Joanne Harris

The best that anyone can hope to leave behind is love and fond memories.

Sending love. Your grandmother must have been very special, to make you feel that way.

((hugs))

The cover of JITTERBUG by Gareth L Powell features a stylised rocket silhouette at the centre of an orrery, with a space suited figure dangling in its wake

RELEASED TOMORROW!
A traumatised bounty hunter. A betrayed pirate queen. An ambitious politician. Can they somehow work together to save the human race? Published by @titanbooks.bsky.social and available through all good booksellers.

Kazumasa Nagai, the pioneering graphic designer whose work helped define postwar visual culture in Japan, has passed away.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 119:
Villains can be fun to write. But historically, portrayals of villainy have also been filled with stereotypes. Your villain isn't a villain because they're ugly, or from a different race, or disabled, or mentally ill. They're a villain because of their choices.

I'm astonished that on hearing it, she simply didn't lose the will to live...

Sikelgaita (1040 – 1090) was a Lombard princess, and the wife of Duke Robert Guiscard of Apulia. Her heritage made her a vital asset to Robert's governance in Southern Italy. She frequently accompanied him on campaigns and is noted for leading troops in battle. #CelebratingWomen

👍

And this morning the Shed is a tinderbox, itching for conflagration…

Beautiful.

March Hares! ‘I shall go into a hare’…. Painted, engraved stained glass, private collection.

Definite signs of spring…

Beautiful response from Joanne Harris when asked about Magic Realism. 'Magic' is about creativity and believing you can influence the world. Because 'monsters' still exist [insert topical reference...].

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 563:
Know when to stand back. If you centre yourself too much in your writing, you won't leave any space for your readers to put themselves in the story.

The acts of defiance can be big or small. Painting over a bigoted piece of graffiti. Running a youth club for refugees in an area that mostly loathes them. Wearing a rainbow flag in an anti-queer neighbourhood.
These acts all accumulate towards something better, I have seen that in action.

The utter idiot optimist me, a couple of years ago, thinking, "Hopefully this will improve when Labour get in."

Alice Augusta Ball (1892 – 1916) was an African-American chemist whose groundbreaking work produced the first effective treatment for leprosy. She died at age 24 before she could publish her findings, and others took credit for her work, but her legacy has now been acknowledged. #CelebratingWomen

Absolutely: maybe this is why we like them...

And this morning the Shed is a snow globe, inside which a tiny shed stands in perpetual blizzard…

In photographs, yes.

US-Israeli strike on girls' school kills at least 85 students, Iran's judiciary says At least 85 students have been killed in US-Israeli strikes that hit an Iranian girls' school in Hormozgan province, Iran's judiciary said on Saturday. Washington has not commented on the reported str...

We killed 85 schoolgirls. We are not the good guys.

Post, post against the dying of the light.

Caroline Shawk Brooks (1840 – 1913) was an American sculptor. Well known for her work sculpting in the medium of butter (yes, butter), she also worked with more traditional materials such as marble. #CelebratingWomen

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 181015:
If you're feeling creatively exhausted, then fill your tank with creative things. Read books. Watch films. See plays. Listen to music. Look at art. Remind yourself what creativity means to you.

The inside of a running shoe: the name: ORTHOLITE.

One of Taylor’s less famous songs…

And this morning the Shed is a park bench in memory of sheds past…

Bookseller announcement

Bookbrunch announcement

Feel daft blowing my own trumpet but here I go on my teaching series, the 2nd of which I’ve nearly finished (The Elixir, out this autumn @renardpress.com)
1. This is a planned series of 5 teaching books, all gentle but thorough and literary and fun
2. I am a v experienced educator in multiple areas

Not my cats, but yes: there's an ample supply...

The robot is curled up under the seat like a dog. This does not help AT ALL.