Ali Baker, but spooooooky

Diana Wynne Jones panel at Novacon.

This is a serious bunny. Look at how serious they are. Brown and white, twitchy nose, floppy ears. Probably called flopsy or snuggles. It's a here to tell you about Eastercon price rises, of course.

Attending tickets for Iridescence 2026 ( Eastercon ) currently start at £50/£80 for adults, £20 for teens. This price will rise at the start of December 2025, so check out the link in the profile today and book!

When? 3rd-6th April, 2026
Where? Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham, UK.

Hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc in my birth nation of Jamaica. Reported: "The University of Miami with the US NOAA measured wind speeds from start to finish across Jamaica with the weather aircraft named Kermit. The maximum wind gust speeds were 252mph and maximum sustained winds were 185 mph..."

Thank you. This has been a terrible weekend for family health!

I’m so sorry but I’m not going to be there today

I’d love that! I’m sorry, I have had difficult family stuff to deal with and the venue WiFi is rubbish! I will be on site from around 10 until late afternoon tomorrow, annoying family rubbish permitting

Final point on the Brontës: they were well educated and travelled (at least Charlotte and Emily went to Brussels) and visited friends in other towns. They really were not lone geniuses.

I’ll be there from lunchtime!

#totp viewers, I've been told a perfect Christmas gift, or indeed just something you might like to read. OUT NOW. #IntoTheGroove

YouTube video by Divas Forever All Saints - I Know Where It's At (TOTP 1997)

All Saints Day youtu.be/AOZhgs2Uk20?...

See also the UK benefits system. Most people on Universal Credit are employed by retail businesses. Our taxes support supermarket chains in providing terrible wages.

How anyone in a country with government-controlled healthcare doesn’t look at the US with terror is beyond me. Resist all privatisation of of NHS, and campaign for more funding to reduce waiting lists.

The Goonies

First panel of the day: Paranormal
Romance to Romantasy with Ruth Frances Long, @amydelaforce.bsky.social, @nadiaelfassi.bsky.social, @anniesummerlee.bsky.social and Sophie Jarrell

Tonight I’ll be at the mass @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social signing with character art! So will @amalelmohtar.com @rflong.bsky.social @nadiaelfassi.bsky.social ENDLESS ROCK STARS, happy Halloween everyone. #worldfantasy2025

YES! Brilliant and also scary

And more power to him. I note that the most virulent online opponents to him are not New Yorkers, just as the most anti- Sadiq Khan voices are generally not Londoners

Something like 1.7m people in UK are in 0hr contracts, and everyone else is forced by the institutions that hire them, to have to deal with them every day. People who are desperate, exhausted, often not very qualified, serving people who are paying more and more for these services every day.

The myth that everyone is just a temporarily down on their luck millionaire is one of the worst that modern Calvinist doctrines introduced to the US. It’s now returning (without the Christianity) to the UK.

Like the Cuban Americans horrified that they too are being caught up in ICE raids despite them voting for Trump. Being a visible minority is enough for the far right to attack before asking questions.

Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.

Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.

They are not the same.

In the centre of this image is the beautiful British cover of Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis. The illustration shows a man in a cloak riding headlong through the night towards an ominous castle with an illuminated, crowned female figure in its doorway and bats flying overhead in the moonlight. A potion vial surrounds that central image and is further framed by leaves and branches. Crows sit on the branches, and a tagline reads: Love can be a witch. A blurb from Sangu Mandanna reads: ‘Warm and lovely’ Around the image, against a starry night background, are various pieces of text connected to it by arrows. They read: “bi villainous heroine,” “sweet cinnamon-roll hero with a fake identity,” “crow friends,” “found family,” and “flirting with fountains pens.” At the bottom of the image are the words: Only 99p for all of October!

If you're in the UK, today is your LAST chance to snap up my fantasy rom-com Wooing the Witch Queen for only 99p!

Grab it now: stephanieburgis.com/books/wooing-the-witch-queen

#romancelandia

We've been wanting to do this episode for a long time and finally made it happen. I loved geeking out about every aspect of SFF cons, and trying to imagine how they could work differently. <3

Ooh! I’ll have to check that out

#TeamAnne reporting for duty!

Totally makes sense. I have noticed this in Robin Hood films; it’s interesting that Norman lords who might be expected to speak French actually speak in RP.

I read it first when I was 10 or 11 (totally because of Kate Bush) and I still love it because of how totally awful every character is.

Noted and approved

Yes. I am sorry I missed hearing this. Queen Latifah is such an important presence in hip hop.

Yes! He changed it in honour of Nelson, I think