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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 1d

Got another #bookbingo, filling 'Translated from Japanese' with #horror master Junji Ito's 'The Liminal Zone'. Even when just taking a stab at old un-used ideas, Ito still makes creepy stories. Contains 4 short stories in comic form. I liked 'Weeping Woman Way' and 'Slumber' best.

#manga #reading

A five-by-five bingo card with the following challenges, In the heading is the title ‘2025’, and the website address jaydeholmes.com/book-bingo-cards/
It has the following challenges, listed row-by-row and left-to-right:

Row One: 1. Written by Terry Pratchett (FILLED by “Hogfather” by Terry Pratchett) 2. Locus Award for Best Horror Novel Winner 3. Breaking a Curse (FILLED by “Someone You Can Build a Nest In”) 4. Translated from Russian (FILLED by “Monday Starts on Saturday”) 5. Written in Your Year of Birth
Row 2: 1. Set on a Spaceship 2. Told from a ‘Villain’ POV (FILLED by ‘’The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’) 3. World Fantasy Award Winner 4. Been Adapted into a Movie (FILLED by “Redwall”) 5. Been Sitting on the Shelf for More Than a Year (FILLED by “Runaways: Teenage Wasteland”)
Row 3: 1. Title Starts with O 2. Has Dragons (FILLED by “Onyx Storm”) 3. Free Square 4. Afrofuturism (FILLED by “After the Flare”) 5. Written Between 1930 - 1950
Row 4: 1. Set During the Cold War 2. King Arthur (Retelling, Inspired, or Original) (FILLED by “Spear”) 3. Has Witches 4. Has Immortality (FILLED by ‘A Court of Mist and Fury’) 5. Australian, Canadian or New Zealand Author
Row 5: 1. Translated from Japanese (FILLED by “The Liminal Zone’ 2. Non-Marvel or DC Superheroes (FILLED by “Dreadnought” 3. Has Ghosts (FILLED by ‘Haunt Sweet Home’ 4. Title Starts with P (FILLED by 'Penric and the Bandit') 5. Short Fiction Magazine (FILLED by “Dirty Magick Magazine Jan 2025)

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 2d

This month's featured story is one of my first, and one of my favourites. Check out "The 2058 Coober Pedy Winter Olympics" here. I know I feature this one a lot, but people really seem to like it, so here it is again.

jaydeholmes.com/short-storie...

#writing #fiction #olympics #sciencefiction

The 2058 Coober Pedy Winter Olympics

The 2058 Coober Pedy Winter Olympics By Jayde Holmes “Nah mate, it wasn’t fun. There was absolutely nothing fun at all about those eleven years. What? Oh fine, since you’re all so inter…

jaydeholmes.com

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 5d

Just got my copy of the "Madam, Don't Forget Your Sword" anthology from #DeadFishBooks. It's full of good stories about various sidekicks and minions. And I'm not just saying that because my story 'Lucky Charm' is in it. But my story is in this book and you should check it out.

#bookhaul

A white hand holding up a paperback book copy of "Madam, Don't Forget Your Sword" edited by H. Davis and E. Davis. Has the tagline "Tales of the Companions, Sidekicks, and Minions" and a cover illustration featuring a man in a hooded robe holding out a sword.

Photo of a book page with the heading "Lucky Charm by Jayde Holmes" at the top. The first paragraph is visible and reads; "The claxons roared and dozens of heroes flew out the blast doors, their glitzy costumes bringing colour to the ruined world. Aircraft and artillery were already engaging patches of complete darkness, swimming through the grey sky above the valley, but we all knew from painful experience that they wouldn't be enough. To fight a supernatural threat, you needed supernatural abilities."

Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 9d

Meet another animal from my World of Green and Black, the pollinators.

#worldbuilding #writing

The World of Green and Black Featured Creature – Pollinators

Welcome back to the World of Green and Black. Today, we're going to learn how baby Drids are made. Pollinators were mentioned briefly in The Strongest in the Forest, but I think now's a good time to provide more information. Not too much information though. Some things are a secret, and not for Human knowledge. __________________________________________________ Name: PollinatorsWorld: Black…

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 19d

Been offline a bit, but guess who turned seven on Monday? My fluffball Knight did. He loves his birthday boxes.

#caturday #cat #tuxedocat #catpictures

Looking down at the front of a large brown box, where a black and white cat has rolled onto his back, sticking one paw and his head out the front of the box. The cat looks content.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · 24d

Exciting #frogpond update. After a few false starts, we definitely have legs now. Saw this #froglet zipping around. Looks like a #StripedMarshFrog. Also still have some #tadpoles who are not making the leap into froghood yet. They have really grown up.

#australianwildlife #backyard #frog #garden

Looking down at a pond, a brown froglet with four legs, tail, and frog-shaped body is under the water clearly visible to the left of the image. There is a large black tadpole to the right, underneath a thin green stick-like leaf, but it is very difficult to see.

Looking down at a pond, a large black tadpole can be seen beneath the water, hovering over a white rock. It has not yet grown any visible limbs.

Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Oct 1

With a new month, it's time to get spooky. Check out this month's featured story; "Hell"

jaydeholmes.com/short-storie...

#writing #writer #selfpublish #writingcontest #horror #demons #shortstory

Hell

This story was originally published at Reedsy.com, as part of the Contest #206 on July 14th 2023. The prompt that inspired this story was “Start your story with a character seeing something terrify…

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 27

#bookbingo update! Filled 'Sitting on the Shelf for a Year' by Continueing Marvel's #Runaways Series with Teenage Wasteland by Vaughn, Alphona and Miyazawa. The relationships are being speedran, but the action, plot, and art are so cool.

#readingchallenge #books #reading #Marvel

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 25

Welcome back to the World of Green and Black. This month's featured creature is Humankind's strange mount, the megeasus.

#worldbuilding #bestiary #sciencefiction #writing

The World of Green and Black Featured Creature – Megeasus

We've done a few of these bestiary entries, and so far we haven't done any creatures from the terraformed part of the planet. Except maybe for the Towers of Knowledge, but that isn't quite the same. My first thought was to do an entry on Humans, but I still haven't settled on some important details. I figured the next best thing to write about would be the favourite mounts of the Humans in the World of Black and Green.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 23

Got another set of #BookBingo reviews. Come see what I think of #Redwall and more.

#reading"/hashtag/readingchallenge" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link">#readingchallenge #books #reading #bookreviews

2025 Book Bingo Reviews #2

After taking eight months to get my first Book Bingo, the 2nd one is ready right away. Hopefully the rest of the card fills up quickly. For now though, let's get to the best part of the Book Bingo challenge; talking about the books I've read. If you want to know all the details of my 2025 Book Bingo Challenge, …

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 20

#bookbingo update! Read Dreadnaught by April Daniels for 'Non-Marvel or DC Superheroes'. Amazing superhero and trans coming of age story that was impossible to put down.

#readingchallenge #books #reading

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 13

Remember when I got a bingo on my #bookbingo card? I have a lot of thoughts on the books I've been reading, so come check out these reviews.

2025 Book Bingo Reviews #1

Okay, it has taken me most of the year, but I have finally gotten a bingo on my 2025 Book Bingo card. Well, to be honest, I got a bingo last month and have since gotten a second one, but it took me a while to write up these reviews. The next lot should be done soon. If you want to know all the details of my 2025 Book Bingo Challenge, …

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 11

For those who liked my tiny sketchbooks, here's some more drawings from my recent #canberra roadtrip. I drew the Australian War Memorial, Telstra Tower, and the view near Lake George.

#art #travel #sketchbook #travelsketches

A tiny book being opened with a thumb. It is open to a pen drawing coloured with pencils and markers of the Australian War Memorial. The domed building housing the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier is in the centre, with the rectangular Pool of Reflection in front of it. A flame is floating on the pool.

A tiny book being opened by a thumb. It is open to a drawing of the silhouette of Telstra Tower Canberra, with a sunset sky coloured in with pencils.

A tiny book being held and opened by a thumb and fingers. It is open to a sketch done with pen and markers of cars driving on a road lined with golden wattle trees, with a lake and white windmills in the background.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 7

Exciting news. Spring is here and my tadpoles have reappeared. They're so good at hiding and have gotten so big. There are at least three left, and after 11 months there are still no legs.

#backyard #frogpond #frogs #australianwildlife #tadpole

A large black tadpole leaning against a white pebble underwater and surrounded by leaves and plant roots.

A large black tadpole with a big tail rests at the edge of a blue children's pool full of water. A tree branch is next to it, as well as a dead leaf, which is roughly the size of the tadpole's body.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 6

Game time; make bands to play at Redwall. So, puns combining musicians and woodland critters. Here are some my husband and I made while roadtripping:

Silverhare (Silverchair)
PECK (KISS)
Ratallica (Metallica)
Midnight Owl (Midnight Oil)
Daft Skunk (Daft Punk)

Any other bands for the Redwall gig?

Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 5

More #BookBingo progress! Read 'Spear' by Nicola Griffith for the 'King Arthur' challenge. Beautiful queer retelling with a female Perceval. Then I got a bingo with the classic #Redwall by Brian Jacques, which has actually been adapted into a movie, in a roundabout way.

#reading #books

Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Sep 4

I skipped my monthly promotions. Nothing bad happened, I just went on a nice little road trip to Canberra. Here, enjoy some photos of the Australian capital instead of a featured story.

#travel #australiantravel #canberra #roadtrip #australianwildlife

Australian Parliament House. A long white modern building with a giant flagpole on top, reflected perfectly in a fountain pond.

A front on shot of a mother grey kangaroo eating grass next to a green picnic table. A tiny joey's head can be seen poking out of her pouch.

A shot down a side walkway at the Hall of Memories of the Australian War Memorial. Concrete arches on the right wall show the reflecting pond and let in sunlight. The left wall has is lined with black panels full of names, with lines of vertical red poppies wedged between each panel.

A view of Canberra at sunset, with Parliament House in the centre of the shot, and the lake, and ANZAC avenue leading to the Australian War Memorial at the bottom of the picture. Bush and mountains surround the city.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Aug 25

Dive back into my World of Green and Black with more creepy-crawlies. This months featured creature are category two bugs.

#sciencefiction #worldbuilding #art

World of Green and Black Featured Creature – Category Two Bugs

Last month I dropped a lot of lore with the Towers of Knowledge, this month we'll go back to basics with more bugs. One thing that inspired this world was that I feel not many alien stories address the possibility of incompatible biochemistry. The fact that life in the Green Human World and the Black Drid World is mutually toxic shapes everything about my character's lives.

jaydeholmes.com

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Aug 20

Got a #BookBingo, with Hogfather by #TerryPratchett. My first Pratchett book and OMFG, I see why people love him, this was absolutely amazing. Mind is BLOWN. So funny, and such a beautiful message.

#reading #fantasy #books

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Aug 18

Congratz to all the winners of this year's Hugo Award.

Hugo Award Winners 2025 – A Brief Look

The 2025 Hugo Award were awarded last night, and first of all, a big congratulations to all the winners. And the nominees; just being on the ballot is a huge achievement. I have to be honest, This will be a quick post because I have not been following the Hugo Awards closely this year. This isn't really a Hugo Award or Worldcon problem, though their were issues, such as a controversy about using AI to select panelists.

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Aug 5

I've been knocked out by the flu for about a week, but it's still a new month so let's change up the featured #story. This month, I'm showing some love to 'The Complete Beginner's Guide to Time Travel and the Multiverse', a story summed up pretty well by the title.

jaydeholmes.com/short-storie...

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Aug 5

I haven't posted about #tadpoles lately because I haven't seen them in ages. Maybe they turned to frogs while I was away, or the pond turned inhospitable. I like to think they're frogs.

I have a lot of work to do to get this pond ready for the next generation. And no more water celery.
#backyard

Two overgrown frogponds - one in a brown pot with a fern and a branch inside it, and one in a blue plastic pool full of water celery - sit in a garden bed surrounded by lily-like plants and blades of yellow and green plants. Decorative fairy houses are scattered throughout the garden bed.

Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Jul 30

I didn't forget this month's Feature Creature. Who's ready to learn about the mysterious ai-eys?

World of Green and Black Featured Creature – Towers of Knowledge

I almost missed the featured creature for this month. I'm going to keep this preamble quick because I am actually really sick and cannot think of anything to say. Enjoy your first entry about an ai-ey. Name: Tower of KnowledgeWorld: Green/SkyMaterial: Steel and ConcreteThought Type: UnconstrainedSpecies Type: Building Ai-eyHabitat: N/A. Only eighteen exist, and they are stationary…

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Jul 27

I've been drawing things I've seen whilst travelling in teeny tiny sketchbooks I made. I want to show one off. Art is a great way to capture and relive adventures.

Now that I'm between adventures, maybe I'll make a fanart tiny sketchbook next.

#art #travel #bookbinding #travelart #craft #drawing

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Jayde Holmes @jaydeholmes.bsky.social · Jul 26

#BookBingo update! completed 'Afrofuturism' square with 'After the Flare' by Deji Bryce Olukotun. Good story of a Nigerian space program rescuing a stranded astronaut after a solar flare hits Earth. Also features magic-like alien tech and Boko Haram. 3.5/5 stars.

#ReadingChallenge #Afrofuturism

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