Just a bit disappointed that this is the state of things: mentioned to someone recently that I was writing an RPG book. (And jointly doing the artwork, and planning to do the layout.) I was immediately met with: 'are you using AI to do it?'

I recently conducted a manuscript assessment for Clare Rhoden, who's written about the process at her blog: clarerhoden.com/2026/06/09/a... She wrote many lovely words about the experience!

STATEMENT FROM SUZANNE STAFFORD AND CHAOSIUM REGARDING A RECENT AI-GENERATED ARTICLE ABOUT CHAOSIUM FOUNDER GREG STAFFORD 🧵 Chaosium and the Stafford Estate are disappointed in 4 Pillar Games’ recent decision to post an AI-generated “historical archive article”... 1/7

The remarkable internal art in Aurealis #190, our May issue, features Lynette Watters' evocative illustration for ‘To Feel the Sun’ by Dominic Deveny-Borg. Subscribe or buy the issue at www.aurealis.com.au

The superb internal art in Aurealis #190, our May issue, has Hannah Dunn's touching illustration for ‘Unnatural Selection’ by Donna Lee Austin. Subscribe or buy the issue at www.aurealis.com.au

The wonderful internal art in Aurealis #190, our May issue, has the sensational illustration by Andrew Saltmarsh for ‘Faultless’ by Brendan Cottam. Subscribe or buy the issue at www.aurealis.com.au

Eric LaRocca weighs in on Eugen Bacon's #CrimsonInQuietus: “One of the most extraordinary, mesmerizing, and magnetic novels I’ve ever had the honor of reading.” zurl.co/yYTiJ #crime #killingspree #scifi #serialkiller #soundmagic #Sauútiverse @genni.bsky.social @ericlarocca.com

Chaosium welcomes award-winning TTRPG creator @katclay.com as part of our editiorial team. For the past several months Kat's been working with Mike Mason and Call of Cthulhu team on various projects, and with Susan O'Brien on fiction& legacy board game projects inc Encyclopedia Cthuliana and Credo.

As Rascal News journalist Lin Codega is quoted here in @wargamer.com, "the ramifications of hallucinatory LLM 'histories' threaten to erode truth and destroy the historical record".

If you're interested in commissioning me for maps especially the prices I've got going right now are incredibly reasonable for these simpler styles. But I think they're more than worth it!

Edit #3 on a project: oh, gods, this is awful trash. Why did I write this? I should just scrap the entire thing. Edit #4 on a project: hey, actually, that's really good. Did I actually write that? How can I do that more often?

Aurealis magazine is looking for someone to help out with our IT needs - our store, ordering and stock management and occasional website updates. If you have a love of Science Fiction and Fantasy and would like to be part of Australia's No.1 genre magazine contact us at [email protected].

Trying to get stuck back into writing again amidst the editing work (which has been a bit slower lately). Starting my next Pendragon RPG writing project. And getting towards finishing my first Pendragon RPG adventure!

please consider supporting Rascal News in our mission to publish rad shit by bardpunk dirtbags like me

My short stories get a little nod in the latest crowdfund update for Sudden Conflict. (And I love the artwork that was made for those pieces.) The game looks like it's funding too, which is exciting! gamefound.com/en/projects/...

My latest issue as associate editor is out now!

If you're thinking about using gen-AI to "write" books, this 🧵 is for you. I’m a highly experienced editor who’s been in the biz a long time. Recently I’ve had manuscripts come to me where the author has used gen-AI – not for writing, I’ve been assured, but for “structuring” or "organising"

So it turns out there's going to be an Australian National Horror Con in Melbourne next year. How cool! They have a website and there's an option there to get involved, which is also very cool. www.natozhorrorcon.com

It's time to highlight the stunning internal art in Aurealis #189, our latest issue. Get it or subscribe at www.aurealis.com.au This is Zuzanna Kwiecien's superb illustration for ‘Out of Time’ by Carolyn Galbraith.

It's time to highlight the stunning internal art in Aurealis #189, our latest issue. Get it or subscribe at www.aurealis.com.au This is Kim Lennard's extraordinary illustration for ‘Little Drid Makes A Call’ by Andrew Nathan Roberts.

It's time to highlight the stunning internal art in Aurealis #189, our latest issue. Get it or subscribe at www.aurealis.com.au This is @chpearcewrites.bsky.social 's inspired illustration for ‘Epimetheus’ by Luke Weavell.

And the crowdfunding for Sudden Conflict is now live: gamefound.com/en/projects/... Ecstatic to have been involved with this project (playtesting, editing, writing), and excited to see it potentially out there in the world.

I'm amused by being able to put this entry into the style sheet for current novel I'm editing.

This was a fantastic book (I was even asked for an endorsement to go with it!)

Sudden Conflict is coming to Gamefound next week - it's a game that I've been helping with playtesting and editing for over the last few years or so (and even writing some fiction for it on the website). gamefound.com/en/projects/...

Aurealis #189, our April issue, is out now! Get it or subscribe at www.aurealis.com.au!

I love the point of finishing a book for the excitement and possibilities of the forthcoming next book. (Especially after the high of really good reads - in this case Navola, Paolo Bacigalupi and Cruel Nights, Jason Nahrung.)

I interviewed Kirstyn McDermott for my website about writing, influences, being drawn to all things dark and mysterious, and about her latest book What the Bones Know. scottvandervalk.com/featured-gue...

Let's make WorldCon truly WORLDCon and bring it back to the southern hemisphere. It hasn't been in Australia since Melbourne in 2010. It was *supposed* to be in Wellington, NZ in 2020. So let's get behind Brisbane for 2028. Brissie is a fantastic city. I'll be there. Will you? www.brisbane28.org

Goonhammer reviews Sudden Conflict - a game I've been helping to edit, playtest, and for which I wrote some fiction! The article even gives a nice nod to the fiction. www.goonhammer.com/goonhammer-r...

Each book is a mosaic novel made up of 5 novellas. The Gulp and The Fall are also a mosaic novel of 10 novellas. And all three books make a mosaic novel across 15 novellas. But each novella stands alone as a complete story. Possibly my greatest writing achievement to date. #WelcomeToTheGulp #Booksky

I've read the first Gulp book - and have the other two lined up. Just wonderfully unsettling horror.

Aurealis #188 is out now with the chilling ‘A New Game’ by Matt Freeman stunningly illustrated by Lynette Watters, the glittering ‘Anna, in the Abstract’ by Andrew Paver stylishly illustrated by Chris Catlin and the potent ‘The Book of Middles’ by E.C. Fuller brilliantly illustrated by Emma Weakley.

It's a little thing, but a short story I edited for Aurealis #177 won Best Fantasy Short Story for the Aurealis Awards. I didn't do much to it - it was already pretty polished - just a light touch of editing. Congratulations to @badenchant.bsky.social !

Time to showcase the sensational internal art from Aurealis #187, our first issue for 2026! First up is Peter Allert's perfectly moody illustration for 'The Last Faithful Servant of the Empire' by Blaize M. Kaye.

More sensational internal art from Aurealis #187, our first issue for 2026! Here's Andrew Saltmarsh's brilliant illustration for 'The Prince of Dogs' by Harry Goddard.

Showcasing more of the amazing internal art from Aurealis #187, our first issue for 2026! Here's Leah Clementson's superb illustration for 'With Teeth' by S.R. Kriger.

After at least one incident involving an author who'd used generative AI, I've started checking with authors regarding their use.

I've signed!

Breathing a bit of life back into my website! I've put up a new 'Featured Guest' -- an interview with Kaaron Warren. scottvandervalk.com/featured-gue...

Macquarie Dictionary has announced 'AI slop' has been chosen by its committee and voted by the public as the word of the year for 2025. AI slop refers to low-quality content created by generative AI which often contains errors and is not requested by the user, according to Macquarie.

The latest issue with me as associate editor is out now! (Goodness me, I've been editing for Aurealis for 14 years!) www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...

Good literary translation requires understanding (language, culture, genre--on both sides of the translation) and an ability to write well. "AI" can't do that. There are no shortcuts. Treat your work and foreign language readers with the respect they deserve. You won't fool anyone with this.

My latest issue of Aurealis as associate editor - out now! www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...

Aurealis - a ten issue subscription for less than $4 per issue. Go to www.aurealis.com.au and sign on!

Aurealis #184, our latest issue, is chockers with fascinating genre related non-fiction: ‘Alienated Labour in The Substance and Mickey 17’ by Ani White, ‘The God Pan and English Fantasy’ by Emmet O'Cuana and an exclusive interview with SF legend Alan Dean Foster, conducted by Trevor Howis!

'Dogsbody' is the second of my short stories for the Sudden Conflict game. This story came the easiest of the three - but I did a lot of thinking and pre-planning ahead of this one, so by the time I started putting pen to paper, it was more fully formed.

Do you love reading Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? The Aurealis Awards are calling for judges across all categories (novel, short story, graphic novel, and age categories) for the 2026 awards. Details below.

Designing an RPG scenario for Pendragon to hopefully publish in the next months. Still a bit in the early stages of SPLASH ALL IDEAS ONTO THE PAGE. The one I might not actually use... strange new customs of Blackburn: trial by combat, but with parsnips only, and to first blood.

So I had three short stories published recently. These were commissioned by a friend who wanted some fiction to go up on the website for the Sudden Conflict game that's been in development the past few years. (I've been playtesting and editing for it over that time.)