The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championships, #SFINCS3, seeks out the very best shorter fiction the indie community has to offer, and that now officially includes our very own editorial client @jessicaamcminn.bsky.social who has won with her novella, Parasitic Omens!!
Huge congrats! ~ Anna
The cover of the core rulebook for the new Tunnels & Trolls: A New Age roleplaying game, currently on Kickstarter. It depicts a large, monstrous, stony or crystalline figure holding an adventurer in the palm of its hand. The adventurer is casting some sort of spell, represented by glowing blue light at the end of their staff.
I'm running demo games of the new Tunnels & Trolls: A New Age roleplaying game next Saturday, 11th April, at @eclecticgames.bsky.social in Reading!
Sessions are at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm and last about an hour.
Tickets are free, and available here: www.eclecticgames.co.uk/c/event-tick...
Mission accomplished!!
He's not wrong 🤣
My goal for this @easterconuk.bsky.social is to find @angelacleland.co.uk and corner her and get a photo with her and her ARC of Black Doe. I'm so excited for this book to be out in the world!! ~ Anna
Two men stand back to back surrounded by depictions of dandelions. The man angled to the front is Galen. He has tan skin, red hair, and hazel eyes. A large portion of his face is covered by a burn scar. He wears a yellow tunic and brown pants, along with a pink flower pendant. He lifts up one hand, and looks concerned. The other man, facing towards the back but looks over his shoulder, is Sasha. He has light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and stubble. He is wearing leather armor and green shirt and pants. He is holding a sword.
The Need for Dandelions is now available!
🌸 MM Fantasy Romance
⚔️ Queer Normative World
🌸 Flower Symbolism
⚔️ Falling in love during a crisis
🌸 Forced Proximity
⚔️ Fighting Government Corruption
🌸 Oh. *Oh.*
Buy today!
Uni: books2read.com/u/meYkPE
Itch: bit.ly/3N1RDWk
Kofi: ko-fi.com/alexlarkspur...
6 mentoring sessions today. A new PB.
I have a sore throat and a full heart. Mentoring really does give to me as much as them. It's always so inspiring talking to people about their passion and craft and offering advice. ~ Anna
Looking for a mentor for your next writing project? Well, Tom's looking for mentees. Sounds like a match made in heaven. ~ Anna
Saw the National Theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest with Ncuti Gatwa on YT and IT WAS A DELIGHT!
Not just as funny as expected, it felt like a breath of fresh air for a play that's been done so many times. Queer, flamboyant, ridiculous, breaking the 4th wall, sumptuous ~ Anna
Pexels royalty free photo site plus a canvas Pro subscription at £50/Yr and you can make *something* yourself.
Might not be fantastic but it will be yours and it will have been made by a person. (Don't use the AI tools in Canva though) ~ Anna
Fantastic news in the UK today - the government has apparently ditched its plan to force creatives to 'opt out' if they don't want AI companies training on their life's work.
www.thetimes.com/uk/technolog...
🧵 1/4
I'm putting together a post of indie and self-published SFF by trans and non-binary authors if anyone would like to be added! (If I miss you for the post, I can also add you to my LGBTQIA+ collection!)
A promotional graphic for the #PrideBookFair event, which returns in June 2026. Text reads: This Pride Month, celebrate the vibrant works and voices of queer authors all over the world. Participate in weekly events, share and wishlist your favorite queer books, and enjoy sales and giveaways! Open to authors, readers, reviewers, and all book lovers! Featured link: pridebookfair.carrd.co.
Mark your calendars! #PrideBookFair returns in June! 🌈📚
Participate in weekly events, share and wishlist your favorite queer books, and enjoy sales and giveaways!
This event is open to all book lovers, authors and readers alike. Stay tuned for more updates!
pridebookfair.carrd.co
If you're in the.area, check out the Literary Escape Festival in Bath UK this weekend. Jam packed with brilliant authors! ~ Anna
Look out for THE IRON CODE, original fantasy stories honouring David Gemmell.
Launching next Monday by Ian Whates & featuring 21 incredible authors
Can we just go back to when "AI" meant a pattern recognition machine that could highlight number discrepancies and analyse biopsies for cancer and all the stuff it's actually really good at, rather than destroying the creative industry and the planet?
Gods i am so, so sick of gen ai stealing EVERYTHING and contributing NOTHING of any value to anyone, anywhere.
Can say with confidence this novel and Angela were both a joy to work with. The book is fantastic and deserves all the love and attention!
If historical fantasy rooted in Scottish myth and landscape is your thing, then give her a follow and sign up for an ARC. ~ Anna
Our very own Tom's next book is nearly with us, available to preorder, AND with 25% off at Waterstones!!
infographic: "whoa there, pardner!" a fake bluesky DM i sent myself as an example says: "hi can u please not repost your own art so much. it's literally murder and oppression and hate crime that sometimes i have to scroll past things i've already seen". a displeased cowboy emoji is giving this message a thumbs down. infographic info continues: 'round these parts we curate our own timelines! if you don't want to see a post again, open the meatball menu and click "hide post for me." now you don't have to see it and no one has to feel bad!" (the cowboy emoji is now giving you a thumbs up. off to the side, there's a screenshot of the aforementioned menu with the relevant buttons circled in blue.)
this hasn't personally happened to me, but i've seen other artists here talking about it intermittently. so here's an infographic about a handy feature i think a lot of people are overlooking! #artsky #artistsonbsky
Heartening to see the resounding "Hell, No's" in response here.
Writers if you could drop your novel or short story into an AI and have it make a great and watchable movie out of your story, and you could sell that movie, would you do it? #writers #WritingCommunity
Nope, because it wouldn't have real people in it, or animations made by real people, therefore you wouldn't be watching true human emotion, therefore it wouldn't be great and watchable.
~ Anna
White Celtic style text on a green cloth background reads “Black Doe”. A deer-headed knife bisects the “O”. There is blood splatter.
I’ve decided that this is the year I release BLACK DOE into the wild. I still have a couple of irons in the fire, but if they fizzle out, she is ready to go. I’ve done loads of work on this book with @annasmithwrites.bsky.social at @thewriteadvice.bsky.social and I want you to be able to read it.
Full day of mentoring today, with 5 of my clients. We covered A LOT.
From the motivations of a weakened god battling a power-mad magic-wielding emperor to the travails of a bunch of ordinary dinosaur-riding folk facing off against pirates and their Drowned god, it was all about ideas ~ Anna
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The popular blogging platform Substack – used by numerous British comic creators to promote their work – has suffered a data breach. The company is warning users to take extra caution with any emails or text messages you receive…
downthetubes.net/substack-data-breach-hit...
The Fantasy Hive has returned to SPFBO! Our resident SPFBO super-fan Theo has put together a team for SPFBO 11 - eleven?! Where has the time gone??
Meet this year's team and learn about the Hive's process here: tinyurl.com/mrab3mrk
#SPFBO
WOOOHOOOOOOO! The biggest congratulations to our editorial and mentoring client, Jess, whose gaslamp fantasy horror novella is not only shortlisted in #SFINCS3, but also now in @aurealisawards.bsky.social, only Australia's biggest spec fic awards!
We love you, Jess! Go get 'em! ~ Anna
First editing client of the year up and running. An excellent, gritty, low fantasy story about justice and loss and community.
I did the dev edit on this, so I'm excited to see how it's turned out. Results are positive so far ~ Anna
The biggest of congratulations to mentee and editorial client Jessica A McMinn on reaching the finals of #SFINCS3 with her novella, Parasitic Omens!
Fingers crossed for the win! ~ Anna 🍾