Thomas Wrightson (he/him)

“There are no elves in the basement?” Greton nodded. “No.” “Why are you nodding, Greton?” “I am agreeing with you.” The old man swallowed, but the large lump taking residence in his throat refused to shift. “I agreed that there are no elves in the basement behind me.” “A person usually shakes their head when they say no, Greton. Not nods. That’s what normal people do, shake their heads.” ‘That’s what normal people do’. If the old Sparker had a gula for every time he’d heard that phrase, he’d be richer than all the bankers in Lira City combined. Gritting his teeth, he let the barb slide for the good of Lura and her children. “Yes, of course. I shall try to remember that.” Magic, Maps, and Mischief: A Cozy Neurodivergent Adventure Out October 24th 2025

Autistic people are told what's 'normal' all the time. Even if what's being called 'normal' doesn't sound very 'normal' to us...

'Magic, Maps, and Mischief: A Cozy Neurodivergent Adventure' is out October 24th!

mybook.to/magicmapsand...

The story headline does sound like the set-up for a bedroom farce by Feydeau.

The tiny hill I will die on is that I think cramming a bunch of apostrophes into Scottish dialects in published work looks like putting italics around the word ‘ramen’.

I’m not gonna be weird about it when I come across it, and people are allowed to disagree. But I think it’s just othering.

Cover for The Green Man's Holiday by Juliet E. McKenna. Artwork and layout by Ben Baldwin. A mysterious animal with very sharp teeth peers out from a hollow in a pile of grey stones. Green foliage and white flowers surround it. Cover copy reads: When your mother’s a dryad and you’re an only child, you don’t have much experience of big family events. But Daniel Mackmain’s girlfriend, Finele, has a whole load of relatives. They’re all coming to her sister Iris’s wedding. Frankly, Dan’s dreading it. At least plenty of other guests will have connections to the supernatural. The bride and groom can turn into swans, for a start. Since Dan’s still a loner at heart, he and Fin have planned a few days away together afterwards. Just the two of them in a quiet country cottage should be nice and relaxing. Dan should have remembered what folk wisdom says about making plans.

Your reminder that The Green Man's Holiday will be published on 30th October 2025 by Wizard's Tower Press. If you wish, you can preorder the book in your preferred format from the retailer of your choice.
Here's an Amazon UK link for the ebook
www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Mans-H...

Obviously not the ideal circumstances, but I've agreed to give a talk at this year's @adventurex.bsky.social in November, stepping in for @burgerbecky.bsky.social (who's had to pull out for health reasons). Details below:

Coming up this week: 6th October | Alternative Stories Get more from Alternative Stories on Patreon

Now on @storiesalt.bsky.social 's Patreon. The latest newsletter; @emilyinkpen.bsky.social Dex Legacy, and a certain someone's upcoming play recording.
#audiodrama #scifi #BookSky💙📚
www.patreon.com/posts/coming...

YouTube video by SpotlightIndie WORKSHOP: Writing for Audio with Chris Gregory and Emily Inkpen

Chris and @emilyinkpen.bsky.social from Alt Stories did a session on writing for audio drama as part of the @spotlightindie.bsky.social big weekend yesterday. You can watch the full session here 👇

youtu.be/Sqb8T_LQ__A?...

YouTube video by Jinzee First time Final Fantasy 7 but Sephiroth bullies me

I made a new compilation and it has a lot of questions about Sephiroth and whether he was involved in any of the situations presented. 💀 www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaK...

In 2025 so far I’ve written 2 novels, continued writing a videogame (& pitched another), designed 2 board games, designed CYSTM? Live and hosted it all over the country, guested at crime festivals (incl Harrogate), delivered talks, recorded podcasts, and even redesigned the CWA Dagger trophy 🗡

A Powerhouse Writer Found One Word to Change the Debate About Tech

Delighted that Cory is having a moment with "Enshittification," because it's an accurate word for what's happening in tech and he's the right person to describe it.

(Gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/b...

Huge congratulations to @sapphomancer.bsky.social /August Clarke - METAL FROM HEAVEN has won the @lambdaliterary.org Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction!

We're bringing it to the UK later this month, preorder now: geni.us/metalfhe

Congratulations to all the winners at this year's Awards!

YouTube video by Rainbow Space Magic Writing About the Past as a Way of Talking About the Present

Once again, @spacemagiccon.bsky.social records its sessions. This one with @gideonmarcus.bsky.social, @jessicalucci.bsky.social , Robin Blackwood and E H Lupton was a lot of fun.
#BookSky💙📚 #lgbtqia #writerslife
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9EN...

The Fading of Sinbad (Season 3, Episode 6)

The next episode of my Podcast is live. And it's all about Sinbad the famous adventurous sailor... sorry, pirate... sorry, merchant... Sorry, who is he again?
#writerslife #podcast #sinbad #analysis #BookSky💙📚
open.spotify.com/episode/489E...

Also on my alternate blog: thomaswrightson.blogspot.com/2025/10/two-...

Two new Videos, for your enjoyment. Another month, another episode of my podcast. Or rather, a new episode, and a video that came about in–no joke–less than a week.

Also, my latest blogpost. On...my latest media offerings.
#writingcommunity #videos #updates
thomaswrightson.co.uk/2025/10/05/t...

YouTube video by Thomas Wrightson The Fading of Sinbad (Season 3, Episode 6)

Here's the #YouTube version if preferred.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXKU...

The Fading of Sinbad (Season 3, Episode 6)

The next episode of my Podcast is live. And it's all about Sinbad the famous adventurous sailor... sorry, pirate... sorry, merchant... Sorry, who is he again?
#writerslife #podcast #sinbad #analysis #BookSky💙📚
open.spotify.com/episode/489E...

YouTube video by Rainbow Space Magic Saturday readings

Fun Fact! @spacemagiccon.bsky.social posts its panels and sessions on YouTube. Here is a reading featuring @klnoone.bsky.social, @antoniaaquilante.bsky.social, @alyssaaskani.bsky.social and many others.
#BookSky📚💙 #writingcommunity #lgbtqia
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqbf...

Youngest: Dad, I don't know all the Star Wars titles or the main plot of each one. They all blur together. I just know I like them.

Me: That's fair. Okay... which moment do you want to watch?

Youngest: The one with the Ewoks dancing.

Me: "Return of the Jedi," it is.

October's Starship Alexandria will look at Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future", and our patron bonus episode will be the 1999 film "The Mummy."

It’s fixed…ish

When Queerness Is Not a Plot Point. Molly Topple, E. M. Anderson, Serena J. Bishop, Keila Gallardo, Michael G. Williams. Rainbow Space Magic. October 4–5. RainbowSpaceMagic.org. Logo: A fountain pen draws a circle around the rainbow-colored letters RSM, ending in a little flying dragon and a ringed planet. Background: A starry sky with a rainbow.

Starting in 5 minutes!
Links to join posted in our Discord.
#RainbowSpaceMagic #LGBT

Rainbow Space Magic – the craft of writing queer SFF

Thank you SO much to everyone who came to our chill & chat at Rainbow Space Magic. And thank you @spacemagiccon.bsky.social for inviting us! Now go enjoy the next event—When Queerness Is Not a Plot Point, the first of many awesome panels!

Register (for free!) here: www.rainbowspacemagic.org/

panel "When Queerness Is Not a Plot Point" starts in just a lil over 5 minutes!

Saturday Reading Rainbow Space Magic. October 4–5. RainbowSpaceMagic.org. Logo: A fountain pen draws a circle around the rainbow-colored letters RSM, ending in a little flying dragon and a ringed planet. Background: A starry sky with a rainbow.

Today, at 21:30 PM BST, I'll be part of an hour-long reading session at @spacemagiccon.bsky.social. Queer authors read queer stories. Fun for all!
#writingcommunity #reading #lgbtqia #BookSky💙📚

Currently at:
— only buy tech too old to have AI built in
— painstakingly disable AI every time they add it to something that used to work perfectly well
— if it can't be switched off, abandon the platform or tool
— if there are no good alternatives, avoid the AI parts
— patiently wait for the crash

oh its the thing everyone said was going to happen when this got brought in and it immediately happened

A Sword of Gold and Ruin by Anna Smith Spark — Runalong The Shelves Publisher – Flame Tree Press Published – Out Now Price – £20 hardback £3.82 ebook The sequel to the masterpiece folk horror high fantasy A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, a lyrical blend of epic m...

On the blog this week - gorgeous epic fantasy to devour awaits in A Sword of Good And Ruin by Anna Smith Spark www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/9/...

Reposted with alt text. Also, from a cursory look, this appears to basically be true, which is pretty funny. Philosophers... debate.

YouTube video by Thomas Wrightson Fabula Nova Crystallis: An Author (and fan) Retrospective

So...this happened. I just had words, and I had to spew them out. About a few games I like against all reason.
#finalfantasy #gaming #author #writerslife #opinion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCRv...