Assaph Mehr 📚⚔️🕵️👻🏺🏛️🤖

One can only hope :)

sandersstudies Every time an English-speaking fantasy writer wants to throw in an umlaut it's like I gotta stop you right there. JRR Tolkien can do that. You are not JRR Tolkien tho. sandersstudies Tolkien did many things for and to the fantasy genre but unfortunately too many people agave taken on his ideas of culture, lore, and language, but executed extremely lazily (compared to him) what-even-is-thiss I think when you're worldbuilding you need to focus on what you're interested in. Because Tolkien is one of the fathers of modern fantasy, people think they need to focus in on what he was interested in, which was linguistics and long lists of historical events. But if you're not into that, it's gonna show. When I'm worldbuilding I tend to focus on political structure and local mythology because that's something I'm interested in irl. If I tried to come up with a million conlangs like Tolkien did I'd be bored and stressed out of my mind and my writing would be worse. If you're interested in economics, focus in on that. If you're really into historical hairstyles, or sports, or transportation, or lost media, focus in on that. Make that interesting. It'll make your world better than throwing in nonsense words you don't care about. sandersstudies ^^^ exactly. Tolkien was extremely knowledgeable in linguistics, which was why he was able to produce languages that were feasibly real (and even claim that the text itself was a translation, which comes with its own quirks, especially in the appendices). But if you're not extremely knowledgeable about linguistics (or willing to become so very quickly) then any fantasy language you try to build is either going to add nothing to the story or be riddled with improbability.

Which is why my novels go deep on Fish Sauce 🤣

[Five yellow stars at top] Mystery, intrigue, supernatural curses, and inevitable violence. The plot is excellent, and the story arc progresses smoothly from cliff-hangers to dead ends to yet more suspenseful scenes, all nicely paced. I found the escape through the sewers particularly enjoyable (for me, though clearly not for the characters involved!). The narrative involves mystery, intrigue, supernatural curses that actually work, interpersonal relationships, and (since this is modeled after Rome) the inevitable violence. I shall also mention both a compelling court scene and a clear sensitivity to the plight of women in this ancient setting. -- Lenny Cavallaro (Abslom) [Book cover shown on right side:] IN VICTRIX [Award seal: "With introduction by Harry Turtledove, grandmaster of alternate history"] A STORY OF TOGAS, DAGGERS, AND MAGIC By ASSAPH MEHR

A year since release, and I still love it 🥰📚

The book cover sits in the center of the image. The cover shows a man with a long brown beard facing to the left. He is wear a gray robe and hood. Behind him is the outside of a Roman-style temple with rough columns with striations of reddish brown. On the top corner of the temple is a griffin with wings out stretched. The background of the image is a stone texture similar to the temple's columns.

Today @kitvaria.bsky.social reviews @assaph.bsky.social's Murder in Absentia - JI 🐉

"The combination of historical inspiration, original fantasy touches, and a wry but capable protagonist makes this a memorable read."

fantasy-faction.com/2025/murder-...

#booksky

Utterly true - what a nice observation :)

#writerslife

just_fuchsia Ok fun fact I'm kinda a character in a book. The ever so wonderful @assaphmehrauthor has written a series called Murder in Absentia. Im in the third book. I had no idea until I read it. It was a truly beautiful surprise. Go read them! [Image shows an Amazon product listing with "Shop Amazon holiday gifts" banner, a 4.5-star rating with 170 reviews, and the book cover for "MURDER IN ABSENTIA" by ASSAPH MEHR]

Authors appreciate fans too 😊

Authors appreciate fans too 😊

(Minute 1) I need to figure out how to describe this room (Hour 2) Jesus, I need to learn more about medieval cornices (Month 5) I need to learn Aramaic so I can visit southeastern Turkey and read primary source manuscripts from the 11th century on cornices (my spouse) THIS IS FOR A SHORT STORY

This is so true 😅
#writerslife #indieauthor

We don't do it for money*, we do it for fun!

* Not real money, anyway.

Athena (of The Orichalcum Crown, by J. J. N. Whitley) Dear readers, tonight with us is a young princess, talking about exile, dragons, and lost family members. Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there? I grew up in the palace. …

Tonight's protagonist interview :)
📚
theprotagonistspeaks.com/2025/11/28/a...

Book Review: Stone and Sky (Rivers of London #10), by Ben Aaronovitch I’ve been following this series for a while (mainly the novels), and it’s pretty decent. What to Expect Another police-procedural case for Peter Grant, working for the “Special As…

Short version: A fun read in this long-running urban-fantasy police-procedural series. Worth a read if you want an light adventure without much commitment. If you want to start in beginning (or have missed a few in between) check my previous reviews.
egretia.com/2025/11/26/b...

Poor Dead Larry When the recently departed have unfinished business.

2-minute laugh out loud: egretia.substack.com/p/poor-dead-...

Ah, yes, the first short short mystery for Jack - the ultimate crossover of ghosts and puns 👻

The Creative Process: a picture of a timeline with: work begins, fuck off, PANIC, All the work while crying, deadline.

This resonates 😅

Jury Duty As a devoted reader of my novels*, you know that as Felix or Jack get called to court on occasion, in their pursuit of dealing with offenders. I do love writing a bit of courtroom drama, Cicero lon…

A fun and informative exercise, for both civic duty and writing 🧑‍⚖️📚
egretia.com/2025/11/12/j...

Jury Duty As a devoted reader of my novels*, you know that as Felix or Jack get called to court on occasion, in their pursuit of dealing with offenders. I do love writing a bit of courtroom drama, Cicero lon…

Real life jury duty and how it translates to writing fantasy police procedurals 😉
egretia.com/2025/11/12/j...

I may have learned ceremonial magick in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but I'm glad this guy wasn't after our secret society! -- Aleister Crowley, occultist [The image also shows two book covers at the bottom right: "MURDER IN ABSENTIA" and "IN NUMINA" by ASSAPH MEHR]

Ah, yes, that time when we used necromancy and raised spirits to get book reviews. The length publishers have to go these days 😂

Don't use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression will satisfactorily accomplish the contemporary necessity.Retry

#WritersTip 🤣🤣🤣Don't use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression will satisfactorily accomplish the contemporary necessity.Retry

On Screen Adaptations (four reviews in one!) I’ve read The Survivors by Jane Harper and watched the Netflix TV series at the same time, so — rather than a plain review — I thought I’d do a post on comparative observati…

Folding a few book & TV/movie reviews into an exercise in critical thinking about the art of storytelling, using comparisons to learn about each medium’s rules, strengths, and weaknesses
egretia.com/2025/10/29/o...

the 4 types of writers 1. spent hours carefully choosing character name 2. can't decide so is using "placeholder" name that they'll inevitably not be able to change 3. named character after like, a street sign 4. character crashed onto page already named and you cannot change it

No 4 or a character name generator -- at which point it becomes no. 4 😅

Main character: you murdered my parents! Writer: For character development.

Only for one character, and that's because I wanted things simpler (for me) at the start. Other parents were kept alive when they made characters' lives more... interesting 😜

On Screen Adaptations (four reviews in one!) I’ve read The Survivors by Jane Harper and watched the Netflix TV series at the same time, so — rather than a plain review — I thought I’d do a post on comparative observati…

A rather philosophical exercise of comparative analysis of mediums: how do books translate to the screen, based on recent experiences (an d my conclusions will likely surprise you!)
egretia.com/2025/10/29/o...

Sonja Vinzler (of Kepstadur Keep, by R. G. Sartain) Dear readers, tonight with us is a woman trying to find a way to bring her brother back from the dead. Though educated in magic, it is still an uncharted territory. She is here to talk about haunte…

Tonight's protagonist interview :)
theprotagonistspeaks.com/2025/10/24/s... -> @renasartain.bsky.social

England is named after the Anglo-Saxons. However, things could have gone very differently: In our universe England is named after a Germanic tribe called the Angles. The language of England is called "English", and speakers of this language are called "Anglophone". [Map showing Scotland and England] In another universe Sexland is named after a Germanic tribe called the Saxons. The language of Sexland is called "Sexish", and speakers of this language are called "Saxophone". [Map showing Pictland and Sexland]

Make it so 🤣

A photo of the book "In Numina" by Assaph Mehr, lying in a bloody kitchen sink

Just in time for the spooky season 👻
The book that has everything* from #ghosts featureing in courtroom drama, revenge, intrigue, homicidal walking statues, and an obligatory trip down the sewers...
* Except an actual kitchen sink. It's based on #AncientRome, after all 🤣

Roman Ring Mystery Gareth Harney tweeted this epic stranger than fiction Roman ring mystery thread. This enigmatic Roman gold ring was found in a ploughed...

Sounds like something Felix could have solved 😜
see the whole 🏺 thing here: mediachomp.com/roman-ring-m...

Louvre Thieves Given Immunity After Confirming Jewels Stolen For Purpose Of Training AI Software FRENCH POLICE have immediately ended all efforts to recover priceless Napoleon-era jewellery from the Louvre taken in a daring heist after it emerged the jewels were merely stolen for the purposes of ...

This is brilliant! 😆
"FRENCH POLICE have immediately ended all efforts to recover priceless Napoleon-era jewellery from the Louvre taken in a daring heist after it emerged the jewels were merely stolen for the purposes of training AI software."
waterfordwhispersnews.com/2025/10/20/l...

In ancient Rome, there were four types of poison. Poisons I, II, and III would all kill you with varying degrees on pain. However, Poison IV would just make you really itchy.

This pun is painful 🤣🏺

zeus: you are condemned to carry the weight of the sky. atlas: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

😆zeus: you are condemned to carry the weight of the sky.
atlas: ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Silicon Valley's capture of our political institutions is all but complete The tech lobby kills off two key California AI bills, and why it matters. Plus: How Sam Altman played Hollywood with Sora 2, organized mass social media deletions, and more.

CA governor Gavin Newsom vetoed both of the major AI bills on his desk that Silicon Valley meaningfully opposed—one making it illegal for bosses to use AI to fire workers with no oversight, one requiring chatbot sellers to ensure their products do not harm children before marketing to them.