Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gary Panton

@garypanton.co.uk

3.8K followers 990 following 1.9K posts

Author of THE NOTWITCHES and THE NOTWITCHES: PRISON BREAK. All the links for ordering can be found at garypanton.co.uk/books/ Represented by Rachel Mann at CAA. 📍Perth, Scotland 🌐 garypanton.co.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · Aug 14

Ta-da! My new book, The Notwitches: Prison Break, is out NOW! Huge thanks to all at @chickenhousebooks.bsky.social, Dotty Sutton for her brilliant artwork and my wonderful agent @rachelpmann.bsky.social. And of course big thanks to everyone who buys it, which you can do here: garypanton.co.uk/books/

The cover of The Notwitches Prison Break, with an 'OUT NOW!' icon and a hand reaching into the image to grab the book.

2 9 26

Reposted by Gary Panton

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 6d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

29 2.4K 7.3K

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 23h

OK I tasted them and they're a bit meh. World has gone back to being the same.

1 1 6

Reposted by Gary Panton

C. Buckthorn @cbuckthorn.bsky.social · 1d

This is amazing. I laughed out loud www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

As 32-year-old Rich points out, though, "it's not like using ChatGPT guarantees success".
When he met someone in a bar one Friday night and swapped social media handles, he asked AI what his next move should be.
ChatGPT discerned that sending an initial message on Monday midmorning would set the right pace. "Then it gave me some options for what the message could be," says Rich.
"Keep it light, warm, and low-stakes so it reads as genuine interest without urgency," the bot advised. "Something like: Hey Sarah, still laughing about [tiny shared moment/reference if you've got one] - good to meet you!" Rich went back and forth with ChatGPT until he felt they'd hit upon exactly the right message ("Hey Sarah, it was lovely to meet you") but sadly she never replied, he says. "It's been two weeks now."

170 760 4.1K

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 23h

My whole world just changed.

TESCO pigs in blanket-flavour coated peanuts.

4 1 12

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 1d

Went to see the best band in the world, @deaconbluemusic.bsky.social, last night, so here's a crap photo from a brilliant gig.

Deacon Blue on stage at the Hydro in Glasgow. They're quite far away.

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 1d

I have a lot of love for what they did with this film. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) on BBC1.

Reposted by Gary Panton

Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 2d

Happy #BookshopDay!

I’ve been keeping a list of all the wonderful indie bookshops I’ve discovered on here so far. Anyone I’m missing?

#KidLitUK #UKKidLit

bsky.app/profile/did:...

1 4 7

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 2d

Happy #BookshopDay, all! Watch this little video very closely for the occasional glimpse of me and Dotty Sutton talking about books and getting excited about Dr Seuss.
youtu.be/WEDGvBxguq4?...

Why Do You Choose Bookshops?

YouTube video by Books Are My Bag

youtu.be

Reposted by Gary Panton

Rose Ruane @regretteruane.bsky.social · 3d

Wonderful wintry Jill McDonald Puffin Post cover, delightful bit of cartoon colour for a gloomy grey day

Cover of a 1970s puffin post magazine with a colourful cartoon illustration of puffins wearing cosy winter woolens, hats & scarves& jumpers, doing winter activities all over a giant snow puffin with a pipe in their beak, some puffins mountaineering over its head, others having a snowball fight on its belly and in the foreground some ice skating while another warms its wings over a brazier.
In the background, snow blizzards through a silvery grey sky and the title Puffin Post appears in the top right corner, hand lettered inside white puffs of cloud

3 8 54

Reposted by Gary Panton

Miranda Keeling @mirandakeeling.com · 3d

A little boy on the Tube is so worried about his soft-toy lion falling on the floor that he is saying to him 'Hold on tight Sycamore Jones!'

7 11 290

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 3d

I bet a spider would very happily give up 50% of its legs if you offered it a couple of hands.

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 4d

Very important update: A woman just got on, looked at the slippers for a bit and handed them to her friend who then PUT THEM IN HER BAG. She's keeping the slippers! I am speechless. I am without speech.

1 16

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 4d

I can't quite put into words how much it pisses me off that people can't just be decent enough to leave their train seats in the way they found them so that the next person doesn't have to deal with their litter/junk/slippers.

1 1 14

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 4d

People sitting across from me on the train from London up to Scotland brought weird hotel-style slippers with them to wear on the way and then just left them for someone else to deal with. Seriously this is the Broken Britain David Cameron tried to warn us about.

Four abandoned white slippers underneath a train seat.

11 6 40

Reposted by Gary Panton

Felicity Hannah @felicityhannah.bsky.social · 5d

“Hi Felicity, we’re looking to collaborate… incredible visibility… a real opportunity”

Guys, when you mean ‘3 days of unpaid work’ at least have the guts to SAY it rather than make it sound like a favour.

11 9 150

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 5d

When he was finished he stood up and delicately applied some lip balm. Absolute nerve of the guy.

a man with a blanket on his head and the words this country written on the bottom

Alt: Alan Partridge, dressed as a zombie, saying "This country" and walking off.

media.tenor.com

1 7

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 5d

He's progressed from persistent lip-smacking to full-on open-mouthed belching.

1 5

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 5d

Got a very loud eater at the table next to me at a Premier Inn breakfast. Just trying to weigh up if I should contact staff and ask to have him removed from the hotel.

2 7

Reposted by Gary Panton

John Self @john-self.bsky.social · 5d

“He’s 28 until he’s 29. That’s a fact.”

This never gets old.

martwah.bsky.social @martwah.bsky.social · 5d

5 12 57

Reposted by Gary Panton

Chortle @chortle.bsky.social · 5d

Stop making AI versions of Robin Williams, his daughter pleads

'You're making hotdogs out of the lives of human beings'

dlvr.it

2 3

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 5d

Every time I'm on the Underground and see the station name Stockwell, I think about Dean Stockwell and then get the Quantum Leap theme stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

3 3 22

Reposted by Gary Panton

Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 5d

London parents! Looking for something to do with the children over half term? Come and help me support one of the best indie bookshops in London and go home with your own (mostly) self-made clock!

Make and Decorate Your Own Clock with Alom Shaha!! | Moon Lane Ink

Join Alom Shaha, author of "About Time", to learn more about time-keeping and a chance to make your own working clock!

www.moonlaneink.co.uk

5 7

Reposted by Gary Panton

Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 7d

I have been sent to hell. But - swings and roundabouts - at least I got to talk to Daniel Whelan and Alex Gale on their fab
podcast Hellish (@hellishpod.com) about my songs from hell and got to plug my new book on 80s pop history, #IntoTheGroove.

shows.acast.com/hellish/epis...

Justin Lewis, writer | Hellish

Writer JUSTIN LEWIS gets into the groove with the five tracks he will meet in Hell!

shows.acast.com

5 8

Reposted by Gary Panton

Rick Burin @rickburin.bsky.social · 7d

Tell the people you love that you love them. Right now.

Time spent doing something you enjoy is never wasted.

Being a nice person is a reward in itself, but no need to be a doormat about it.

It’s worth getting the nice teabags (Yorkshire Gold).

Please make a bit less noise, I’m trying to read.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 10d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

6 8 140

Gary Panton @garypanton.co.uk · 7d

I did a school event last week and one of the kids asked me if I could write a new book called "Monkey vs Bunny".

Me: I'm not sure Jamie Smart would like that.

Kid: That's why you put the Monkey first!

2 6