Some art from my upcoming Smiling Damned: Yakuza comic. These pages are by Henry Pop and Cristian Roux, coloured by Graeme Jackson. The cover is Cristian Roux. Stories about the Japanese mob set in the 1890s, the 1990s, the 2010s, & a gonzo SF noir fantasy future. www.kickstarter.com/projects/jas...

This is mine and @jasonfranks.com’s creation, @techbrobot.bsky.social. Using a dataset of authentic garbage spewed out by techlords, he’s programmed to spit out his nonsense in response to what trends on Bluesky. Like Elon, but he won’t fire your brother or deny your community life-saving aid.

Avast, ye lubbers: I have a story in this pirate anthology, set in my Faerie Apocalypse universe--so you know it's unhinged. Plenty of amazing work by a killer crew of bloodthirsty knaves. If that sounds cool to you, please click on through. Screw the oligarchs--support indie books!

This was a fantastic indie horror book full of heart and beautiful, rendered in Hayden's beautiful and mad ink-wash style. You should order one.

The right slasher for our times. THE MATRON, a new horror comic created and written by Drew Edward and me, illustrated by @monicacomics.bsky.social, and published by @ipicomics.bsky.social. Special pre-order campaign begins this Saturday!

Also, um, another Kickstarter for you consideration. This one is an anthology of Pirate stories from Outland Entertainment. Edited by Scott Colby and Alana Abbott, with stories by me, my pard Jason Fischer, Allison Pang, Chris Roberson, and heaps more. www.kickstarter.com/projects/133...

Hello Bluesky. I have a Kickstarter for your kind attention. The first is for The Matron, an LGBTQI+ generational slasher epic which brings Slavic myth to central Texas. Written by @davidbowles.us & Drew Edwards, art by Monica Gallagher. www.kickstarter.com/projects/ipi...

Their mission: to seek out new life--and eat it.

How long until Halloween again? Cause I'm fucking ready for Halloween.

Elon Musk is about as punk as a pocket protector: my latest in the @theguardian.com comes from such a sincere place of loathing that they even let me keep the swears in. theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I lived in the US on an H1B visa for five years. I remember vividly a coworker complaining to me about foreign workers taking American jobs. When I identified myself as one such he said "You don't count. You're Australian." Which of course meant that he thought of me as being white.

Well, looks like there's still time to squeeze in one more funeral before New Year's. This is the fourth death of a friend or relative this year.

Santa came early this year and he brought me... the flu. Yeah.

Late in the year contributor's copies of these two fine anthologies. These two horror short stories, the Gourmand go graphic novella, and my non fiction piece for the Jewish Independent are the entirety of my published output for this year.

A gorgeous collection by the great Jim Krueger (and cover art by John K Snyder III): The Frankincense Monster and Other Creepy Horror Stories! Just released now! https: //ifwgpublishing.com/2024/12/06/new-release-the-frankincense-monster-and-other-creepy-christmas-stories-by-jim-krueger/

Turned in the script for Frankenstein Monstrance #3 today--my SF horror book about surveillance capitalism, biotech and journalism. this script is four pages extra and about 10 months late. We have two issues in the can and one more to go after this one.

Good news - it appears the audiobook for my latest novel, The Escher Man, is on sale in the US. Do yourself a favour: tinyurl.com/23bc58jj

If you haven't read Ursula Le Guin you need this in your face. There's nobody better and never will be.

Happy thanksgiving, my American friends. If you ate the sweet potato thing with the marshmallows in it I am not going to ask why, but I am judging you.

This magnificent beast is just released. Horror stories about pregnancy, birth, and babies. I'm really pleased that my psychological horror story "Grizzle" is included. It's about a widower trying to white-knuckle care of his newborn son. ifwgpublishing.com/2024/11/25/n...

In politics clarity is its own opportunity. The storm of the 2024 election has created great clarity. The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, and 3rd richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, are currently asking a group of Trump judges to end the right to organize & join a union in the United States.

💙📚 In this four-part series exclusive to Ginger Nuts of Horror, the contributors have agreed to pull aside the curtain and reveal the inspiration behind their nightmarish tales. gnofhorror.com/spawn-2-behi... @carolryles.bsky.social @ifwgpublishing.bsky.social

I'm not a big account or a frequent poster but... my notifications today are an order if magnitude busier than they ever were on Hellsite Prime, except maybe for a single tweet that blew up a bit one time. I guess I'm in some starter packs a f the platform is seeing a huge influx. Cheers, legends.

Kind words about my novel Faerie Apocalypse, which is... very dark portal fantasy about mortals traveling to the faerie realms, and the damage they wreak. I usually say Blood Meridian meets Stardust, which I hope sounds problematic, because that is the point of the book.

GenAI researchers may ignore abstract rule learning but smart cognitive neuroscientists like @desrocherslab.bsky.social and @earlkmiller.bsky.social know abstract rule learning is a key part of cognition. New study:

Turned in a 25K manuscript today. It's still a bit rough an ready but it has taken me a long long time and I am feeling really good about it. It's a collaboration, but I am being paid to do the execution of it, which is a new experience. MG fiction--also something new for me. Now I'm gonna watch TV

I have a short story, "Grizzle", in this new anthology, Spawn 2. Horror stories about pregnancy, birth, and babies. @gnofhorror.com has been kind enough to host a series of short essays by the writers, and I'm in this one. Click through for some behind-the-scenes on these stories.

IPI Comics has just announced it will augment some of its comics with Crowd-funding! Here's the first that will launch soon (if interested, please click the notify button): ow.ly/AtmH50Ubvpx

I have other issues with shunning 'only' challenging opinions and information, but I agree it's not the job of a social network to force that on you. Just please stop giving dopamine hits and algorithmic boosts to the people who hate you it's fucking empty. It is the fuel they yearn to squeeze out.

This is why we bang on about pre-orders. It really does help.

Trying to smash out a short story over the weekend, but the second half isn't working. It's devolved into an info-dump two hander lacking drama and suspense. Usually a short story like this takes 5 drafts with a month or so between. Guess I'll come back to it when I have a clue.

Lots of inspirational posts from people my age--younger Gen-Xers. Gratitude, inner peace and all that. But that's not me. I see my dad more in more in how what I say, how I move, how I talk to my kid. Obsolete in areas that didn't exist when I was a kid. Frayed, frazzled and heading for fifty.

What, a few hours with no new followers? Just when I started thinking I was popular!

Gulpepper is not like other places. Some maps don’t even show it. And only outsiders use the full name. Everyone who lives there calls it The Gulp. Because the place has a habit of swallowing people. Aurealis Award-winning horror and only 99c right now in ebook! alanbaxter.com.au/my-books/the...

This novella is brilliant and you should all go and read it forthwith.

First idiot blocked on this platform since I decided to come back yesterday. Feels good.

Alright Blue Sky, I guess it's time to give y'all a second shit, since Hellsite Prime has somehow become even worse and this place has grown. Lots of friends here now. Let's see if I can enjoy somewhere I don't need feel the need to block a dozen strangers every day.

Wear ninja socks to the gym? Y/N

I dreamt that a stranger started flirting with me by handing me a (clean) pair of her running shorts. I was with a group of friends I can't identify. We talked about the weather and while I stood wondering what to do with the shorts. WTF, dream brain?

Bax is back. You know you need this.

Frankenstein Monstrance #1, by me and Tam Morris, made the Aurealis Awards shortlist. Lovely to be recognised in such company. Congrats to the other shortlistees! aurealisawards.org/2024/03/15/2...

I have the Gourmand go print run in had and it's delicious. Backers are in for a treat.

Well, I wrote a 13000 word novelette instead of making progress on any of the work I have overdue. I'm telling myself that I've gotten it out of my system and can now can get myself back on track. Pray for me.

My comedy “A Fool in Love” at the SydneyTheatreCo is STILL a top pick in TimeOutSydney. Hooray! Alas, the show must finish on March 17 so DO NOT DELAY, please come! (You can book through this link, too!) YAY!!! What an amazing ride! www.timeout.com/sydney/theat...

This writing caper... I don't know what I'm doing but I know I need to streamline. Once I'm done with the Bloody Waters Sequel (almost there) I don't know what my next big project is. I have more comics work and will keep doing that. I have a half finished novel to pick up, but maybe I won't.

Getting myself back together now. Gourmand Go is ready for print and I'm waiting for the first proof. Good progress on my missed deadline from December. And the new story I shouldn't be writing is blazing. I'm still underwater but feeling productive again.

One of my most precious friends died a few weeks ago. She was only 50 and, while I knew she was unwell, I didn't expect this. We grew apart and now live on the opposite sides of the world, but we stayed in touch. We did a video call just a week before she passed away. (cont)

I have much writing overdue, right now, but I'm just too choked up with... stuff... to do it. I'm usually pretty disciplined, especially when there are deadlines hanging over me. But right now I just can't do it. It's been weeks.

Today in grumpy old manism www.popehat.com/p/columbia-l...

I'm listening to an album I associate closely with my dead friend on the tram today. These songs about lost love and tragic circumstances hit so differently knowing that she's gone. "Heaven help me/ I'm forsaken/ I should rest here for a while/ In silence"