Ivy wishes you all a very happy and restful festive season, however you're spending it 🎄

People are harshing on some “diverse reading challenge” thing that’s going around, and I get it, but looking at what you read and asking yourself “what isn’t represented here?” is imo a good and healthy practice

Unsurprisingly, Sinners is way out in front, with Jurassic World Rebirth an overall disappointment. Honourable mentions to Please Don't Feed the Children and Until Dawn, which were far more enjoyable than I expected, and Fear Street: Prom Queen and Totally Killer were fun slashers.

We got there (eventually). Well done to the junior colleague who had the courage to report. www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/new...

A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas. Be a love, and pay it today.

I think someone had fun opening my presents...

My 34th birthday = dinosaur cake toppers!

At the doctor's just now, there are signs all over the place asking folk to mask up. All the staff were wearing masks, but not one single patient picked one up. We really learned nothing from COVID.

All the claims against Dr. Beth Upton failed. She’s entirely vindicated and her evidence was found more reliable. Let’s see if a single paper actually represents that fairly…

Vixen is 5! 🎈 Happy birthday to my soul dog. The sweetest girl and best adventure buddy ever 🧡

We need to have a conversation about shady publisher practices, such as ridiculous option clauses and holding rights hostage. (You know who you are. Sort it out.)

4 years ago we were here, in a hotel just off the motorway in Carlisle, having packed up our house in Hertfordshire and driven north in Friday afternoon traffic. Hours later, we'd arrive at our new, forever home in Aberdeenshire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Not to be ancient, but listening to the WSQK (Stranger Things) station reminds me of listening to the radio as a teenager. It just hits different to modern radio.

'Day 3 of not doing my husband's washi—' girl if you don't file for divorce right fucking now. What are we doing?? This isn't cute or funny anymore. It actually never was.

Snuck one last book in this evening. I got a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and while I refuse to pay for it, I'm certainly making the most of it!

This is madness. All books by Normal People and Conversations with Friends author Sally Rooney set to be withdrawn from sale. The 34-year-old Irish author says: “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.”

The Labour government will literally do anything except tax the rich.

Well I didn't get to announce that Watch Us Burn was going to be published by Northodox, and now it won't be. It's been a weird few weeks, but onwards and upwards! (And I am still sitting on other, happier news 👀)

Just tried watching some Christmas adverts to get me into the holiday spirit, but that Tesco one might just be my thirteenth reason.

I'm sick with (yet another) virus, but it's almost a year since I was made redundant from a decade-long, very stressful career and let me tell you, these past 12 months of being my own boss have been FREEING. This is how humans are supposed to live (except UBI would be nice).

The only good thing about the snow is seeing how much the dogs enjoy it ❄️

During this cloudflare outage, let me supply you with this wisdom of the ages: “single point of failure” can be sung to the tune of “all the single ladies”

Surely no more bad publishing news could come this week *opens emails* fuuuuuuuuck

Me when Creative Scotland rejects my second application for funding

This reliance on AI 'assistants' has gone too far. Tell me why I tried to call a pest control company and they've got some digital loser answering the phones?? A surefire way to piss me off first thing in the morning.

succubus - female demon that seduces men incubus - male demon that seduces women vengabus - non-binary demon that likes to party

Are you ready to fall in love (again) with Girl, Lost? I'm so excited to bring you this fully re-edited, rebranded version on 9th March 2026. Kindle pre-orders are open now, more coming soon! Pre-order here: amzn.to/47Z8OPM

October's reading wrap-up! Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep had far too many women breasting boobily for my liking, but Before & After was excellent (a 600lb shut-in faces the end of the world?! 🤌).

My horror novels might not be out yet (👀), but I have plenty of books that are perfect for spooky season! Return to Blackwater House is a gothic thriller with a haunted protagonist. And The House at Helygen is your typical haunted house with historical (human) horrors. vikkipatisauthor.com/books/

You guys have got to stop encouraging my shitposts. I'm going to end up on the wrong side of Twitter again.

This is your routine reminder that Jimmy Carr is a dickhead, and incredibly unfunny too.

There’s a lot of really good, interesting, different writing out there that gets little support from publishers. Seek it out! Don’t settle

My engagement on here is shocking. Clearly I'm not giving the people what they want — except these are two sapphic horror comedy films that you absolutely need to watch this spooky season. Lesbian and trans rep, women's wrongs, and one Rasputin montage that is *chef's kiss*

Idk why this has such a bad rating (except for the inclusion of Lawrence Fox), it's such a clever, haunting film exploring the true horrors of war.

Post you from a different era Me with my favourite auntie and my nan in the background. Circa 1996?

It's not often a book makes me physically squirm, but this one did. You Weren't Meant to be Human is an unflinching, unforgettable novel of body horror, queerness, and trauma. A truly consuming read, if you can stomach it (heh). Out now from @ajwhiteauthor.bsky.social @daphnepress.bsky.social

It’s a "crisis" when immigrants "take jobs away", but "innovation" when machines do. Funny.

We need this in Scotland. It’s not even wishful or fanciful thinking: it’s financially astute. Our creative industries are absolutely vital

WINTER HAUNTS returns for 2025 with a loaded line-up of interviews, panels and workshops - and here are just some of the awesome authors you'll be hearing from! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winter-hau...

Anthropic didn't steal any of my books, and on the one hand that's very good, but on the other I am of course incensed

'so I asked Chat GPT—'

So-called 'bad track' is complete and utter bollocks.

September reading wrap-up! A varied month packed with brilliant reads. I was glad to find Flat 401 on BorrowBox so I could finally read @kingsley-pearson.bsky.social's excellent debut!

It’s a mistake to be discussing drugs we know to be safe. Time after time we take the bait of their provocations - their wild claims. We need to stop accepting their terms of debate - stop wasting our time trying to win their arguments. Instead, make real connections within and across communities.

when are the precedented times

Just finished my third (?) rewatch of Better Call Saul and man, it just gets better every time.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

if you're reading this, you are gay, though. that much is true

It’s an absolute shame that DC fired Gretchen Felker- Martin for exercising free speech and then @bsky.app suspended her account. Every writer here should be decrying this because we have to stand up for each other! This is ridiculous.