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Anne Welborn

@wildagreenbough.bsky.social

120 followers 75 following 350 posts

Writer, dreamwalker. Blessed with narcolepsy and CFS/ME. ACE. non-binary, she/her 🏳️‍🌈. I firmly believe books have the best moving pictures. Member SpecFicNZ

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · Apr 23

'Belling the Cat, A Tale of Alika' is now available on itch.io

wildagreenbough.itch.io/belling-the-...

Belling the Cat, A Tale of Alika. by Anne Welborn

It's not a story about cats.

wildagreenbough.itch.io

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 4h

It's the 16th October here in NZ so the #WIPSnips word is 'might'.
From Chapter 3 of my WIP novel 'The Book of Ashes'.

Michelle the veilwalker finds herself face to face with the Book of Ashes and its present keeper.

'Good, then we understand one another,' she told him. The farmhouse flickered back and forth twice before it settled again. 'Unlike the dwellers you intend to leave here.'
'So what. - there's no law to say I can't go when I want.'
'Stay too long and you might find that more difficult than you think'.
'You threatening me.' Andre scowled at her clenching and unclenching his fists and took a step towards her his pinched pale face twisting as he bared his teeth. 'You don't scare me witch.'
She stood her ground. 'I don't rule here. I'm only telling you how it is in realms like Gonne.'
Andre suddenly started to laugh going so quickly from potential violence to outright amusement that it took her by surprise. 'So you want the book do you witch?'
With a couple of quick strides he disappeared inside the farmhouse and moment later came out again holding the Book of Ashes in his hands. He held it out to her, 'There you go, - take it.'
'This is not funny Andre,' she said backing away, her heart pounding in her chest.
'I'm not joking witch, take it. It's yours.'

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 16h

Hi Red, I first started writing the 'Book of Ashes' back in the 1990s/2000s and the piece I quoted dates from then. I've always loved reading SpecFic and high fantasy so I'm not sure where the spark that became the 'Book of Ashes' came from. medium.com/@wildagreenb...

The Book of Ashes.

The Leave-taking From Qual’fain:

medium.com

Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 17h

From the 'Book of Ashes; - The Leave-taking'.

The word for the 15th October is 'care'.

CW. Horror, Undead #WIPSnips

Careless of injury she kilted up her priestess’s robe and jumped from the carriage, rolling in the dust bruised and winded, but still able to stagger to her feet and run despite her pain and discomfort. ‘Eiolynn!’

‘Lis..ssel, … Lis..ssel….’ She barely could recognise this husking sound as Eiolynn’s voice and when she embraced her she was no more than a creature made of skin and bone. Her garments were tattered linen rags crusted with fragments of gold thread, gems and cobwebs. The belt hanging loose about her jutting pelvic bones was wrought of links of gold and silver. And the long finely worked curved dagger hung upon that belt was hilted in a silver sheath thick with clustered blood dark rubies.

With trembling hands she reached to lift away the mask upon Eiolynn’s face only her long thin bony fingers closed about her wrists.

‘Let me look upon your face’, Lissel gently asked. ‘I do not fear the sight of the branding’. The gilded mask watched her, its sharp angular shaping cruel in its aspect, its dark eye slits paired narrow ellipses giving no clue as to what might lie behind them.

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 1d

Now reading for the second time and loving every word of it.

Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 1d

I claim 'shove' as a variation on 'push'.
From my WIP 'The Book of Ashes' Chapt. 1.
#WIPSnips

With a ragged cry Jabbo thrust himself away from the great door clutching his bleeding hand against his threadbare robe and shoving Rabbin backwards in his haste to distance himself from the ancient Elf letters he'd be been hunched over but a moment ago.
'Gods rot you Jabbo', swore Rabbin as he drew back a hand to strike the spellsmith, but a tiny flicker of flame arising amongst the rows of Elf letters cast into the great bronze door suddenly dried up his voice in his throat and sent chill fingers running down his spine.
'See see,' said Jabbo almost triumphant, 'Jabbo said, but you would not listen.' Struggling between the desire to draw closer or run away Jabbo grinned a joyous gap tooth grin as he watched one Elf letter and then the next burst slowly into flame.

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Alina Lee Thinks She Can Write @typewriterlizard.bsky.social · 6d

"I feel, at some point, we all come to owe our dreams an apology."

Tired of the grind, a young woman takes the opportunity her grandfather left her and flies to an alien moon to find herself.

#booksky
#books

www.amazon.com/dp/B0DF9K7Q9K

Windswept Flower Over a Blooming Moon

Windswept Flower Over a Blooming Moon - Kindle edition by Lee, Alina. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Windswept Flower Over a Blooming Moon.

www.amazon.com

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 3d

From Chapter 5 of my WIP novel 'The Book of Ashes'.
Michelle is a veilwalker. #WIPSnips

'The Folk have agreed to guide you on their secret paths, but only if you promise them that you will not attempt to make use of the paths after this without their permission.'
'I have no issue with making such a promise Mother.' This was more than she had hoped for, though what favours the Reverend Mother might have called in to broker such an agreement was something that she could only guess at.
'And for their part the Folk will accept your promise Michelle because of your long association with this house and also because of your reputation on both sides of the Veil.' The Reverend Mother sighed, 'Let us hope you can travel the paths without incident, because the Folk have a long memory for offences against their hospitality.' She stretched a little easing her back causing Michelle to wonder where she'd been sleeping while she had been occupying her bed. 'Keep your sword cloaked and hidden as well whatever happens. Our relationship with the Folk is a fragile thing and they will not forgive a holy sword of the Ancient and Hidden Church being revealed openly in their midst.'

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 4d

The word for October 11th is 'welcome'.
This piece taken from my still WIP 2022 m/s 'Tales of the Rat'.
#WIPSnips

Terrans believed they owned a sacred right to tell all aliens races how to run their lives; - that was the one big problem with Terrans. Then on the other hand she had to concede that the Terrans were technically the victors, - the arbitrators of Path’s fate, - so taking colourful alien beliefs and customs seriously was never going to be very high on their list.
What particularly got up her nose was that the Terrans presently guesting in Shemenquel-lo the City didn’t seem to realise that the city would defend them to the death against their enemies should they arrive and pound their fists against the city gates. The welcoming ceremonies she’d spied on from her perch high up on the city wall amongst a rag-tag company of moss-rimed stone gargoyles weren’t meaningless. The Citizens’ Council of Shemenquel-lo the City meant it when they gave welcome to their former foes in the name of the ancestors and the gods and made the smug all-conquering bastards guest-holy. Mat’etha, honour. Yellow-eyed Bodii pricks knew precisely what it was and might deliberately ignore it if it suited them, but on the other hand Terrans were too bloody thick to understand it at all.

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Elise (they/them)🇦🇺 @eliseswritings.bsky.social · 7d

Grim, well-researched reading
“Most Trans+ people in the UK will wait more than 1/3 of their adult life to get their 1st appointment at a gender clinic, & some will never receive care...Long waits increase distress, self-harm &suicide risk &push people towards potentially unsafe routes to treatment"

UnicornsRockUK @unicornsrockuk.bsky.social · 7d

A worthy read of the exceptionally grim situation for trans people in the UK. The US gets the media spotlight, but the UK's attack on us is more subtle but also more destructive.

medium.com/@geekonaleas...

The UK’s Trans Genocide

The slow machinery of erasure: courts, clinics and ministers weaponising our disappearance

medium.com

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

✨#WIPSnips✨ A Daily Writing Share Tag @wipsnips.bsky.social · 7d

The #WIPSnips word for October 8th is "dungeon"

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#WIPSnips a bluesky writing community tag
October 8 - dungeon
Share a line from your WIP with the daily word for inspiration
Use #WIPSnips. Don't forget Alt Text for graphics
Synonyms, variation and vibes are fine.
Support others on the #WIPSnips tag!
Hosted by rosie-j-potter.bsky.social

The image behind the text is a border that is black with stars with a light blue rectangle highlighted by a fuchsia line. An illustrated caticorn holding a pencil and writing in a book with a rose behind one ear is in the lower right corner

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 7d

I'm claiming 'Cell' in place of 'Dungeon'. From my WIP 'The Shallow Grave', Chapt 3 'Prisoner'. #WIPSnips

Swinging out both of her slender arms Jackie’s fingers described an arc from one corner of the wall to the other. “Ah got ta step in close once in a while fer look’n out fer ye. Since ye tol mah boss Ah got nothin’ ta fear Ah’m askin' ye straight if ye’re tellin' th' truth.”
Having got that out Jackie’s nerve gave up on her and she looked away, her hands visibly shaking as she snatched them back holding them close to her body.
“Ah’m shit scared of ye, only Ah’m goin’ ta stand here ‘til Ah get yer answer.”

“Jackie, I wasn’t lying when I said that to Arthur.”
Bent over, shoulders slumped with her arms clutched tight around her body Jackie raised her head and looked directly at her.
“Boss said ta tell ye he’s got cells wurse than this un.”

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · Jun 11

1. The US Transgender Survey has finally been released, and the results are stunning.

- <1% of people are less satisfied after HRT.
- The most common reason for detransition, pausing transition, or stopping transition is transphobia.

The latest from S. Baum.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Largest Trans Survey Ever: Top Reason Trans People Stop Transitioning Is Transphobia

“In almost every single case, the reason was anti-trans discrimination in the form of pressure to ‘detransition’ from one’s family, friends, or community.”

www.erininthemorning.com

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 13d

An amazing woman. A true conservation warrior.

Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 13d

Sorry Lauren, - I'm afraid this is going to continue into next week.

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Jay 🦋 @jay.bsky.team · 13d

“It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us.”
― Jane Goodall

💙 RIP to a real one. My childhood hero

Jane Goodall with monarch butterfly scarf

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 16d

And completely well deserved too.

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 16d

I haven't been to a WINZ office in years and I only went because I had to see about the paperwork for a medical alarm. Three security guards! Three of them in our tiny local office looking at me as if I was going to go wild and hit everybody with my walking stick. What has happened to this country?

A photograph of the sign above the entrance to a Ministry of Social Development Office.

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 16d

Bloody bots try to tell me how to write and how to spell. If I want to spell a word the way it was written in the 1600s I don't want a bot pushing an Americanised 'replacement' at me. Words I learned in primary school are now considered 'obsolete' which is fecking annoying. Feck Skynet and its bots.

Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 16d

What an absolute fuckwit, - and I make no apology whatsoever for using bad language on Bluesky.

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Arachne 🏳️‍🌈 @cayemarsh.bsky.social · 16d

ALL HAIL OUR NEW CHAMPION

RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 17d

Kārearea NZ falcon crowned 2025 Bird of the Year

The kārearea New Zealand falcon has taken out the top spot in the 20th anniversary Bird of the Year competition.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Reposted by Anne Welborn

Rob Bignell, Editor/Author @inventingreality.bsky.social · 18d

#writingworkshops #writingtips #aspiringauthor #writings #authors

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 18d

My daughter has been writing up a storm with her own book project , - while what has her Mum been doing? Dribbling down the side of her face while knocked out sound asleep in bed.

Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 19d

Having had the 'flu has made friend narcolepsy more insistent. This morning I woke up long enough to get something to drink before I fell asleep again until well past mid day. Yesterday was the same. I had a friend come to see me and I couldn't wake up. Welcome back Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Pen and ink drawing. A middle aged woman messily asleep in her bed without first having changed out of her day clothes.

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 20d

My ADHD daughter thanks you.

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Anne Welborn @wildagreenbough.bsky.social · 23d

It does sound a lot like a similar method to spoons as an aid to not burning up whatever slender reserves we might have.