then I realized I was also skipping books that I thought were too low, like $2.99. Then I considered how MY books were all ~$2.99. So anyway, then I raised the price on all my #books.

My perhaps boring opinion about sci-fi is I wish there were fewer "infection" stories. So many new books have interesting setups, but in the end just end up being "and everyone gets infected with [THING]." I understand WHY those books are published, but I find them a done-to-death #scifi idea.

Is there a German word for "that feeling you get, as a #freelance editor, when you go to a bookstore & find a book you've worked on, & thumb through it & recognize the cadence/flow you helped establish, but b/c the #author got picked up by a publisher you have zero mention anywhere in the #book?"

"folk horror" is the new "rural juror."

Me when I get asked if I mind editing slightly "spicier" books, because this is basically what I see while I'm working. #amreading #amediting #writingcommunity #whoa

I have been reading recently Why did nobody tell me it was fun

I get really annoyed when I see every local real estate listing touted as "a great investment property."

This guy's a "pay what you want" on ITCH, and I'm happy if that's just a yoink, as you do lots for this community. Plus, for me this story's at the "happy it's being read" stage for sure. Goes for the rest of y'all too. 💙📚 🪐📚 👀 🔥 #vampires #books lsb337.itch.io/the-third-pe...

Whenever I fill out a grant application, I'm always chagrined to attach my CV. I've got like ... 1.5 awards, previous grants, a couple public readings, a couple articles ... but all I've done lately is copy and dev edit 500 books and think about books 24/7 for years ... but not the way they want. 💙📚

CANADIANS!!! Please fill this out and share it widely because HOLY SHIT. I struggle to drive on the freeway at night now because of the headlights.

I'm finding I have reason to reinforce this controversial idea about once a month... Filling the kettle this morning at 930, watching the garbage truck -- that usually comes at 1 -- rolling on past the house...