Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 12m

I dipped my toe in IF over summer, and it was great fun! Play as one of Emmanuelle's cats (from Val-de-mer) as you try to escape a bath... or perhaps you'd rather try to get as many treats as possible?

No knowledge of PAINTED FLOCK needed to play.

claudiearseneault.itch.io/painted-kitty

An image with a white cat that has splotches of red and blue paint. Besides it are pawprints of blue paint and the title “Painted Kitty” in red. Above is written “I made a small interactive fiction game and it’s completely free to play!” and “In which you are a dirty little kitty, and you’re trying to escape a bath!”

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 1d

You don't have to trust social medias to hear from me! Depending on what you prefer, there are two good ways to stay in touch 💚

Patreon: patreon.com/claudiearseneault
Newsletter: buttondown.com/ClaudieArsen...

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 2d

COMMON BONDS lovers, you can get even more of the good stuff. An entire anthology of short stories and poems that have:
💚 science fiction and fantasy
💚 aromantic MCs
💚 a focus on platonic relationships!

Publication in 2026; preorders through late pledges: www.kickstarter.com/projects/cla...

🌈📚

An orange leafy background with a blue thread of wool passing over it, as well as the occasional autumn leaves. In the centre is the cover for Common Bonds 2 (two friends knitting a sweater within a frame of autumnal leaves). The image says describes this book as “an aromantic SFF anthology” that is coming in 2026 and can be preordered through Kickstarter’s late pledges.

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Nico Martinez Nocito | Writer @nicowritesbooks.bsky.social · 2h

Less than $1600 and 13 hours to fund INTO THE DARK!

Filled with dark fantasy including my story 'Imperfect Monsters', you don't want to miss the chance for early copies, exclusive art, and more!

🌘 "You are the final monster, and the stars are bored. They do not wait to reveal your true nature." 🌒

Into the Dark

A Dark Fantasy and Fantastical Horror Anthology

www.kickstarter.com

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 1h

Nooo, that sucks

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E.M. Anderson | the author too hot for BlueSky @elizmanderson.com · 7h

and here's a static cover reveal post for people who want to skip the book trailer and/or hate videos! cover art by Lucy Rose

THE LORD OF THE WOOD releases in July 2026, from @hanoversquarepress.bsky.social! #author

preorder now: gatheringvolumes.com/item/44euZQq...

the cover of E.M. Anderson's The Lord of the Wood, framed in gold with gold flowers against a dark teal background around the edges. The cover is teal with a stag of flowers and foliage growing from a twisted tree with flowers growing around it and black ooze dripping from a branch overhead. the title "The Lord of the Wood" is in large white serif text to the left, with foliage growing through the letters closest to the tree, and the author "E.M. Anderson" is in all-caps yellow text at the bottom. the tagline, in smaller yellow text, reads, "Even a beastly woodland protector needs saving..."

"When lonely clockmaker Arthur Throckmorton loses his way in an enchanted forest, he meets the hero of his childhood bedtime stories: the Lord of the Wood. But instead of the mythical figure of his dreams, the Lord of the Wood is a grim man turning into a beast and losing power over a dying forest. If they can’t save the forest before he becomes a beast completely, Arthur will lose the man he's falling for—and never see his family again." Text is in a textbox against a murky image of a forest, with the cover of E.M. Anderson's The Lord of the Wood below the text, all against a dark teal background with gold curlicues in the corners.

The cover of E.M. Anderson's The Lord of the Wood on a dark teal background with golden leaves overhead, surrounded by yellow text reading: plant magic; sentient forest trying to oops! murder people; intensely homoerotic shaving scene; the one who heard the stories and the one who was in the stories; hopeless romantic who's clueless about his own sexuality; Beauty & the Beast inspired by not a retelling; dual-POV brother/sister; love interest turning slowly into a beast; wound-tending.

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Rosiee "Captain" Thor @rosieethor.bsky.social · 8h

ITS A BAT DAMN TIME! 🦇⚰️🩸

Dead & Breakfast is out today! Vampires Arthur and Sal just want to live a quiet retirement running a B&B, but when the mayor is found dead in their garden, they must solve the crime to prove their innocence!

Get your copy: www.rosieethor.com/dead-and-bre...

Rosiee (white, nonbinary, short curly brown hair, octagonal glasses) wearing a sun hat and overalls with sunflowers on them and holding a copy of Dead & Breakfast.

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 10h

It's out!!

Brandon Crilly (Announcements Only) 🔜 Can*Con @brandoncrilly.bsky.social · 10h

Release day for Castoff!!

Three years in the making, we return to a fractured world for the conclusion of the Aspects of Aelda duology.

Available wherever you get your books!

www.atthisarts.com/p...

#Booksky #newrelease @atthisarts.com

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Bona Books 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🤘🏼 @bonabooks.bsky.social · 10h

Follow us to hear all the news, and - if you know any queer writers - please share this FAR and WIDE.

We're ravenously seeking:

QUEER FICTION, up to 6,000 words, in science fiction, fantasy or speculative horror ($0.08 /word)

QUEER SPECULATIVE POETRY ($50 /poem)

No reprints. #writersky 🌈📚💙

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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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 1d

You don't have to trust social medias to hear from me! Depending on what you prefer, there are two good ways to stay in touch 💚

Patreon: patreon.com/claudiearseneault
Newsletter: buttondown.com/ClaudieArsen...

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Reposted by Claudie

Eva I. @isthiseva.bsky.social · 1d

These scaredy cats are perfect if you want a wallpaper update for Halloween 🎃🐈👻

Cat's Eye View:
buymeacoffee.com/isthiseva/e/431655

"Promotional graphic for a set of four wallpapers titled Cat's Eye View. The first one shows a terrified ginger cat staring at eyes in the shadows, while a speech bubble states, ""Moooom! The cat's jumping at shadows again!"" The second one shows a cat sitting in front of a ghost occupying its bed; a speech bubble says, ""Why don't you ever use the cat bed I got you?"" The next one shows a black cat face down on the ground covering its eyes in fear while a ghost looms over it; a speech bubble reads, ""Scaredy cat!"" The last one shows a cat attacking a ghost; a speech bubble reads, ""What's gotten into you today?"""

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OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 1d

Make that $224 away from nonfiction and 5 backers from our final backer goal! We are SO CLOSE! Thank you!!!

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 2d

We’re $436 away from unlocking nonfiction! That means we’ll open to submissions of everything from moving personal essays to excavations of queer SFF history to incisive literary criticism.

PLUS we’re only 8 backers from our final backer goal—help us get there!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

OTHERSIDE 2026: A New Magazine of Queer SFF!

A new queer-led literary magazine devoted to speculative fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

www.kickstarter.com

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Dianna Gunn Does (Fictional) Murders 🇨🇦 @diannalgunn.bsky.social · 1d

CANADIANS!! The official petition started by a member of Parliament to fight back against payment processors' censorship of legal content is only open for a few more days. Make sure you've signed it: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

Petition e-6695 - Petitions

www.ourcommons.ca

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Dave D’Alessio @dalessio-dave.bsky.social · 1d

Looking for a cover artist for self-published book trilogy. Mecha story with a boy and girl main characters. Something mildly cartoony that will punch in thumbnail.

Yes, paid! Four covers total, for each volume and an omnibus edition.

If you have a site you want me to look at, let me know.

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The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 2d

Oh, hello

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Tessa Hastjarjanto @tessahastjarjanto.com · 2d

Doing another call to #booksky for participation in an event we're doing in November!

If you're a book blogger, reviewer, book lover, I'd love for you to join us with a review of an indie book or guest post about any book-ish topic.

More info ⬇️⬇️⬇️

www.readindiefantasy.com/announcing-a...

Announcing a Month of Rain and Reads… Coming this November! – Read Indie Fantasy

www.readindiefantasy.com

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 2d

💀💀💀

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 2d

COMMON BONDS lovers, you can get even more of the good stuff. An entire anthology of short stories and poems that have:
💚 science fiction and fantasy
💚 aromantic MCs
💚 a focus on platonic relationships!

Publication in 2026; preorders through late pledges: www.kickstarter.com/projects/cla...

🌈📚

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 3d

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Kate Heartfield @kateheartfield.com · 3d

Government survey: How can we support AI champions to own the podium? What barriers exist to uptake of AI in all areas of the economy across all regions?

Me: I strongly believe these questions are an insult to life itself

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 6d

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.

If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025 Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renewed...

ised-isde.canada.ca

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Helen Whistberry @whistberry.bsky.social · 3d

Happy #Caturday!

🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

Digital drawing of a white cat sitting in a garden. There are layers of flowers echoing the blue, pink, and white colors of the trans flag. Blue hydrangea at top, pink roses, white snowdrops, pink daisies, and finally, small blue flowers among the grass at bottom.

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 14d

📌

Hi, I'm a bilingual aroace author of queer fantasy centering platonic relationships! Below is an overview of my main series.

You can find general links as well as any ongoing events here:
claudiearseneault.com/welcome/

Below are links directly to these three books though!

An explainer on where to start with Claudie Arseneault’s books decorated in aromantic and asexual colours. It contains information about 3 series starters.
City of Strife (City of Spires) has a large cast of queer characters; mosaic-style POV, is novel length, has four books that form one big continuous story, and contains city politics and unrelenting kindness + love in the face of cruelty
Baker Thief (Val-de-mer) has a limited # of POV (dual for Baker Thief), is novel length, all books stand alone, and is set in a city inspired by Québec, with romance tropes but made platonic
Awakenings (the Chronicles of Nerezia) has a single main POV, is made of novellas, has an episodic format that works better read in order, and is JRPG inspired, with a found family road trip

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 3d

BAKER THIEF has a sequel! You can get not one, but *two* aromantic fantasy books set in a city inspired by Québec, and which are "Romance but Make It Aro" ! 💚

Baker Thief: buy.bookfunnel.com/xtyrwsdcf6
Painted Flock: buy.bookfunnel.com/prdyz5509q

An ad split two halves. The first has Baker Thief's cover and the information: an aro bigender baker, a corporate conspiracy, enemies-to-qpr. The second has Painted Flock's cover, and the info: a quoiromantic agender scientist, saving ols own victims, team scientist to found family

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Claudie @clh2oars.bsky.social · 4d

Omg there are bonus puzzles in a newsletter??? On my way there!!

(You are 100% the source of my addiction)

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Ness 🎃🇨🇦 @vriccithode.bsky.social · 4d

hey canadian friends you can tell the govt what you think about AI (🚮)! survey closes at the end of the month. it's a tad long but worth it. #CanPoli
ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en...

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025 Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renew...

ised-isde.canada.ca

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