Just finished Song, Stone, Scale, Bone by @julietk.bsky.social A fab tale with swords and bone magic and dragons and a whole lot of heart. I already read the brilliant Bring me Home by @bethkesh.bsky.social so now I can heartily recommend this whole book wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

Unlike James Orr I lack chalets (disappointing) but if any left wing thinker would find our London spare room helpful for generating a book/article then hmu

With stories by Danie Ware, Juliet McKenna, Anna Smith Spark and many others, Fight Like A Girl #2 has been a feature on award short lists this year. Find out why people love it so much: wizardstowerpress.co...

Things I published this year! Short story: 'Treading Invisible Threads', in The Future Fire futurefire.net/2025.73/fict... Novella: 'Song, Stone, Scale, Bone', part of Wiz Duos 2 from @wtpress.bsky.social books2read.com/Song-Stone-S...

Did “Parliament Week” with the Scouts last week. About half of them could name the PM unprompted; all of them knew about this 😂

It being award nominating season, here is a graphic with all of the new works we published in 2025. (The Elfstone and The Sea-Stone Sword are reprints so are ineligible for most awards).

DJs yelling at you to do stuff is much less annoying when they give you a reason: “Make some noise!” - Play some music you wanker “Make some noise for the site crew!” - hell yeah, great work folks “Put your hands in the air!” - why? “Put your hands up for Detroit” - yes sir absolutely sir

DJ questions to the audience are like barristers: only ask questions when you're sure you know what the answer will be, or it goes bad. "Are you ready?!" - Nah mate just popping to the bar first "Do you want some MORE?" - Not of this stuff, no, we preferred the earlier part of the set

Hello I am in the very silly place again. They are apparently removing someone’s brain onstage beneath the flying saucer and replacing it with an ALIEN BRAIN which has an amen break instead of brainwaves.

"I will read anything Chaz Brenchley writes. His prose is melted butter with tarragon, and his characters and worldbuilding equally delicious. Open this book to any page, and you will find something to delight you." - Ellen Kushner on Of the Emperor's Kindness wizardstowerpress.co...

Just published, the new Green Man book: wizardstowerpress.co...

Hello I am at @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social! having a lovely time catching up with people & meeting new people & seeing some really good panels. Also @elsewhen.press & @wtpress.bsky.social are both in the dealers room with lots of excellent books, some of which are by me.

Never mind age verification: mandatory monochrome CSS and GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING: SOCIAL MEDIA ROTS YOUR BRAIN on front page of sites, along with randomly chosen horrifying @thelouvreof.bsky.social screencap

No surfing today because red flag, but we do get some entertainingly dramatic sea instead

Thank you to everyone who made the Bi+ Community Fair today such a roaring success! @sabacelebritypa.bsky.social @evaecho.bsky.social @cdelull.bsky.social @hannahflynn-poetry.bsky.social @queerdiary.bsky.social @julietk.bsky.social

Today’s delightful thing: the little seated dance that L & I (with occasional assistance from his toy seal) do together to the Sewing Bee credits music.

L & I stopped on our way back from the Proms tonight (Arvo Part, Dvořák violin, Sibelius 2, v good) to take a look at the terrifying Viking longship sailing up towards Lundewic…

Would you like a nice relaxing audiobook about meeting the family? (and investigating murders!) In the tradition of the Vera Wong books, except with a murder/diplomacy m/m couple trying to solve things without adding *more* dead bodies to the tally. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

I am an unapologetic broken record on this: if you actually give a toss about What's Going On With The Children, then maybe do something about the 64% real-terms cut to youth services over 10 years.

I just finished "Song, Stone, Scale, Bone" by @julietk.bsky.social. www.wizardstowerbooks.com/shop/wiz-duo... I loved it. Got that real adventuresome mood, with a carefully built world that clicks everything into place quite naturally, ready for it to matter later.

Met a lovely Harris hawk and falconer scaring pigeons in Sloane Square today!

Saw Tim Minchin last night in Hammersmith and it was a bloody fantastic gig. I especially enjoyed the first song, "Turn Off Your Motherfucking Phones" :D

It's Fantasy Friday @fantasymagazine.bsky.social pubbed by @psychopomp.com and it features my story, Corporate Policy! "Just a quick note to ask if it’s an issue that an employee has called out of her shift because she says she’s possessed." Read it free: psychopomp.com/fantasy/issu....

Want a bit of light reading while you’re busy melting today? Here are some things I like about my most recent novella Song, Stone, Scale, Bone & which you might like too. books2read.com/Song-Stone-Scale-Bone

Figs!

In case you are one of the apparently many people who don't read their publishing contracts, a) don't be a bloody fool and b) IANAL but here is a blog post with a few things for you to look out for as a starting point. kjcharleswriter.com/2017/03/24/t...

I really hate the bit of writing where I spend a lot of time staring into the middle distance and wondering what has gone wrong with the brain-part that smashes ideas together. (Today, of course, possibly it has melted.)

I have COMPLETED A NOVEL DRAFT. Possibly it is the third draft? Somewhere around there anyway.

big up the bangface hard crew!!

Editing the bit in the current project where I basically worked through the same thought process at least three (maybe four) times in two separate chapters.

In Coventry for the day yesterday (for a singing thing) so stopped by the cathedral. This photo makes the new one look rather more ominous & less friendly than it feels when you’re there!

it's almost the solstice (17 hours of daylight!) so here is the reminder: Sing For The Coming of the Longest Night, the wintry weird-ancient magic poly novella I wrote with my lovely friend @krfabian.bsky.social (come for the atmosphere, stay for the jokes!) www.generalist.org.uk/iona/books-a...

After someone yesterday mentioned Giles to L, I introduced him to the wonders of BUFFY SEASON ONE. (He enjoyed it. I also enjoyed it, “lots of nostalgia” version.)

I got lucky with an ARC of K J Charles’ forthcoming All Of Us Murderers (yay!), and ummm should not have read straight through it all late last night because a) up too late and b) actually gave myself a nightmare 🙄😅 It’s v good! Also creepy! Do not read just before bed!

Faster… harder… SCOOTER!

Teenage goslings!

I’m not sure about 14, but age 12 I wrote an SF novel for an English project about some kids who found/renovated a spaceship and went to space. (It was deeply inspired by/a total rip-off of a Nicolas Fisk series.)

Mended two hoodies in exactly the same place over the weekend (left elbow); inspection reveals that today's hoodie is also wearing thin there. I guess I spend a lot of time leaning on that elbow?

Real actual physical books! (Arrived last week in fact but I was away camping.) books2read.com/Song-Stone-S...

Song, Stone, Scale, Bone is still out in ebook & paperback if you’re looking for a weekend read (books2read.com/Song-Stone-S... ) & here’s a quick character thread…

This is the sort of thing I trained for (used to work with neural networks!).

Out today! books2read.com/Song-Stone-S...

THE INCANDESCENT has been out in the world for one whole week! Do you like magic school? Jokes? Books about intelligent adults who know what they’re doing? Consider Saffy Walden, who is not a chaos bisexual, thank you. She’s a highly competent career focused bisexual.

Out next week (22 May) -- Wiz Duos 2, containing BOTH my novella 'Song, Stone, Scale, Bone' AND @bethkesh.bsky.social 's novella 'Bring Me Home'. Pre-order link now up! books2read.com/Song-Stone-S...

Peas & broad beans from the garden! This is the second batch of peas. It is a very small garden but I am happy with even a very small quantity of tasty legumes.

I really enjoyed this! (And want to do a better review but ~life stuff atm~ so just: go ahead & read it, it’s good 👍 )

THE INCANDESCENT is a book about money and education and status symbols, about loving your career, about demons, about magic, about fantasy school - but most of all about how 'school' is always a kind of fantasy. Available now! US: bookshop.org/p/books/the-... UK: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/unti...

this weekend: camping with my Scouts & several other Southwark troops. Sent some of mine off BY THEMSELVES!! on a hike (they only got lost a little bit! and found themselves again!); spent an hour going 'ready set go' for 100m solo/relay races as part of Scout Olympics; saw KITTENS at Foal Farm;...

I remember this well! @doop.bsky.social was all like oh yeah super cool having a lovely chill chat while it was happening & then afterwards said to me OMG OMG OMG DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT WAS!!!! !! !!!! (I did not) and hyperventilated for a bit :D <3