Author | Lightnews

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 16h

A ragged man. A cart full of secrets.

And a riddle that could change everything.

✨ Forged in Ancient Fire — Chapter 40: “Riddles in the Street”

➡️ open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...

#urbanfantasy #novelserialization

A realistic oil painting of an elderly man standing on a dimly lit city street at night. He wears a dark jacket, beanie, and backpack, and pushes a worn metal shopping cart piled high with boxes, bags, and tattered cloth. The warm glow from a single window in the background contrasts with the cool, shadowy surroundings, highlighting his weathered face and gentle, knowing expression.

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 2d

Writing about writing isn’t about teaching—it’s about learning. Each essay is a conversation with myself, shared out loud.

🖋️ New on my Substack: Why I Write About Writing

open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

A black-and-white photograph of a dimly lit writing desk featuring a vintage typewriter with a sheet of paper loaded. A small lamp casts a soft glow on the scene, illuminating scattered objects—a pair of scissors, a film roll, a notepad, and a coffee mug—creating a nostalgic mood that evokes the quiet concentration of a writer at work decades ago.

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 7d

Let the riddim carry you.

From Bob Marley & The Wailers to Sugar Minott and beyond—this week’s Roots Rock Reggae is a journey through roots, rock, and revival.

🎧 Listen → www.mixcloud.com/timothyepatt...

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 8d

A golden South Salem evening.

A drone.

A two-million-dollar home with a secret.

📸 Read my latest Substack: A Rare $2M Home in South Salem

👉 open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 8d

Jia wakes before dawn, guided by a map, an old photo, and something deeper.

Chapter 37 of "Forged in Ancient Fire" is live: Doubts in the Dawn.

📖 open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...

#UrbanFantasy #ForgedInAncientFire #SerializedFiction

A teenage girl with shoulder-length dark hair and a brown jacket holds out a worn photo to a middle-aged man in a suit on a quiet Seoul street at dawn. She looks determined but uncertain; the man appears skeptical. A ghostly white dog with faint, mist-like edges stands at her side. The street is dimly lit with bluish twilight and a few glowing streetlamps, evoking a cinematic and mysterious atmosphere.

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 16d

The Boo Birds are coming awake in Detroit!

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 16d

Chapter 35 of Forged in Ancient Fire is out now — “Beneath Unseen Hands.”

Jia uncovers a decades-old photo that mirrors the missing girl she’s been chasing… and a warning she can’t ignore.

Read here: forgedinancientfire.substack.com/p/chapter-35...

#Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SerializedFiction

In a dimly lit, decaying kitchen, a teenage girl stands across from an elderly woman. The girl, with shoulder-length dark hair and wearing a worn leather jacket, holds a few old comic books close to her chest. A small black-and-white dog stands alert beside her, watching the exchange. The older woman, gray-haired and slightly hunched, grips the edge of a weathered counter as she studies the girl with suspicion and concern. A single bare bulb casts warm light over cracked tiles and peeling cabinets, creating a tense yet intimate atmosphere filled with mystery and quiet emotion.

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 16d

Serious question: how would a Civil War work today? In the 1860s, it was mostly geographical: N vs S, which made it easy to drawn lines of battle. But here, the lines are intertwined through every city and county and state. Our communications as compared to 1860 are waaay different. I wonder.

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 16d

Before YouTube, before MTV — TV shows like Ed Sullivan and Ready Steady Go! made rock & roll visible.

My latest Substack reflects on missing those moments the first time around and rediscovering them now.

🎶 Read: open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

#MusicOnTV #Sixties #PopCulture

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 21d

A Pika guide.

Two Flintstones comics.

And the chilling stillness of an abandoned home.

Jia’s search for Ji-Won deepens in Chapter 34 of my novel, "Forged in Ancient Fire."

Read it for free here:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...

A young East Asian woman stands in a dark, decaying hallway of an abandoned building. She looks back over her shoulder with a tense, wary expression. Beside her floats a glowing golden orb that softly lights the peeling walls and open doorways around her. Farther down the corridor, a dim lamp glows in a sparsely furnished bedroom. The mood is eerie, suspenseful, and mysterious.

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 23d

"Enshittification" explained.

locusmag.com/feature/cory...

Cory Doctorow: No One Is the Enshittifier of Their Own Story

No one was more surprised than I was when the American Dialect Society named ‘‘enshittification’’ – my dirty little coinage to describe how everything on the internet is (suddenly, simultaneously) …

locusmag.com

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 23d

Pete Hegseth could have sent a fucking memo.

a man in a suit and tie with the words memo to self above him

ALT: a man in a suit and tie with the words memo to self above him

media.tenor.com

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 23d

New on Substack...

Picked up Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo from a library sale pile. Sully, the stubborn 60-year-old with a bum knee, might be one of my favorite characters in years. Reflections on the book, the movie, and why small-town stories matter.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 24d

Shadows stretch, windows break, and Jia steps deeper into mystery with Reena as her guide.

Read Chapter 33 of my #Urbanfantasy novel, Forged in Ancient Fire: Through the Broken Window
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...

A realistic oil painting of a young East Asian woman crouching on the floor of a dim, worn kitchen beside a yellow Labrador Retriever. Both are focused on a small brown mouse sitting on the cracked tile floor. The woman wears a brown jacket, dark pants, and boots, with a backpack on her shoulders. A single overhead bulb casts warm golden light, highlighting the aged cabinets and countertops in the background.

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 25d

A Sunday photo walk with one rule: shoot only signs.
From protest placards to traffic warnings to hand-painted slogans — downtown Salem had plenty to say.

📸 Sign Day in Salem:

🔗 open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

#Photography #SalemOregon #UrbanArt

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · 25d

🌙 A misty city.

🐾 A loyal dog.

🗣️ A talking pika.

Jia’s journey into magic deepens in Chapter 32 of my #urbanfantasy novel, "Forged in Ancient Fire."

Midnight, Music, and a Talking Pika

forgedinancientfire.substack.com/p/chapter-32...

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 24

Roots Rock Reggae this week: Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Third World + dub from Sly & Robbie, Augustus Pablo & Lee Perry.

Vibes all night 💥

🎧 www.mixcloud.com/timothyepatt...

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 23

Council rivalries, illusions, and a prophecy in the constellations. 🌠
Jia’s power is growing—but even the stars can’t agree whether she’ll become a savior or a threat.

Dive into Chapter 31:
open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 21

Yay! Books and breakfast!

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Reposted by Tim Patterson

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · Sep 18

Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.

sbgi.net/tv-stations/

510 10K 20K

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 20

Roots Rock Reggae is live on Mixcloud! 🌿📡
Tune in for conscious lyrics, dub depths, classic ska & everything in between:

▶️ www.mixcloud.com/timothyepatt...

Lineup includes legends like Gregory Isaacs, Augustus Pablo, Bob Marley & The Wailers + global ska vibes.

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 20

A marketplace on the edge of reality.
Masks, mirrors, and meaningless junk… until one comic book revealed the memory Jia had been searching for all her life.

Chapter 30 of Forged in Ancient Fire has arrived. Step inside before the market disappears.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/forgedin...
#urbanfantasy

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 18

If you were in Portland in the 80s, you remember Johnny and the Distractions.

They were the next big thing — and then... they weren’t.

I spoke with Jon Koonce about what really happened to Let It Rock, their debut album on A&M.

It wasn’t just bad luck.

🎸 open.substack.com/pub/timothyp...

Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 17

Cause AND effect.

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Tim Patterson @tradeshowguy.bsky.social · Sep 16

144 steps. A flicker. A hidden market revealed.

Chapter 29 of Forged in Ancient Fire is now live—where numbers unlock worlds and secrets whisper in the lantern-lit air.

🔗 forgedinancientfire.substack.com/p/chapter-29...

A digital painting of a mystical marketplace lit by warm lantern light. In the foreground, a young girl with long black hair wearing a dark rock band T-shirt and backpack holds out her hand, where a small yellow-bellied bird with gray wings perches delicately. Beside her, a large bearded man in a colorful tunic and long gray ponytail gestures toward the bird with curiosity. Behind them, a smiling woman in a yellow hat and patchwork clothes stands among stalls filled with glowing glass lanterns and artifacts. The atmosphere is magical, mysterious, and otherworldly.

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