#ABookInMyShop #Moss #booksky

Finally submitted a short story I've been working on. 2000 words. Worked really hard on it, if anything it's made me more frightened of writing as that much effort over a full novel would definitely kill me.

Current reading #booksky #alismith #gliff

Very nice to be named one of the ten best bookshops in Scotland. A lovely nod for the work we do, especially the community stuff. #Jedburgh #bookshop #nibbies

Helped promote a theatre show last night. One woman performance of A Room Of One's Own by #VirginiaWoolf - a hundred people at a show like this in a rural location is a massive win. Performed by Firebrand Theatre Company.

#ABookInMyShop Room To Dream by #DavidLynch and #KristineMcKenna

Fresh arrivals at P&S HQ! 🥳 From lost pubs to medieval mental health, whisky to war diaries—there’s something for everyone. Which one are you adding to your TBR? 📚

First cinema trip of the year for A Real Pain. Brilliant, love little character pieces like this, and some great comedy too. Kieran Culkin especially good and great Jesse Eisenberg script. Recommended.

#ABookInMyShop - Every Short Story by Alasdair Gray. It's massive! #booksky #alasdairgray #indiebookshop

#ABookInMyShop - Northerners: A History by Brian Groom. Tagine could have been From The Ice Age To The Dole Age to make it a bit more northern. Would like to tackle this one day.

A rare sit down to listen to album in full on speakers (headphones good but different). All time fave band but off the boil of late, this might be their most consistent for a while. Sounds a little more like a band than one member's studio project. Still got a returning guitar tone I can't dig tho

Thank to @alltherightmovies.com I've bought and rewatched this tonight. You forget the skinless T101 is a proper reveal. It's a brilliant design and genuinely unsettling, amazing it was so underused in all those sequels.

Great meeting of our writing group, sharing work in progress short stories for @edinburghawards.bsky.social competition. Great that none of us would have entered without the group. I'm now getting the #Heron&Willow reading groups to feedback on them too. #creativewriting #indiebookshop

First film of the month. This week's theme was Film Under 95 Minutes. At 80 mins this easily got in. Didn't know it was a 'one-shot' too, something I very much enjoy. Definite #insidenumber9 vibes, so much so that we watched Mr King afterwards.

Finished up #Clear by #CarysDavies today. Remote Scottish Island? That's all I need know. Look forward to discussing with the bookgroup next week. #Booksky #scotland #newbooks

Dark Horse takes seriously the allegations against Neil Gaiman and we are no longer publishing his works. Confirming that the Anansi Boys comic series and collected volume have been cancelled.

Running a little competition for the day: how many books do you think are in my bookshop? £15 voucher for the closest answer. Shop is about 700 square ft... good luck! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Absolute lightbulb moment for how to write my new story. Means I wasted a day and 5000 words but I get it now. I find it so hard writing fiction to know what the voice is. Journism, opinion; fine. Excited to see if this works!

Took six months to clear the loft out. Plotting a new book idea for three months. Finally, a free day to start writing something. Very hard. Feels boring when first laid down but have to do that foundation work. 5000 words, very tiring! #writing #writingroom #creativewriting #loftspace #newbook

Writing prompt: this photo. #writing #creativewriting #writingprompt

Good heavens, @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social, this paragraph

Late Xmas present to myself. Maybe the most metal album ever. What can you do to it? Dance, write, sleep, think? It's great. #Doom #MickGordon #gaming #gamingsoundtrack #metal #doomslayer #idsoftware #vinyl

21 year old woman makes it to the South Pole! So much brilliance, determination and strength. Bravo, Karen Kylleso. www.cbsnews.com/news/karen-k...

My half dipped copy of #TheOffing by #BenjaminMyers - the closer I get to the end the more its drowned state becomes appropriate - and twice so in a land (Tenerife) with no actual Offing (line between Horizon and Sea.) #Booksky

I still fall into the idea that being on holiday will be this great time to be creative, free of all those responsibilities. But it's always an empty-headed time, or of larger reflections. I love taking photos for later inspiration though and the down time is a brilliant, literally recharge.

Always an autobiography read for holiday times for me. Wanted to tuck into this for a while, ideal to read about the deeply abusive english school system whilst under the Canarian sun. Well done @adrianedmondson.bsky.social , very thoughtfully put together, and not even got to meeting Rik yet.

#UFO50 game 2 - Bug Catcher. Great Into-The-Breach-a-like, delighted to grind out a 3 job run to claim that gold medal but alot more depth to dig through too. Smart stuff.

Despite some slow mornings, I've already made what I took in all of Jan last year, so feel extra unapologetic or unguilty about going on holiday. Hoping I can announce our first five events of the year to the mailing list before we shoot off.

People who put their heart and soul and maybe years into writing their book then at the last minute throw a cheap, clichéd AI cover on it and dump it in the Amazon 99p Kindle bargain bin. Absolutely don't get it.

It was 12:30 before I had my first customer today. Was sure I was on for my first £0 day but then folk thawed out and it was a decent day. It's a real thing to go from a week's takings in a day to the slog of January!

Next book... Wildfire by Leeroy Thornhill of The Prodigy. Had been hoping the last copy on the shelf wouldn't sell so I could take it home. #TheProdigy #Prodigy #Booksky #Firestarter #Newbook

A joyful day of stock taking. Two hours down!

I started the year with some real journalism: on the return of Grant Mitchell to EastEnders and what the wider trend of 1990s nostalgia says about our ever chaotic world. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Driving up on the hills seeking writing inspiration for something new I'm starting. Strange little place up in the wilds. I swear I saw a llama poke it's head out as I drove away. #writing #creativewriting #scotland #scottishborders #secretllama

A good twist is fun if you can manage it. Roald Dahl, Frederick Forsyth and others could pull it off even within 2000 words. I also enjoy short pieces that add to the “lore” of a series.

My writing group is focusing on short stories this week, as we are going to attempt to enter a competition (2000 words). We're going to talk about what makes a great short story, and great short story writers. Any advice or insight? #shortstory #writers #writing #creativewriting

Writing advice from @wiswell.bsky.social via Polygon. Gamifying approaches to writing is good for me! But also the very simple - write what you are excited to be writing: www.polygon.com/books/503383...

There is no better time than right now to abandon Twitter. Make it useless. Worthless.

Due to EA still not getting themselves in order on PC, I've had to get a copy of #JediSurvivor on PS4. Runs absolutely fine, the visuals have this weird painted quality that I really like. And I guess I now get to play it old school on the big TV so not all bad. #starwars #jedi #videogames

go.bsky.app/6PczfAH A great Starter Pack 📖🖋️📚 #writers #authors #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #booksky #creatives #booklovers #follow

Did you catch the recent Booksellers Association / Arts Council research showing how indie bookshops are gateways to wider access to arts, and engines of local writing talent? www.artscouncil.org.uk/creative-mat...

After finishing Xmas books its my first 2025 book, for our bookgroup. As a #bookseller I feel I'm meant to worship at the altar of the Booker Prize but I mainly find it a turn-off and avoid nominees. However, 2024s winner says 'uplifting' on the front and is short so we're giving it a shot. #BookSky

I'd like to read more Scottish literature this year. This list is a good start from @fivebooks.com 📚🦋#booksky fivebooks.com/best-books/l...

It's essential you complete this resolution generator and stick to it's outcome!

My new year’s resolution generator for @theguardian.com. Let me know what you get!

I'm not a fan of running sales, I think it can really damage your business if they are too frequent. BUT... I do like a sale as a punter. So we're having a little one, to genuinely make space new stock. But books are worth every penny, right?!

Sat this close to the heater all day, four layers on but still freezing. Sold lots of books though #scotland #bookseller #indiebookshop

It's been a while since I've done a Q&A for aspiring authors, so if you have any questions about writing and publishing, ask away...

First game of the year then. Quick fifteen mins suggests this could be one to map with pen and paper. Mysterious energy of a Spectrum game I've never been able to track down/remember. Let's go #Barbuta #UFO50