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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃

@polisloizou.bsky.social

5.3K followers 940 following 6K posts

Writer, performer, storyteller, both bi and curious • Currently directing "Gaslight" at the Lace Market Theatre • A GOOD YEAR (Fairlight Moderns) 📚 • East Med to East Mids 🇨🇾🇬🇧 (he/him) http://linktr.ee/polisloizou

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 6h

Congrats!

Renard Press @renardpress.com · 6h

And just like that… 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

It’s official! Five years of Renard Press! 🦊

📚 165 books published
🌲 2,500 trees planted
😳 650 writers published or anthologised

📚 renardpress.com/books/

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 6h

True, and I try to see it that way. I do take whatever joy I can from not only the results but also the creation of work. But ultimately, it doesn't pay my bills, and that's what this post was about.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 6h

A question I ask myself every day. 💀
a.) I do it all around a day job, so I'm not risking my existence
b.) I'm a creative person and can't imagine not at least *trying* to make it my way of life.

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 10h

So, I've been measuring success in terms of money, but that's how I get to survive in this world, innit. I know I'm lucky to have had some great reviews and even awards and nominations, but when those don't translate to sales and therefore money in my bank account... they sadly don't achieve much.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 10h

Oh, and I haven't stopped the "day job" (whatever that's been over the years). Ever. At any point.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 10h

Yes, I've been fortunate enough to have books published. The sales figures are tragic.

Yes, I've done many theatre shows. The vast majority of these were totally unpaid, and were created by *me* for myself and/or my friends.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 10h

Had the surreal experience yesterday of hearing that somebody I know IRL believed I was very successful in my creative career.

ONCE AGAIN: the amount of money I have made in ALL my creative endeavours for the past *17 years* wouldn't even amount to half a year's minimum-wage salary.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 20h

The Bad Sex Awards are gonna be flooded.

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 1d

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 20h

Left the detailed film critique back in my 20s. Am now only capable of social-media caption vibes.

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 20h

Saw "Frankenstein". Didn't hate. Didn't love.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

The amount of times this immigrant has had to advise on apostrophe usage...

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Writers' emotions, put into words, have reached across centuries to touch others, and will continue to do so.

John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most life-affirming literary opinion.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Omg!

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

It's not often I get feedback on my books (or readers at all, tbh 💀), so when someone emails to tell me they enjoyed "A Good Year", it feels all the sweeter.

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

I know my husband's but he doesn't know mine. 8 years of marriage, FOR WHAT

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Interrogator: [shining a light in your eyes] Explain the "jokes" in Charles Dickens' "Hard Times"

The Independent @the-independent.com · 1d

Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃

Wyrd Wednesday @wyrdwednesday.bsky.social · 1d

Wyrdlings!
We have a special announcement today. Our dear friend @signemaene.com has collaborated with Wyrd Mother
@prairiebones.bsky.social and launched a Kickstarter campaign for their newest book of short stories! Link posted below⬇️

Our topic for tomorrow's #WyrdWednesday will be:
🖤WITCHES🖤

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Who knows! Maybe clean the house, maybe write a novel.

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

This should be GREAT

BOObara Byar 👻👻 @barbarabyar.bsky.social · 1d

My debut novel, IN THE DESERT will be published 3-3-2026 by @cowboyjamboree.bsky.social

Many thanks to @jonathanin2k.bsky.social !

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

After half a year of having to write, perform or direct shows after my day job, it's hit me that I now have free evenings for at least a month!

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Tbh, this kind of thing makes me feel valuable. Like my stock is going up.

bleary @bleary.off-the-records.com · 2d

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
2? Questions
I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

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Reposted by Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃

Bona Books 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🤘🏼 @bonabooks.bsky.social · 1d

ANNOUNCEMENT🎺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Introducing our bona new quarterly literary magazine:

FANTABULOSA!

Pushing the boundaries of bold, authentic, QUEER storytelling. Bringing you stories of the uncanny, the dangerous and the fantastical.

& thanks to our brilliant #WrathMonth backers, we're fully funded for 2026 🤘

Bona Books Presents

A new queer literary magazine

FANTABULOSA!

Tales of the uncanny, the dangerous and the fantastical, from radical and unapologetic queer voices.

Science fiction, fantasy and horror
Short fiction & poetry

Submissions open now

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

Haha!

Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

It boils my blood to see Palestinians, kidnapped and detained (some for DECADES) without trial, continue to be called "prisoners".

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Poltergeist Halloweezou 🎃 @polisloizou.bsky.social · 1d

I knew this post wouldn't be popular. But sometimes you have to be brave and speak up for what's right.

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