A collage of books surrounded by autumn leaves: The killer question - Janice Hallet The examiner - Janice hallet The burning girls - CJ Tudor Really good, actually - Monica Heisey

My November reads 🍁🍂

Slowly working through my 25 books of 2025. Just 3 more to go!

My winning flash published in Mslexia in December is definitely appropriate for International Womens Day!

When following the headlines fills me with despair, it's comforting to cuddle with a family member who remains blissfully unconcerned about fascism.

That would be Trixie (a/k/a Bat-Mite).

Ink drawing of a little black cat sitting on the windowsill of a cracked open window. A lit candle and saucer of milk sits on the sill as offering. The starry night sky filters in through the coat of the cat revealing her fae nature.

#ArtAdventCalendar Day 15
Another magical cat for your weekend ✨
#art #cats #magiccats

Thank you so much to @natflashfictionday.bsky.social for nominating my piece “To Be Still” for Best of the Net! flashfloodjournal.blogspot.com/2024/06/to-b...

Feeling the Mehs — Melissa Llanes Brownlee It’s been a kind of a rough week here… been feeling like everything I do is meh… my writing, my job, my life… I know it’s so easy to go woe is me… so I won’t… but I do feel the need to acknowledge th...

weekly talk story about the mehs...

www.melissallanesbrownlee.com/talk-story/2...

Here’s a weird little love story I wrote a few years ago, looking forward to reading this list. Great idea
moonparkreview.com/issue-21-fal...

Turning Off the TV in Your Mind Thoughts on flipping from "TV brain" to "prose brain" when writing fiction

Blogged a little about "TV prose" and how to avoid it when writing fiction

Kryptonite by Kelli Short Borges After the first inhalation of you, after our date at the top of the Hyatt, the Compass Room it was called, like a sign like a magnet like some kind of direction, where we drank milk in martini glas…

So proud of this piece published by @lostballoon.bsky.social , and it still makes me cry 💔

lost-balloon.com/2024/08/14/k...

Coast by Allison Field Bell “I’m thirty-seven,” I say. “I want to have a baby.” He looks at me the way my cat looks at me sometimes: with expectation and judgement and unblinking green eyes. Except his eyes are dark. And here…

We have a great new piece today from @allisonfieldbell.bsky.social! Check out “Coast.” lost-balloon.com/2024/12/11/c...

The Taxidermist’s Art – Free Flash Fiction She has the red stag’s head down. It’s bigger up-close than it seemed on the wall: antlers that must be a yard across, tapering branches swaying on her lap. They’d been casting weird shadows for years...

The Taxidermist’s Art
by
Paul McDonald

#flashfiction
#WritingCommunity

freeflashfiction.com/fiction/the-...

New Micro by @manthes.bsky.social "One day, there will be a podcast episode about your disappearance, and a woman driving to work will skip it because you’ve never been found..."
fracturedlit.com/mother-of-th...

As a huge #Wicked fan, I was a bit apprehensive about the movie…but it was absolutely festivating. Thrillifying. Scandalacious even. #Ariana and #Cynthia were brilliant, funny, heartbreaking and just perfect for the roles - I could (did) cry 💚🩷
Congratulotion! 👏✨

A large black dog lying down on the carpet

Just a really nice dog 🖤

“I will gently pry your kitchen chairs apart. The legs and the slats curve like boat strakes and I will lash them together in the tub and then polish them shut with marmite.“

Such a rich study of character—loved it.

By @jonmcconn.bsky.social in @smokelong.bsky.social

Boy Parts it is!

That one was so brilliant and ridiculous - I read it twice. This is the first book of hers I’ve read, but her others are definitely on my TBR list now.

A tabby cat is so close to the camera that her head looks comically large compared to her body

I know scrolling through bluesky doesn’t technically contribute towards a word count, but I’ve read so many amazing #shortstories on here this week that have left me feeling inspired 💕

Photo: me reading your stories

#booksky 📚💙 #catsky 🐱

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate and share the cover for Doll Parts. The vibes are strong with this one: grunge, friendship, Sylvia Plath, & some ghosts that just wouldn’t go away.

Please pre-order and listen to ALOT of Courtney Love in the meantime. 🫶
#5amwritersclub #writingcommuning

A photo card with an orange Baltimore oriole

A photo card with a white Mustang

In my spare time (hmmm…) I run a tiny business for people living w/ #dementia and those who love & care for them. If you need a gift for someone in your life, I hope you’ll consider (ho-dee-ay). hodeeay.com 2 themes: Birds & Car Show. We have no marketing budget (or skill), thus, this post.

Check your fallacy...

It is! 🩷🖤

A book propped up against a lamp. The book cover features a pink bathroom with mirrors around the bath and glass/crystal taps. Maybe 1960s style. Coming out of the bath is a grey, zombie hand with pink nails. The cover reads ‘from the author of ‘boy parts’, Eliza Clark, she’s always hungry’ Quotes include: ‘Darkly hilarious’ Juno Dawson, ‘totally wild’ Claire Kohda and ‘delectable’ Alice slater

Current read: Eliza Clark’s ‘She’s Always Hungry’

Halfway through and every story is so weird and unique! Highly recommend for fans of short #speculative fiction and cosy (or not so cosy) #horror.

I also love this cover. It’s giving #TheSubstance vibes.

#booksky 💙📚

People of bsky, we recently found this organism in our bedroom. If anyone can help us identify what it is, I'd be extremely grateful #catsky

Think it’s some sort of horseshoe crab. They don’t tend to be aggressive, but it might need some dreamies just in case.

Standing in a TJ Maxx Selecting a Suitcase for My Dad’s Ashes - The Forge Literary Magazine Standing in a TJ Maxx Selecting a Suitcase for My Dad’s Ashes by Amy Strong, winner of the 2024 Forge Flash Nonfiction Competition

Our story of the week is the winner of our 2024 Flash NonFiction Competition: Standing in a TJ Maxx Selecting a Suitcase For My Dad's Ashes by @amystrong.bsky.social

Congratulations, Amy!

Black cats and their stripy friends 🖤🩶

Hi! I’d love to be included ✨ I write short stories (mostly for myself) but hope to be published one day