why is the actual financial market replaying the end bit of @maxgladstone.bsky.social's DEAD HAND RULE, except without the vague hope of Kai Pohala/Tara Abernathy/Elayne Kevarian figuring out how to stop the vampiric draw orchestrated by forever-growth monstrosities (btw, read Max's books)

For me, obviously Craft Sequence. Not sure the Domain and I would get on...but my best friend says Tara Abernathy reminds her of me, so maybe I would smash it??

QRP with your skull art!!

Y’all, please nominate—it’s so very helpful to everyone: the authors, the jury, the foundation, and to readers

“War,” she said. “It sounds so normal, doesn’t it? So pretty.” That last word blighted the air as it left her throat. “A few bodies impaled on a few swords, some bright young boys skewered by arrows, and done. What we did, what was done to us, was not war.” THREE PARTS DEAD

Eligible to nominate for the Hugos? Consider Craft Sequence for Best Series! Read why the Craft Sequence is SUCH a good series, featuring quotes from people who aren't me: www.thehiddenschools.com/factual-upda...

I love love LOVE Raymet. Agree that if we saw more of her she might be my favourite.

Ruin of Angels got to Raymet & Gal’s big moment on the drive this morning. The first time through, I absolutely saw it coming and absolutely loved it. The second time through, with full knowledge rather than supposition, I think I loved it even more.

First two chapters of DEAD HAND RULE have me feeling like I’m front row for the most epic ass opening to a big movie. The King in Red’s presence on the page never disappoints.

“Elayne,” he said. “Such a pleasure to see you again.” She stood over Tara, her hair white as a flame. The glyph pinstripes of her suit flexed and danced, and starlight crackled between her long thin fingers. She looked on him as she would a split worm in a spadeful of dirt

Self-promotion doesn't always get easier in publishing. This nominations season--for the Nebulas, or any other award--PLEASE take pride in your work. Voters will ask about eligible works for their consideration, and we hope every SFF writer feels empowered to answer the call. Invest in your success!

Slowly rationing out @maxgladstone.bsky.social 's Dead Hand Rule. I was not feeling all that well this morning and I got to Chapter 38. This is one of the most exciting chapters of fiction I've read. It really gets the blood flowing and I felt a bit better after reading it.

I feel like midlist SFF is both vitally important and uniquely threatened right now because the midlist is where you find most of the queer, PoC, and otherwise marginalized authors. As well as a lot of really exciting books trying new things! Stuff that's not a "safe bet" but often a great read

Loads of Craft Sequence recommendations on Reddit today and it makes my heart happy 😊

Loads of Craft Sequence recommendations on Reddit today and it makes my heart happy 😊

Final post untangling Dead Hand Rule! Why the herald HAD to be who it is, why Elayne is eternally a badass, and the importance of Saint Abelard. Plus a digression on Craft Sequence geography. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/ska...

This is where I YET AGAIN encourage people, especially creators, to have, develop and actively maintain their own websites where people can find you, away from the social media sites you don't own and/or can't control and/or whose discoverability algorithms are at the whim of billionaire weirdos.

Final post untangling Dead Hand Rule! Why the herald HAD to be who it is, why Elayne is eternally a badass, and the importance of Saint Abelard. Plus a digression on Craft Sequence geography. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/ska...

The Shard is giving dark works of Craft tonight. "Sunset clad the mountain’s lower slopes in red and gold, and the peak bristled with lightning and aurora as Craftsmen continued their dark work within." Full Fathom Five

Can I be on your blog, stream or podcast in September? I'll be crowdfunding season 2 of I NEED A MIRACLE in September so I want to be inescapable in September. I can talk about collaborative storytelling, worldbuilding through a keyhole, training people to write normal at work. Ideally in September.

New post: it's time to untangle what's going on within the Argent Library. Featuring Kai drowning in the market, Mal going full Eagle Knight, Dawn on her deathbed, and Tara dealing with her oldest enemy. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/arg...

“Run,” Sybil urged, but Dawn stopped instead, and turned. There, below, on the bone steps, was Tara. Her suit was black. Her eyes were death. All trace of tenderness had burned away. In one hand she held her knife. In her other hand, a skull. DEAD HAND RULE

Around her great things swam. Call them gods or nations or Concerns. They were accumulations of want and plenty. There passed the great squids of Iskar, there the remnant deities of Southern Kath, & all around the hollowed-out rotting forms the Craftsmen had made their own: a world built of corpses.

Eligible to nominate for the Hugos? Consider Craft Sequence for Best Series! Read why the Craft Sequence is SUCH a good series, featuring quotes from people who aren't me: www.thehiddenschools.com/factual-upda...

“You could stop me,” Tara said. “Before I put one hand on that skull.” Elayne wrapped her in her arms. Tara woke her warding glyphs by reflex, before she realised this was not an attack. She could not breathe, or speak. “I trust you,” Elayne said, and let go. DEAD HAND RULE

More people should be reading the Craft Sequence. Goth baddies, I beg of you!!!

My friend doodling while I talk about Craft Sequence. I give you cuntified Abelard, featuring I ❤️ AC crop top and cat eye sunglasses.

everyone should read the craft sequence, this series convinced me to go to law school. That’s how powerful these books are.

New post: it's time to untangle what's going on within the Argent Library. Featuring Kai drowning in the market, Mal going full Eagle Knight, Dawn on her deathbed, and Tara dealing with her oldest enemy. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/arg...

Ok, finished the next essay and it's a good 2k words longer than the others. This is fine and will absolutely not turn anyone off reading.

In a long civilian career, Elayne had perfected the art of seeming to drink. Belladonna was not, at the moment, seeming. Elayne did not think it was possible for Belladonna Albrecht to get drunk, biochemically speaking, but the psychosomatic effects were powerful. DEAD HAND RULE

Why did he feel empty? Why did his arm rise joylessly? What was missing? The air caught fire and wept blood. A great hand seized him and crushed him. His scars flared. He turned, still alive, to face the King in Red. “We have got to stop meeting like this." Ah, Temoc thought. Yes. That was it.

My favourite part of the US political system is the way bills are named for fun acronyms.

Almost through the Craft Sequence re-read. I had been skeptical of my sense that Ruin Of Angels was my favorite in the series, attributing that fondness to recency bias, and that skepticism had been reinforced as I re-read the other books, but now that I’m back to it…it really kind of rocks.

CRAFT SEQUENCE BEST SERIES PLEASE, FRIENDS

"You walk a high rope, and the ground is oh so far below.” Abelard looked down. He felt very cold. “Are you threatening me?” Kopil almost swallowed his cigarette. Might have, if he still had an esophagus. “What? No. It’s a metaphor. I’m making conversation." DEAD HAND RULE

Not the point here, but if I recall my ethics training correctly there was an exception for baseball caps and pens as they were considered to have low intrinsic value. Which meant some people gifted wildly expensive caps and pens to members of Congress* to get around the rule. (*not my boss)

"You walk a high rope, and the ground is oh so far below.” Abelard looked down. He felt very cold. “Are you threatening me?” Kopil almost swallowed his cigarette. Might have, if he still had an esophagus. “What? No. It’s a metaphor. I’m making conversation." DEAD HAND RULE

I rather like Kopil. He's the skeletal, undead wizard-mayor of Dresediel Lex. But I encountered him when the focus was on his grief. He's a bit of a bastard in Last First Snow. I also really want a conversation about whether, if the Craft (magic) is capitalism, religion is socialism?

Abelard did the right thing so easily. With most folks Caleb would have said, He did what he thought was the right thing. Not with Abelard. Caleb felt lost in comparison, like he was moving through a thick fog by putting one foot in front of the other. DEAD HAND RULE

Knightings, kidnappings, religious refugees, and the ever whirring gears of skazzerai metal ready to consume our heroes... Part 2 of Untangling Dead Hand Rule's ending, this time looking at Caleb, Izza, Temoc, and Kopil. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/sta...

Abelard did the right thing so easily. With most folks Caleb would have said, He did what he thought was the right thing. Not with Abelard. Caleb felt lost in comparison, like he was moving through a thick fog by putting one foot in front of the other. DEAD HAND RULE

the Craft Sequence

The Blue Lady worked well alongside Seril of the Moon Road. She was, in a sense, Her child. She had become so much more, since. But still they fit together—enough, at least, for this.

Essay four complete, but essay three not yet started. Alas. Perhaps tomorrow?

Just wrote a 500 digression about Craft Sequence geography and a possible retcon from Gladstone. This is why everything I write is so damn long.

Knightings, kidnappings, religious refugees, and the ever whirring gears of skazzerai metal ready to consume our heroes... Part 2 of Untangling Dead Hand Rule's ending, this time looking at Caleb, Izza, Temoc, and Kopil. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/sta...

He stood on the shoulders of dread Ixzayotl’s corpse before the rainbow walls of the Hidden Schools. Around him in the sky were the armies of revenge, the armies of Dawn. He had walked beside her as she woke them, in their many-mouthed horror. DEAD HAND RULE

He stood on the shoulders of dread Ixzayotl’s corpse before the rainbow walls of the Hidden Schools. Around him in the sky were the armies of revenge, the armies of Dawn. He had walked beside her as she woke them, in their many-mouthed horror. DEAD HAND RULE

In a long civilian career, Elayne had perfected the art of seeming to drink. Belladonna was not, at the moment, seeming. Elayne did not think it was possible for Belladonna Albrecht to get drunk, biochemically speaking, but the psychosomatic effects were powerful. DEAD HAND RULE