Adriana Kantcheva
@catchingwords.com
Bulgarian expat writer of SFF living in Germany. Still clinging to the white hair tips of the rabbit of existential wonder. Fiction in PodCastle, Short Circuit, Escape Pod. Website: catchingwords.com | Newsletter: sendfox.com/catchingwords | SFWA | Codex
Pinned
Adriana Kantcheva
@catchingwords.com
· Jan 11
Links:
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
It was snowing tablecloths the other day.
February 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM
It was snowing tablecloths the other day.
The nice things I find when I come back from social media hiatus and search my name...
#PC913: Verditsa of the River by Adriana Kantcheva, read by Kat Kourbeti. Previously published by Trollbreath Magazine. Rated PG - CW for drowning
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
February 7, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The nice things I find when I come back from social media hiatus and search my name...
It was quite a lot of rethinking 😝
This week on Planetside… “Handling Longer Projects Without Relying on a Plot Outline” by Adriana Kantcheva: www.sfwa.org/2026/01/27/h...
February 7, 2026 at 6:34 PM
It was quite a lot of rethinking 😝
Oh, yes...
Oh my gosh YES DO IT
We have decided the world needs short fiction clubs instead of just book clubs. All those people who don’t finish a book in time and fumble their way through the meet-up can switch over and live a shame free life. Selfishly I recommend picking your material from a plucky, small press magazine.
February 7, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Oh, yes...
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
If you're thinking about the Milford SF Writers' Conference at @gladlib.bsky.social Sept. 12-19, 2026, act fast because there are only 3 spots left!
en-suite room, bfst & dinner incl., access to the library, *and* daily critique sessions! milfordsfwriters.wordpress.com/about-milfor...
en-suite room, bfst & dinner incl., access to the library, *and* daily critique sessions! milfordsfwriters.wordpress.com/about-milfor...
MIlford SF Writers’ Conference
Each year a small group of published writers of speculative fiction get together for one special week in September at Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden, North Wales, to critique work, discuss ide…
milfordsfwriters.wordpress.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
If you're thinking about the Milford SF Writers' Conference at @gladlib.bsky.social Sept. 12-19, 2026, act fast because there are only 3 spots left!
en-suite room, bfst & dinner incl., access to the library, *and* daily critique sessions! milfordsfwriters.wordpress.com/about-milfor...
en-suite room, bfst & dinner incl., access to the library, *and* daily critique sessions! milfordsfwriters.wordpress.com/about-milfor...
I'm so honored my story "Contraction" is out in @turnandwork.com.
I wrote these words a few years back when I was still flabbergasted with the fundamental shift in perspective parenthood is.
Check it out. It's free to read.
www.turnandwork.com/guest-post/c...
I wrote these words a few years back when I was still flabbergasted with the fundamental shift in perspective parenthood is.
Check it out. It's free to read.
www.turnandwork.com/guest-post/c...
Contraction - Turn & Work
Having a child is difficult in a many ways. Tanya is finding out about several.
www.turnandwork.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:07 PM
I'm so honored my story "Contraction" is out in @turnandwork.com.
I wrote these words a few years back when I was still flabbergasted with the fundamental shift in perspective parenthood is.
Check it out. It's free to read.
www.turnandwork.com/guest-post/c...
I wrote these words a few years back when I was still flabbergasted with the fundamental shift in perspective parenthood is.
Check it out. It's free to read.
www.turnandwork.com/guest-post/c...
Being a pantser is a lot of fun, but then comes revision. In my essay in @sfwa.org's Planetside, I talk about ways I've devised to avoid chaotic drafting while keeping true to my creative process.
This week on Planetside… A pantser changes her drafting process to improve her revisions in “Handling Longer Projects Without Relying on a Plot Outline” by Adriana Kantcheva: www.sfwa.org/2026/01/27/h...
Handling Longer Projects Without Relying on a Plot Outline - SFWA - The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association
by Adriana Kantcheva. Follow a pantser’s evolving process and see how giving ideas time to mature before drafting cut revision turmoil, clarified themes and character arcs, and made writing a novel…
www.sfwa.org
January 31, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Being a pantser is a lot of fun, but then comes revision. In my essay in @sfwa.org's Planetside, I talk about ways I've devised to avoid chaotic drafting while keeping true to my creative process.
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
35 HOURS TO GO! 😱
From now through Jan 31, join best-selling @veronicarothbooks.com in a 3x Matching Campaign to support SFWA's work in writer uplift, education, advocacy, & defense. Our massively volunteer-driven resources run on YOU. Boost every dollar you donate! 👇️👀
www.sfwa.org/winter-world...
From now through Jan 31, join best-selling @veronicarothbooks.com in a 3x Matching Campaign to support SFWA's work in writer uplift, education, advocacy, & defense. Our massively volunteer-driven resources run on YOU. Boost every dollar you donate! 👇️👀
www.sfwa.org/winter-world...
January 30, 2026 at 9:00 PM
35 HOURS TO GO! 😱
From now through Jan 31, join best-selling @veronicarothbooks.com in a 3x Matching Campaign to support SFWA's work in writer uplift, education, advocacy, & defense. Our massively volunteer-driven resources run on YOU. Boost every dollar you donate! 👇️👀
www.sfwa.org/winter-world...
From now through Jan 31, join best-selling @veronicarothbooks.com in a 3x Matching Campaign to support SFWA's work in writer uplift, education, advocacy, & defense. Our massively volunteer-driven resources run on YOU. Boost every dollar you donate! 👇️👀
www.sfwa.org/winter-world...
I don't remember bringing these glasses to my desk... or the mug...
(When my mind is in a story.)
(When my mind is in a story.)
January 24, 2026 at 11:24 AM
I don't remember bringing these glasses to my desk... or the mug...
(When my mind is in a story.)
(When my mind is in a story.)
A lovely story by @jenniferhudak.bsky.social about unstoppable forces like change and water. I love the personification of the Sea as an old woman.
FFer Read of the Day: "The Day of the Sea" by @jenniferhudak.bsky.social in @podcastle.org
podcastle.org/2025/06/10/p...
podcastle.org/2025/06/10/p...
PodCastle 895: The Day of the Sea - PodCastle
The Day of the Sea by Jennifer Hudak When the Sea came to our village, she was an old woman. She arrived when the water crested and draped over the earth, its salty fingers pushing out offerings of ...
podcastle.org
January 20, 2026 at 9:39 PM
A lovely story by @jenniferhudak.bsky.social about unstoppable forces like change and water. I love the personification of the Sea as an old woman.
This story will pull on your heartstrings. 💜
"At the End of the World, Meet Me By the Vending Machines" is now free to read online! Come get some snacks before the zombies get you! 🧟♀️🍫
At the End of the World, Meet Me By the Vending Machines
At the End of the World, Meet Me By the Vending Machines by Catherine Tavares
www.heartlines-spec.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:28 PM
This story will pull on your heartstrings. 💜
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
This weekend! I'll be joining local greats Michele Tracy Berger, Isaiah Hunt, and Kevin P. Keating to discuss all things genre fiction at Cuyahoga County Library Green Road branch. Free and open to the public: https://attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/14588738
January 20, 2026 at 3:01 PM
This weekend! I'll be joining local greats Michele Tracy Berger, Isaiah Hunt, and Kevin P. Keating to discuss all things genre fiction at Cuyahoga County Library Green Road branch. Free and open to the public: https://attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/14588738
It does feel like this some days...
lolsob
"A writing career is not a sprint. It is also not a marathon. A writing career is one of those wilderness survival challenges where they dump you in the woods without a map or a compass or food and whoever finds their way out wins."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/how...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/how...
January 20, 2026 at 3:31 PM
It does feel like this some days...
I recently read in @janefriedman.com's newsletter that a sign of AI-generated text is the presence of em dashes. I love em dashes. I use them willingly in my fiction. Am I now supposed to abstain from them—you know, just in case? All this is so hard to navigate.
a cartoon of a panda riding on the back of a robot with the words " em dash detected opinion rejected "
ALT: a cartoon of a panda riding on the back of a robot with the words " em dash detected opinion rejected "
media.tenor.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:26 PM
I recently read in @janefriedman.com's newsletter that a sign of AI-generated text is the presence of em dashes. I love em dashes. I use them willingly in my fiction. Am I now supposed to abstain from them—you know, just in case? All this is so hard to navigate.
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
Hey, Writers! Milford has spaces available for the
Writers' Retreat 9-16 May at @gladlib.bsky.social. A week of time & space to write, with an en-suite room, breakfast & dinner incl, & access to the quietest library ever?
TAKE MY MONEY!
More info & apply here: www.milfordsf.co.uk/retreats.htm
Writers' Retreat 9-16 May at @gladlib.bsky.social. A week of time & space to write, with an en-suite room, breakfast & dinner incl, & access to the quietest library ever?
TAKE MY MONEY!
More info & apply here: www.milfordsf.co.uk/retreats.htm
kermit the frog is typing on a typewriter .
Alt: Kermit the frog is typing like a mad thing on a manual typewriter
media.tenor.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Hey, Writers! Milford has spaces available for the
Writers' Retreat 9-16 May at @gladlib.bsky.social. A week of time & space to write, with an en-suite room, breakfast & dinner incl, & access to the quietest library ever?
TAKE MY MONEY!
More info & apply here: www.milfordsf.co.uk/retreats.htm
Writers' Retreat 9-16 May at @gladlib.bsky.social. A week of time & space to write, with an en-suite room, breakfast & dinner incl, & access to the quietest library ever?
TAKE MY MONEY!
More info & apply here: www.milfordsf.co.uk/retreats.htm
How lovely of @ideofmarch.bsky.social to include "Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" in her list among so many authors I respect.
"Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" appeared in @thedailytomorrow.bsky.social. A publication absolutely worth checking out.
idehennessy.medium.com/2025-recomme...
"Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" appeared in @thedailytomorrow.bsky.social. A publication absolutely worth checking out.
idehennessy.medium.com/2025-recomme...
2025 Recommended Short Stories
It’s January somehow, which means it’s time to share my annual list of Sci-fi, Horror, Slipstream, and Fantasy stories I enjoyed. Fair…
idehennessy.medium.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:05 AM
How lovely of @ideofmarch.bsky.social to include "Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" in her list among so many authors I respect.
"Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" appeared in @thedailytomorrow.bsky.social. A publication absolutely worth checking out.
idehennessy.medium.com/2025-recomme...
"Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope" appeared in @thedailytomorrow.bsky.social. A publication absolutely worth checking out.
idehennessy.medium.com/2025-recomme...
Not finished with awards reading, but here is a batch of stories I really loved by @bethgoder.bsky.social, @slharris.bsky.social, @fictionaljosh.bsky.social, @reasie.bsky.social, @emlinden.bsky.social, @effies.bsky.social, and @samtasticbooks.com.
Thank you for creating these great stories.
Thank you for creating these great stories.
January 11, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Not finished with awards reading, but here is a batch of stories I really loved by @bethgoder.bsky.social, @slharris.bsky.social, @fictionaljosh.bsky.social, @reasie.bsky.social, @emlinden.bsky.social, @effies.bsky.social, and @samtasticbooks.com.
Thank you for creating these great stories.
Thank you for creating these great stories.
Thank you so much for the shout-out, SJ. I appreciate it.
Links to some fantastic stories from 2025, if you're considering awards season nominations.
The image in the quoted post contains The names of the stories and publications.
The image in the quoted post contains The names of the stories and publications.
Links:
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
January 11, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Thank you so much for the shout-out, SJ. I appreciate it.
Links:
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
January 11, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Links:
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
Vedritsa of the River
magazine.trollbreath.com/vedritsa-of-...
podcastle.org/2025/10/14/p...
Freeze, Compute, Revert, Hope
dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/freeze-com...
Affinition
www.manawaker.com/podcast/affi...
Beyond the Hills They Passed
lucentdreaming.com/product/luce...
Thank you!
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
Milford loves to hear about the attendees' successes! Please share with us your publications, especially if they came after you attended a Milford Workshop or even wrote part of the piece at a retreat! Here's to a fabulous 2026!
Bye-bye 2025. You've been good to me.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
January 6, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Milford loves to hear about the attendees' successes! Please share with us your publications, especially if they came after you attended a Milford Workshop or even wrote part of the piece at a retreat! Here's to a fabulous 2026!
Reposted by Adriana Kantcheva
My most recent @escapepod.org piece, Baron Quits the Payloaders, is featured in Charles's great list!
If you're looking for rock n' roll, a vocalist coming back from dead (then regretting it), and queer romance, that might be your thing.
escapepod.org/2025/11/13/e...
If you're looking for rock n' roll, a vocalist coming back from dead (then regretting it), and queer romance, that might be your thing.
escapepod.org/2025/11/13/e...
December 31, 2025 at 6:23 PM
My most recent @escapepod.org piece, Baron Quits the Payloaders, is featured in Charles's great list!
If you're looking for rock n' roll, a vocalist coming back from dead (then regretting it), and queer romance, that might be your thing.
escapepod.org/2025/11/13/e...
If you're looking for rock n' roll, a vocalist coming back from dead (then regretting it), and queer romance, that might be your thing.
escapepod.org/2025/11/13/e...
Bye-bye 2025. You've been good to me.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
December 31, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Bye-bye 2025. You've been good to me.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
I drafted a novel and am halfway-though revising it.
I attended the @milfordsff.bsky.social retreat in May and met a dear friend face to face for the first time.
I've had six original publications and two reprints, and a non-fiction piece is forthcoming.
Now that the year is coming to an end and in some ways it seems to have passed far too quickly, I'd like to ask a question:
How does one contrive to live slowly?
How does one contrive to live slowly?
December 30, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Now that the year is coming to an end and in some ways it seems to have passed far too quickly, I'd like to ask a question:
How does one contrive to live slowly?
How does one contrive to live slowly?
