Jon Sparks
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jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
Jon Sparks
@jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.8K following 2.1K posts
After more than 30 years, and 60 books, as an outdoor writer and photographer, I’m now fully focused on fiction with the Shattered Moon series. AI-free (and I mean free).
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jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 23/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer qualifies as a WIP. Snips are now coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already pretty far advanced.
This has 6 instances of ‘stone’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
History, I saw, isn’t always about the big moments, like the meeting in the strath above Blawith (I’ve seen it, of course, and it’s a bare sort of place for such a moment, marked by nothing more than a shapeless cairn, where travellers over the years have each added a stone). Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it goes in small steps; but they’re much harder for historians to pick out. It almost made me think again. I could have chosen to read History, and perhaps one day I could have tried to write the kind of history that recognises the small moments and the small people, because they add up.
December 23, 2025 at 11:57 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 23/12: Facet of modern writing era for which you're thankful?
The fact that things are so well set up to smooth the path for self-published authors.
Obviously not so keen on the Amazon stranglehold but maybe that’s tomorrow’s question.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
December 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 23/12: What's the first and last line of dialogue for your MC?
Jerya, First (in flashback): "I don't know, aunt, but that's a question too!"
Last: Not written it yet, I’m only 7 books in.
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December 23, 2025 at 11:53 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 22/12: If the inciting incident never happened, what would happen to your MC?
I have literally written this story… three times for three different pivot moments (a term I much prefer to 'inciting incident')… as three linked…
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Three Kinds of Now
Introduction
open.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
Sorry to have missed a week in serialising this. Family matters…
But here we are with the latest episode of this serialised novel of murky goings-on in the great outdoors. Free to read.
I’ll aim to throw in an extra episode between Xmas and New Year to get caught up.
The Kanchenjunga Manifesto—Chapter Fifteen
Continuing this serialised novel of murky goings-on in the great outdoors.
open.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:17 PM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 21/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer qualifies as a WIP. Snips are now coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already pretty far advanced.
This has two instances of ‘silver’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
They spread out: Harran to the left of the stream, Evisyn to the right. Jerya started further right, walking slowly along, scanning for breaks in the vegetation. Even when free of larger plants, the rock was mostly crusted with lichen, yellow and ochre and silver-grey, but she could get a sense of the form beneath, and as in that first moment she had that sense of evenness, of a plane surface. Child of Delven, Jerya had an ingrained familiarity with worked rock. The chipping and carving and shaping of new passages and chambers had always been men’s work, but she had watched them at it, until they noticed her and chivvied her away; gruff, mock-fierce, yet gentle enough. And she had slept all her life in chambers hollowed from the rock—the last one, for six years, all her own, so that she had come to feel that she knew every chisel-mark and spalled flake both by sight and by touch. Even now, more than thirty years on, she felt she could close her eyes and retrace exactly the contours of the wall at the head of her bed-platform, trace them as she had done countless times, when sleep eluded her; or on waking, those mornings when all was still and she heard or imagined the Dawnsong, echo of an echo of an echo, seeping all the way down and back to her little cranny of the maidens’ level.
December 21, 2025 at 8:58 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 21/12: Do your stories come to you fully formed? Or do they only develop along the way?
Fully formed? never. Writing is the only way to find out who’s who and what happens. As Tolkien said, ""I met a lot of things on the way…
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December 21, 2025 at 8:54 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 21/12 Does your antagonist treasure people or objects more?
Neither—unless you count the Guild of Dawnsingers as an object. (Yes, it’s a collection of people, but I don’t think that’s how Perriad sees it.)
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December 21, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Jon Sparks
guyshrubsole.bsky.social
Shooting hares will finally be banned for most of the year, and a ban on trail hunting will be announced Monday as part of a package of animal welfare measures

Will the govt also move to ban or license grouse & pheasant shooting…?

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Shooting hares in England to be banned for most of the year
Exclusive: Ministers also expected to announce trail-hunting ban in sweeping changes to animal welfare law
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:19 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 20/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer qualifies as a WIP. Snips are now coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already pretty far advanced.
This has two instances of ‘default’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
"It sounded to me very much like he’ll be stopping my allowance. It’s not long since the last payment, and it’s always been generous; more than I needed. We’re not destitute; I’ve saved about two thousand thalers—but we need somewhere to live. I can’t go on living at the Fellowship, not with you. Two thousand… I don’t know, it might last us six months if we live simply." "Well," said Kel, "My father hasn’t said anything about stopping my allowance… but it’s only ever been sufficient to support one, not two; especially if we both still intend to pursue further research. I’m not sure if he can afford to give more, even supposing he wanted to." And that might be a delicate conversation, he thought. There was the possibility that mentioning it at all might remind him of something he’d overlooked, prompting an obvious temptation to say nothing and let the payments continue by default. But if it was stretching him to pay the existing sum, there was nothing to be gained by asking for more. Self-interest counselled silence, but honesty, and a decent filial regard, demanded openness.
December 20, 2025 at 5:39 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 20/12: What's the first thing readers learn about your antagonist?
First impressions of Perriad aren’t all bad. A bit dour and aloof, but she does give Jerya a chance despite the irregularity of her Choosing; a decision she’ll…
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December 20, 2025 at 5:35 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 20/12: If you write instalments (issues, chapters, etc) what’s the average length of one instalment?
Chapters are occasionally under 1000 words, up to 3000, with a few longer ones. I’ve stuck with these when serialising on Substack…
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
December 20, 2025 at 5:35 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 19/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer qualifies as a WIP. Snips are now coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already pretty far advanced.
This has 12 instances of ‘high’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
Lord Selton—Professor Lord Tavistan Selton—took a sip of water, surveyed his audience, turned a page in his notes, and resumed. "I’ll conclude with something I find particularly intriguing. Nowhere in the entire labyrinth have we ever found anything we can recognise as an oven, a hob, or a fireplace. Nor have we come across anything resembling a furnace or boiler. So how did they cook, heat water, maintain a comfortable living temperature? And how… I mentioned the shaft. We have been able to negotiate this only by climbing the ladders set into one wall; a daunting business even with safety ropes. But at the bottom, which we calculated to be twenty metres—around seventy feet—below sea level, Straspey and I found a large metal box, almost completely spanning the width and breadth of the shaft. We entered this through a hatch in the top, and found a chamber large enough for a dozen people, just high enough for a tall man to reach the ceiling, and boasting a pair of doors strikingly similar to those we found at each level.
December 19, 2025 at 8:06 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 19/12: What’s the first thing readers learn about your MC?
Book 1, Chapter 1: Jerya is off by herself, trying to figure things out for herself. Other people saying ‘it’s the way things are’ isn’t good enough for her.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
December 19, 2025 at 7:59 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 19/12: If you were to teach a writing course, what would be the most important lesson?
Find your own way. Just because you’ve heard that Dostoevsky, or George Eliot, or Enid Blyton, had a certain method or routine, no matter how…
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December 19, 2025 at 7:58 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 18/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer qualifies as a WIP. Snips are now coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already pretty far advanced.
This has nine instances of ‘request’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
Yes, yes, said Tari’s heart, but her head knew better than to hope for too much. "I don’t know, Railu. But anything… anything you can do…" Railu chewed on her lower lip. "I’ll be honest with you, Tarivel; I’ve never had a request like this before. Never even heard of a case like it. But—" She held up a hand to show she had more to say. "—That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to help you, or that there’s nothing I can do. However, there are some questions I need to ask. "First, well, I’d never normally give treatment to someone your age—outwith emergencies—without proper discussion with their family. So where’s your family, your parents? Back in the Sung Lands, I suppose." "My Ma’s dead. Six—seven years ago. Pa’s got a new wife now—and she’s only six years older’n me. She don’t much like me and she never tried much to hide it." There was sympathy in Railu’s eyes, but she didn’t try to say anything consoling, only, "And there’s no one else who takes care of you, looks out for you?"
December 18, 2025 at 8:08 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 18/12: Does your antagonist save money or spend it?
Perriad, as she’ll never tire of telling you, is a Dawnsinger, and Dawnsingers have no money of their own.
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December 18, 2025 at 8:05 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 18/12: Are there writing ‘traditions’ which ought to be preserved?
Grammar.
Spelling.
Punctuation (hands off our semi-colons and em-dashes!).
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December 18, 2025 at 8:04 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
View of Scorton and Nicky Nook as we cycled home from our café stop yesterday.
December 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 17/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has been uploaded… so no longer a WIP. From today, snips are coming from Book 8, as yet untitled, but already well advanced.
This has 0 instances of ‘clay’, but 1 of ‘ground’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
The encounter with the two young men had made for an odd welcome back to the Five Principalities, but at least the quieter one had given sound advice on the campsite. They weren’t the first to use it; fallen logs had been arranged in a rough triangle around a scorched patch of ground. Some were still pitching tents, though five of the nine were intending to at least start out sleeping in the open. Lerrial was cooking, with Vessey’s help, cobbling together a meal from the remaining motley odds and ends. Sohvin was still gathering fallen wood, Ysu herself tending the fire. A quiet dinner, an hour or so of reflective chat, and then Ysu knew she’d be ready to crawl into her sleeping bag and lie under the stars. She wasn’t expecting anything more from the evening. But just as the last sun-gilded edges were melting from the high clouds over the shadow hulks of the mountains, a small figure appeared in the fringes of the fireglow. Small—smaller than any of the Sojourners, even Vessey—and a girl. She could hardly have looked less threatening. "Why don’t you come over to the fire?" Ysu called. "The air’s getting cool."
December 17, 2025 at 8:01 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WordWeavers 17/12: How many hours of sleep a night does your MC average?
Jerya sleeps pretty well, so generally 7–8 hours is common. But during summer-schools she often gets up earlier to hear the visiting Dawnsingers do their thing. And…
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
December 17, 2025 at 7:53 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WritersCoffeeClub 17/12: Give a shout-out to a resource or site you think more writers should know. I’m afraid most of my tips will be awfully predictable… Wikipedia, Cambridge Dictionaries, Thesaurus.com… But if you’re on Substack�#booksk#writingn#WriteSkyk#writingcommunityty
https://Thesaurus.com…
December 17, 2025 at 7:52 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
Busy day yesterday finalising the cover and interior files for Book Seven of The Shattered Moon. Full steam ahead for publication in February!
December 16, 2025 at 9:29 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
Happy 250th birthday to the great (the GOAT?) Jane Austen.

As a very small tribute I’ve dug out a Substack Post from 2024 and given it a light update.
The Austen Connection
Where 'Austen meets Earthsea'… or something.
theshatteredmoon.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:25 AM
jonsparksauthor.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 16/12
Book 7 of The Shattered Moon, working title ‘The Principle of Detachment’, has no instances of ‘moist’, but four of ‘damp’.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity
"Well, then… Tor, how can you not want to stay? To be properly part of it?" "I think it’s easier for me," she said. "I’m not a scientist, not like my parents—" "—Yes, don’t you think it’s strange that your Mamma was here, she had the opportunity to be a Dawnsinger… and she walked away from it?" "You’d have to ask her about that." Or wait for the biography… "But you’ve gone from talking about creating a new Guild of Dawnsingers in the Five Principalities—which is a most intriguing idea that I really want to think about and talk about more—to wanting to stay here, to be a Dawnsinger yourself." Aliénor gazed at her, and Tor saw that her eyes were damp. "I’m sure you’re going to tell me all the reasons it’s impossible. And I know, really. My family would be heartbroken, and the Guild of Dawnsingers would never accept me anyway… don’t say anything, Tor, please. Don’t dispel my dream. Let me have that for a while longer." After another moment Tor realised they were still holding hands
December 16, 2025 at 7:19 AM