Serious about series – Great fun to write and read! @helenhollick.bsky.social asks a few authors to give their thoughts: ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2026/01/doin... @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social @susangrosseyauthor.bsky.social @marianlthorpe.bsky.social @elizabethstjohn.bsky.social

A story from #Guelph's history. mlthorpeauthor.substack.com/p/back-to-life

Congratulations to Helen Hollick and all my fellow authors! FATE: Tales of HIstory, Mystery, and Magic is a finalist in the Coffee Pot Book Club historical fiction awards!

In my current WIP, the head of the university has a white cat. (Why? Because Cillian, in the Empire's Legacy series, did - continuity over the centuries.) I came across this piece today on Oxford's college cats, real life being echoed in my fictional world! #cats oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...

And now for something completely silly.... #cats mlthorpeauthor.substack.com/p/medieval-c...

Do you live near #Guelph (Ontario)? I'm co-launching my new story collection Beyond the Wall at Peter Szabo's launch for his debut novel The Revived, at the Albion, Thursday Nov 6th 6 - 8:30 pm. I'd love to see you there! (No elevator, sadly, so be aware.)

A lovely review of my collection of short stories and verse!

Every year, October and juncos arrive together. open.substack.com/pub/mlthorpe...

The e-book of Beyond the Wall, my new short story collection, is now available for pre-order. Oct 31 release. (Not a fan of the particular e-book platform? DM me.) books2read.com/u/3LO82w The paperback will be available about the same time, and I'll post that information then. #booksky

"I like it here at the docks, among the ships and the cargo and the crying gulls." #booksky mlthorpeauthor.substack.com/p/the-birthd...

Surpassed 100,000 words on An Unwise Prince today. I might get the first draft finished this year after all! #booksky

The working cover -- not the final one -- for my next book, a collection of my best short stories and verse from the past 25 years (!) of being a published author. Out in late October - more details to come. #poetry #shortstories #fiction #Booksky

‘I looked around me, at the plain and the mountains, and thought about what had happened here, the blood and bones lying beneath the soil.’ #shortstory #fiction #historicalfantasy

Huge thanks to ‪@liisp.bsky.social‬ for both her review of Bjarndýr and the Marsh Monster and her 'character reveal' for some of the main characters from the works-in-progress, the duology An Unwise Prince and A Distant Obligation.

🏁Last book read: Dragonfired by J. Zachary Pike 🏁Current read: Empire’s Reckoning by @marianlthorpe.bsky.social 🏁Added to TBR: The Chosen One Con by @trudieskies.readindiefantasy.com 🏁Next read: whatever’s on my NetGalley, I need to catch up 😬 Share yours! #BookSky

The August edition of A Muse Bouche Review is out with stories from @reneegendron.bsky.social @marianlthorpe.bsky.social @jpgarlandauthor.bsky.social Arlene Davies-Fuhr and Wendy Nuttall mailchi.mp/7a91b581238b... #shortstories #muse #readingcommunity

"Hidden" - a modified #vignette from Empire's Passing. #shortstory mailchi.mp/7a91b581238b...

‘…the drama played out in the same way. To have seen it once was a moment to remember; twice was never to be expected.’

“She’s so looking forward to a proper garden,” Fred told me. #fiction #shortstory

July 26th #WIPSnips 'bail' -- or in this case, one of its many synonyms: 'pledge' #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

July 25th #WIPSnipes 'thrive' - or in this case, a synonym, 'prosper'. MC Cenric discussing an investment.#WIP #AnUnwisePrince

July 24 #WIPSnips 'inside' #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

July 23 #WIPSnips: 'minor'. A bit of worldbuilding from #AnUnwisePrince #WIP

Truth mirroring (my) fiction: a headline from my local paper today, and a snippet from Empire’s Exile.

July 22 #WIPSnips: needle. MC Luce, a physician, being concerned and frustrated by her uncle's reluctance to consider cataract surgery. (In the equivalent of the 13th C, so I might be on his side in this.) #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

It turns out picking up odd jobs in other dimensions is a bit easier if you happen to have forklift certification. Who knew? From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting

July 21 #WIPSnips. A synonym today; 'guarantee' MC Cenric at work. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

Jly 20 #WIPSnips 'moon'. An unexpected - and almost fatal - meeting of comrades after a battle. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

Sat down for a ten minute break. Husband was watching the Women's UEFA Euros, France-Germany. 2 hours later, I was still watching. What a game! Persistence, determination, & team work (& a touch of luck) led Germany to the victory, even after a 13th minute🟥which took them down to 10 players.

Summer colours.

'Search' for #WIPSnips. Luce is dealing with the responsibilities that fall to her after her uncle's stroke. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince.

'How much time do you need?' An antique store owner is more than he first appears to be. mlthorpeauthor.substack.com/p/summer-rer...

Not your usual Little Free Library

July 18 #WIPSnips 'together'. MC Audun, a few weeks short of eighteen, is an aspiring poet, aware he's got a lot to learn. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

#WIPSnips One day late, here’s a memory Heimdall doesn’t have – that of Freya turning herself into the most alluring horrible crone that ever walked through the Nine Worlds. #WIP: #WhyOdinDrinks book II www.whyodindrinks.com

July 17 #WIPSnips The only synonym/vibe this week: 'sardonic' in place of 'jaded'. MC Kirt is used to (and a bit fed up with) being the centre of covert attention. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

#WIPSnips "memory"

Jul 16 #WIPSnips 'memory' - Luce giving the eulogy for her uncle Rainard. #WIP #AnUnwisePrince

Today's theme was orange.

July 15 #WIPSnips: sister. MC Cenric wondering about his life choices. #AnUnwisePrince #WIP

Finally finished my #tricolor #heron! The vivid sunset was so delightful to capture, I feel like I used every yellow pencil I own on it. I will have prints available and the original will be for sale @ Arrowhead Gallery in Old Fort, NC. #art #sciart #birds #nature #illustration

Rock dove in watercolor The rock dove (Columba livia), also known as rock pigeon or common pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). #birding #birds #watercolor #birdartist #dove #pigeon #dove

#WIPSnips — rumble #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts #fantasy #amediting

Hello to all my new followers! I post about birds, nature, walking, history & my books, which are non-magical historical fantasy. An Unwise Prince is the #WIP. Find my short work at: - substack.com/@marianlthorpe For books: - scarletferret.com/authors/mari... or all the usual places

July 14 #WIPSnips 'rumble'. MC Cenric, contemplating the offer(s) from a potential new partner. #AnUnwisePrince

For the first time since I left NY my mind returned to the Too Good to be True ad; it intrigued me, like a blonde across a bar. The random miles cleared the cobwebs. If I found a place to hang my hat while I pretended to be a writer, great. #WIPSnips #writing Sea Smoke