The em-dash is not amused with the gen AI hunters: www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...

A story, and a salutary lesson for writers on what happens when you procrastinate. open.substack.com/pub/michaell...

I am quite disappointed that new author-impersonating bot friend didn’t take the bait.

Alternatively, this is an extreme close up of my scalp after a week of laying off the Head and Shoulders.

It’s taken a while, but got my first fake author bot scam attempt. There were many giveaways, but my favourite was in a DM, when the person purporting to be an author who has sold oodles of books said they were working on a new ‘fiction novel’.

Do you like free books? Do you like to have your sins forgiven? Head over to my Instagram account for a giveaway of Hell’s Detective from @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social, which offers both! www.instagram.com/michaellogan...

Nail, head. Debating, arguing and calling the “other side” stupid doesn’t work. Making friends and modelling behaviour does.

Proudest moment in new book is that I managed to squeeze in a mention of Never Fight a Man with a Perm by @idlesband.bsky.social as a reason for a character not to fight a man with a perm. youtu.be/wMehItNQKAA?...

Look what arrived in the post @lukewalkerwriter.bsky.social

I joined 99 guys to fight a gorilla. The gorilla definitely won.

Are you dealing with a mid-book slump? It's important to know--and fix--BEFORE you query. reneefountain.substack.com/p/the-midboo...

The Burning Hell is possibly the most criminally underrated and under listened to band of all time. youtu.be/T0HtRSQFEqs?...

Just got a blaring civil alert on phone in Italy. My son crapped himself, thinking there was a big disaster. It was a message to say that St. Peter’s Square will be closed from 5pm tomorrow. Seemed a bit extreme.

In what universe is Withnail and I a feelgood movie? That final soliloquy is heartbreaking. www.theguardian.com/film/2024/de...

In Kenya, death notices were often headlined ‘Promotion to Glory.’ In the pope’s case, is it a promotion? He was CEO on Earth but Heaven is full of angels, saints and popes with their feet jammed well under the wispy tables. Will he even get a seat on the board?

I see a lot of authors on #authorsky saying they want to support other writers. Here’s a chance to show you mean it at a critical moment for one of your colleagues.

My #EarthDay message is simple: A healthy planet is central to prosperity and human health. Yet we continue to put Mother Earth at risk. The challenges are clear, but so are solutions. Protecting the many shades of our 🌍 is everyone's responsibility, today & everyday. www.un.org/en/observanc...

To those who played the game, the Last of Us shock was no shock at all. I think this is why I abandoned the show after season one. It feels too familiar and weirdly passive to be watching rather than being involved and controlling the characters.

Your writing can be brilliant, but that's not all that's required to carry your story. A strong premise is about more than just a cool idea. open.substack.com/pub/reneefou...

I have but on a notebook or in my phone. It's such normal writer behaviour but alarming for non-writers! I wrote a whole flash story in my phone once and didn't find it for weeks. Had no memory of it. Really thought someone else put it there but it had a touch of my voice. trashcatlit.com/caged/

Microplastics found in human ovary follicular fluid for the first time

Aspiring authors need to know that getting an agent and editor at a publisher isn’t the last hurdle. I had two books fall to the acquisitions board (World War Moo and Hell’s Detective), despite my editors loving them. I was lucky enough to find other homes, but this biz is tough. #authorsky

While one author can create an entirely new world unassisted, Meta requires 7 million worlds to create a pale facsimile of one human's creativity. It's clear to us which is more valuable. We are extremely proud to stand behind Jason's words. Keep tech overlords in fiction where they belong.

Turns out I have a 📚 twin, this one written by @orsorrel.bsky.social. I ordered a copy and am super curious to read about #zombiecows through another lens. Kinda feels like a seperated at birth moment. Any other authors out there got a twin they would like to share? #authorsky

I tried and failed to convince ChatGPT to stop plagiarizing 📚. It did admit what it does is “wrong”, that AI-generated fiction is “noise dressed up in borrowed skin” and that its creators should stop stealing, but won’t unless they are forced to. #authorsky

Just some of my book haul from Bahrisons, an old school bookstore in Delhi. Narrow corridors, nooks and crannies, crammed shelves and teetering towers mean you can spend hours digging for treasure. We have lost too many stores like this, so I am trying to always buy in bricks and mortar. #Booksky

Fool $1.99 today. www.amazon.com/dp/B001NLL9N...

My delight at finally finishing another novel has descended into horror at the prospect of writing a synopsis. I’d rather put pins in my eyes. Does anybody actually enjoy this part of the process? #booksky #authorsky

Candolim Beach in Goa by night.

One of the best things about writing an Italy-set novel about a food-loving detective is that I get to “research” by stuffing my face in beautiful settings. #pizza #ancientrome

If you are a writer looking for good advice on how to polish your work and get published, do follow my agent Renee, who landed me a deal with @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social and is a general Fountain of wisdom on writing.

Get up to Sioux Falls and buy my book or I will send the zombie cows for you first.

Amid the evolution in #AI image generation, it’s important to remember that the human element is what makes a work of art special. Standing before a painting by an old master and marveling at how a person was able to do that is not a feeling that AI will ever replicate.

At first glance I read this headline as “Rowling may be held in saltwater crocodile habitat” and thought it seemed a tad harsh.

When debuting on a new platform, wise people post something insightful, incisive and profound to demonstrate they can contribute to the discourse. Here is an old picture of me with a baby crocodile on my head.