Sam grinning and holding up a copy of Rabbit Test and Other Stories

Good morning, book birthday is finally upon me!! Rabbit Test and Other Stories is out in the woooorld 🥳

“Pressing start is the hardest part” to borrow from my yoga app. Once you're moving (writing), it’s never as awful as you anticipated — so removing maximum friction from starting is helpful.

Writing longhand also feels like an indulgence, like a separate activity from needing to hit word counts.

So it’s inherently less intimidating, and can allow you to at least make a tiny bit of progress, build a tiny bit of momentum.

This sounds like shitposting, but there’s a mechanical and visual satisfaction to be had in creating a few pages of writing with a lovely pen — and when your confidence hits the floor, that’s still worth something.

Nice stationary.

The words might be terrible, but at least they sparkle.

Ancient oak tree, drawn in pen and ink

New work! May Day, an ancient oak tree. Drawn in pen and ink, coloured in Procreate #SciArt #treeart #treeartist #oaktree #ancientoak #illustration #penandink #inkdrawing #handdrawn

Two hooded figures with lamps approach a moonlit, isolated cottage. A woman answers the door. We have come for the child, says the hooded figure So soon? she asks It is time, says the hooded figure. The woman is distraught. We should never have got him a library card! What is done cannot be undone, says the hooded figure We couldn’t see the harm! We just wanted him to enjoy reading! For most, it ends there, says the hooded figure, turning away and walking into the wilderness Oh lord, What have I done! says the woman, the child walks past her and out into the darkness with them. Do not cry mother. I am a writer now.

my latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com

Yay! Congratulations!

That’s so sweet!

“Frustration with modern dating” feels like an awfully charitable phrasing for what’s motivating these guys

The Iron Garden Sutra Klara and the Sun meets S. A. Barnes’s Dead Silence with a touch of Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built in Nebula Award-winning author A.D. Sui’...

*inhales deeply*

behold! my wares!

i have books about sad monks:

I shall relay the message. 🫡

🥰

Lying down frog statue.

Cutest frog statue.

It was inspired by our visit to Nyoirin-ji in Ogori.

Cake with frogs and mushrooms.

It’s my sister’s birthday! Which means it is time, once again, to make a ridiculous cake. 🐸

Congrats! 🥳

We read Works of Vermin by @hironennes.bsky.social for my book club and I adored it! I was completely consumed clawing and groping my way through this moistly decadent, transformatively stinky bug-infested world and characters. shoutout to @jdebbiel.bsky.social for the killer cover too!

“Exclusive Books” just rolls off the tongue better.

It’s going to be soooooooo nice when people ask “where can I get your books?” and I don’t have to respond with “well, if you pay the red-eyed merchant beneath the blood moon, and then perform the ritual of timely deliverance, and also spend like, 600 bucks—”

Two copies of Asunder in front of book shelves.

For the first time in my local bookshop!

no one is allowed to pick option one though, I am NOT contributing more words to this thing, i am already eligible for best novella awards.

I am still winning.

Screenshot of a survey from the playtesting Discord. “How have you found the character dialogue length so far? Select one answer It's too short and makes me wish there was more. 0% 0 votes It's too long and makes me want to skip through it. 0% 0 votes It's the perfect length. 100% 6 votes Other (Let us know in testing-general-chat!) 0% 0 votes”

HAH! 💅

Friday’s another good day to go to the zoo if you’re looking for something that you want to do:

A shot of the first page of Radiant Star

A box of books, all of which are copies of Radiant Star!

Woohoo! Package!

88% off!!

Only R79, though.

A mysterious neon green plastic device trailing what are presumably two fish hooks. The whole thing is luminous. There’s a large fish in the background, gawping at the contraption.

Wtf is being advertised at me right now?