Patrick Samphire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

It's real.

This is what Syrias looked like in Tehran today. It is raining oil. The street cats are covered in it. This is a colossal crime against humanity.

Iranian journalist reports in front of the flames of a burning Oil depot.

"Vibe coding" is corpo speak for "I can't do my job, so I give it to the plagiarism machine that also can't do my job."

This iceberg was once the biggest in the world. Now it has just weeks left - BBC News A23a was once twice the size of Greater London but now its 40-year journey is coming to an end.

The iceberg, known as A23a, was once the largest on Earth, covering an area more than twice the size of Greater London.

But after a path full of twists and turns, A23a has melted, fractured and spectacularly disintegrated over the past year.

Why is it that most people who are in favour of piracy are pretty well off, and certainly more well off than the people they propose pirating from? Could it just be because they're self-centred narcissists?

I was brought up Christian, went to church. My best friend was the vicar's son. I continued to hang on to that for quite a while, but in the end I had to accept that I simply didn't believe in it. I didn't believe in a god.

Nothing against those who do, but I don't.

I'm looking for readers who like fantasy novels that scratch a Dark Souls itch. What you get for FREE in exchange for an honest review: The World-Maker Parable The World-Breaker Requiem Vultures House of Muir

And just a quick addition: I should have mentioned that this event will take place at the Seward Park location!

Steamy in Seattle 2026 Need an escape that gives you the giggles, helps you find a handsome orc, or ensures there will be dragons? Join us for Steamy in Seattle 2026 where guests Kimberly Lemming and Stephanie Burgis are in...

I just bought my train tickets to London Heathrow for @clarionwest.bsky.social's Steamy in Seattle cozy monster rom-com tea party with @kimberlylemming.bsky.social , and I cannot wait!!!

www.clarionwest.org/event/steamy...

#romancelandia

Stephanie Burgis with Lish McBride — 'Enchanting the Fae Queen' A seductive fae queen meets her unexpected match in the enemy empire's valiant general.

And just in case Seattle can't get enough of me, while I'm there, I will also be appearing at Third Place Books with @lishmcbride.bsky.social to talk about Enchanting the Fae Queen.

I'd love to see you at both events!

#romancelandia

www.thirdplacebooks.com/event/stepha...

The reason I fight so hard for trans kids is because I was a trans kid myself. I knew who I was in the year 2000, 12 years old, behind my computer, using the name Erin. I wanted puberty blockers so badly. My body shifted and changed in horrifying ways that I suffered for 15 years over.

This is what ecocide looks like.

It's tough in the industry, but it's always been tough. Good books are still getting sold and published, and now there's self-publishing if you want to avoid the pain of traditional publishing. If Brooks says you should write one, how can you argue???

Including @patricksamphire.bsky.social's fabulously snarky and fun Shadow of a Dead God!

The Sins of Steel and Shadow is a SPFBO semi-finalist! - Steve Pannett | Author & designer My gritty fantasy novel, the first in a brand new series, has been selected as a semi-finalist this year's SPFBO competition, SPFBO 11

The Sins of Steel and Shadow is an #SPFBO semifinalist 🙌🏻

Well chuffed, and hats off to anyone who entered this year’s contest. There are some incredible looking titles on that list and my TBR is getting longer every day!

stevepannett.com/the-sins-of-...

Just to be clear, because it's the internet, all those "writers" I'm getting emails from are AI spambots.

YouTube video by Foil Arms and Hog When the Bad Guy Wants to Play a Game

youtu.be/8I2SUiGU8i8?...

All the New York Times bestselling authors want to know about my books and what I'm working on. They all want me to stay in touch and tell them what I'm working on. Honestly, it's quite flattering.

The cover of Good Neighbors: The Full Collection shows a gentleman and lady in late Victorian clothes facing off from either side of a sinister castle in front of a full moon, with metal gears working underneath the title, cobwebs interspersed amongst the title letters, a crow sitting on one letter, and bats flying in the distance. Above and beside the cover is this text: My shoulders slumped. “Your duel really has to be fought at a ball?” “That’s necromancers for you,” Leander sighed. “Terrible show-offs, most of them.” He brushed a speck off his pristine white shirt with one long, fastidious finger. “Quite,” I agreed, meaningfully.

This week's Sunday snippet comes from my cozy-spooky fantasy rom-com, Good Neighbors, which is out in ebook, paperback, and audiobook (narrated by the fabulous @emmanewman.bsky.social ):

books2read.com/GoodNeighbors

#romancelandia

My new video is out on YouTube now:

"Why the New York Times Loves Stupid Questions"

youtu.be/ztQJ7XGuPhc

Please get into the habit of posting alt text.

Does Israel really think it is "okay" to kill 40 and injure another 40 in order to locate remains missing for 4 decades? That weren't even there?
Or is it just any excuse will do to kill as many people in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine as they can?

So much online conservatism these days is just "I miss being a kid"

Almost certainly going to miss most of my favourite songs from the year I was born, but this is a pretty good one.

A photograph, in burnt-orange colour tones, of a maple leaf with a heart-shaped hole forms the background of a square image. 19 book covers are arranged in a pyramid shape down the right-hand side and across the bottom. To the left, white text in an arc says "Hidden Gems!" Below that more white text reads: "19 books by Canadian authors you may never have heard of (but will totally wonder how your bookshelves lived without!)" At the top of the pyramid of covers, to the right, it provides the date of the promo: March 1st to 15th, only on Itchi.io. The books involved are as follows, from the top of the pyramid and then down, from left to right: The Lion The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle The Dragon Next Door River of Crows Hope is the Thing with Feathers The Clockwork Empire Flesh and Bone Goblin Girl Moonshadow's Guardian Your Blood and Bones Winner Takes All The Flaws of Gravity Scrap Metal Angel Destined to be Normal Clipped Bloody Spade Baker Thief Path of the Warrior Prince Ewald the Brave

Please check out the Hidden Gems bundle, 19 books by Canadian authors including my very own Prince Ewald the Brave.

➡️ itch.io/b/3524/hidde...

#reading #books #CanLit #BuyCanadian #BookSky

Two panel comic. The top panel shows a pink triceratops with a speech bubble that says, “New month, new me!” The bottom panel shows the triceratops walking to the right, oblivious to imminent doom caused by the meteor, volcano, and fire in the background. Two dinosaurs in the background look up at the meteor with worried expressions.

At the start of every month I think, “I’m going to make more art and post more!” Here’s a comic to express how I feel about trying to be creative these days.

I have watched this approximately 47 times and laughed out loud 47 times

At Largest ICE Detention Camp, Staff Bet on Detainee Suicides, AP Reports Camp East Montana has received several 911 calls in the span of five months about immigrants trying to harm themselves.

Staff at the nation’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility have placed bets on which detainee will be the next to die by suicide, according to new reporting from the Associated Press based on 911 calls and detainee accounts.

I remember learning about the Hays Code in film school and how it made it so that any amoral protagonist had to meet karmic justice by the end of the film and going “wow, that’s really silly” and then once a week I log online and see people argue that we need stuff like that now or it’s problematic