Some of you have forgotten that only three years ago you were perfectly capable of writing a text, writing an email, telling a bedtime story to a child, and it should worry you that powerful companies have convinced us we can’t do things we’ve been doing since the dawn of time.

My favourite time of year has come - when Tom sends me his beautiful illustrations of scenes from my book in his Christmas card. Thank you so much! And a merry Christmas to you too @thomasdlee.bsky.social! 🎄

Finished reading Children of Time last night and here's my screaming-hot take on it; it's really, really good.

I am very pleased to announce that I am supporting the wonderful Goldsboro Writing Academy to provide funded places on their courses for writers from low-income and under-represented backgrounds in 2026 and in 2027. For more details contact Phil Vinter or visit the @goldsborowritingacademy website!

Just unbelievable value. Get yours now!

In the latest Predator film, they have a shot inside the Predator's ship with a mounted T. rex skull. Which leaves us with at least three options: A) The Predators have had space faring technology for a *minimum* of 65 million years and all they've done with it is be big game hunters.

UK COVER REVEAL Job description — Isolation, madness, obsession, (light) cannibalism. Apply at @torbooksuk.bsky.social. Deadline 14 May 2025.

Had a bloody fang-tastic (sorry) time with The Feeding by @anthonyryan.bsky.social. Characters as ruthless as the world they occupy, yet human enough to go to extraordinary lengths for one another, and still treasure the arts that we do. And the feeders are a savage twist on a classic which I loved!

🙌🏽 This is the fantasy series I’m recommending to everyone! THE IRON ROAD by @davewragg.com is 5 star - what a finale to Tales of the Plain! 🤩 Perfect for fans who love rebellion, Pratchett style banter & action adventure. I laughed, I cried, I hid behind my hands 🫣 www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Had a cracking time with Elder Race by @aptshadow.bsky.social. The coalesce of both bits of SFF is always my jam, and this one has a lovely, warm sense of adventure about it. Tackles depression in a kind and hopeful way, and left me feeling optimistic.

Watched 'The Assessment' tonight, a 2024 sci-fi about parents being tested to see if the state thinks they should be allowed children. Bound to touch a few nerves regarding a bunch of current issues. Pulls at the seams of society. An important film, well worth your time.

My first full length Warhammer novel sees me doing my alien mindset schtick with the Seraphon, the lizard warriors of the Mortal Realms.

Stormed through The Buffalo Hunter Hunter today and for me it's a contemporary masterpiece. Admittedly I'm a prime target for it, loving both the period and vampires. But man, every corner of it has been so deeply considered, researched, and executed. Massively inspired @sgj.bsky.social 🔥

Just over an hour until I ask Gareth lots of questions. Come along!

Got a whiff of coffee at work and felt my eyes dilate like a shark.

I think the Jurassic Park/World movies would benefit in dramatic terms from treating dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles less like monsters and more like animals.

🚨 EBOOK DEAL KLAXON 🚨 Get THE COMPANY OF THE WOLF for a piffling 99 pennies while you can, just in time for the release of THE IRON ROAD next month. Available at ebooks.com and the Beast, amongst others! www.amazon.co.uk/Company-Wolf... www.ebooks.com/en-gb/book/2...

Americans! My award-winning debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY is available for a mere 99 cents for the *whole of August* in a Kindle Monthly Deal - www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Sp...

UK friends! Shakedowners is a Kindle UK monthly deal and you can get it for just 99p for thr month of August! www.amazon.co.uk/Shakedowners...

As soon as we got off the plane, the first thing the fella next to me did was remove one star from his Letterboxd review of The Godfather Part II and breathe a sigh of relief.

The Ziggurat of Barad-dûr

Pretty sure we settled the gorilla versus one hundred men debate about 1.7 million years ago.

I've been thinking a lot about my author career lately, and the precarious position I feel like I'm in. I haven't put out a book since 2022, and my next isn't until at least May 2026. All the publisher folks who first acquired my debut are gone. My momentum is very stalled.

Is it an album drop of Sovan naval sea shanties? You wish. Book 2 title, confirmed. Lock it in folks, we're going out to sea in this one. (Image: Montague Dawson)

make your deposit here

Asked one of our regulars how he was. 'Well, everything is just getting progressively worse.' Can't argue with you there, mate.

Today we're thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal for Hive favourite David Wragg's final instalment in his Tales of the Plains trilogy THE IRON ROAD, coming out this September from HarperVoyager. Read more: https://buff.ly/3WTjUQm

Finished Elden Ring for the first time with the boys. I (we) am (are) the Elden Lord(s).

It would be nice if I could stop leaving reviews that say "needed a stronger edit" but honestly I think a lot of people including editors no longer grasp what a strong edit *means*.

Going to my agent with a manuscript that's way too long: Plot 50k words Character work 20k words Entirely unnecessary subplot that does nothing except please the author 60k words Worldbuilding 30k words someone who is good at the writing please help me budget this. my novel is dying

I may be ever so slightly obsessed with the NA paperback edition of Voyage of the Damned! That edge tho 👀 Anyone know who says this line? Bonus is @barnesandnoble.com are having a preorder sale now!

Started out writing fiction with no real planning at all, and now I'm at the point where it feels insurmountable to write anything without a detailed outline first. Full on pantser-to-planner pipeline.

This is a good zoomed-out take. Not the full picture, but a massive chunk of it.

Introducing The Killer Twist Pitch Prize for Unagented Crime Writers! Top Prize: 4-Day Pass #TheakstonsCrime + 3-night hotel stay in #Harrogate, Pitch Revision & Coaching. (a $1250 value) 2nd Place: @JerichoWriters Agent 1-on-1! T&Cs apply, See www.alessandraranelli.com/prize for details.🧵1/4

Guys!! This is TOMORROW!! 😱 I honestly can’t wait to chat epic fantasy with @justinleeanderson.com and @lrlam.bsky.social! Plus I have pin badges and bookmarks for anyone who wants them 🧡 Come have a glass of wine, chat books and spend a chilly January evening in a lovely bookshop.

Just hit me why AOC is so good and brilliant at being the adult in the room with all the trashy losers making terrible choices around her. She used to be a bartender.

Woohoo! Number 1 in Political Thrillers on Amazon US! What a difference a deal makes 🥳

The sound of the engine cuts through the dark

If there's anything I hope young creatives take from David Lynch, it's to reject the modern IP-driven impulse to explicitly explain and cleanly categorize the logic behind every single event and decision inside and outside of a story at least some of the time.

Happy publication day to @edcrockerbooks.bsky.social! His wonderful debut LIGHTFALL is now available from @stmartinspress.bsky.social. Vampires, werewolves, sorcerers - what else could you want or need?!

I wrote about Neil Gaiman, and the women accusing him of sexual coercion, assault and abuse. www.vulture.com/article/neil...

Severian the Lame. #characterdesign #thebookofthenewsun

Finished last night. Unbelievably creative fiction, as with the other two books. All the brilliant ideas are bound together with a deep understanding of people, both human and otherwise. Plus, triceratops cavalry. Going to be banging on about this series until everyone has read it.

Started off the year discovering @aptshadow.bsky.social's City of Last Chances, and tore through House of Open Wounds, so it's only appropriate that I'm ending the year getting stuck into Days of Shattered Faith.

A late (early???) Christmas present... @aptshadow.bsky.social , @mikebrooks668.bsky.social , @richardswanauthor.bsky.social and myself discuss the fascination of the man of power at Waterstones Covent Garden on 6th Feb.

With only a few weeks left of 2024, the best books I've read this year: In Viriconium-Harrison Riddley Walker-Hoban Kindred-Butler The Genocides-Disch The Physiognomy-Ford Stand on Zanzibar-Brunner Malarkoi-Pheby Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang-Wilhelm Last Call-Powers