Author | Lightnews

Rene Astle 🍁🌻

@castle88.bsky.social

1.2K followers 480 following 920 posts

Author of science fiction and fantasy where characters find their families and their place in the world ... or the universe. Reader of same. Urbanist and environmentalist (the former stemming from the latter). She/her. Find me at reneastle.substack.com.

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · Mar 8

If you're looking to (temporarily) escape to the great big sea of stars, book 1 in The Lyra Cycle is free at your favourite online retailers.

Follow the ragtag crew of the cargo ship Lyra as the reluctantly get embroil in adventures they didn't ask for.
books2read.com/lyracycle1

The book A Dead Ship in the Deep Black sitting on a table with tea

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 3h

Hey #yyj, do you love Halloween? Do you love supporting creators? Do you love books?

Join us at the Halloween Market this weekend!

I'll be there with @dcgreschner.bsky.social - stop by and say 'boo!'

Poster for Halloween Market showing the dates and times (Oct 25 11-5 and Oct 26 11-4) and location (Da Vinci Centre 195 Bay St) on an orange and black background featuring a pumpkin, a tree, and owl, and bats.

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 6h

Aw, little fuzzy spiders.

A stay in an eco lodge in Costa Rica is what (mostly) cured me.
Me to the two large, iridescent spiders: "You stay there and we'll be fine."

Spiders: ...

Me later: "Where are you hiding?! You did NOT live up to our agreement."

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 12h

The only reason I explored affinity was to get away from the subscription model. At the moment, I still have both.

Reposted by Rene Astle 🍁🌻

Author M. Pax @mpax1.bsky.social · 1d

Last Call! Campaign Ends Tonight!
Help me fund supplies for better posters and grab some laughs. Space Squad 51 delivers ridiculous disasters, chaotic rescues, and plenty of cosmic fun. #books #sciencefiction #Writingcommunity #kickstarter #readers #BookSky
👉 buff.ly/HKO63eC

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 1d

Of course I then went down a video rabbit hole (pun totally intended).

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 1d

😎 Echo and the Bunnymen - that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 1d

😎 Echo and the Bunnymen - that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 2d

I love this ... and I didn't even see the cat at first.

Serena Malyon 🌞🌛 @serenamalyon.bsky.social · 2d

Up to No Good - watercolour and acryla gouache on board

💚prints💚

A giant black cat cuts a silhouette across a nighttime cityscape. It stares at the viewer, its back arched.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 2d

This is the last day of Kobo's box set sale. There's a whole slew of sci-fi and fantasy (and some other stuff 😄).

www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/octo...

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 10d

It's autumn in my hemisphere - the perfect time to re-stock the to-be-read shelf. Or maybe you're looking for a distraction from *stuff*.

Check out Kobo's boxset sale. Use the code BOXSET on checkout to get 25% off on a slew of boxsets, including Bloodborne Pathogens.
www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/octo...

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 3d

Yup, but rain pants, a waterproof jacket (or poncho because you have both in the PNW, right? 😄) and waterproof shoes - you're good to go.

Beyond that, what's the saying? I'm not so sweet I'll dissolve.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 3d

You do see a few of them. I wish it were as easy to buy these as it were other trucks though. They have a bed almost as big as many extended cab pickups and I bet they'd do better on the kid visibility test.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 4d

Glad I biked over to the climate action plan session held by @saanichbc.bsky.social today despite the rain. I wouldn't have seen the ebike test ride station otherwise. I got to try out a long-tail cargo bike - thanks so much to the @capitalbike.ca volunteers running it!

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 4d

I love these so much.

Lee Bots @lee-bots.bsky.social · 4d

Bot Name: Olaf
Bot Number: 20251963

Head: rock found from Arizona
Eyes: sewing buttons
Body: rock found from Arizona
Feet: copper plumbing caps

#RobotArt #UpcycledArt #FoundObjectArt #RecycledSculpture #MixedMediaArt #HandmadeBot

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 6d

Aw, that's so sweet. Kitty wants to take care of their foster family.

Doctora Malka Older @older.bsky.social · 6d

very anne of green gables tbh

Soraya Nadia McDonald @sorayanadiamcdonald.com · 7d

"I helped!" meowed Wendy.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 6d

How is the em dash a fading tradition? It's so much more elegant than ellipses.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 6d

The universe has freckles!

#scienceiscool

Nature @nature.com · 6d

A consensus is emerging that these mysterious little red dots, sometimes called rubies, are an entirely new type of object in the Universe.

go.nature.com/4hjIGm4

Mysterious ‘little red dots’ are baffling astronomers. What are they?

A consensus is emerging that the dots, sometimes called rubies, are an entirely new type of object in the Universe.

go.nature.com

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 8d

This says it's 'Tricky' but I found it easier than some of the lower difficulty ones lately.

I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Oct 15th 2025) in less than 8 minutes
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
cluesbysam.com

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 8d

Success! I got Season 1 DVD 1 of Babylon 5 - borrowed from the library - working.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 8d

If I can figure out how to put this thing on, I'll bring at least partially dressed up at the @halloweenmarketyyj.bsky.social in a couple of weeks
#scifi #urbanfantasy

Me holding a long, curly, bright pink wig with uncertainty.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 10d

And I couldn't find any non-dairy ice cream so I had to make my own - vanilla and brown sugar.

Carrot pie with a large dollop of homemade ice cream in top. A spoon sits beside ready for eating.

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 10d

*psst* You can also read many books for free if you're a Kobo Plus member.

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 10d

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 11d

Carrot pie. I'm trying to perfect a veganised version of the pie my mom told us was pumpkin.

She swore later in life that she hadn't told us it was pumpkin but it's what I grew up thinking was pumpkin so I didn't understand why I didn't like pumpkin pie.

Carrot pie fresh out of the oven with cracks in the top that look like a smiling face

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 11d

You keep saying the cat isn't yours but it spends a lot of time at your place 😄

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Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 12d

What a great site! Hmm, I might have new plans for the weekend. Oh, wait I already have a solo rpg to play 😂

Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · 12d

Once. At least here, drivers have to take a test once. They might have to have a fitness to drive examination starting when they're 80 but nothing to test that they recall the rules of the road or understand any new rules. And vehicles are becoming tanks.

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