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Suzannah Rowntree

@suzannahrowntree.bsky.social

350 followers 170 following 1.9K posts

Historical fantasy author | Books make the best time machines | Christian, tea drinker, siege fancier | https://suzannahrowntree.site

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · Jul 11

Stressed out by your battle scene? HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE is out in the world - and since a few reviewers who pride themselves on the depth of their military knowledge have complained that the book is too short and basic, you know it'll be absolutely perfect for YOU 😇

books2read.com/u/bO7Q5J

Cover design of HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE: BASIC MEDIEVAL AND MODERN MILITARY TACTICS FOR AUTHORS, by Suzannah Rowntree

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 3h

Thanks! I HATE it

Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 23h

For a single standalone I would recommend HOGFATHER or GOING POSTAL

Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 23h

I just reread the whole CITY WATCH series. It's strong all the way through, the first book GUARDS! GUARDS! is a brilliant early Pratchett, and the late stretches absolutely soar - NIGHT WATCH and THUD! regularly appear on Discworld best-of lists. All this and a FANTASTIC middle aged romance.

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 4d

Oh an animated series would be DARLING! enjoy, book 4 is my favourite...though I'm reading my beta copy of the first spinoff right now and it's also JUST SO GOOD

Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

ceej @ceej.online · 5d

damn. hoping it at least signifies something

William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 5d

It is a tale
Told by an idiot

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Tim Byrne @tbyrne75.bsky.social · 6d

My genuine LOL could be heard for miles.

Eric Alper @thatericalper.com · 6d

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Abigail Larson @abigaillarson.com · 8d

In honor of Edgar Allan Poe's 176th deathday, here are a few of my recent pieces inspired by Poe's works 🫀

Illustration by Abigail Larson depicting a scene from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Annabel Lee". Two lovers embrace at the edge of the sea, water splashes around them and the surrounding rocks. A full moon shines over them, and storm clouds loom.
Published in "Sticker Jigsaw: The Edgar Allan Poe Collection" 2024 Macmillan

illustration by Abigail Larson of a raven perched on a skull with a teal curtain backdrop

illustration by Abigail Larson depicting a scene from Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" showing a man restrained as a pendulum blade swings close to him. Rats have swarmed around him, chewing the ropes that hold him down. This illustration is featured in "Sticker Jigsaw: The Edgar Allan Poe Collection" for Macmillan Books.

Illustration by Abigail Larson for Macmillan's "Edgar Allan Poe Sticker Jigsaw" book. The illustration is a scene from Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven". The narrator is at the center of the image looking up at at raven perched above an open doorway. Behind the narrator is a tall window with red curtains, and the ghost of Lenore lurks nearby. A black cat is watching the scene from the lower right corner.

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Sean T. Collins @seantcollins.com · 9d

CHATGPT: I understand where you're coming from. You worked really hard to get here, and now it's time to enjoy the fruit of your labors.

ISILDUR: So I should keep it? Elrond says I shouldn't

CHATGPT: The ring is precious. Sometimes friends don't have your best interests at heart.

ISILDUR: true

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 9d

This, plus I don't even have the luxury of getting paid for the theft of MY copyrighted works because as an author outside the US, I never had my copyright registered with the US copyright office 🤷🏼‍♀️

Nnedi Okorafor, PhD @nnedi.bsky.social · 10d

This Anthropic settlement case…fellow authors, are any of you feeling rage? I have 12 books listed and money (I don’t CARE how many thousands, even millions) is NOT adequate compensation. What was stolen & used without my permission is priceless! Where is the option to scrub my work from AI?!

Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 9d

I have spent my whole life not caring much about Taylor Swift one way or another, but I cannot deny it's nice to hear from the one (1) person in America who's having just an unadulterated good time right now

Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

lyblacktea.bsky.social @lyblacktea.bsky.social · 10d

#Tolkientober Day 5: Hope

For this prompt I could only think of the most truly hopeful scene in all Tolkien adaptations for me🖤🤍

P.S: Inspired by "The Swan" by Hilma af Klint✨

#Adar #Galadriel

Colour illustration (in browns, blacks and blues) of Adar and Galadriel standing in front of each other with a hand extended. Adar has Nenya on the palm of his hand and is offering it to Galadriel, who hesitantly extends her hand to take it.

The scene is split in two halves by the tone of the background, very dark behind Galadriel and very bright behind Adar, so Galadriel's figure is silhouetted against the dark background, and Adar's is silhouetted against the light background.

There is a halo of blue light around Nenya, also enveloping their outstretched hands.

There are forms of trees and roots in both backgrounds, white in Adar's half and black in Galadriel's one.

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 10d

Occasionally I've tried to buy anything from Amazon but books, and each time I've thrown up my hands at the futile effort to find listings for things that I want, with trustworthy reviews, and decent prices. I couldn't work out why, but Cory Doctorow explains it pretty clearly here.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10d

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?

Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and what we can do about it

www.theguardian.com

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 10d

I think we can all agree that Taylor Swift's brother and mama are extremely wise

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 11d

"but Suzannah most of everything was rubbish back then too, it's just that time has enshrined the good stuff—" shhh I'm having a Nostalgia

Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 11d

(this post is about JRR Tolkien, Anthony Trollope, William Shakespeare, and the authors of THE SONG OF ROLAND and THE SONG OF EL CID who, whatever their other problems, didn't think it was bad for boys to cry)

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 11d

I miss the good old days when men were men (kind, empathetic, emotionally intelligent and able to write an entire book without once mentioning the female lead's bra size)

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 11d

Fun word fact is that φοῖνιξ (phoinix)—meaning reddish-purple in Greek—is the basis for Phoenix 🐦‍🔥 and the word Phoenicians (the city of Tyre made some gorgeous purple, y’all). I’m fun at cocktail parties!

John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 12d

Star-shaped tile with a phoenix and stylized flower spray

Kashan, c. 1250 - c. 1324

(Rijksmuseum)

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Deanna Kreisel 🌱 @doctorwaffle.substack.com · 13d

In honor of National Poetry Day, the greatest parody rewrite of all time:

Screen cap of parodic version of William Blake's "The Tyger" that begins:
Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright
(Not sure if I spelled that right)
What immortal hand or eye
Could fashion such a stripy guy?
What the hammer that hath hewn it
Into such a chonky unit?
Did who made the lamb make thee,
Or an external franchisee?

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 12d

Major Avengers: Domesday spoilers....

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So after 1066, William the Conqueror realizes he needs a team of heroes to survey a newly conquered England, and there's only one crew heroic enough to compile a complete census of the English polity

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

death to settler colonialism @wallamide.bsky.social · 12d

our virginal ai vs their harlot real woman

Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 13d

I'm sorry: "if I wish to see a virgin on-screen"?

My Favorite Actress Is Not Human
Tilly Norwood doesn’t need a hairstylist, has no regrettable posts, and if you wish to see a virgin on-screen, this is one of your better chances. That’s because she’s AI.

A picture of some AI girl standing on an AI landscape with an AI monster behind her. I'm gonna be so real: she looks about 14

By Tyler Cowen

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 13d

"I object to the old" is the Aussiest possible rejoinder

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 14d

australian street style, 1973

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

W.R. Gingell @wrgingell.bsky.social · 13d

if you've always wanted to read a series about a manic pixie madman and a sensible human woman with sciatica running around Melbourne to solve murders and avoid otherworldly denizens, the Shattered World series is for you!

geni.us/ShatteredWor...

✨🦑✨✨🦑✨✨🦑✨✨🦑✨

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

Tiffany Baxter @ MCM Q-11 @tiffbaxter.bsky.social · Jan 13

✨Shadowheart's Garden✨

An illustration of Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3. She has her silver Selunite hair and is wearing a long off-white dress with billowing sleeves and a patterned edge; over this is a short yellow waistcoat also with embroidery. She is smiling and feeding the red squirrel on her shoulder acorns. She stands in her garden, blooming with night orchids, lilies and deliphiniums. A wolf cub sits at her feet, looking up sweetly. Behind her on the dark night sky we see the Selunite stars and the illustration is bordered by a simple gold frame with two crescent moons in the top corners.

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Reposted by Suzannah Rowntree

same old ghost 🌿🦉 @sameoldghost.bsky.social · 14d

Merriam-Webster you scared me

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Suzannah Rowntree @suzannahrowntree.bsky.social · 14d

Insane new twist in the Russian Motorcycle Adaptation saga

Mick Ryan @warinthefuture.bsky.social · 14d

While creativity and innovation are always to be encouraged in military institutions, this appears to show Russia is now engaged in a reverse Revolution in Military Affairs! ⁦‪@KyivPost‬⁩
www.kyivpost.com/post/61219

First Motorbikes, Buggies – Now Russian Storm Troops Turn to Horseback

Ukrainian drones, mines, and precise artillery make vehicle assaults dangerous, a challenge a Russian special-ops commander is working to solve.