Huge news: The Hero Slayers book 1 is OUT TODAY. IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. It's been a lot of fun writing this series (and its dysfunctional main cast) and I really hope that comes across. If a found family #litRPG sounds like your cup of tea, check it out here: amazon.com/dp/B0FCHGKPCP #BookSky

ART and creation are not objective, they are subjective. i AM the worlds greatest author and guess what bud, SO ARE YOU. the hurdle we must all overcome as creators is not talent, it is the hurdle of UNDERSTANDING. we already are all the worlds greatest authors, everything else is a distraction

I just finished the 1st draft for the final Hero Slayers book - putting the series at just over 500,000 words. It's been a long journey, and I didn't know I could feel so sad about leaving characters behind, having been in their heads for the past 2 years. On to the next! #amwriting #writers

VERY good news from @bookshop-org.bsky.social!!

I know this sentiment is well shared, but every once in a while I think about how beautifully powerful and inspiring these paintings are.

Sometimes the words don't come, and you have to get some air to refresh your brain. I'm lucky to have a nice green space near where I live, so close to the city centre. Lots of plot ideas started here!

Me, making a plot note: That's pretty clear, I'll know what that means Me, two days later: WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS MEAN #authors #amwriting

In Hero Slayers, I decided to call my Alteration magic skill tree 'Worldbending'. Now I have to force myself not to write 'worldbuilding' every time it comes up. We live, we learn.

I know this isn't going to make processing the better sourced article on Neil Gaiman any easier, but folks. Death of the Author is a framing device for analyzing works and doing critique. It is NOT pretending the author doesn't exist, especially when that's not how art works.

A gentle reminder that "death of the author" refers to the idea that a text's meaning stems from the reader's interpretation of it, rather than the author's original intent. Separating the art from the artist is something else!

I've been thinking about burnout recently, particularly how it relates to productivity. I'm guilty of thinking I'm only productive when I'm sat in front of my computer, but that's not true at all. In fact, it's striving for productivity that is often actually the cause of my burnout. 🧵 (1/2)

I spent a few days thinking about my 2025 goals. Here's what I'm aiming for: 1. Wrap up The Hero Slayers #4 🗡️ 2. Write my cozy litRPG standalone ☕ 3. Write the 1st book in my new cultivation series ✨ 4. Be kind to myself, even above achieving the other goals ✅

On December 26th & 27th, over 300 authors and nearly 600 books are participating in this free & $0.99 Holiday Fantasy MegaSale! Stock up on amazing reads and support a great cause. For every 50 books downloaded, $1 will be donated to the Mary Cariola Children's Center. Find the 🔗 in my bio!

Several of the System Apocalypse books are part of the 2024 Holiday Megasale (26th-27th) for .99 each. This includes my book Head of the Class. The sale supports the Mary Cariola Children's Center, a leader in education and life skills solutions for youth with disabilities. #litrpg #LitRpg #Booksky

Hey a bunch of independent fantasy authors are doing an annual sale for charity, a ton of books (mostly progression fantasy) free or .99 www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/s/...

There are lots of amazing books in this years r/fantasy holiday mega sale, including four of mine. Check it out here: www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/co...

For the #authors out there - as well as writing, I also have some helpful (free) tools for authors! My most popular tool is a Writing Tracker, which helps authors stay organised and keep track of their work. You can find them here: www.patreon.com/posts/index-... #amwriting #writesky 🧵 1/4

I'm 4 books short on the reading challenge for this year, so I'm cracking out the Mr Men books

When I was a kid, I loved proper hero characters. As I grew older, I became more and more fond of anti-heroes. But now I find myself drawn back to the traditional hero, who strives to be good even when faced with total and utter evil. Is this a wider trend or just me? #BookSky

One skill that has translated over from advertising is writing blurbs. I think, as authors, it's easy to forget that blurbs are a marketing tool - not just a description of the book but an advert for why a prospective reader should check it out. 🧵 (1/3)

When I started writing, I had an all-or-nothing mentality; I just needed one series to take off. But what's really happened is I've learned more with each book, growing my writing ability & my understanding of the market. With each book, I'm more successful; the hard work does pay off. #BookSky

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 10: This Is How You Lose The Time War I'm no bigolas dickolas wolfwood, but I wanted to add my voice to the choir of readers recommending this beautiful book. What better book to end my 10 days with?

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 9: 100 Years of Solitude I don't know what I can say about this book that hasn't been said a million times before. So I won't say anything but: read it.

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 8: The Amber Spyglass This book is the reason I became a writer. When I read this in my formative years, I'd never come across anything like it. It blew my mind, and sent me on a lifelong quest to recapture that joyful wonder.

The interests post I never got around to: 🐱 Cats (any) ☕ Tea (all & often) 📚 Reading (all sorts) 🖋️ Writing (obvs) 🎲 Board Games ⚽ Football (Spurs) 🥬 Plant-based foods 🐸 Graphic design (my passion) 📊 Overengineered spreadsheets 🧮 Progressive gov't policy 🍁 The crunch of autumn leaves underfoot 🥧 Pie

I didn't know at 18 what I wanted to do with my life, so I fell into working in advertising. I wonder how my life would've gone if I'd known back then that I wanted to write. Would I have been mature enough to stick with it? Would I have worked as hard at developing my ability? I suspect not!

I wrote ~30k words of a litRPG book about an elven motor racing team, before realising the audience for such a book consisted of one person (me). Maybe one day I'll go back to it but it would only ever be for me!

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 7: Piranesi I don't know who couldn't love this book and its protagonist. Great prose, good fantasy, and another intriguing mystery. This 2nd book by Susanna Clarke was 16 years in the making and worth every minute of waiting.

Something else about me: I have ME/CFS. It's an almost indefinable illness; there aren't many symptoms to point to beyond crippling fatigue. It's been flaring up of late (stress can do that) and it's impacted my writing. It's only when I can't write that my CFS gets to me - writing is my escape!

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 6: Leviathan Wakes It took me approx. 2 mins of reading this book to know I was in for a wild ride, and this series didn't disappoint. Big recommendation for all SFF fans out there.

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 5: The Buried Giant Not a fantasy book but literary fiction in fantasy clothes. Beautiful, sad, complex. The best book by a consistently incredible author.

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 4: Oryx & Crake The Handmaid's Tale gets a lot of love (and rightly so!) but it's in Oryx & Crake that Atwood has created her best work. The protagonist is fantastically broken from the start, and you can't help but root for him.

Freezing cold take: let people enjoy things! It's boring to hear about books & genres you don't like, and much more interesting to hear about what you do like. Give me an impassioned speech about that weird subgenre you love. Tell me why that critically maligned book is actually fantastic! #BookSky

And now for a more writing-related post: You learn more from understanding what makes a book work than from studying its flaws. We're all sort of primed to look for negativity--it's very easy to fall into the trap of discarding something as "bad" and "only popular because X or Y".

I rewatched Hot Fuzz last night on the basis that it couldn't be as good as I remembered. But it is. It is that good.

I have 20+ different types of tea in my cupboard at any one time, and drinking several cups a day is the only reason I write as much as I do. Yes I am British, why do you ask?

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 3: The Shadow of the Wind This one is on so many book lists that picking it almost feels uninspired, but it really is that good. A compelling mystery, lovely prose, strong characters, and set in Barcelona - what's not to like?

How to write: Step 1: Open your manuscript document Step 2: Boot up Satisfactory Step 3: Oh god, where has the whole day gone? Step 4: Panic

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #BookSky. Day 2: Lanny Normally I'm not a fan of non-traditional prose formats, but in Lanny, it works. This book is a modern-day fairytale. Hugely underrated.

Just planned out my (ambitious) writing schedule for 2025. I've absolutely loved writing The Hero Slayers 🔪 (and I may even return to the world!) but I'm also super excited to show everyone what I've got planned for the Fate's Pass ⛰️ and The Messiah Project 🌟 series...

Posting one (non-progfan) book per day, as inspired by #Booksky. Day 1: Slaughterhouse 5 This one is the most compelling book about war I've ever read, and that is due (in no small part) due to its unravelling protagonist, Billy Pilgrim. Beautifully written; an absolute must-read. So it goes.

1. Cradle 2. Dungeon Crawler Carl 3. Beware of Chicken 4. Forge of Destiny 5. Stargazer's War 6. Primal Hunter 7. Ripple System 8. Perfect Run 9. A Thousand Li 10. Defiance of the Fall

Doing a big Star Trek rewatch and didn't realise just how many time travel episodes there are. Where in all of space and time will they go in this episode? Oh, cool, present day California again.

Me (plotting a new book): alright, this is just a standalone, so keep it simple. Me 5 mins later:

My all-time top 10 litRPG and progression fantasy books: 🃏 All The Skills ✨ Forge of Destiny 🦸 Super Supportive ☁️ Cradle ⚫ To Flail Against Infinity 🐓 Beware of Chicken ⚽ Player Manager 🏛️ Virtuous Sons 🔥 Rise of the Living Forge ⚡ Unintended Cultivator

Just finished this book, Virtuous Sons - incredible. It has compelling characters as well as deep and convincing philosophy (something that's not always a given in cultivation books!) Highly recommend.

I've been on Bluesky all of an hour and already I can say I like it far more than Threads (and the less said about the App That Shall Not Be Named the better)

Introduce yourself with four video games:

Hey everyone! Time for me to introduce myself. I'm Marrow - I'm a litRPG / progression fantasy author currently serialising The Hero Slayers over at Royal Road: www.royalroad.com/fiction/7024...

Recently started work on what was planned to be the final Hero Slayers book - but I'm finding I'm not quite ready to leave this world behind...