Apparently my book delivery tomorrow is 17.6 kg. 😬

The first physical proof of A Winter's Mercy is here, and looks rather spiffy if I do say so myself! Though it's tiny in comparison to the first two...

Hope you'll join me and my amazing guests - we'll chat about my new book plus the editing process with @fantasticphil.bsky.social and the book cover process with Ken from Creative Covers. Plus, my mate @damodangerlarkin.bsky.social to talk about dark anti-heroes! Thanks @spotlightindie.bsky.social

My dog needed to go out at night and there were foxes *everywhere*. I've never seen so many foxes. Every time I turned another wandered out. Took a long route to get back to avoid them and only found more. Incredibly cute but incredibly frustrating when trying to keep a dog calm and quiet at 3am.

Happy book birthday to Steve! Look at that beautiful cover!

Paid £32 in library reservation fees this morning. Fear this could be used against me in some kind of psychopath test.

Wow, what an absolutely wonderful intro post for the Blood Scouts, thanks so much Julia!

Do you enjoy reading Science Fiction and have some time on your hands? #SPSFC needs judges for the 5th Self Published Science Fiction competition

Any SFF fans in the Brighton (and wider Sussex) area, we're bringing back the Brighton Speculative Fiction Club for an informal get-together this coming Wednesday 24th at the Caxton Arms, 7pm. Let us know if you want to join us! Or just turn up – though it's useful to get numbers to reserve seats.

Thank you Tessa for joining the cover reveal! Have a look!

Thanks Mihir for helping host the A Winter's Mercy cover reveal!

Checkout the snazzy cover for @fantasticphil.bsky.social’s A WINTER’S MERCY (The Bloodscouts #3) with cover art by Stefan Koidl fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2025/09/cove...

Thank you to Read Indie Fantasy for joining us for the A Winter's Mercy cover reveal today! Have a look!

Thanks Jamedi for joining me in sharing the latest Blood Scouts cover! Check it out!

Thank you Timy for joining me in revealing the cover for the upcoming A Winter's Mercy! Have a look!

I spelt manoeuvre write once and thought I had finally mastered it. I had not.

I long to live in a world where we don't have to through the annual rigmarole of getting new insurance quotes and having lengthy renewal phone calls to avoid being ripped off.

Here are four ways anyone can support and help their local library: • Get a library card ⭐️ • Use your library card 🌟 •Visit the library 💫 •Tell everyone to get a library card and support their local library ✨

Last four hours!

All about set up for the A Winter's Mercy cover reveal next Thursday, put it your diaries. I'll be sending out ARCs this morning - any more reviewers want in do let me know.

Spellcheck of the Day: computer wants to change "good-natured" to "good-matured".

Just noticed my final draft files named incorrectly as A Winter's Marcey. No, that's a very different book.

Sometimes things don't quite go to plan. It can be hard, when obstacles mean things don't turn out the way we wanted. But the important thing to remember, is that no matter how disappointed you might be, there are always BOOKS. #indieauthors #indiewriters #writingcommunity

FYI the A Winter's Mercy cover art is all but complete and looks positively delightful. I'll be attempting to organise a cover reveal soon so if anyone wants in do let me know...

It's great how these seem to work very hard at creating the appearance of properly researching your work, and yet still can't grasp basic details like the title of a book. No amount of excessive nonsense will make up for you referring to my book as "However Many Must Die: Prequel Novella".

GenAI is apparently great for making cold marketing emails much more personalised now. Except these emails read like someone threw together an incoherent cloud of words that appear when someone googles my name.

The first of my free books going out on my English Lessons Brighton website this month; here's a retrospective article looking at the history of Word Order in English Sentences, sharing the eBook absolutely free: englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/word-order-i...

Some news from me - I've set the release date for my next novel - A Winter's Mercy (Blood Scouts #3) and have an open call for any reviewers who are interested: phil-williams.co.uk/introducing-...

Last call for applications to judge in SFINCS! I had a blast last year--DO recommend

The #NarratessIndieSale has started @ indiebook.sale! There's over 300 #SFFH books ranging from $1.99 to FREE so now's the perfect time to pick up your next (many) reads 👀 If you're looking for a place to start, check 🧵👇 for 25 recommendations I'm checking out during the sale 💙 📚📢📚💙🪐📚⚔️🌈🚀💫

Having used various audiobook subscription services I can vouch for this based on the fact that none of the subscriptions last - the terms always change to offer less, as it is clearly an unsustainable model. I do really encourage using the library though.

A delightful new review for The Violent Fae! Little makes me happier than seeing someone read a third book in my series (and enjoying it). onereadingnurse.com/2025/08/22/t...

Today I posted this rather sad but necessary message about effectively stalling content on my ELT site, and I've received a whole bunch of incredibly thoughtful messages from strangers to very kindly remind me how much impact it's had over the years. englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/looking-to-t...

Phil's story demonstrates the massive ways that AI-incorporation is further diminishing our access to information.

Today I posted this rather sad but necessary message about effectively stalling content on my ELT site, and I've received a whole bunch of incredibly thoughtful messages from strangers to very kindly remind me how much impact it's had over the years. englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/looking-to-t...

Every attempt to search for a simple answer on the internet is now like those recipe websites with a Victorian epic's worth of rambling prologue. Then you finally reach an incorrect answer.

Useful article to share to cis folk who don't understand how bad the bloody guidelines the EHRC is trying to ram through would be (and yes I hate that we have to go 'look this hurts cis people as well' before some folks listen to us, but if it makes them listen): www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Excellent!

Spotlight Indie has a new article available to read now. Who gives a s@!%? No, we're not being flippant, that's the question we're asking. Or more accurately, the question @hollytinsl3y.bsky.social is asking - and finding surprising answers to. Read it here: spotlightindie.co.uk?p=1720

FYI, @author-crk.bsky.social is doing scamming Blockitty block.

Good Morning 8.45 where I am! Hope you’re all ok? Today I’m currently reading and enjoying hugely The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. What are you reading at the moment?

A chap across the road uses a service to clean his wheelie bins far more frequently (like, almost weekly) than I'd imagine necessary (i.e. never). Today a different service came, which makes me wonder if (a) the others disappointed him or (b) he was that desperate he needed whoever was available.

Posted a review, all too rare for me these days. This is for my friend Richard Buxton's In the Shadow of the Mountain, an excellent collection of American Civil War themed short stories. There are multiple award-winning stories in here, well worth checking out. www.amazon.co.uk/review/R6MIE...

Sorry, there's a version of Battleship Potemkin with a Pet Shop Boys score and no one told me?

The second half of our #serialised webstory has dropped, with THREE chapters to excite and entertain you from the crazed imaginations of @damodangerlarkin.bsky.social @fantasticphil.bsky.social and @derek-power-author.bsky.social spotlightindie.co.uk/category/rea... #booksky #writingcommunity

A reminder to UK peeps: please fill out this petition! It's gaining very good traction. Remember to also write a formal letter to your MP. I want no excuses. ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...

One of the most memorable and unsettling Black Mirror episodes for me has always been from the first season where Toby Kebbell obsesses uncontrollably over his recorded memories. Because that didn't just seem like tech that is likely to happen, it seems inevitable. Computer glasses be scary.

So my understanding of Everand's new system is that for 15% more than the old monthly unlimited subscription, you can now 'unlock' (ie buy) a single title a month & can only listen to it when you're subscribed (ie don't actually own it). Is everyone on the internet just trying to make things awful.

An excellent thread of thoughts and recommendations!

If you've ever wanted to support indie and self-published authors with disabilities or chronic illnesses but didn't know where to find them and their books, we've got a list of 50 fantasy and sci-fi books for YOU! Make an author's day and buy a book!