Shelby Hailstone Law
@shailstonelaw.bsky.social
She/her. Independent author of the "Scaleshifter" series and more, mom of two, neurodivergent and proud of it
shelbyhailstonelaw.com
shelbyhailstonelaw.com
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Scaleshifter: Law, Shelby Hailstone: 9781693428890: Amazon.com: Books
Scaleshifter [Law, Shelby Hailstone] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Scaleshifter
www.amazon.com
Just a little about me intro: I write books about kids who get turned into dragons, except it's definitely an allegory about healing from trauma and surviving through community. But also... dragons.
www.amazon.com/Scaleshifter...
www.amazon.com/Scaleshifter...
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
I would pay Microsoft the same subs price that was Word but from 1998. All I want is a word processor with some silly word art and a clip art silhouette of a man playing saxophone I’m begging
December 10, 2025 at 10:59 PM
I would pay Microsoft the same subs price that was Word but from 1998. All I want is a word processor with some silly word art and a clip art silhouette of a man playing saxophone I’m begging
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
And then, unbidden, her book's actual premise came to her. 🫠
Go for walks, kids. I've only ever written things for real on walks.
Go for walks, kids. I've only ever written things for real on walks.
December 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
And then, unbidden, her book's actual premise came to her. 🫠
Go for walks, kids. I've only ever written things for real on walks.
Go for walks, kids. I've only ever written things for real on walks.
I wouldn’t have gone into the creative field at all but would have gone into STEM because it was “expected” of me as a gifted kid… but the core requirement classes sucked me into the humanities instead. I’m so glad they did!
This is actually a good example of why the customer model is wrong.
I wouldn't have chosen poetry writing, but UNC made me take a class. And it absolutely made me become a much better writer, with an eye to concision and an ear now trained to the rhythm of words. I'm a better historian as a result.
I wouldn't have chosen poetry writing, but UNC made me take a class. And it absolutely made me become a much better writer, with an eye to concision and an ear now trained to the rhythm of words. I'm a better historian as a result.
If you are providing me with an education that is low utility in the world then it’s a disservice. My composition class spent four weeks on poetry. I’m sorry, but that only would’ve been useful if I wanted to be a poet. I don’t need to know iambic pentameter in order to be a victim advocate.
December 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I wouldn’t have gone into the creative field at all but would have gone into STEM because it was “expected” of me as a gifted kid… but the core requirement classes sucked me into the humanities instead. I’m so glad they did!
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
The way tech companies constantly do stuff that nobody asked for really tells you a lot about their bigger ideology. They tell themselves that you will like it over time. What they mean is you’ll learn to endure it, or you’ll give up. quality of UI is not actually anywhere on their radar
new iOS update is sleek and also defaults in Music to “you must want songs transition as they would on a dance floor.” so many people will wonder why they can’t just listen to an album. Apps > Music > Song Transitions > toggle off.
December 9, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The way tech companies constantly do stuff that nobody asked for really tells you a lot about their bigger ideology. They tell themselves that you will like it over time. What they mean is you’ll learn to endure it, or you’ll give up. quality of UI is not actually anywhere on their radar
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
This entire grift relies on convincing people that they don't know how to do the things they have always known how to do, and ironically, if it works, we will, in a very short amount of time, forget how to do all the things we have always known how to do.
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 9, 2025 at 3:40 PM
This entire grift relies on convincing people that they don't know how to do the things they have always known how to do, and ironically, if it works, we will, in a very short amount of time, forget how to do all the things we have always known how to do.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
What got me through raising a newborn was actual human connection with people who generously shared their experiences, time and support, not an LLM trained on 4chan, but that's the problem with human capital -- you can't monetize it or scale it for shareholders' maximum profit.
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
What got me through raising a newborn was actual human connection with people who generously shared their experiences, time and support, not an LLM trained on 4chan, but that's the problem with human capital -- you can't monetize it or scale it for shareholders' maximum profit.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
not sure how to square ‘no one person can be reasonably expected to pay for every media subscription’ with ‘sorely underpaid writers need to make a living’ but my inclination is not to locate that problem with any of the broke ass people on either end of the complaint
December 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
not sure how to square ‘no one person can be reasonably expected to pay for every media subscription’ with ‘sorely underpaid writers need to make a living’ but my inclination is not to locate that problem with any of the broke ass people on either end of the complaint
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
I had a joke about Narcissus but I took a long hard look at myself first
Yeah, my joke about Daedalus got a little too labyrinthine
I had a joke about Icarus but it fell flat.
December 8, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I had a joke about Narcissus but I took a long hard look at myself first
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
The gods of the world of Scaleshifter are actually a huge part of Caleb and Ziya’s story. They have huge journeys of faith questioning whether the gods still care about their world or whether they only care about their chosen.
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters
Is your character religious or spiritual?
Is there a god/gods in their world? Is their existence a matter of faith, or are physically present? Does your character believe?
Do they pray or perform rituals?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Is your character religious or spiritual?
Is there a god/gods in their world? Is their existence a matter of faith, or are physically present? Does your character believe?
Do they pray or perform rituals?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 8, 2025 at 3:32 AM
The gods of the world of Scaleshifter are actually a huge part of Caleb and Ziya’s story. They have huge journeys of faith questioning whether the gods still care about their world or whether they only care about their chosen.
I love when my dad visits because he lets me infodump at him and will *ask follow-up questions* and this is how he got a whole TedTalk about how modern fanfiction got its start with suburban women writing Spirk stories.
December 6, 2025 at 11:28 PM
I love when my dad visits because he lets me infodump at him and will *ask follow-up questions* and this is how he got a whole TedTalk about how modern fanfiction got its start with suburban women writing Spirk stories.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
"I have never seen the line this long at this food bank, This is 4x the size of every previous year...the line wraps around the building a second time..Everyone is freezing and an older lady in line had to be taken inside because she looked like she was about to pass out from being too cold..."
December 6, 2025 at 11:02 PM
"I have never seen the line this long at this food bank, This is 4x the size of every previous year...the line wraps around the building a second time..Everyone is freezing and an older lady in line had to be taken inside because she looked like she was about to pass out from being too cold..."
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
One of the best feelings in life is that feeling of frenzied infatuation you have at the beginning of a new creative project.
December 5, 2025 at 12:23 AM
One of the best feelings in life is that feeling of frenzied infatuation you have at the beginning of a new creative project.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
STORE: Thank you for your order!
STORE: We are preparing your order!
STORE: We put your order in a box!
STORE: Look who has a mailing label!
STORE: Your order has been shipped!
STORE: Your order is in your city!
STORE: Your order is nearby!
STORE: Your order sees you.
STORE: Turn around.
STORE: We are preparing your order!
STORE: We put your order in a box!
STORE: Look who has a mailing label!
STORE: Your order has been shipped!
STORE: Your order is in your city!
STORE: Your order is nearby!
STORE: Your order sees you.
STORE: Turn around.
December 5, 2025 at 12:25 AM
STORE: Thank you for your order!
STORE: We are preparing your order!
STORE: We put your order in a box!
STORE: Look who has a mailing label!
STORE: Your order has been shipped!
STORE: Your order is in your city!
STORE: Your order is nearby!
STORE: Your order sees you.
STORE: Turn around.
STORE: We are preparing your order!
STORE: We put your order in a box!
STORE: Look who has a mailing label!
STORE: Your order has been shipped!
STORE: Your order is in your city!
STORE: Your order is nearby!
STORE: Your order sees you.
STORE: Turn around.
Georgia’s new attendance law is so stupid. My daughter has missed school because of a stomach bug and a lice outbreak this semester, and even with that limited number of absences, we just got an email saying her attendance has been flagged and “reminding” us that too many absences is a DFCS call.
December 4, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Georgia’s new attendance law is so stupid. My daughter has missed school because of a stomach bug and a lice outbreak this semester, and even with that limited number of absences, we just got an email saying her attendance has been flagged and “reminding” us that too many absences is a DFCS call.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
I've heard this 1,000 times a day. I believed it until 2 weeks ago. Then I learned that the 2026 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Jobs Outlook report found that only 10% of job ads ask for AI skills. Tell your friends.
It’s because every single employer who hires interns/co-ops/new grads is demanding it, or at least saying loudly they are prioritizing AI readiness in such roles. That’s the signal they’re responding to.
December 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I've heard this 1,000 times a day. I believed it until 2 weeks ago. Then I learned that the 2026 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Jobs Outlook report found that only 10% of job ads ask for AI skills. Tell your friends.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
I’m always just waiting for them to go “why is a COWBOY here”
“why is so much of this about real estate”
“why is so much of this about real estate”
December 3, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I’m always just waiting for them to go “why is a COWBOY here”
“why is so much of this about real estate”
“why is so much of this about real estate”
About to be so annoying about this
Yo, to all my Worlds Beyond Number heads out there, it wasn’t possible to drop the soundtrack this winter due to circumstances so far out of my control as to be “Lovecraftian,” but looking good for early next year! Been reviewing some files and holy shit it’s a lot of music. Hold on to your butts.
December 3, 2025 at 6:04 PM
About to be so annoying about this
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
The agonizing long tail of disaster recovery is underexplored. I think a lot about this 2024 study finding that when a hurricane hits somewhere in the U.S., the people there are more likely to die *for the next 15 years*. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 3, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The agonizing long tail of disaster recovery is underexplored. I think a lot about this 2024 study finding that when a hurricane hits somewhere in the U.S., the people there are more likely to die *for the next 15 years*. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
The whole thread is fun!
“Have Yourself A Merriam Little Christmas”
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
Merriam, a career-oriented lexicographer from the city, returns to her small town for the holidays and meets Webster, a ruggedly handsome librarian, who shows her the true DEFINITION of Christmas.
December 3, 2025 at 7:53 AM
The whole thread is fun!
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
I realize I've been posting about my book a lot and want to share why 🧵
1. It's fucking hard to write a book and getting this one to the finish line with everything happening in my life has been a huge accomplishment for me. I'm excited.
2. Now is a hard time to get a book into circulation. Because
1. It's fucking hard to write a book and getting this one to the finish line with everything happening in my life has been a huge accomplishment for me. I'm excited.
2. Now is a hard time to get a book into circulation. Because
It tried to kill me but I have finished the book. Second pass pages read through, final copy and line edits done.
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
December 2, 2025 at 11:14 PM
I realize I've been posting about my book a lot and want to share why 🧵
1. It's fucking hard to write a book and getting this one to the finish line with everything happening in my life has been a huge accomplishment for me. I'm excited.
2. Now is a hard time to get a book into circulation. Because
1. It's fucking hard to write a book and getting this one to the finish line with everything happening in my life has been a huge accomplishment for me. I'm excited.
2. Now is a hard time to get a book into circulation. Because
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
like, getting an autism diagnosis, which is generally the first step on the way to accommodations, is extremely time consuming and by all accounts can be traumatic; many doctors don't really understnad or even believe in autism; the test focuses on deficits in ways that can feel insulting.
December 3, 2025 at 1:06 AM
like, getting an autism diagnosis, which is generally the first step on the way to accommodations, is extremely time consuming and by all accounts can be traumatic; many doctors don't really understnad or even believe in autism; the test focuses on deficits in ways that can feel insulting.
Reposted by Shelby Hailstone Law
If you ever wondered what GOP gerrymandering looks like in red states with blue cities, I present:
December 2, 2025 at 8:49 PM
If you ever wondered what GOP gerrymandering looks like in red states with blue cities, I present:
I remember being in college and playing a paladin and realizing no one in the all-male group I was in listened to anything I said. The DM literally had to repeat my words back to them. And that’s the *tamest* anecdote I have. There’s a reason I no longer play video games with online elements.
As will not surprise you, the major impediments my students cite to playing games are not about the games themselves, but around gatekeeping men making playful spaces inaccessible — including the dedicated gaming space in our student center.
Auburn University Unveils the new Melton Student Center Game Room
YouTube video by Eagle Eye TV
youtu.be
December 3, 2025 at 3:08 AM
I remember being in college and playing a paladin and realizing no one in the all-male group I was in listened to anything I said. The DM literally had to repeat my words back to them. And that’s the *tamest* anecdote I have. There’s a reason I no longer play video games with online elements.
Indie authors: stay vigilant! I had someone contact me this morning pretending to be from a Silent Book Club chapter wanting to feature "Lady Thief." Here is Silent Book Club's warning about scams like this. Please be careful of people preying on creatives.
silentbook.club/pages/cautio...
silentbook.club/pages/cautio...
Caution: Scammers are impersonating Silent Book Club
It has been reported to us that scammers are impersonating Silent Book Club cofounders and local chapter organizers. They are asking authors for money in exchange for being featured. Silent Book Club...
silentbook.club
December 2, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Indie authors: stay vigilant! I had someone contact me this morning pretending to be from a Silent Book Club chapter wanting to feature "Lady Thief." Here is Silent Book Club's warning about scams like this. Please be careful of people preying on creatives.
silentbook.club/pages/cautio...
silentbook.club/pages/cautio...