Dave Shelton

First one is special. Good luck with this one and whatever’s next.

We should have had more "scientists are using AI to detect cancer" talk and less "AI detects cancer, also advises government, writes books, humans redundant". It's like giving someone a hammer and they're like "thanks for this multi tool, everything is broken now but that's ok because I have hammer"

Congratulations, Kristie.

CROWDS for pre-order! We made a new storytelling deck: CROWDS! The idea is simple: what a storyteller needs is an audience. A good crowd gives you inspiration. You can look at them and guess what they will find exciting. Y...

CROWDS for pre-order! betonmond.co.uk/2025/08/06/c...

Farts, poo and bums

Imply a penny, imply a pound

Strangers on a Bench feat. Tom Rosenthal - There We Go Choose your preferred music service

Oh blimey! Tom Rosenthal’s podcast Strangers on a Bench is pretty much always refreshingly wonderful, hopeful and life-affirming but this latest episode - which I don’t mind admitting had me in tears by the end - is just extraordinary:

ffm.to/therewego-soab

Still from the 1941 film "Love on the Dole", with the unfortunate subtitle "She's a strange lassie's arsehole".

Catastrophic subtitling on the 1941 movie "Love on the Dole".

(It should read "She's a strange lass, is our Sal"...)

EdBookFest flyer, showing the information available as text if you follow the website link

Not long now 'til Adventuremice at Edinburgh Book Festival!

Join us on Friday, 15 Aug for story fun and drawing shenanigans!
🐭🐭🐭✍️✍️

Tickets here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

@edbookfest.bsky.social
@philipreeve.bsky.social

At least the gold leaf is cheaper than printer ink, I guess.

By “printer” you mean that team of monks with quills, right?

Maybe switch their quality settings to “draft”?

Downtown Train is a bit like that too

Good schnozz

I’ve seen even less than you of it but, yeah - not for me, but shitloads of people seem to love it so… fine. It’s not being made for me. I shouldn’t like it. That’s fine.

New project! Ready to pre-order now!
This is a really fun deck of... Just characters. So many. SO MANY. Including suggestions on how you could use them to improvise your stories playfully.

(The good reverend’s former persona, Lingua Ignota, is also very much worth checking out).

SAVED! Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter · Album · 2023 · 11 songs

Jaded old bugger that I am these days, I don’t often encounter new music that really gets through to me - but this is extraordinary:

Give this album a listen: SAVED! open.spotify.com/album/1IdsqG...

Bravo

5 panel comic P1: Not Optimus Prime stands striking a stoic pose inside what looks to be a spaceship interior. A little bug of a human stands by his feet, and says "wow, you're amazing, Optimain Protag! I wish I could be just like you!" P2: Optemu Prime lays his open left hand down on the ground, palm up, and booms"STEP INTO MY HAND, BILLY" Billy, a little boy, is starstruck as he steps on to the palm. "WOWWW!" P3: Gently clasping Billy in both hands, Amazon Prime raises Billy up to his gargantuan head, to observe the human child with his implacable yellow eyes. P4: With a sickening "KRK-KRK-KRACK-POP," Ombusprem contorts poor Billy in ways no human should be contorted. Tears form in the all too soft and pliable human's eyes, mouth gaping in a silent scream. P5: We pan back, as Leader-1 proudly holds up the contorted Billy --arms stretched out-- and pretends to fly him around. "YOU ARE AN AIRPLANE NOW, BILLY" Billy, voice barely a whisper, says "ow my spine" The heroic robot replies "WHAT'S A SPINE"

give me the transformers comic and I will tell the stories that need to be told

Viv Schwarz Original drawings and a changing assortment of little handmade pieces of art by Viviane Schwarz. Sometimes signed books as well. Only shipping to...

Hey there are still signed books left in my shop... And I'll always paint a cat on the envelope I send them out in.
vivschwarz.bigcartel.com

a teensy brown ball of fluff sits on a gray tile floor and looks up at the camera. the dog’s eyes are wide-set and pleading, and his little mouth curves down in a dramatic frown. his little body only takes up one half of one tile, and it looks like he could be swallowed up by shadows any second. pick him up!

This is Bug. He would like to be picked up for cuddles. It is an emergency. 13/10 (IG: bugthebrusselsgriffon)

Well, yeah, but they stopped making new music not long after that anyway, didn’t they?

Didn’t they?

Very good book for less money alert:

That’s the fella

87th Precinct, I think. But yeah. Apparently he felt like HSB had ripped him off pretty much.

I believe Ed McBain was less of a fan

Who was the unlucky in love, slightly more bookish detective? My teenage self appreciated his storylines particularly. For some reason.

I once worked with a Neil Washington