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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃

@lishmcbride.bsky.social

900 followers 380 following 2K posts

Former indie bookseller and cursed object, current feral goblin bard spinning coffee and spite into books about necromancers, werewolves, and delightful weirdos. (She/her)

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 23d

I have books. You have legal tender. I’m told we can trade these things and that’s how commerce works.

lishmcbride.squarespace.com/store-1

Author Lish McBride, a pale tattooed lady, pretends to type at her laptop, which is no longer with us. RIP, Laptop. Books and a pink skull sit on a shelf behind her.

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 5h

bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers

Alt: bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers bobs burgers

media.tenor.com

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 5h

With HMCN still on sale, it’s #1 on delightfully niche rankings. #2 in Teen shifter fiction? Excellent. #1 in humorous teen fiction? Wonderful.

But the continued dominance humorous nonfiction is giving me life.

Screenshot of Amazon ranking of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 17h

I am briefly dominating the very niche category of both fictional and nonfictional teen humor. *turns on We are the Champions*

Screen shot of Amazon ranking page for Hold Me Closer Necromancer

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 17h

…do they think zombies are real?

…are werewolves real? If so, how do I sign up?

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 17h

Because of the sale HMCN has a wee orange banner for a moment, which is great, but also I have follow up questions. Mostly centered around the word, “nonfiction.”

A screenshot of Hold Me Closer Necromancer on the Amazon page

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 20h

Well, that book fucking loves you.

(Also, hoping to get the third one out next year.)

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 21h

I think that’s a good way to go, though sometimes you got to name names. 😂

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 22h

(That being said, I support this.)

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 22h

I’ve honestly gone back & forth about dedicating a book to my dad who not only didn’t support my career but also told me that, “your sarcasm will get you nowhere.”

My sarcasm got me a writing career, dude.

But every time I think, “Naw, I don’t even want to give him that level of acknowledgment.”

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Reposted by Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃

Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 1d

Please share the news about these students working to get transparency on why books were removed from a statewide reading bowl (including a book ON book banning!!)

bookriot.com/helen-ruffin...

And then sign their petition here: www.change.org/p/ensure-tra...

A Georgia Reading Bowl Bans Titles from Competition, Including a Book on Book Bans

Eight books, including a book about the current spate of book bans and their impact on teens, have been banned from a Georgia Reading Bowl.

bookriot.com

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Reposted by Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃

Aaron Stewart-Ahn @badideas.bsky.social · 22h

Nothing describes what we’re dealing with in the USA better in 2025 than ‘are you a fan of Bad Bunny or measles?’

onion person @junlper.beer · 2d

dying at rightwingers falling for what looks like an ai generated turning points USA half time show with special guest “measles”

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 1d

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is currently on sale across most platforms. 1.99 for the ebook for however long it lasts. (No one tells me these things.)

The book Hold Me Closer Necromancer set against a purple background with two adorable ghosts reading.

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Reposted by Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃

Scott Edelman @scottedelman.bsky.social · 2d

An exchange which reminded me of this sad but true cartoon.

A four panel cartoon titled "Comics Future" set in a museum with comics art on the walls. It depicts the following exchange.

ADULT: "People used to draw stories in little boxes, and they called them comics. And the people who drew them were called cartoonists. And they had no money. And they were very sad."

CHILD: "What happened to the sad cartoonists?"

ADULT: "They all died. Sad, alone, stupid, and covered in dirt. Every last one of them."

The comic is sighed Sweater1 at the lower right.

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 2d

*Smalls, making a card*

Me: I like that you did it backwards.

Smalls: huh?

Me: backwards. Traditionally cards open right to left.

Smalls, irritated: Tradition? Well, who cares about tradition? No one! *walks away grumbling*

Reposted by Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃

Chaz Stein @charlottestein.bsky.social · 2d

Very soon now! I think it’s either in half an hour or an hour and a half, I can’t tell because google is telling me different things about time zones

Blue Willow Bookshop @bluewillowbooks.bsky.social · 2d

Register free now for ✨today's✨ virtual event with @charlottestein.bsky.social, celebrating her new novel DEALING WITH A DESPERATE DEMON! 🧡 Charlotte will appear in conversation with @oliviawaite.com.

We hope you'll join us, friends! Register free here: buff.ly/kaYasQN

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

😂😂😂😂

Poor Lock.

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

Yeah, my husband is a body piercer so alas we are both in jobs that do not give health care. Weee?

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

Goblins aren’t married to a certain way of doing things. We’re adaptable and include new approaches. Goblins rule.

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

I mean, I’ve been both a bookseller and an author and I can tell you right now both pay peanuts unless you’re part of a very tiny tier or authors who make good money.

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

A very patient friend said, “uh, don’t you have two degrees in it? And published books? And, like, some awards or something?”

Me: well, when you say it like THAT…

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

I think I usually just yell it, but I’m making a slide now.

Teaching is where my imposter syndrome pops up. I had a mini freak out before teaching my first online workshop. “Why would they let me do this? What are my qualifications?!?”

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

I remember one teacher losing patience and giving us a mini lesson on how to punctuate dialogue, which honestly was super helpful. Probably needed more of that?

We begged them to do lectures on querying, publishing, and how all that works. Never did.

Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

And I STILL don’t really feel like I’m qualified to teach this stuff. My vibe is very much a, “sorry, I’m a chaos goblin and someone mistakenly allowed me a position of authority. You’re stuck with me now, suckas!”

(This is not to say I didn’t learn things in my MFA, just not in lesson format.)

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

I have an MFA but until I had to teach writing workshops I never really realized how much we were never actually taught? Like there was never a, “here is a lesson on how to invoke place or create full characters.” I had to do a LOT of reverse engineering to figure out how to teach.

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Ghoul-Lish McBride 🎃 @lishmcbride.bsky.social · 3d

A parade of orphans and what’s worse is I’m 100% positive that’s only a fraction of the orphans. Heart crushing. Just heart crushing.