Imagine this happening in the UK and not having to sigh 'what do their parents do?' every time you hear about a new band. Wouldn't it be great to hear music from somebody who isn't directly related to the Lord Admiral Wythenshawe Bloodfeast MP, the Butcher of Bangalore?

Hey, I did a Q&A! Get a look inside my brain and my writing/reading habits!

Absolutely wild that I have stories in a new print anthology and the upcoming issue of The Ghastling in the same month - feels like all sorts of things are coming to fruition right now

"...I'm overcome with the sudden certainty that she'll vanish, the door transporting her to the moon or Siberia. But before my fear can get away from me, she's already through." "Door in the Woods" by @iamchrisscott.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD. 📝

We’ve been getting some great responses to our author Q&A series, which we’ll be releasing over the next few weeks. Here’s the first:

Very cool article about the illustration that went with my short story in the Broken Ground anthology: www.uncertainstories.com/inside-stori...

Just got my author’s copies of #BrokenGround . Rob Redman, editor of @uncertainstories.com , has done a fantastic job, and the illustrations by @lucyscottpictures are superb. Stories by me, Mark Taylor, Eva Carson, Tamsin Hopkins, @nathanielspain.bsky.social , Jack Edwards, and Flo Ward.

The government has responded to the 2.7 million people telling them not to introduce digital ID by basically saying "we know better than you, we're in charge, so stuff it" lol

On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read

My contributor copies for Broken Ground, the first anthology from @uncertainstories.com, are here! This book is absolutely stunning 😍 So pleased to be a part of this, and looking forward to reading the stories by my fellow contributors.

Every October, we watch a selection of gothic, horror, and other seasonal films. We started this one off with The Seventh Seal. I've watched this before, but I think I appreciate it more now I'm more familiar with the medieval imagination and what a good job this film does in tapping into it.

Submissions are now closed for our first anthology. Thank you to everyone who sent us a story! We've had over 100 submissions, from every corner of the North of England. It’s been very heartening to get such interest in the press, and for folks to trust us with their words ♥️

This month, I've been working on something for a horror game jam. It's a visual novel about religious exiles banished to a horrible planet. It's the first thing like this I've ever made! It's currently act 1 of a planned 3 act story. You can download it for free here: moss-thing.itch.io/golgotha

Yes I have last-day-of-submissions crazies, but honestly this has been so much fun. Very happy with how it's gone so far. And there's still time to send me your work for consideration! carnyxpress.co.uk/submissions

Saw the writing advice to avoid adverbs as much as possible, which irritated me. Yes, an adverb which repeats the meaning of a verb is unnecessary ("he whispered softly") but every word has its place and flavour. It's not about stripping out types of word, it's about using them with intention.

Getting ready for a delicious final batch of submissions arriving for our anthology call-out

Inside the magical wood a fox appears! 🦊 My second piece for my solo show at Gallery Nucleus. Both the original painting and sketch for this piece have sold — thank you!! 💕❤️💕 But many originals are still left as well as prints #kidlitart #illustration #gouache #watercolor

This month, I've been working on something for a horror game jam. It's a visual novel about religious exiles banished to a horrible planet. It's the first thing like this I've ever made! It's currently act 1 of a planned 3 act story. You can download it for free here: moss-thing.itch.io/golgotha

Re: LRT, there has never been a better time to dive headfirst into independent media. Indie games, indie movies, indie comics. Your media dollars support artists, not the corporations mining them like a resource, and it’s the best way to get an authentic, interesting experience now.

Galloping into the last few days of submissions, chasing down folkloric tales

Thinking about reboots. I think so many miss the mark because they concentrate on the story but forget about the atmosphere and emotional resonance. How about we Uno reversed that and started from the position of telling new stories with the impact of old IPs.

I've been thrilled by the response to this call-out so far, but there's still plenty of time to send me your writing! Chuck us a story 👇

It would be great if there was at least one representation on TV of a writer that's true to 99% of our experiences: squeezing writing painfully in around a (usually unrelated) full time job, a dozen freelance gigs, or some mad combo of the three

Happy #Bisibility Day to those who celebrate. 💙💜❤️

Bi visibility day, is it? How lovely! Hi, I'm a bi writer/designer/publishing professional living in the North of England 👋 You can check out what I get up to over at nathanielspain.co.uk

I've been thrilled by the response to this call-out so far, but there's still plenty of time to send me your writing! Chuck us a story 👇

It would be nice if we moved away from titling every fantasy novel a variation of 'A Song of Swords and Ruin', 'A Dance of Honour and Magic', 'The Realm of Golden Sorrow', etc

Doing a cool gig of songs about ghosts and graves in a tunnel in Newcastle if any of you fancy it! From the blurb: 'Prepare to be enchanted, entertained and unnerved by a seasonal set which will make Vincent Price look like Fisher-Price, or the other way around.' ouseburntrust.org.uk/events/event...

Just a few days left!

A sample piece from Necrosmologies, available here: thebraag.co/product/necr...

The Amphora of Great Intelligence (AGI) #webcomic #krita #miniFantasyTheater

I've heard this from multiple established writers also. Just in the five or so years I've been giving creative careers talks, my advice has gone from opportunities lists and grants to "do whatever you can to survive".

There's two weeks left to submit to our first anthology call-out! We're looking for folkloric tales from writers in the North of England. If you're honing your submission, check out our blog on how to help get selected (just updated with fresh advice!): carnyxpress.co.uk/2025/06/26/h...

We'll be putting our monthly newsletter together soon, so if you've got an event, call-out or other opportunity in October (relevant to writers in the North of England, speculative fic of particular interest), let us know!

“We’ll defeat the fascists in the marketplace of ideas” - everyone who pushed this ridiculous fucking notion is to blame.

This autumn, I'm running a series of fun online writing workshops, starting with: 🧚‍♂️ Exploring Folklore 📆 Wed 24 Sep, 7pm-8.30pm We'll be experimenting with our own folklore-inspired story through a range of writing exercises. www.amylordauthor.com/events

I finished reading all 1200 pages of Stephen King's The Stand. Feels like an achievement. It's perhaps most interesting as a cultural artefact/window into the preoccupations of the US. Horrifically conservative at times. Interesting to compare with UK apocalyptic fiction, e.g. Day of the Triffids.

There's three weeks until our submissions call-out closes! If you'd like to know what we consider folkloric, you're in luck - we've written a blog on that very topic. carnyxpress.co.uk/2025/07/23/w...

I have a new tiny story in @havehashad.com today about fleeting connections. thanks as always to @aaronburch.bsky.social, one of the best editors around, & to all of you who read this one ♡ 💀 🪦 ♡ www.havehashad.com/hadposts/our...

It's September, which means our submissions call-out for writers in the North of England closes at the end of this month! We're looking for strange, lyrical, literary and mesmerising short stories for our first anthology, on the theme of folklore 🍂 Find out more: carnyxpress.co.uk/submissions/

This has honest to god helped me write better opening paragraphs. If it's not something that's going to capture the attention of half-drunk mead drinkers in a gloomy longhouse, it ain't good enough

The Party Tree - watercolour and acryla gouache on paper Bilbo leaving his party early to embark on one last adventure. ✨prints on saIe✨

A few (non-exclusive) things we'd love to receive: 🌿 Stories rooted in contemporary working class communities 🍂 Nature-infused folktales engaging with the climate crisis 🌿 Queer, disabled, and otherwise marginalised tellings of traditional tales 🍂 Migrant folklores transposed to the North of England

Lit mag editors, would you like to submit work for consideration for the Monarch Queer Literary Awards? Check out our submission guidelines so you know what's eligible (and what isn't). Submissions open September 1:

Hooray for 400 followers! Our village of writers and readers is growing nicely. Thanks all for joining us on our publishing journey!

Our monthly newsletter is going out in a couple days, including updates from ourselves and opportunities for writers. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so here: buttondown.com/carnyx

look at this you haven't yet it's kinda fun kinda weird