The good news about the current novel project is I've clocked around 20k words. The bad news is, I'm maybe two-thirds of the way to the point I wanted to be at 25k ... #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife #amwriting

Fashionistas: I've got this pair of denims jeans with a subtle pattern of small white flowers. Can I pair this with a solid color shirt (purple or dark green), or are my only proper choices black, white and neutral?

Just a quick note that I'm on Instagram now, with plans to post some pretties (food stuff) over the holiday season - @lindseycduncan

The last thing I do before starting a story is pick a font to write in. It's got to feel like it matches the story. No, I don't have any cohesive rules for this. I know it when I see it. #unicornisle #writerslife #amwriting

One of my least favorite personal writing quirks: I can't start a story without a title. Been brainstorming for hours. Nothing seems quite right. Sigh. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife #amwriting

That moment where you've been going along writing a story and having a blast with it ... and you suddenly realize it's a wreck and might end up on the scrap heap. Oof. #unicornisle #writerslife #amwriting

Two disparate things make a story: The FWO monthly prompt is "write a story involving robbery during a journey." I've had a bug in my brain recently that I want to write about a fantasy world undergoing its own form of Prohibition. Combine the two, and ... #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #amwriting

And a lot more significantly ... I just finished the first draft of The Aroma of Whispers, settling in just shy of 121k words. Editing should trim 10-15k, so I'm feeling pretty good about the length. Regardless ... fantasy-mystery novel done!

It's out! Aurealis Issue #183, containing my "Harmony In Ninths" is now available for purchase! Check it out: www.smashwords.com/books/view/1... #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife

Amateur cooks, of any skill level, do you use rosemary? Dried, fresh?

Me yesterday: great, I know what my next novel project is! Me this morning: oh, look at all these posts about Fatecraft, and a dicemaker and a clockworker really did make interesting protagonists ... Me now: I am confused again. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife

Current favorite line in WIP: It broke bones inside her that had no substance. #unicornisle #sff #writerslife #amwriting

Woke up this morning realizing my quirky little zombie novel actually *is* long enough to query. But I already have my next query project in line. I ... I don't know. Argh. #unicornisle #sff #writerslife

Today's word is PLAY. Today's #BookQW from THE WILD WAYS, 2nd of the Emporium trilogy. The music festival scene in Cape Breton involves a lot of playing. And a little Great Big Sea. Also, selkies, a dragon, and oh yes, they have a cave troll... Available in audio & digital. Shop indie if you can.

Memories of that one time I met a waitress with the same name as a character I created for an online roleplaying game (Talitha), and really had no way to explain why I was so delighted. (Also mental: oh, so *that's* how it's pronounced.) #unicornisle #writerslife

Current state of the writer: the scene sequence in the novel I'm writing has been nothing but struggle. I sort of want to chuck it all in the trash at this point. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife #amwriting

Just finished my first short story of 2025. Feels good. #unicornisle #writerslife #amwriting

Happy Summer Solstice everyone! You know what you can do to celebrate the longest day of the year (at least in this hemisphere)? Get yourself a copy of the 3rd issue of our magazine (links in thread), which is themed around "Illumination" this year...

And ... it's out! I loved working with these editors, and the illustrations are lovely.

Trying to decide if my next writerly project is to try and collate novel ideas for the next book (heh), or write more short stories, or do a flash / shorter boot camp thing. Oy. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife

Fancy dinner these days seem to be some kind of a main dish concept / core idea that I keep adding ingredients to that I enjoy and "feel" like they go together, plus a weird green salad. Weird salad, you ask? F'r example: candied bacon, blueberries and corn.

Working on edits for the humorous zombie novel again, and I love this book, I do, but it's 72k words. What am I supposed to do with that? I usually have the opposite problem. #unicornisle #sff #writerslife #fantasy #amwriting

Just read an old blogpost of mine that used an example of "a reinterpretation of a fairytale would be where Snow White is a werebear, and she's not sleeping, she's just hibernating." I mean ... But there's a kernel of a good idea there.

Leave me to my own devices, and I write a short story in which cicada shells are ground up for magic.

I'll be in this issue! Looking forward to it.

Broken strings suck, y'all.

I had a dream about vampires last night where it came up that the reasons they're hedonists who drink and party is because that insulates them from the effects of sunlight. ... okay, I'd buy that as a premise. #unicornisle #writerslife

Coworker yesterday, trying to remember the name of an actor: Jason Mimosa ... I have such images.

My cozy mystery CHEDDAR LUCK NEXT TIME is out next week! Yikes! There’s still time to preorder it. 🧀 #CheddarCountdown amzn.to/41AqahK [promo link] angryrobotbooks.my.canva.site/datura-books...

This is what sounds like a great idea when you're on pain meds: Include the phrase "I used dragon drop editing" in my Surgeburnt query letter. Carry on. #unicornisle #writerslife #sff #fantasy

Just sold "The Butterfly Effect" to the third issue of In Another Time magazine! (inanothertimemagaz.wixsite.com/in-another-t...) Look for it in June. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #amwriting

Things I accomplished in my novel editing cool-down period: Wrote a flash fiction piece Wrote a draft of synopsis and query Got a nice chunk of the book I've had on hold written ... started editing the short story next in my submissions queue, at least Yep, it can always be better. ;)

I've now written two flash fiction stories in the form of a comment thread on a spell (recipe) blog. Was too entertaining a concept to only use once. ... but the titles of these stories, daaang. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #amwriting #writerslife

Just realized one of the hardest parts of querying Surgeburnt is going to be coming up with a succinct log line. #unicornisle #writerslife #sff #fantasy #amwriting

Here commences my personally mandated one-week cooldown period between my first major editing pass of Surgeburnt and any further revisions. I'm not going to touch it. Instead ... I should edit a short story next up in my submissions queue, but good grief, I need to *write* something.

I just realized I don't think my characters stop for a meal once during Surgeburnt. (I'm sure it happens off-camera.) Considering that it seems like half of Unnatural Causes is the characters having breakfast, this ... is a departure.

Just a reminder that Scylla and Charybdis is available once more for purchase. After Grimbold Books closed (after several wonderful years), many of the titles were repackaged ... check it out! tinyurl.com/ek9ey2nw

Why, in the name of everything that is unholy, is every mouthwash / toothpaste product mint flavored?! You can have ... Fresh Mint, Winter Mint, Chamomile Mint, Chocamochamacaroni Mint ...

Driving home today behind a truck (not a semi) with the following on the back: "Inedible." My first thought: "Now we have to tell people not to eat trucks?"

I realize since I'm new to Bluesky, my ... two followers may not have seen this yet: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3U... #harpmusic

A picture is worth a thousand worlds in @lindseyduncan.bsky.social's new story "Hidden Meaning." kaleidotrope.net/winter-2025/...

Harp music part the second! One of my favorites. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZt8...

At an Amazon near you right now as either a kindle, and priced at 99c or the local rate or kindle unlimited. This is a light read of a series of short stories featuring cats or magic or maybe both. www.amazon.com/Anthology-Ca...

SFF QoTD: "In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 🌌🤖😂 #BookSky #Scifi

Harp music for y'all: #harpmusic #celticharp www.youtube.com/shorts/J5Oq2...

This is a month old, but it happened at the beginning of busy season, so I missed it ... Scylla and Charybdis is available again! Grimbold Books closed early in 2024, but Pete Sutton hooked us up with a way to return our books to print. Check it out: www.amazon.com/Scyll.../dp/... Duncan

Check it out! My story "Hidden Meaning" is now out in the latest issue of Kaleidotrope (kaleidotrope.net) Warning: narrator is a bit of a jerk. #unicornisle #sff #fantasy #writerslife #amwriting

The Winter 2025 Kaleidotrope features fantastic new fiction by @helendecruz.net, Ire Coburn, @lindseyduncan.bsky.social, @kashinggiwa.bsky.social, @amygriswold.bsky.social, Laney Gaughan, Megan Branning, Owen McManus, @devanbarlow.bsky.social, Toby MacNutt, S. Cameron David, and Tara Calaby!

Aaaaand ... Aurealis has just purchased my story "Harmony In Ninths" for appearance sometime in the middle of 2025. (... how are we to 2025 already?!) Watch this space. #unicornisle #fantasy #sff #writerslife #amwriting