2026-09-12T23:01:32Z https://yabu.me Sandra Bond https://yabu.me/npub126zk6xd40aupdv5cqdyg5r6r58exf6ln5fsgqyjugcehav5p060sa5l58s https://stockroom.wandering.shop/accounts/avatars/111/104/433/040/548/559/original/04c3463dafbcc6c4.jpg https://stockroom.wandering.shop/accounts/avatars/111/104/433/040/548/559/original/04c3463dafbcc6c4.jpg https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswwxtj0e9wf8xft4etmn5m0wq8xf03xcv0s6up2qk3vzj0gqpkfyszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf77vjnah #ScribesAndMakers Sep 24: Our next featured creator will donate a portion of proceeds from book sales. Have you ever put proceeds from sales towards a cause you believe in?<br/><br/>Only insofar as I believe in being able to eat and have a roof over my head.<br/><br/>If I ever become a bestseller, then I fully intend to do so. 2026-09-24T14:12:11Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsxe8nx6d6gttf93rc2dzcr2qf2jv4uzm9d43yy6ftr8uqdw634z4szyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7p5xu7r It&#39;s #BookQuoteWednesday and consequently, another chance for me to trail the launch of OPHELIA IN THE BATHTUB, now a mere six weeks or so away.<br/><br/>The prompt word is a nice, easy one, &#34;knew&#34;.<br/><br/>Here&#39;s our protagonist, Barbara, at breakfast in the clinic. Ophelia has just spoken to her from across the table.<br/><br/>#BookQW #writing<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/117/320/787/369/949/692/original/1526230afdb4064e.jpg"> <br/> 2026-09-23T14:22:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd3yd7jhhfa05d4pqtwkhcadpkvgzgae0tp5ntsxeuqlktupn8keszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7kwzpqd #WritersCoffeeClub Sep 23: What &#34;little thing&#34; really helps you write?<br/><br/>My writer&#39;s block.<br/><br/>I see you raise your eyebrow, so let me explain; I refer to this writer&#39;s block, a pyrographed piece of wood made by my bestie, with holes in the top for pens which currently also hold screwdrivers, scissors, tweezers, a vintage cigarette holder (a prop from a bygone larp), and a $5 bill waiting patiently for a time when it&#39;s safe for me to visit the US again.<br/><br/>I once wrote a poem about the little frog.<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/117/320/665/182/403/297/original/ec5b59307cf6b0b0.png"> <br/> 2026-09-23T13:51:55Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2dp7y2urpzmty3qg36dwqml5rrqqvvhs4dnx50lx352ld8r4n6fszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7xr2ahj #ScribesAndMakers September 23: Choose a noun that is representative of you as a creative person.<br/><br/>Tatterdemalion. 2026-09-23T13:42:33Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsxxdut7r4jflttrcps462ln08jwhxtfz6lma9uhmc0p9kwt3a5xaczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf79t6l6c #WordWeavers 23. Have your characters’ journeys affected your own life? If so, how?<br/><br/>I would say it was more the other way around; there&#39;s barely a major character in any of my books who hasn&#39;t been influenced by, or undergone an experience drawn from, my own life, history, experiences, opinions, discoveries or quirks. 2026-09-23T13:35:54Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd84yx9twqud5ca05zngpvz8hd0vlnfk0lmemlta45uykthwswckszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7982h7u #WordWeavers Sep 22: If you wrote a memoir on your writing journey so far, what would it be called?<br/><br/>&#34;Nevertheless, She Existed&#34; 2026-09-22T09:10:57Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswzfdz3zmy9t82nd8l8vlne4rpt6kljdvu8m2ppljsrdvf0mq0xvczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7t3wt7f #ScribesAndMakers Sep 22: Promotion day. Self or someone else. Or both.<br/><br/>I&#39;m currently seething that our Reform-led local council has cancelled all plans for National Poetry Day events. This could be simply down to them having no poetry in their tiny rotten souls, of course, but I suspect the fact that Staffordshire&#39;s current Poet Laureate is queer and living with chronic illness may have something to do with it.<br/><br/>Scarlett Ward is her name and she&#39;s super.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.matchmaker.fm/show-guest/scarlett-ward-89c836">https://www.matchmaker.fm/show-guest/scarlett-ward-89c836</a> 2026-09-22T09:06:46Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8ndn357qszdcm0kcsw99sne9eeer54jnyucnlk5sma5qc09506zgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7vr9mlk #WordWeavers Sep 21: In your current WIP, which character do you relate to the least and why?<br/><br/>Quite a jostle for position over this, but I think Duncan Hulvey ends up on top, ahead of Jeffrey Downdale. Hulvey has more power, and makes more oppressive use of it. Downdale makes some atrocious decisions which rebound on him, just as many of my own decisions have throughout my life, but -- like me -- he has understandable reasons for most of his mistakes. Hulvey just likes power for its own sake. 2026-09-21T17:21:03Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd8afqtjplqscdds6w6xugnfneqachpg70f4x67vhxpmclanq6w5qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf79xvhjw #ScribesAndMakers 21 Sep: What character from one of your own books or someone else&#39;s would you want to spend a day with? What would you do?<br/><br/>I am a sad Dorothy L. Sayers fangirl and demand to have a day with Lord Peter Wimsey, being taken around London, bought dinner, and generally entertained by his raconteurism and wit. 2026-09-21T17:15:47Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgap5n7uq446mlp0kxk3dvmaa26jpkrwckpaek4cxr7q3srpppwjczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf796236j #ScribesAndMakers 20. Repossess?<br/><br/>To be haunted once may be regarded as a misfortune; to be haunted twice looks like carelessness. 2026-09-20T07:41:33Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvzpjy023cmx0d4nnxu4x05t77y7n949hthq6c4dgp34p99zsqshgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7xhxcs6 #WordWeavers 20 Sep: How do your characters access water or whatever they need to drink?<br/><br/>In Ophelia in the Bathtub, the clue is in the name; they turn on the tap.<br/><br/>In Juniper&#39;s harp the situation is more complex; it&#39;s interesting how often fantasy authors fail to consider important issues like this. Different cities have different water sources; Stahbigaan uses wells, Ebrevale relies on the River Eber, while Shellwall&#39;s water is piped via aqueduct to a reservoir. 2026-09-20T07:35:23Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswyc6ax94nl35qeayzsrnxce3drfpcd0pg4d7aaaka3trlq6nt8dgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7rdyhu7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs2unza08yzc7psd0vm8h02rgmjudpmm8pwhlfym9gjferskd7jmuskat9kd'>nevent1q…t9kd</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Try &#34;Celtic&#34;, which is pronounced two different ways depending on whether you mean a nation or a football team. 2026-09-18T16:57:31Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsva42sw65m2sh3qfva9e680gnhc9jtl5q56fcaguvh5v8w5qaffvgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf78ajl5s #WordWeavers Sep 18: What are three personality strengths your MC has?<br/><br/>Barbara is resourceful, resilient and resurgent. 2026-09-18T16:50:34Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswdyv9eeqm6gw2nks586f2zu984r29puhnc7sdj5zvhn5jtr5chuczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7864960 #ScribesAndMakers Sep 18: Change one word in the title of a famous book, a movie, a song, and a play to create four new titles.<br/><br/>Let&#39;s play on hard mode and change as little as possible.<br/><br/>Book: The Captcha In The Rye<br/>Movie: The Draftsman&#39;s Contrick<br/>Song: Dark Side Of The Spoon<br/>Play: The Teal Inspector Hound 2026-09-18T16:49:44Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8zvfvqrlw42gmpjsvw32509anve8jg2nmjme45mdfhjljrfnxlvczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7kjsn7g #WordWeavers 17 Sep: By the end of your story, how many injuries has your MC had?<br/><br/>Speaking of physical injuries alone, Barbara sustains a good many small ones during the course of her book. All of them are self-inflicted. 2026-09-17T13:41:55Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0mxze6nqn8kq8f7dzhrr59htdp6lyzqe46fszmr9nd4wdfekaucszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf778td09 #WordWeavers Sep 16: If your MC were elected mayor of your own town, would you stay or move. Why?<br/><br/>I&#39;d stay; mayoralty round here is purely ceremonial and carries no effective power with it. 2026-09-16T13:53:21Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrywdtjgvrwglj4hh82n4pkextgsg48206xzqlssr5yrxxmuv60tgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7hvkzr2 &#34;Writers aren&#39;t to be trusted in what they say about their writing.&#34; (Brian W. Aldiss)<br/><br/>A point to bear in mind when reading my responses to the daily writing prompts on Mastodon.<br/><br/>#writing 2026-09-15T09:51:39Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsg39hhvew49xrw06dj3w3alwvhfwndmg6yzg6eprfxxf32tlagezgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7nr9z6v #WordWeavers Sep. 15: Your characters get one completely ordinary day with no villains, quests, murders, wars, prophecies, romantic disasters, or impending apocalypses. How do they spend it?<br/><br/>If by &#34;characters&#34; you mean the ensemble cast of almost any of my novels, they&#39;d spend it at best bickering and at worst in fights which risked escalating into physical combat. 2026-09-15T09:02:52Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszg5rrequ8nle9xp2m625dzj5gl30n3frlz59vyva3sgqpugt44sgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf75e7shv #ScribesAndMakers 15 Sep: What&#39;s a situation where you feel a &#39;;&#39; definitely works better than a &#39;.&#39; ?<br/><br/>Where grammar demands. Okay, okay... where I need to link two pieces of text which could each stand as separate sentences but which are linked closely enough that they deserve to be linked more closely than that. 2026-09-15T09:01:05Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrd7tnjy6ggu90crsu6uzgzgypd8ut5sq7fl29quvelwa70lz3adqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf73yddne #ScribesAndMakers Sep 14: What&#39;s your favorite type of story setting?<br/><br/>I like to take a present-day setting and jump up and down on it a few times, until it&#39;s bent and dinged, and fantasy elements come crawling out of the cracks I&#39;ve made in it. 2026-09-14T17:27:16Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsy4jzax6yd0n4puvvmnxcv52630uz60dahs3rkdr0dl0was6lamvszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7trnzw4 #WordWeavers 14/9: Your MC is offered exactly what they&#39;ve always wanted-but accepting it will cost them something they love. What do they choose?<br/><br/>This is, in effect, the character arc of Darroll in The Psychopath Club, who gains the freedom to create mayhem (up to and including murder) without the usual consequences, but suffers a heart-rending loss as a result. (No spoilers!) 2026-09-14T17:13:48Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsx03zzuaslx8wyxmrd7q22m6g60j5tupx86xjdp6kuwlv9mg4y9dszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7vktr00 #WordWeavers Sep 13: Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.<br/><br/>&#34;That’s a nice blouse.”<br/><br/>Barbara blinked. Tim Baldock had a conversational style which reminded her of an archaeologist attempting to piece together fragments of ancient pottery without even being sure that they came from the same pot. 2026-09-13T14:35:07Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsy73cxukwt5rzaxpj7kxz6l8n3mjny2scwkz9franapkpxq24y8cgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ck5aa8 #WordWeavers Sep 12: If you removed one supporting character, whose absence would change the story the most?<br/><br/>Clue&#39;s in the title. Ophelia in the Bathtub just wouldn&#39;t be the same without Ophelia. 2026-09-12T09:09:16Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0mmy7am8p7eqkclerzac989ecdn0gu95mfch8qznn8ve6g3prqjszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7a37e2u #ScribesAndMakers Sep 11: Our next featured creator is a group of three collaborators. Have you ever been part of a collaborative group for your creative work?<br/><br/>I was a member of a band for about five years. It was the best. It felt like I was suddenly back at school only, instead of being the outsider kid, I was part of a cool gang that people looked up to. 2026-09-11T13:17:39Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsztflmnq78h7wf3ppy7r0e90m0k8j50lm3ep4h2ngvkpcltrn8r0qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7fvmx97 #WordWeavers September 11: What does your MC believe about themself at the beginning of the story that turns out to be completely wrong?<br/><br/>That she&#39;s incurably addicted to self-harm and will be a cutter all her life. 2026-09-11T13:14:28Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszvackcaqw42syh5uaa5zw9m67zfp2y43knevh2z0wjgrjqhhmadgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7aptvtj #ScribesAndMakers Sep 10: Our next featured creator is an acronym. Do you use acronyms in your work?<br/><br/>I had to scratch my head over this one before answering that I don&#39;t *think* so. Not a deliberate choice so much as that I haven&#39;t needed to compose any thus far. 2026-09-10T13:53:14Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsddzqvprpw56puhepxdwymy5787fykvv6jquat0wf4k204kum8hmczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf74hwy40 #WordWeavers 10 Sep: Share a description from your WIP that establishes atmosphere without explicitly naming the emotion.<br/><br/>Still treating Ophelia in the Bathtub as my WIP, until it&#39;s published in November:<br/><br/>Slowly Baldock’s eyes inched back up until they were back on Barbara’s face. They still didn’t meet her actual eyes, but at least he was no longer staring at the floor.<br/><br/>“My brain hurts,” he said, and gave a little wild laugh. 2026-09-10T13:51:02Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsv2stvhmx9mrnsph5x0649kx5r2hqa7y9hwhnynrgvhdua4t3fy2czyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7wvjrrl #WordWeavers 9 Sep: What secret would cause the most damage if it were revealed in your story right now?<br/><br/>Damage to a large number of people: Dr Hulvey&#39;s secret.<br/><br/>Damage to fewer people, but more severe: Trevor Ramage&#39;s secret.<br/><br/>No spoilers. Buy OPHELIA IN THE BATHTUB in November. Mwa ha ha ha! 2026-09-09T14:43:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrmuuxvseaqelawflmxlqqvt9f6af079r5snn9jz7lrr92yg5t4lgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf72c6gea #WordWeavers 8 Sep: Which character would be the worst person to get trapped in an elevator with?<br/><br/>Glen Wyatt. He is unintelligent, self-obsessed, intermittently delusional, and even if he didn&#39;t kill everyone in the elevator trying to get out, he&#39;d bore them to death with his fantasies about being king of outer space. 2026-09-08T11:44:21Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0fsyh6mnxvc2ckx25scak6m5qt8fny2ehg4djlesj0y3wcu5pwsgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf77luwdw #ScribesAndMakers September 8: Gauge?<br/><br/>Four feet, eight and a half inches. 2026-09-08T11:39:36Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrgpkqrzsucsmnrapw80kgcuunlvdp94pmz9ysvv2gljnpg2axf0szyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7nvupgd #WordWeavers Sep 7: Describe a moment when one of your characters realizes they&#39;ve made a terrible mistake.<br/><br/>Juniper allows herself to be distracted by one of the oldest tricks in the thieves&#39; manual, and while her attention&#39;s diverted, her harp is stolen. She realises too late:<br/><br/>Juniper’s heart gave a sudden lurch, up into her throat and then down into the vicinity of her bladder. One of her two packs was gone.<br/><br/>A dawning light knocked her over with its dazzle. 2026-09-07T19:51:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsqey3d73m5mrknh99v9rlqyg5gzzjcjemukf6sgwtn7scuj6zh6hszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ydrt24 #ScribesAndMakers Sep 7: What &#39;character&#39; (letter, number, etc) would make a great main character?<br/><br/>Þ. Who needs to have two sidekicks called Oak and Ash. 2026-09-07T19:49:04Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgh4nquwkd5qlwh7ed4208vs5fu0dcxv4pa6ewqgf8fxljvnwxrtszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf70h8mmk #ScribesAndMakers Sep 6: Have you ever listened to an audiobook where the reader had a good voice, but not the &#39;right&#39; voice?<br/><br/>No. My mind tunes out the voice in an audiobook and focuses on the actual words. 2026-09-06T12:22:51Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsg5yuj7axw582vas6utcz78uu67sv3j8uxf3fjl8020djlm00knsgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7uz8nu8 #WordWeavers Sep 6: What is your MC hilariously bad at?<br/><br/>J. has never claimed to have the faintest clue about operating, navigating, or anything else to do with an anti-gravity ship. In particular, the operation of a sextant is a complete mystery to him. 2026-09-06T12:19:07Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqspmujw6ej3h5qlafapz06lldes2gxr8xvf99ua7938qmveqqyhp0gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf75kzkh9 #ScribesAndMakers 5 Sep: From a purely aesthetic standpoint, what is your favourite colour of ice cream?<br/><br/>Neapolitan. It isn&#39;t my favourite to eat, but it has a nice mix of colours. I could go on to draw parallels with society, but Neapolitan ice cream is strictly colour-segregated, so I think I won&#39;t push the comparison any further. 2026-09-05T12:31:11Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsfkpgnq9es2pt9646cals3sc6thz58fp8ujvxr7ed82cdwkm6al5szyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf79a6svt #WordWeavers Sep 5: If your antagonist could justify their actions in one sentence, what would they say?<br/><br/>Dr Hulvey: &#34;Nobody else can look after these kids like me.&#34; 2026-09-05T12:25:29Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0m57fjavstv3dwg3xgd3wpc9afu3g9v3cpje8env37ctar07su0qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7r7882a #WordWeavers Sep 4: What seemingly insignificant object in your story carries a lot of emotional weight?<br/><br/>An ugly garden gnome in Eddie Drygalski&#39;s garden unexpectedly takes on sufficient significance that Imogen will never again be able to see such an ornament without getting flashbacks to... what Eddie&#39;s gnome was used for. 2026-09-04T22:21:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2wma0pd0hpe77qf8hh52gsfeyl4xvtk6jqrv87vu66k5f26mwkpqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7j6eqae #ScribesAndMakers 3 Sep: Which ebook reader do you use?<br/><br/>I don&#39;t have (can&#39;t afford) a separate ebook reader; I use Kindle on my iPad. It suits me okay. 2026-09-03T14:11:15Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2tn3dhjhe08hfsjyfqkkg8w8pt73jz9p2ngs36v8stkpcc6hxepczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7tc778q #WordWeavers 3 Sep: Share a line from your WIP that reveals more than the speaker intended.<br/><br/>“Oh, shit.” Downdale’s voice. “If he’s got hold of that fucking knife...”<br/><br/>This alerts Barbara to the fact that a knife exists in the Hopecliff Clinic, and that Jeffrey Downdale is the one she needs to ask about it. 2026-09-03T14:10:02Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszl2t2zun4mzjtt4rg366gvaj26nj20zlyma3xtc9ny2s8p23asdszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7wzte9q #WordWeavers Sep 2: What would your MC notice first upon entering a crowded room?<br/><br/>She&#39;d probably pause and back out again. The Hopecliff Clinic doesn&#39;t really have any crowded rooms, and it would be well outside Barbara&#39;s comfort zone to suddenly discover one. 2026-09-02T19:02:19Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs96lrkthn8h37xkem306fez9xxcjkehdwux0yx0k8g3vmq6efmtkszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ydg2d2 #ScribesAndMakers Sep 2: How do you think where you live affects your creative work?<br/><br/>I don&#39;t think it affects it much. My novels are set in the US Midwest, London/northern UK, space, a fantasy world, and the southern UK. 2026-09-02T19:00:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsz0fr5ep388m2rftau44pyq8vx00s2w5gqfd9mjely02v9za7y97czyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7fzq5cs #ScribesAndMakers 1 Sep *2026*: List 7 things about your creativity. (Accomplishments, goals, etc.)<br/><br/>1) I re-invented the fanfic wheel at age eight by writing four very short sequels to Watership Down<br/><br/>2) I am hugely shy and anxious, yet I am never happier than when performing<br/><br/>3) I can&#39;t resist the temptation for puns and wordplay, no matter how inappropriate the moment<br/><br/>4) I have to work on prose; poetry happens to me<br/><br/>5) I am wildly disorganised<br/><br/>6) My handwriting&#39;s dire<br/><br/>7) JKR can get bent 2026-09-01T16:15:01Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd6tywzezz20jr4mm074f9km8n0pxjx4klvl3n6davt3cmzxjnhlczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7r0pkp6 #WordWeavers 1 Sep: What is something your MC desperately wants but would never admit to wanting?<br/><br/>Barbara not only wants, but needs, freedom from guilt. There&#39;s no prospect of her achieving it as Ophelia in the Bathtub starts. 2026-09-01T15:48:53Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9n9908vxg9extyzxxqysa2grwng22tu78w66uv0zuvwfg6t65lnczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7yd8m0y #ScribesAndMakers Sep 1: With many new people here, let&#39;s do another round of introductions. Tell us something about yourself and your creativity.<br/><br/>I&#39;m Sandra Bond, a former musician and now a writer and poet, with two collections of the latter published and three novels, to become four by the end of this year.<br/><br/>I was the featured creator in this hashtag just yesterday, so read back a bit if you want to find out much more about me.<br/><br/>My website is <a href="https://www.sandra-bond.com/">https://www.sandra-bond.com/</a>. Must update it. Again. 2026-09-01T15:47:36Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrujd6gwc3zuft0r5t0lme2v4p5pmxr6smusn0z792yemh9dlhwvgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf77vqwqm #WritersCoffeeClub 31 Aug: How did this month go for you, writing-wise?<br/><br/>As the omens portended, I turned the new book in. I&#39;ve taken a couple of weeks on writing-adjacent tasks which aren&#39;t actual writing; next, I need to pick up my search for an agent and a larger publisher for Juniper&#39;s Harp, which my current publisher thinks is too good for him and deserves someone bigger. Which is flattering, but means a tedious and grim series of submissions/rejections. (How do people cope with this, eh?) 2026-08-31T07:23:17Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8gmqtg3g4h6kn0xkmewjuzex2h0ypmpc84vz6lk52upcd8hmxwggzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf74sk8np #WordWeavers 31 Aug: What&#39;s one thing you hope readers remember long after they finish your story?<br/><br/>That being good to other people will lead to good results in the end, and being a dick to them will get your head bitten off by a cryptid. 2026-08-31T07:17:44Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszk6uyaj06vtggcxu78cx7umk8gjgsd8jlum79z42a855a3vp6efszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7zd9phq #ScribesAndMakers 31 Aug: Choose an adverb to sum up how your month went.<br/><br/>Successfully. I worked my way through a long list of requested corrections and amendments, and turned in my next novel before the deadline (!!)<br/><br/>This left me ready and waiting to be the featured creator here on Scribes &amp; Makers, an honour I was very glad to be selected for. (Thanks to everyone who #TTMD -ed.)<br/><br/>Next up, I fear I must return to the search for an agent and/or publisher for the Breakthrough Fantasy Novel. 2026-08-31T07:16:12Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsv7f3kngzs2ggcfnal8vjlcsmusxv8squf4gzyhlg2au2flvrnzxszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7d2w3jt In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsw2h99gddwzcqjjtg0znx4nvfpnzgdrstaln0hrugrdk8z7chqdngdcsvka'>nevent1q…svka</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Thanks for having me! I had a blast! 2026-08-30T22:44:03Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsquytnvyam0g3xhmlu92waj8ax0luj0g7zl7lfkh6ksy7yjvw5fnqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7gzdv5x In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsyua989gsw70c03cq5ey2fnf95jluc8ak63tkskyzwj36jm5nvqnqufz4f0'>nevent1q…z4f0</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I&#39;m wary of including verse/lyrics in my novels; I think they mix awkwardly unless you happen to have the genius of Tolkien.<br/><br/>The Psychopath Club and the yet-unpublished Juniper&#39;s Harp both contain snatches of song lyrics (not whole songs) embedded in text.<br/><br/>In Three Men in Orbit, I allowed myself the hubris of placing this in the somewhat tipsy mouth of Jerome K. Jerome:<br/><br/>Drinking beer<br/>Outside the atmosphere<br/>Is never a good idea,<br/>I fear.<br/><br/>None of my novels have been inspired by poetry. 2026-08-30T21:28:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsf7prafe8e9t60x6xx0remlwrrfeqcgqqu2v4rergmnulnkf7zk6czyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7yefmty In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqjwjkcph7q232nf5ry05ad7zfxdhqrf7y2mggj7cfx3jfydr3x9sk09fjv'>nevent1q…9fjv</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Vanishingly rarely, now. The band I was in and for which I wrote, broke up, and the bassist (my dearest friend) is now dead. 2026-08-30T19:44:44Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswq3wwcwahf2ap9t0c9upk7hqez4r4dn0cuxdf8730p8ggvrvfeuczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7m7cl5l In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqvevhuwgg4d9ql6mxkdt77jacq9ah3sn6sjtl9n06764zd06kl4q5e0sar'>nevent1q…0sar</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>This answer is boring, but reassuring: no, despite the provocative title, &#34;How To Get 20 Copyright Takedowns At Once&#34; has never received any legal hassles, nor (I suspect) could it because to quote a few lines from someone&#39;s work is fair usage.<br/><br/>I never played the game you mention, which is probably a good job because at school I was completely uninterested in popular music and doubt I could have quoted a line from anywhere. I was 17 before I got into anything but classical music. 2026-08-30T15:48:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvh36wv5k6z2r3asaahk8e2udvax3pl09tx5zwp5e82m6g0uhqcuqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ry8lf3 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqakt7ymgs20sxycq46lj66hd3asgrwnmazrepxa9zzap0sfk7kjsxazrhe'>nevent1q…zrhe</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>More a pantser, though not exclusively; I start with a protagonist (and probably some supporting characters) and a problematic situation, with a resolution in mind 80,000 words or so in the future, and start writing. After 15-20,000 words my characters have taken on enough life that they start to guide my writing, and from then on I just need to follow behind them writing everything down and nudging them back on course occasionally. They, and I, get there in the end. Then... revision! 2026-08-30T15:45:59Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsv58wrrssx0zwty9jtnrzcn9nltahmu27jfmml8nfn4sh5rnwuqrqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7wayuu9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsve6tsmdhhmwqss5vh64xgd5cyy484z5h8ehser4783z3j9ukj59gah2dwd'>nevent1q…2dwd</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Tough one, this, because I&#39;m a writing person and one comes as part of the other. But I&#39;ll try.<br/><br/>As a person: I don&#39;t fit neatly into categories; I&#39;m gender-nonconforming, bisexual and neurodivergent. Boxes are for cats.<br/><br/>Speaking of cats: I love cats of all kinds.<br/><br/>I have a horrible energy drink habit.<br/><br/>As a writer: I don&#39;t fit into categories here either. The amount of rejections I&#39;ve had for colouring over genre lines!<br/><br/>I don&#39;t kill off my queer characters. They get happy endings. 2026-08-30T15:37:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsywqyfd606fq5x20pkh7w0rc80v6nfmtp4qdekmgd7w753ndg2zhczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7x0j0ec In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgkhlmnv7k4m50mmc368mklgrs8krgg3gxy3eh0n2d4euu9r9qdasjgmq6j'>nevent1q…mq6j</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Yes, enormously. We were all of us very novice musicians and such poor dubs that we couldn&#39;t even play covers like most starting-out bands. So I began writing songs, and rediscovered the joy of making words dance for me. Without that, I might never have resumed writing at all. But as it was, music served as a gateway for me, taking me back into both prose and poetry. 2026-08-30T13:24:08Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstyv03nylvuf4lnv8pm8gqhla86fx70vgr42wu7qrmuza20t3hxggzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7hke2zm In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsr7m20frpqune5dwadg0a9yp69njpd9u5dnjp94y8094j4swgk5ast0v8mw'>nevent1q…v8mw</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>...As for what I find most fulfilling about writing and publishing, I&#39;ll be honest at the cost of embarrassing myself. I&#39;ve always craved validation, and always feared that after I&#39;m gone I shall be forgotten as though I&#39;d never lived. <br/><br/>That may still be the case, but at least, now, I have left some music and several books behind, and it&#39;s not impossible that in a hundred years or more someone may chance across one of my novels and read it. If humanity still exists a century hence. 2026-08-30T12:35:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsr7m20frpqune5dwadg0a9yp69njpd9u5dnjp94y8094j4swgk5aszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf76kttlz In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqswy4ue5hc8ljg3mux94686v6nks8zf08y707dayrgl0g449wkjuysvd62wh'>nevent1q…62wh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I was a good lawyer as long as I was left alone to work on lawyer stuff. I never was. Lawyers (especially insurance lawyers like me) are expected, not only to work with other lawyers, but also do a ton of corporate schmoozing and link-forging. I hated that and was dreadful at it.<br/><br/>Eventually the choice came between my career and my sanity, and I chose sanity. I went to work for a brewery and had enough time and energy for creativity again; first music, then writing.<br/><br/>(more...) 2026-08-30T12:33:15Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsta93ersvh3tjlrrzla6rf0eyrmzut786a24ag3fqvxwzgnekf9wszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7vpt030 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspddnafdks90yj69ckcr7nuesd3r435npgrje5j4lnkugy56f2xjgt2yaph'>nevent1q…yaph</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>A question which has sometimes niggled at me -- what do you do with young people who are showing signs of developing along alarming lines, like psychopathy, paedophilia, terrorism and so on, but who have not yet committed any crime for which they can be taken out of society and safeguarded? (Even assuming such is desirable, which is a whole other issue.)<br/><br/>That question was one of the main sparks of both The Psychopath Club and Ophelia in the Bathtub.<br/><br/>I still don&#39;t know the answer. 2026-08-30T12:30:25Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd0kynnje56sxg4xmc3gq3p5dzezlruhr6w2vunnh6jkzxvkm5f9gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ay09vk In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsznlele4wa94jg2pf3dxqam2k43jgr2aygpdk8vn7le3vea3dlgmqg7vzcj'>nevent1q…vzcj</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>One of the many things I&#39;ve learnt since I first achieved publication is that many readers will shy away from a books with whose protagonist they can&#39;t identify. This surprised me; I just enjoy reading, without imagining myself in the shoes of any character.<br/><br/>I find odd characters both more fun to write and more interesting to read, and so I wrote about them. Enough people said about my first book &#34;Great novel, but that protagonist...&#34; that I learned to make my MCs relatable. 2026-08-30T12:27:47Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsr0ww740y53ztxm5nveptsxvchdx26wl3a2hhplmvw8yvyya38ngqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7hu0tzv In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsx7fyduytgjz6kxcg4vngkmcugsq2627c832rczdj7mc4jem78mhczlh975'>nevent1q…h975</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>See, I was a rotten precocious kid, and like many such I found school boringly easy, which taught me the fatal lesson that anything difficult wasn&#39;t worth the effort. Hence when my early writing failed to get anywhere, I just gave up instead of persevering.<br/><br/>By the point when I had enough spare time and energy to try again, I&#39;d learnt the error of my ways, and stuck to it, gradually improving with practice till I finally found a publisher who liked my stuff, with whom I remain. 2026-08-30T12:24:39Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsqlk52luxdw8365z7kzfe7ws6velqhu9qfmln878p5cqwxpdkq9zgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7maw2rp #WordWeavers Aug 30: If you could interview one of your characters over coffee, what would be the first question you asked?<br/><br/>I&#39;d love to sit Horsehead down and ask him exactly what he is, what his powers are and whence he derives them.<br/><br/>But I bet I wouldn&#39;t get a straight answer. Horsehead doesn&#39;t deal in straight answers. 2026-08-30T10:02:53Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqst93sawfltwy4kzl36cn4n7zcphaclw9aud5p8h4pj5avvn7p373qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7rzegad #WordWeavers 29 Aug: What writing accomplishment are you quietly proud of?<br/><br/>Conquering my natural revulsion at self-publicity and puffing myself up (or &#34;showing off&#34;, as my mother used to condemn anything whatsoever I did that made people acknowledge my existence.)<br/><br/>...so anyway you should all buy my next book, Ophelia in the Bathtub, out late this year...<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/117/179/509/065/583/546/original/79f6350ef135e2cc.png"> <br/> 2026-08-29T15:35:28Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvxd9f8t8cphkhyrrnjky226xhs0fhj28ghlzw2e2q6dg2ps5z2agzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf799fypq #ScribesAndMakers Aug. 29: At age 11, our TTMD guest answered &#39;What do you want to be when you grow up?&#39; with &#39;Author.&#39; Did you know what you wanted to be at 11?<br/><br/>Actually it was &#34;novelist&#34;, not just &#34;author&#34;... 2026-08-29T14:22:01Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrhrnf3v43aqztku64lyauvpgeykkljesa7jnu55lzepvpwncwptqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7d09x2m #ScribesAndMakers Aug 28: Our next featured creator is a pun-slinger. Share a pun.<br/><br/>What prize does the best werewolf win?<br/><br/>A lycantrophy. 2026-08-28T17:25:48Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswhwf59pa9wxr3hs2y875kwtavsw8uhvfe8r7wnzh0u4g88kepwfqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7c3j6tg #ScribesAndMakers 27. Tell a story, real or fictional, about an object on your desk.<br/><br/>A small, flat, round wooden case with a lid that screws on and off. It was meant to be a travelling soap container; my friend H used to to store his stash in. <br/><br/>After he died, his widow asked me whether I wanted it as a souvenir. <br/><br/>Even though I no longer smoke dope, I couldn&#39;t say no. 2026-08-27T14:22:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsy0tfj6ynh8eh4hhnx8v90yyms48d3p0zl9jkuahqfprjpq58l5yczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf788flu4 #WordWeavers 27 Aug: Which character would win a trivia contest?<br/><br/>Joe Boardman has the sharpest mind and the most book-learning. 2026-08-27T13:22:41Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs88uyzwucc87u4up9jlu7mjahxgvezuz2ceapzvaq29uacj7cll0gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf73khr43 #WordWeavers Aug 26: What weather best matches your current work in progress?<br/><br/>Gonna answer this for Ophelia in the Bathtub even though I sent its ms to my editor yesterday, so it&#39;s no longer really &#34;in progress&#34;.<br/><br/>I&#39;ll go with cold, rainy late autumn nights. The book is mainly set in November. 2026-08-26T14:04:56Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsz76dejw7z68f6uamtm2fn36ws2tc0d36vl27rax704q8fjetpj7qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ldml8m #scribesandmakers Aug. 26: Describe how it feels to be &#34;locked in&#34; to your work.<br/><br/>Not certain what &#34;locked in&#34; means here; do the inverted commas signify a metaphor?<br/><br/>When I write at novel length, somewhere around 15-20,000 words, the characters generally start to take on their own pseudo-life, making plans, interacting with one another, pulling the story this way or that. <br/><br/>That, I guess, is what &#34;locked in&#34; means. Because I&#39;m in jail with my characters and won&#39;t get out till the book&#39;s done. 2026-08-26T13:55:10Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsyhcpvkqze2ww99s300hlm062v0704z04uxlja7j8jr0trnzlsp9qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf79kyr6t #WordWeavers July 30: Do the people close to you find your writing surprising?<br/><br/>Bold of you to assume I have people close to me!<br/><br/>I don&#39;t think they do. They have mostly known me long enough not to be surprised at anything I do, say, write, or confect. 2026-07-30T13:46:30Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9sr7rtx6y66dsu3dnuckghvwcgnjzfmkcptytaq3n7vcyfdjuh6gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7983a8l #ScribesAndMakers July 15: Our next featured creator has made toys. Have you ever? <br/><br/>I was about to say &#34;no&#34; when I recalled that, as a very small child, with help from my mother, I used to draw faces on clothes pegs and make them into families. (Daddy had a moustache. Mummy didn&#39;t. Of such were gender norms made, in the days of my youth.) 2026-07-15T19:34:15Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqst9xrt2w2la8g3n4da94zcc07e00kz4f3hysnumkuq2rk0qf4v9jczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7x3ul6m #ScribesAndMakers June 12: Say something kind about yourself and your creativity.<br/><br/>I am clever and witty and sharp and I can make people laugh. This applies to my books, also.<br/><br/>I also make people uncomfortable sometimes, and guess what? That applies to my books too! Fancy that! 2026-06-12T16:44:53Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2qa7jstrg4a40e7rh824l29waufte68gycf4wmx36aajgxfnxd6szyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf757fw4f #TimeTravelAuthors 1 May: Introduce your story (optional: use the word &#34;may&#34;)<br/><br/>May is turning into June, school is finishing for the year, and Darroll is planning how to murder someone and get away with it.<br/><br/>But no matter how detailed his plans, he can&#39;t factor in what&#39;s about to happen; his accident, his trips between alternate timelines, and his growing relationships with goth artist Vanessa... and with enigmatic being Horsehead. Where will it end?<br/><br/>Pray it doesn&#39;t end in *your* universe.<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/116/501/855/473/391/886/original/3dcf933b6d815dd4.jpg"> <br/> 2026-05-01T23:15:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsx0g6f5sh9ckcgvg7ya7mvwg8suxxlqgglzjqeanxmc3gyrcz3lvgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf78avl3a #WordWeavers Apr 22: What would your antagonist be willing to die for?<br/><br/>My antagonists are, without exception, far more into letting other people die for them. 2026-04-22T17:33:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsw5l8cyexxz4yrzg8rak0chgslz3dzlt70vkcchhfa3nzj57m7kjszyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7hqfl5j #ScribesAndMakers Jan 24: What&#39;s a work of science fiction that you love? What do you love about it?<br/><br/>On first reading, Frederik Pohl&#39;s &#34;Gateway&#34; blew me away on multiple levels; the idea, the implimentation, the sidebars (I had never encountered these in sf before, only in Ed McBain&#39;s 87th Precinct books) and the fact that it dared to leave some questions unanswered.<br/><br/>(Don&#39;t bother with the sequels, which answer all those questions and show why they were better unanswered). 2026-01-24T11:45:06Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgmfefheleng4lds9wm0ez30hvxnyxkgga7xade4s5medkl6cv6xqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf79kv4hj #WordWeavers 1 Jan: What are your wildest (writing-related) dreams for this year?<br/><br/>Publish OPHELIA IN THE BATHTUB. It becomes a left-field hit and people who like it buy all my previous books too. Publishers get into a bidding war over JUNIPER&#39;S HARP. Terfs gnash their teeth in vain over my success and I live happily ever after.<br/><br/>Gosh, I am so good at making hugely impossible fictions sound plausible. 2026-01-01T09:17:15Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsr2pv87ra7sd45ghacppz4etw5y7500l07s33t2vzdnetvf7ymvhczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7akmz47 #WritersCoffeeClub 22nd of December: What are some mistakes or errors you know you&#39;re prone to making? How do you avoid them?<br/><br/>I don&#39;t believe in myself, and too often I need to lean on friends for reassurance that I actually am a decent writer and that people are not publishing, buying, and reading my book out of misplaced sympathy for me. 2025-12-22T22:16:31Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqst5d2yyk5gvgx5rgrurvum7plnheefa8cw5g4cam32zwktfj2vjtczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7ldulty One last post for #FediBookFair, to plug my most recent novel THREE MEN IN ORBIT, in which the trio of characters from Jerome&#39;s classic THREE MEN IN A BOAT mix it up with H. G. Wells and go off on a steampunk vacation into space in an anti-gravity sphere, become entangled with the women&#39;s suffrage movement, and nearly get arrested for a bank robbery.<br/><br/>&#34;She&#39;s a brilliant writer&#34; — Bruce Gillespie, SF Chronicle<br/><br/>&#34;A very rare genuinely funny SF novel&#34; — John-Henri Holmberg<br/><br/><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Men-Orbit-Sandra-Bond/dp/B0D9RTQF8B">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Men-Orbit-Sandra-Bond/dp/B0D9RTQF8B</a><br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/481/799/597/907/332/original/78e99773191187fd.jpeg"> <br/> 2025-11-02T19:38:59Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9k0yvnkm2p347rrhgne69gvyrf543ru977q28mz86hqzuhhqlc8szyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7qx8992 Hi FediBookFair! My newest book, THE GOBLIN MUSE, is just out; it&#39;s my second collection of poetry, following POETRY SLUM.<br/><br/>&#34;Acclaimed poet and novelist Sandra Bond’s second collection of verse brings her inimitable touch to subjects as broadly spread as faeries, frogs, crows, cake, coffee, chocolate, death, demons, dementia, politics, platypuses… and, yes, goblins.&#34;<br/><br/>You can buy it on Amazon or via my website (<a href="https://www.sandra-bond.com/">https://www.sandra-bond.com/</a>); likewise my three SF/fantasy novels.<br/><br/>#FediBookFair<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/474/832/895/197/414/original/4503a09486221f83.png"> <br/> 2025-11-01T14:10:59Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsdw846vagfr0qlt8k54pstgswh92e87we9dtvk0rkpdtxvg7g6nqqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf73ld0xh #ScribesAndMakers 27: What is a genre or style that you think is underappreciated?<br/><br/>It&#39;s been too long since I found a decent, well done epistolary novel.<br/><br/>Don&#39;t get me started on the ghettoisation of science fiction, or the way that purist science fiction fans look down on fantasy, or... 2025-08-27T20:47:50Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsq9jrwuk3u6q52mz3gky96wvxf7yq37ek7zyn7rmzu5p0gvte3k4gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf78d8myl Much talk today from <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/npub1fdrpydz4n2dpgpy5xhsa6rjg8ytggn82mt0addw6sf93272nhhnqsjlvhs" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>Cory Doctorow</span> (<span class="italic">npub1fdr…lvhs</span>)</a></span> about centaurs and reverse centaurs and I can&#39;t see any of the toots on the topic without thinking of this golden oldie.<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/035/218/463/088/737/original/70f4002fc8898ac2.png"> <br/> 2025-08-15T22:51:36Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0wh0ugup8z0496rj5cfgygz2vap668d7ravu9h6wnq7p883h6a5gzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7t6dtsh In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsp30flwmz467s7erm359nm7prh6za9kxm77k4a6mywwqj6fc84qlszgvcf4'>nevent1q…vcf4</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>They all require a code to unlock, and I can&#39;t see the code anywhere obvious... 2025-08-02T23:18:01Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0p4p854905ldd2djj6l7e84v69xpqfmrzg9m6gkkf3efaph4enpczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf72qsdq3 #WritersCoffeeClub Day 27: What is a load-bearing part of your non-writerly life that makes it possible for you to write?<br/><br/>I am a steadily profitable online poker player, and (for now at least) I earn more money from that than I do from writing -- so I fit my writing around my poker, rather than vice versa.<br/><br/>While I&#39;m pretty damn good at both writing and poker (and music for that matter) I&#39;m not good enough to turn professional at any of them. Not quite. 2025-05-27T14:47:06Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszfddlp76fw44jftfyfpqm47dkl6e5e9dalwtt0xk4g7cjaqqjxjgzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7jp7rxr In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxcud9893820sr3ltprafcsnvcs6nkqz4psxgtxdxtu2n6lthxd8swd52j4'>nevent1q…52j4</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>you win the prize for least helpful alt text of the day. Uh huh. 2025-04-06T09:46:04Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs08gyevwvmpd0fs2t3p2dnu8r5eg0lxfen2rlhdpdwuhscuzvhcfqzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7u6p9h2 #PennedPossibilities 629 — How did you break into publishing? (If you’re already published, of course.)<br/><br/>Following several years of fruitless trad publishing submissions to agents and publishers, I was at an SF convention one day and overheard an author I knew talking to someone about an upcoming novel. Evidently a publisher.<br/><br/>I hung around till they were done talking, then sidled up to the publisher and asked if he was open to direct submissions.<br/><br/>He was.<br/><br/>He&#39;s my publisher to this day. 2025-03-30T10:49:48Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstzsdla6lak9y856u2rpv4qgv3tzjmzkxj5awjfc4gawgf86f9p6qzyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7dxx9sr It&#39;s #FediBookFair time, so I feel justified for once in letting myself toot my own trumpet till I go red in the face. *parp*parp*<br/><br/>Come and buy my novels! Support a queer trans neurodiverse writer!<br/><br/> &#34;The Psychopath Club&#34; -- Stephen King-esque thriller with fantasy; &#34;The Devil&#39;s Finger&#34; -- comic fantasy shifter romance; &#34;Three Men in Orbit&#34; -- steampunk sequel to &#34;Three Men in a Boat&#34;. <br/><br/>All available off Amazon, or direct from me via my website:<br/><a href="https://www.sandra-bond.com/">https://www.sandra-bond.com/</a><br/><br/>#bookstodon #writing 2024-11-02T12:17:12Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswced60mg4uj8l2gkq6uqwdj048sqvp3jcfx656xfd9yap3eqsqgczyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf73z596g #WritersCoffeeClub Aug 14 Have you helped other writers on their journey, or is it every person for themself?<br/><br/>Writing is not a zero sum game. 2024-08-14T06:55:21Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsxyg6u9rr84whvqj7wjkkrpu52hgr000l5rqlqhjqg57znd7e9d7czyptg2mgek4lhs94jnqp53zs0gwslye8t7w3xpqqjt3rrxl4js9lf7wak6eq For anyone attending the Glasgow Worldcon next week, here&#39;s where to spot me.<br/><br/>#Worldcon #ScienceFiction<br/> <img src="https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/112/898/277/797/325/261/original/e3efb3100b5ef442.jpg"> <br/> 2024-08-03T13:22:29Z