Well, I've just finished reading the Legacy of Ash trilogy by Matthew Ward. Excellent writing; almost poetic at times, but never overly so. Chunky books (most were just shy of 800 pages) which is kinda normalised these days for high fantasy. Great story very well delivered. (Pic not mine)

I'm very pleased to share the new cover for Reborn in Ash! I will change the ebooks and first, then sort out the paperbacks and hardbacks. It's getting a new blurb too! Please bear with me during the transition. If you have an ebook and want to keep the old cover, please contact me. 💙📚🪐 #WriteSky

I remember my first time trying an RPG MMO. I went in, newbie player as I was, expecting others to want to LARP and role-play. Instead, it was full of Level 60 dudes flexing about how much real money they'd spent levelling up and then beating up level 1 players. Put me off for years.

Having used terms like "chat", "sigma" and "skibidee" to my teenage son, I can concur. He never wanted to use those phrases so fast.

Writing, reading, movies, television, every form of enjoying storytelling can be a form of escapism. Does that mean we are avoiding dealing with the problems in the world and our lives? No, of course not. Stories provide us with hope, revitalizes and inspires us during times when we need it most.

Magic users in The Magic Circle are still figuring things out. Individuals can get good at particular skills (such as camouflage, making others do what they want, etc.). But, it's all so new that no one yet could be called a master. Though there is a new char in book 2 who comes close. *spoilers*

Absolutely essential reading, people.

OK, I'm probably very late to this, but stumbled across Star Trucker and, for £20, damn it's a fun take on trucking. Yes, it's basically being a truck driver through space. But it's also being a mechanic, replacing airfilters, choosing systems to turn off to save your batteries, etc.

Me: Discovers Star Trek: Captain's Chair card game exists. Me: Checks to see if it's still available to buy in UK: yes it is. Me: Checks out some YT videos to see if I would enjoy it. Decide that, yes, I would. Me: Checks *the entire internet* to find you can't buy it anywhere in UK now.

Noticed the TV series Halo is on Netflix and leaving it at the end of the month. Saw it had 1 season, so thought I'd give it a try. It's actually rather good. So, I thought I'd see if there's going to be a season 2. Turns out it's already out on Paramount, but then they pulled any more seasons.

Beth is an artist first, but is taught how to use a rifle and squad tactics out of necessity. Yevgeny is an assassin, preferring magical stealth to get in close, or sniping to hit from afar. Wikus prefers other people or laser drones to do the fighting, but will use lasers or an old pistol himself

There are 3 different sources of magic in The Magic Circle: North pole, south pole, and Celestial. Polar magic uses a person's innate abilities to harness leylines; Celestial requires hosting a spirit in you and using their power. There's also tech, such as comms devices, that use magic.

The rain in Devon where I am has been relentless, and it's eroding the roads so much that, on a short journey to a nearby town, I saw 4 traffic cones placed inside deep potholes to warn drivers. Didn't stop someone from just driving straight over one, leaving just the base behind, though.

New #BookReview! It's been a while, but here I am bringing you my first review of 2026 with the remarkable Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky Cannot wait for the next one 🤩 www.alankdell.co.uk/... 💙📚🪐 #SFF

As some of you know, I've been getting into instant porridge pots lately, and my wife keeps finding new ones I haven't tried yet. This one got me confused. Am I alone in thinking the only person who'd want cold porridge is Mamma Bear? I can't think of anyone else who'd actually want that.

⚔ Dual-wielding thief whose revenge goes wrong 💎 Gem-based elemental magic 👩‍❤️‍👩 Sapphic romance subplot 💀 Brutal deaths 👑 An empire doing empire things If you like any of those, give Reborn in Ash a try! Rated 4.5 on GoodReads. books.thellian.com/reborn-in-ash 💙📚🪐 #BookSky #Fantasy #SFF

The Magic Circle has a very limited number of people who can access magic, at least to begin with. It doesn't help that leylines are not evenly spread over the world, so some countries get a lot whilst some get none. That said, some scientists have harnessed magic with machines.

Only a few days left before HOME SHATTERED hits shelves! The war for the holy tree continues as two brothers try to reunite and stop a rampaging conqueror from invading their home. 4horsemenpublications.com/product/home... #middlegradebooks #actionadventure

The Magic Circle doesn't have much vocab for its magic system. But it does all stem from magical poles (think magnetic poles, but for magic). The magnetic poles had blocked them, but after the nuclear war, those poles shifted. They then create leylines, but not evenly and not everywhere.

I'm all at 6s and 7s this morning. Needed to get up this morning to do another self-tape recording with my daughter, but my clock said 10am. Frantically got out of bed and got dressed, to hear my son heading off to school. My clock had decided to display the wrong time for no reason. It was 8 am.

I've been far too busy lately helping my daughter record self-tape auditions to do much marketing for me, so, err, please buy my book. 😁 ❤️📚

I love playing board and card games, but when you play with family who are easily distracted and always forget whose turn it is, or which direction the cards are going, it does get exhausting having to be the only one who follows it and reminds them when they ask.

The Magic Circle actually has some deep and hard rules for its magic system. Unfortunately for the characters, they have no idea what they are, so they are learning as they go. This means at first glance, it seems like it's just vibes and whatever, but the rules run deep.

The cat: strong, flexible; an adaptive hunter, capable of high speed chases and fearsome attacks. My cat:

For any readers in the UK (and much of mainland Europe): today is your very last chance to scoop up Wooing the Witch Queen in ebook for only 99p! www.panmacmillan.com/authors/step... #romancelandia

Me: *plays a card* My son: *plays a card* My daughter: *spends next 10 minutes nattering about whatever has come into her head that she needs to get out now, otherwise she'll forget* My daughter: "Who's go is it?" This is why our card games take forever to play.

My teenage son is off to a comicon today, where a guest speaker is Brian Blessed. When asked if he wanted to see him, he didn't want to bother as his only experience of Blessed is as Grampy Rabbit from Peppa Pig.

A nice, chilled out game of Wingspan, and then you realise the bird nests are all the wrong type for what I need and there aren't enough eggs on there oh my gawd how am I supposed to get any points?!?! Funnily enough, I lost the game, though only by 2 points in the end. #boardgames

And, because I'm a muppet, I forgot to put a link on this. If you like the sound of this book, you can get it on Amazon or also direct from my website. www.linktr.ee/bryerson #BookSky

We really shouldn't have to bloody do this but INDIE AUTHORS, opt out of Ingram selling your books to AI companies: www.ingramcontent.com/page/ai-opt-... #IndieAuthors #IndieBooks #WritingCommunity #BookSky #SelfPublishing #IngramSpark #Ingram

Fancy a #book with: 🐕 Shapeshifters 🕵‍♂️ Spies 🪄 Magical powers 🚁 Laser drones 🔫 Military action 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ rep and romance 💥 Post-apocalyptic future 🍲 Food Then check out The Magic Circle, a dystopian #scifi fantasy out on print, #ebook, #KindleUnlimited and #Audible. #WritingCommunity

This thread is worth a read. Probably conatins more information about AI than the government approved (but not provided) AI course it is documenting.

Doing something fun today: helping my daughter record self-tapes for her Musical Theatre degree course applications. Means I get to dust off my piano skills and video recording, too.

I've been getting into instant porridge pots lately, and it's unlocking a new pet peeve. Putting the word "flavour" in small writing doesn't absolve you of not putting that item in. You have APPLE AND BLUEBERRY (flavour) I'm still expecting some fruit in it. Even the Tesco cheap ones have fruit.

Beth has a great relationship with her parents, often popping back to to see them. Yevgeny accidentally killed his when he was a kid, unleashing magic. Now, his only family is his uncle/spy boss. Wikus hasn't had family for years, but his closest friend is the AI construct he made.

I'm in a mood. Here's a link to my book. No genAI went anywhere near it. I wrote it. I edited it. I did the cover. If you enjoy reading fantasy books with an angry female POV, have at it. Also found family, sapphic romance subplot, elemental magic, brutal deaths. Annoying nobles... 💙📚🪐 #WriteSky

I am informed there is a Book Marketing "Expert" claiming they have helped me sell my books. This is a lie. If any of these "experts" claim me as a client, do not believe a word they say and run away from them before they steal your money.

Had a fun couple of games of Joyride today. Works OK with 2, but definitely more fun and chaotic with more. #boardgames

Storm Chandra has come and gone, and the small town where I live is OK. However, all around it has become flooded, to the point where the major roads in or out are blocked. Schools have been shut, and nearby towns and villages have had some severe flood damage.

The Magic Circle does have military action in it, but it's mostly small-scale (individual, a squad, then building up to a handful of squads). That said, there is a special location in book 2 that will be very strategic, and siege warfare, using magic as well as conventional means, to secure it.

Beth would just quietly eat what she was given and be mortified if anyone made a fuss. She'd also be secretly judging it. Yevgeny would politely but firmly explain that it was wrong, and wouldn't back down. Wikus would politely explain, too, but if they argued back, he'd set laser drones on them.

Random fact about me: over the years, I've studied quite a few languages. Only a few up to any decent level, but still, I've studied French, German, Japanese, Dutch, and more recently, Norwegian. Have you studied any other languages, and what has been your favourite?

Weird seeing "Stafford" come up as a trending topic. Never realised a town in the UK Midlands would be so popular. Oh, wait. Nope, never mind.

The Magic Circle has different ways for different continents. Europe has small squads who are required to do basic training. In Russia, you only see one aspect; a spy/assassin. Fed of Africa gets squads of shapeshifters who specialise according to shape. Eagles are snipers; bears shock troops.

Had a game of P & M (Plus and Minus) with my wife, daughter, and father in law. To give you an idea of how old it is, there's some writing of a highscore an old family member got in 1944! #boardgames #cardgames

Saw someone (presumably in the US) who had been playing Battlestar Galactica #boardgame. I don't think they make it anymore, but I was curious how difficult it would be to buy it here in the UK. Absolute cheapest I found was around £125 (c. $170) but it went up to £300 ($400) in some shops.

🧙 wild witches 🐦‍⬛ a crow (or two) 🔮 portal fantasy 🐈‍⬛ a cat who wanders in 👨‍❤️‍👨 true love 🗡️ revenge 👑 evil faeries 🔖 universal link: mybook.to/rlEOgP 💌 itch.io link: rebecca-crunden.itch.io/enlil-aris-t... 📖 goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23... [ #booksky ]

I don't like how apps don't care about what you want these days. Had an update to my Android phone. It "suggested" some apps to install, and I told it I didn't want them. So, it downloaded some anyway. Same with settings, constant emails from places you bought one thing from, demands for reviews..

The Magic Circle had a big war about 40 years previously, with nuclear missiles firing at various countries and ending in just minutes. It devastated everything so much, it shifted the magnetic north pole and released magic. Since then, the remaining countries vowed to never speak to each other.