My photo shows a mosaic fragment from the floor of a Roman villa in Spain, dated AD 100-200s. It depicts a stylised octopus using red, yellow, white, and black limestone tesserae, against an off-white background. The front-facing octopus appears almost cartoon-like, with a large red and white head and body outlined in black. Its yellow circular eyes are outlined in black with a central black dot which stare out at the viewer. Below the head and body are eight writhing arms. This octopus and other fragmentary animal mosaics were discovered in the 19th century at the Hermitage of Santa Colomba, Villaquejida, León, which had been built on the site of a Roman villa.

A charming little octopus from a #Roman villa at Villaquejida, León, Spain. Limestone, 2nd-3rd century AD 🐙❤️

Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid 📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

Lit for Queer Liberation 2026 Silent auction 'Lit for Queer Liberation 2026' hosted online at 32auctions.

🌈 I'm participating in Lit for Queer Liberation auction! Come AMA about publishing or if you're querying, get notes on your query letter! All proceeds fund the Queer Liberation Network. Links to bid: www.32auctions.com/organization...

I was born in an Iranian prison. My parents were held in their jails. My uncles lie in their mass graves. Nothing you can tell me about the crimes of the Iranian regime that I haven't lived in blood and bone. That doesn't mean I want my people bombed, maimed, killed, their homes in ruins. If your vision of liberation comes only through the destruction of innocent lives, then it's not freedom you're after. Sahar Delijani, Iranian author

I am pro Iranian people. I stand with them against their own government’s repression AND against the imperial violence in the form of bombs dropped from the sky from Israel & the US who have already killed hundreds.

I support neither imperialism or dictatorship.

Sahar Delijani said it best:

A large Regency house. Two sisters named Emilia and Charlotte talk on an upper floor. "Mister Blackwell has come to call again." says Emilia as she looks out of the window "Oh, how I despise his uncouth manners and electric bicycle!" Charlotte says "Sister, you will end up a spinster if you insist on a historically accurate suitor." and continues "The romance novel has changed, Emilia, and so must we." Emilia replies "Easy for you to say. You are engaged to the richest werewolf in the county!" They are walking through the house. Charlotte says "Look at Cousin Lucy: She is quite plain, yet made a most advantageous match with the dragon queen of nalthrax." "True." says Emilia opening the door. The tall, solid figure of Miuster Blackwell stands at the door wearing a top hat and tailcoat: "Ladies, I triumphed In my ice hockey match and won ten thousand a year in sponsorship! Miss Emilia, will you be my bride?" he is holding a hockey stick. Emilia swoons into Charlotte's arms.

A romance cartoon for the @theguardian.com

Cover for Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell: Two women fighting on a dramatic background of mountains and clouds

COVER REVEAL: Call Me Traitor, my sapphic Winter Soldier-esque fantasy! Beyond delighted with this stunning @eliotbaum.bsky.social art with design by Jess Kiley. Preorders gratefully welcomed if it’s your thing! us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

Since everyone has Frankenstein on the brain: more people should read Ahmed Sadaawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad.

Huge congrats @suyidavies.com!! 🎉🎉🎉

If I don't like your pitch, but you think your work could be right for me, please also feel free to query at the same link! #DVpit

Hi #DVpit, I'm so glad we're back! If I like your pitch please send in your query + first 20 pages or GN pitch or art portfolio at the following link:
querytracker.net/query/tkawar...

My sapphic figure skating graphic novel, Just Between Us, is debuting next year 🩷🩷🩷

a canceled streaming subscription is easily converted to several spec fic magazine subs on patreon and similar services, some are as low as 1-2 bucks. the more you know.

bask in the brilliance of this cover!

Welcome to the final reckoning.

SEASON OF THE SERPENT 🐍, the final book in The Nameless Republic trilogy, is out from Orbit Books in August 2026. Buckle up.

Against a blue background, white text "The Crowns of Ishia novella trilogy". Below, the book covers for THE MOUNTAIN CROWN, THE DESERT TALON and A COVENANT OF ICE. The white Solaris logo is at the bottom in the middle.

Now complete!

THE CROWNS OF ISHIA, @karinlow.bsky.social 's novella trilogy of indigenous dragonriders seeking to live in balance with the land, resist those that oppress them and find love and family on the frontier concludes in A COVENANT OF ICE.

Buy geni.us/ishia

Explore THE CROWNS OF ISHIA by Karin Lowachee Read now:

A Covenant of Ice is out today in North Am! It wasn’t written by AI in any way. The cover art is human made. My publisher & editor are cool beans. @solarisbooks.bsky.social

If you want to support art being made by humans, for humans, give my anti-colonial, queer+ dragon book a go geni.us/ishia

i was a teenage exocolonist

What Was Built to Be a Ship of Dreams?: The Titanic by Emmett Nahil, Who HQ: 9780593661109 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books Discover the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage through three diverse perspectives of survivors in this affecting graphic novel by Let Me Out author Emmett Nahil and award-winning illustrator...

What Was Built to Be a Ship of Dreams?: The Titanic is a graphic novel for middle grade readers coming from the Who HQ series on July 15th!

Proud to have created this small graphic novel alongside @shazleenmkhan.bsky.social!
You can preorder it now for the young reader in your life.

Subverting the western: It’s no longer a gunslinger’s game Karin Lowachee will be drawing The Crowns of Ishia novella trilogy to a close this July with A Covenant of Ice and to celebrate she discusses subverting Westerns – aka ‘The Weird West’.

“Subverting the Western” - an article I wrote on SciFiNow ahead of the release of A Covenant of Ice this month! @solarisbooks.bsky.social www.scifinow.co.uk/blog/subvert...

Finalists in Outstanding Novella FRACTAL KARMA – Arula Ratnakar (Clarkesworld) LOST ARK DREAMING – Suyi Okungbowa Davies (Tordotcom) THE BUTCHER OF THE FOREST – Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom) THE DRAGONFLY GAMBIT – A. D. Sui (Neon Hemlock) THE PRACTICE, THE HORIZON, AND THE CHAIN – Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom)

The #IgnyteAwards finalists for the Outstanding Novella category is for speculative works ranging from 17,500-39,999 words. Congratulations to the following titles and their authors.

LOST ARK DREAMING is a finalist for best novella! Congrats to @suyidavies.com!!

For Pride Month 🌈, calling all queer book reviewers that would be interested in reading my novella trilogy and giving an honest write up (the central relationship in this world where queerness is not othered is amongst 3 men). DM your email & I’ll send you eARCs. Signal boosting appreciated 🙏🏼

please send this my way! querytracker.net/query/tkawar

asmr release day

“Just calm down and let people enjoy chatgpt.” Sorry, no. I find it creepy that folks are treating a machine that mimics human speech as their friend / therapist. It is feeding you lies. It is destroying your thinking abilities. Shut it off. Talk to other humans. Go outside.

Cover of THE MOUNTAIN CROWN, The Crowns of Ishia Book One by Karin Lowachee. It is yellow with a detailed orange-red image of a winged dragon atop a mountain.

Cover of THE DESERT TALON, The Crowns of Ishia Book Two, by Karin Lowachee. A large yellow and orange dragon is in the air with its wings spread wide with two smaller dragons flying in the background. Below them are orange-red sands.

Cover of A COVENANT OF ICE, The Crowns of Ishia Book Three, by Karin Lowachee. It shows a detailed image of a winged blue dragon in the air with a mountain and people below it. Other than the black title, the cover is in pale-to-medium shades of icy blues.

"I knew it would be a challenge to depict a point-of-view character like Méka who isn’t constantly threatening her world with violence or revolution as The Answer to aggression."

@karinlow.bsky.social on The Crowns of Ishia:

www.fantasybookcafe.com/2025/04/wome...

#Books #BookSky 📚💙 #Fantasy 📚🪐

The cover of Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, over a background of a star nebula, announced as a finalist for the Best Novella Award in the 2024 Nebula Awards.

Lost Ark Dreaming goes Nebula!
@sfwa.bsky.social

Donate to Jerusalem’s Educational Bookshop Emergency Appeal, organised by Saqi Books Bookselling is not a crime: fundraiser to support the Educational Booksh… Saqi Books needs your support for Jerusalem’s Educational Bookshop Emergency Appeal

At 3pm on 9 February 2025, booksellers Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna were accosted by undercover Israeli police. They were arrested at the Educational Bookshop, handcuffed and taken to prison. Over 250 books were confiscated.

Against a gold silk background, a flatlaid novella paperback - THE DESERT TALON by Karin Lowachee. The book is surrounded by gold and copper objects. The white Solaris nova logo is in the bottom right corner.

🎉 🎂 Happy US Book Birthday to @karinlow.bsky.social's THE DESERT TALON!

The adventures of the gunslinging dragon-riders of Ishia continue in the second novella of THE CROWNS OF ISHIA series. Featuring new characters, a new setting, and some familiar faces... https://geni.us/desertt

Very honored to see LOST ARK DREAMING make the Locus recommended reading list this year, alongside a host of excellent works and authors. Congrats to all!