Craig Shackleton
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craigshackleton.com
Craig Shackleton
@craigshackleton.com
SFF writer and Swordplay instructor || Founder of Ottawa Swordplay || Lapsed TTRPG writer || AuDHD

Currently seeking representation for my third novel and working on my fourth.
Pinned
Time to admit that this has become a Butlerian Jihad stan account.
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
One year, 4,464 calls, 92% required no police intervention. The Alternative Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) in Centretown is sending the right people to help in cases of mental health or substance use crises. It represents the de-tasking of police and it works.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Centretown crisis response team handled thousands of calls in its 1st year, report shows | CBC News
Launched in August 2024, the Alternative Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) team responded to 4,464 calls in its first year, according to numbers in a new city report. The pilot program aims to pr...
www.cbc.ca
November 16, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
November 6, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
YES THIS. sorry not sorry that my motivation is impure because i think [checks notes] entertainment should have an audience to entertain.
"Just write for yourself" is absolute BS to me because the writing is not complete until someone else reads it.

Just put on a play in an empty theatre. Just build a house no one will live in. Just cook a meal no one will eat.
November 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
This is why I'm like, you shouldn't have to work if you don't want to. Ubi should cover decent housing, a healthy diet, medical/dental/vision expenses etc. Because very few people wouldn't channel that time into something fulfilling. The arts would be incredible.
"Just write for yourself" is absolute BS to me because the writing is not complete until someone else reads it.

Just put on a play in an empty theatre. Just build a house no one will live in. Just cook a meal no one will eat.
November 16, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I'm going to get real about writing for a minute. I'm not looking for advice. I understand the realities of publishing and that there's no guaranteed route to success as a writer.

I do not need to hear any of that.

And I really don't need to hear one more person tell me to just write for myself.
November 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
It did seem unlikely that the dead human had been a GrayCris agent, because somebody had killed him. As far as I knew, I was the only one currently on the station looking for GrayCris agents to kill.
November 16, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Psst if you are a Goodreads user, you can now mark my next novel, Mercutio, as want-to-read, if you are so inclined. My favourite of my books so far.
Mercutio
From Sunday Times bestselling author of The Embroidered…
www.goodreads.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I should do some writing but I am trapped under a cat.
November 15, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
I got an actual "Your silence on this subject is deafening" message this AM, so, super-quick: Nobody here owes anyone commentary about anything. This is a public park. It's full of interesting people. We hang out here, make friends, and chat, and then we leave to do whatever it is we do. That's it!
November 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Jumping on this to say that we also have a selection of signed books by @kevinhearne.bsky.social!
Should ye, as a Spiffy Human Who Likes to Read, wish to snag signed copies of my books for the holidays, there are two options:
1) Perfect Books in Ottawa can get ye signed copies of my novels
2) Horned Lark Press has signed copies of my novellas—Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries.

Ye can order online!
November 14, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Should ye, as a Spiffy Human Who Likes to Read, wish to snag signed copies of my books for the holidays, there are two options:
1) Perfect Books in Ottawa can get ye signed copies of my novels
2) Horned Lark Press has signed copies of my novellas—Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries.

Ye can order online!
November 14, 2025 at 9:37 PM
I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Nov 13th 2025) in less than 12 minutes
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cluesbysam.com
Clues by Sam
A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!
cluesbysam.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
I said, “You and your crew collect the necessary survey data from the colony and the University forges the documents.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, I was mad at ART, but the overall mission sounded great in a “screw a corporation sideways” way.
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Convincing you to read my novel with the first sentence. Share yours if you want.
November 11, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
it's not that i ever doubted that being a barista was a skilled position, but my year-long effort to try to produce a half-decent latte at home has convinced me that a good barista is easily more skilled than virtually every c-suite executive on the planet
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Clues by Sam - Nov 11th 2025
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05:31
#cluesbysam
cluesbysam.com
Clues by Sam
A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!
cluesbysam.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
I could play it back to listen in on the whole conversation but I could also punch myself in the head with a sampling drill and I was not going to do that, either.
November 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
A reminder that this anti-trans panic is 100% bullshit and exactly none of our country’s problems are related to someone expressing their gender identity and everyone who isn’t a hate-filled weirdo knows it.
November 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
I am really enjoying Clues by Sam, which I learned about from Amal's posts.

I am good at logic puzzles, but Amal is better.
2/3 of these errors were of the “fuck I meant the other one” variety & 1 was a genuine error

I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Nov 9th 2025) in less than 21 minutes
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cluesbysam.com
Clues by Sam
A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!
cluesbysam.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Happy Circulatory System Walking Through the Kitchen Day to all who celebrate
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Masking
November 9, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Hi i should get money
November 9, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Craig Shackleton
Sometimes I wonder if our many years of jokes about writers hating writing and doing anything but writing, etc, have convinced people that the writing part is the hurdle and the goal is just to have a thing in hand. But I am here to tell you: the writing is the best part. The act is the thing.
November 9, 2025 at 5:40 PM