Marlena Dutch

Screenshot of the top of a Bsky feed, with a red circle around the hamburger menu in the top left.

Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner

I’ve been laid off from my main editing job, so if you’d like to get your manuscript copy edited before Christmas, hit me up. My specialty is keeping track of murder weapons and making sure characters don’t grow an extra arm during sex scenes.

Apparently loads of my work is being sold on that Ali Express, if you're an artist who tries to make a living from your work I suggest you check if your stuff is there too.

The problem with saying you're going to write a smutty, lighthearted vampire novel, then having it turn into a thriller where people die, is that your first draft's tone ends up being wildly askew. Then you have to re-write the whole thing. Which you have to do anyway, but drastically.

BuyNothing is great, and may also be Freecycle in your area. Been able to give craft supplies to a public schoolteacher, Christmas decorations to a divorcee & kids who had nothing, etc. When someone asks for items, the community will almost always swoop in. www.freecycle.org

promo poster

cookies with the cover of mother-eating printed on them

Come down to Birdhouse Books in Austin tonight (7pm)! Jess Hagemann will be in conversation with author Meg Jerit as we celebrate the launch of Jess's newest horror novel, MOTHER-EATING! There will even be book-cover-decorated cookies! RSVP: withfriends.co/event/266926...

Post them all at once. There aren't any rules.

Title of graphic is Triple Strike Art for Food Bank Donations! October 30-November 30 (Bsky: @gmgray.bsky.social, IG: @gmgraywriting). How it works: 1. Donate any amount to any US foodbank of your choice 2. Show me the receipt via bsky, IG, or Discord (DMs welcome) 3. Include any requests but must be Triple Strike related 4. I will post art as I finish on bsky, IG, and Discord! Note: Complexity of the piece will be based on donation amount! There are four sample art pieces ranging from full color, to comic style black and white, to a lil chibi ma'jenn staring at ya.

I'm taking Triple Strike art commissions for the month of November in order to help support food banks across the US.

What if I hate Triple Strike and/or your art, you ask? All good! Just use this as a reminder to donate while *not* looking at my art! Wow, so easy!

Same.

Beautiful!

I am proud of you, too! And rewriting things is so hard. Like what do you mean I have to write this all AGAIN, I just did that?

Convention announcement soon! I will very likely only be doing one con in 2026, as I will be focusing on the publishing side of things more. I hope to make more appearances in 2027.

Paypal is now playing harder ball on artists, going after anyone even mentioning commissions.

Artists, send invoices. That way, no one has to say what the money is for on Paypal's paper trail.

Customers, SAY NOTHING about commissions. Just say "thanks" on donos.

Everyone: INCREASE THE CALLS.

Requiring Book Sellers to Rate Content of Books Unconstitutional, Per Federal Judge A major win for the freedom to read in Texas, as judge rules that requiring book vendors to rate books is unconstitutional.

A major decision in the lawsuit over vendor book ratings required by the Texas READER Act. It's a big win . . . and adds to some of the ongoing questions related to First Amendment Rights, Free Speech, and government speech as discussed in *several* recent lawsuits.

bookriot.com/texas-reader...

yoooo

About to leave for San Antonio. If anyone needs to contact me in the next 48 hours I will only be available via Instagram, Tumblr, or text message to my phone. All other apps are on my laptop and I'm not bringing that with me.

This kickstarter for "An anthology of contemporary fantasy stories featuring creatures and characters from Welsh mythology and folklore" from an excellent small press looks fantastic.

Ace Pride Week Mega Bundle Books have either a major character that identifies on the ace spectrum, an ace-identifying author, or BOTH! Oct. 19-25, 51 Books, $50.00 Book covers are: Secondhand Origin Stories by LeeBrontide City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault Sidetracked: Part 1 by SK Kelley In Spite of the Inevitable by Morgan Biscup The One He Brought Home by Skye Kilaen Riyati Rebirth by Kai Zeal Lost Blades by Liz Sauco Bridges of Smoke by Jule March The Whisperer in White by Y.R. Liu Where We Converge by A.E. Bross Child of the Forest by Audrey Simmons A Dragon’s Treasure by Elis Madsen Enemies to Enemies by Ash Kreider Chai and Cat-tales by Lynn Strong Puppetry by Nina Waters Devil’s Deal by Tessa Hastjarjanto A Spark in Space by Janina Franck The Harmony of Falling Snow, A Polyamorous Romantasy Novel by Andora Brokaw How Six Saved the Frogs Pet by H.S. Kallinger Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Shadow Spark Publishing Claimed by the Undead by C.L. Carhart Doce Drosera by Anita Peace in the Sky by William C. Tracy A Life in Too Many Margins by S.E. Thomson Non-Player Character by Veo Corva Journey Home by May Barros Triple Strike: Threads of Fate by G.M. Gray Wherever the Stars Call by S. Jean Yours Celestially by Al Hess The Star-Crossed Empire by Maya Darjani The Audacity 1 by Carmen Loup The Thirteenth Key by Cara Nox In the Eye of the Beholder by Beverly Anne Michel A Designer Magick by Stefanie Carter Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows Structural Integrity by Tabitha O'Connell Curse of Souls by Niranjan The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud Of Spells and Love by Odessa Silver Courtly Love by T.D. Cloud Song of the Wolf T.C. Smith The Dragon Next Door by Vanessa Ricci-Thode The Grand Duke's Masseur by sbdrag Blood by D.C. Hart Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon Inarora's Excursion by Astrid E. Abell The Blood Divide by Zan Lowell The Towers of Nine by Alyssa Louttit Walking the Knife's Edge by Elise Carlson Junk Junction by William C. Tracy

Promotional image for Ace Pride Week Bundle #2. All books in this bundle have either a major character that identifies on the ace spectrum, an ace-identifying author, or BOTH! Oct. 19-25, 26 Books, $26.00 Book covers pictured are: Non-Player Character by Veo Corva Journey Home by May Barros Triple Strike: Threads of Fate by G.M. Gray Wherever the Stars Call by S. Jean Yours Celestially by Al Hess The Star-Crossed Empire by Maya Darjani The Audacity 1 by Carmen Loup The Thirteenth Key by Cara Nox In the Eye of the Beholder by Beverly Anne Michel A Designer Magick by Stefanie Carter Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows Structural Integrity by Tabitha O'Connell Curse of Souls by Niranjan The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud Of Spells and Love by Odessa Silver Courtly Love by T.D. Cloud Song of the Wolf T.C. Smith The Dragon Next Door by Vanessa Ricci-Thode The Grand Duke's Masseur by sbdrag Blood by D.C. Hart Lantern by Burgundy Athena Pendragon Inarora's Excursion by Astrid E. Abell The Blood Divide by Zan Lowell The Towers of Nine by Alyssa Louttit Walking the Knife's Edge by Elise Carlson Junk Junction by William C. Tracy

Triple Strike book 1 will be part of the Ace Pride Week Bundles starting Oct 19! If you enjoy watching a pirate twink flirt with an inspector twink, who remains more or less oblivious, you may like Triple Strike!

Mega-bundle for $50:
riyati.ink/acepride2025

Bundle 2 for $25:
riyati.ink/ace2025-2

I'll message you.

I hate naming things and coming up with titles. Why is this so hard?

Are you excited for the new series? I heard they're trying to get the original voice actors back. I've been enjoying the comics, too.

I'm sorry. Dental pain is a special kind of pain. I hope you feel better soon!

Screenshot from Windows Settings>Privacy and Security>Text and image Generation. "Text and image generation uses on-device AI technologies to quickly respond to requests. Turning this settings off will not affect apps and features using cloud AI technologies. Text and image generation Windows and anyone using this device can use Text and image generation.

BY THE WAY

If you've updated to Windows 11 recently, you're probably on version 25H2.

There's a new setting in Settings: Privacy & Security.

Scroll aaaaaaaalll the way to the bottom and you'll see "Text and Image Generation."

TURN IT OFF.

I just bought book one!

Just got tickets to #AEW Dynamite next week in San Antonio! Please let Jurassic Express be on the card. 🦖🙏🏻🥺

Coffee is the only thing keeping me upright.

Word of mouth is important to a book's success. So, if you'd like to see the authors who wrote your favourite stories commissioned to write more, please keep talking about all the #books you love.

This is amazing!

please support ur friends making creative shit in this cruel world. u have no idea how much a kind comment can mean to an artist when every website just tries to make you focus on the numbers

Today's retail therapy is a bunch of AEW cards from ebay. Because it's easier to buy individual cards of my favorite lil guys than whole boxes that only contain one or two cards I like.