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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper

@ajaalto.bsky.social
260 followers 280 following 88 posts

Author of the Marnie Baranuik Files and Closet Full of Bones. Canada, cats, cottaging, & kooky talk. She/her.

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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It’s unacceptable that there are so few cryptids in my forest. Something must be done.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 01/10/2026
I will be forever grateful to @tristanelwell.bsky.social for his Starter Villain cover art. The moment we all saw it we were all, "Oh, we're gonna sell a LOT of this one." And we were right! Authors, please use Tristan for all your cover art needs.
The cover of Starter Villain, which features a delightful business cat.
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Eric Orchard @inkybat.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Stupidly happy to be drawing this in October. Love it when contracts line up with my life
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Very Distinctive (Seasonal) Fuckery (he/him) @digitaldiscipline.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Preorders for the latest @ajaalto.bsky.social novel are live! 150k of goodness and goofiness and grab-ass coming in HOT on October 26th! Buy her books! Feed my cats! www.amazon.com/dp/B0HLBK5D1...
amazon.com
Shruff & Cinders: The Marnie Baranuik Files Book 8
Amazon.com: Shruff & Cinders: The Marnie Baranuik Files Book 8 eBook : Aalto, A.J.: Kindle Store
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Thomas S Brown @tomsbrown.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I drew my little heart out for this *amazing book* So...get one or several. That way I'll get to draw my little heart out two more times! And we can *all* have cheese and a house, bit more cheese, maybe..
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Diane Duane @diane.dianeduane.com · 23/09/2026
And why not. 😄 www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/a…
space.com
Astronomers just named an asteroid after 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Asteroid Alyankovic was discovered in 1981 and resides in the main belt of asteroids found between Mars and Jupiter.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 22/09/2026
Look goddamnit It's entirely possible To eat a plum And not make a poem about it The one I just ate Wasn't even in the Goddamn refrigerator Or anything Sometimes a plum Is just a plum You can just eat it And go on with your life WHAT Why are you looking at me What'd I do now (looks) oh GODDAMNIT
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Eric Orchard @inkybat.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Oh no…. I’m writing comedy by accident “”I was on a mission for the spy master when a mouse ratted me out” said the cat”
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Gordon Bonnet @gordon227.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
gordonbonnetauthor.substack.com/p/hands-up
gordonbonnetauthor.substack.com
Hands up
When a meteorite strike caused an uproar
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Drew Scanlon @drewscanlon.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE. If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease! Donate at blinkingguy.com
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Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele @drdragases.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
No longer content with pillaging intellectual work and dismembering our environment (already critically weakened), AI companies are now hellbent on destroying books galore including rare editions. Shut down these nefarious enterprises already.
news.com.au
AI labs buy, scan, shred millions of rare books
If you have retreated to physical books because the internet is too full of AI slop, bad news — now they’re shredding the books to feed their AI slop machines.
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Disappointing.
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Me, a girl who has seen Return of the King 85 bajillion times, after a gummy, to Pippin as he touches the seeing stone: OH NO, PIP, DON’T! My husband: … are you helping, dear? Me: I’m a super-helper. Husband: *pats my hair*
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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
#Ebola: DRC is reporting 29 new confirmed cases, 4 already dead. The DRC total now stands at 837 confirmed cases, 196 deaths. DRC reports that yesterday it followed up 64% of known contacts, but the total number of known contacts is very low, given the size of this outbreak. No new Uganda cases.
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Andrii Frolov @artandriifrolov.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Silence" - my oil painting
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Undertow Publications 🇨🇦 @undertow.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
We are so happy to announce that @thomasha.bsky.social's collection "Uncertain Sons and Other Stories" has won the Locus Award. Thomas also garnered a Locus Award for his story "In My Country." (Clarkesworld.) Congratulations, Thomas! Well deserved. We are thrilled for you. Congrats to everyone.
Graphic with Locus award trophy and book cover for UNCERTAIN SONS, on starry background. TEXT: Undertow Congratulates Thomas Ha, 2026 Locus Award Winner
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Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Now is the time to make your thing. Stop motion with LEGO, webcomic, walking sim game, weird Halloween costume, backyard water feature, container garden. This is your sign. Make your thing. Stop waiting. Do it.
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Richy Craven @richycraven.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
My personal, unfounded conspiracy theory is that bluebottles and houseflies are getting bigger. Gone are the days when they just gently buffeted against your windows. Now it sounds like someone's bouncing a sliotar against your house. I opened my compost bin and a pterodactyl flew out.
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Rachael Stott @rachaelstott.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Nice 🤙
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Cheryl in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦🍁🍁 @minibubbly.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
A London, Ont., patient has become the first in Canada to receive a publicly funded gene therapy for hemophilia B, in what specialists say could mark a major step forward in treatment. #Ontario www.ctvnews.ca/london/artic...
ctvnews.ca
Canadian first: One-time gene therapy given to London, Ont., hemophilia B patient
A London, Ont., patient has become the first in Canada to receive a publicly funded gene therapy for hemophilia B, in what specialists say could mark a major step forward in treatment.
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Goose, The Shenaniganizer @goosethearchivist.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
youtu.be/7NSKxzJsz04?... What we know so far.
youtu.be
Is Ebola in North America? | About That
YouTube video by CBC News
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Gabino Iglesias @gabino.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Everything sucks and there’s slop everywhere, but it’s still an amazing time to be a reader. Good job, authors. Keep at it.
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Woodrow Peel 🆗🆒 @woodyluvscoffee.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
Go for it. I don't even care any more.
Photo of a sketch of a Neanderthal. The headline reads:
Scientists Growing Neanderthal
'Minibrains', Will Connect Them to Crab Robots
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Alan Baxter @alanbaxter.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
With alt text.
Graphic with black background and white text that reads:

Support these date centres 

Schools
Libraries 
Bookstores
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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
As @statnews.com reported yesterday, several Americans in DRC had high-risk exposures to #Ebola in the latest outbreak. One has tested positive. These individuals are being flown to Germany for observation and treatment as needed. www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/c...
statnews.com
U.S. bans entry from Ebola-affected countries as American patient is identified
In response to an Ebola outbreak, the U.S. has banned entry for foreign travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days.
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Congrats, Hungary!
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Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · 08/05/2026
This is really terrible, & my editor has been among the employees impersonated. “This list is not exhaustive.” us.macmillan.com/publishing-f...
us.macmillan.com
Publishing Fraud Alert - Macmillan Publishers
It has come to our attention that third parties continue to target authors in schemes that involved the fraudulent use of Macmillan Publishers’ company and imprint names.
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Filled out the census. Alas, they had no option for “descendant of Numenor blessed with long life” so I had to say 52.
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🎃Happy Hayleeween 🏳️‍⚧️ 👻 @swiftxjustice.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I cried reading Galaxy: As The World Falls Down, of course I did, I also laughed and cheered and got severe cute aggression. But most importantly I felt seen. This book like all the Galaxy books is important and I'm so grateful to the whole team for making it. The future is full of stars
Cover of Galaxy: As The World Falls Down by Jadzia Axelrod, Rye Hickman, Jodie Troutman Kristy Quinn and Sara Miller
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Oh, Neil.
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Kathleen Jennings @tanaudel.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
BOOMKARK
Digital template for a bookmark, with inserted text misspelled (by me) BOOMKARK
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Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
If you love science fiction, fantasy, and horror you MUST already subscribe to Locus Magazine... Right? linktr.ee/locusmagazine link in bio!
locus magazine cover, person touching their face on blue background
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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 21/04/2026
Ooooh, this is gonna be a mess www.thebookseller.com/news/editors...
thebookseller.com
Editors should not upload manuscripts to AI without permission, says Authors Guild
The Authors Guild (AG) in the US has warned editors not to upload submitted manuscripts to consumer-facing AI systems.
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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
hawking a line of branded Mountain Goats smart glasses. no matter where you look things look a little bleaker and also the wearer cannot remove the glasses once worn. I’m disrupting this sector
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Elizabeth Bear @matociquala.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Context: this speech is from SIR THOMAS MORE, a history written, as near as scholars can tell, in the early 1600s by 6 or 7 people including Dekker, Heywood, Chettle, Shakespeare, and Munday. It was never performed, because Jacobean England was a police state and it was banned by the censor.
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Arden Powell @ardenpowell.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Canadian authors, if you aren't eligible for the US Anthropic lawsuit bc you didn't register US copyright, we have our own class action suit! It doesn't rely on registering copyright and you're included in the class by default 🇨🇦 Sign up for updates here: www.cfmlawyers.ca/class-action...
COURT: Supreme Court of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry

DATE FILED: May 23, 2025

A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in Vancouver against Anthropic PBC.

The plaintiff alleges that Anthropic PBC violated copyright held by Canadian authors when training its large language models. Specifically, the plaintiff alleges that Anthropic PBC downloaded “Books3” dataset. This dataset contains large amounts of copyrighted works, including books and articles by Canadian authors.  The plaintiff alleges that Anthropic PBC used and unlawfully copied and shared these copyrighted works, and did not license or otherwise obtain permission to do so from the copyright holders.

If you have any questions about the case or information that you think may assist our investigation, please contact us by clicking on the contact button or calling the number below. Any communication is strictly confidential.

Contact: Oliver Pulleyblank
Phone: 604.697.2480 ext. 240
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
You guys. You guys. You guys. I might actually make my deadline. This will be book #9. Wait… yeah, 9.
media.tenor.com
a man and a woman are looking at each other with the hashtag @itsscottiesstark
ALT: a man and a woman are looking at each other with the hashtag @itsscottiesstark
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Sandy Ernest Allen @sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
*taps internet microphone* After months of work, a project i've been coordinating for @literaryhub.bsky.social in conjunction with @maris.bsky.social is now live ... We've commissioned 13 reviews of books by LGBTQ folks not covered by the NYTBR under Pamela Paul ... lithub.com/what-was-los...
lithub.com
What Was Lost: A Queer Accounting of the NY Times Book Review, 2013-2022
“Goodbye, Pamela Paul,” was the headline of Andrea Long Chu’s now-iconic, recently ASME-nominated New York Magazine farewell to the former NY Times Book Review editor, when Paul left the paper two …
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Krista D Ball is Canada's Spooky Potato @kristadb1.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
CANADIANS Please consider signing Elizabeth May's petition to have the federal government recognize endometriosis and adenomyosis as part of the disability law in Canada. www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
ourcommons.ca
Petition e-6929 - Petitions
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Very Distinctive (Seasonal) Fuckery (he/him) @digitaldiscipline.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
The "White Space" and "Iskryne" series by @matociquala.bsky.social As ever, I will advocate "The Marnie Baranuik Files" series by @ajaalto.bsky.social, narrated by Amy McFadden (paranormal romance, heavy on the sass) because her book sales feed my cats. :-)
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 08/03/2026
And if anyone is looking for a slightly lighter read, the below is from the time I came across one of the most illustrative and insane internet interactions on, of all places, the Waitrose Cellars comments section. I could only wish to reach this level of pettiness in my life. 🐻
bearlypolitics.co.uk
"You Are More a Prosecco Person, I Think"
An online champagne review delivers the most brutal class takedown imaginable.
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I AM DAD @iamdad.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I wish this quote wasn’t still so relevant
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Do I know anyone on Bluesky who does #WritingSprints? Say hullo!
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Non-spoiler-y reaction S1 E5 a Knight of the 7 Kingdoms: my belly was tense the whole half hour.
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Love that moment during work when I pull back, look at my dwindling Set Up and Wrap lists, and can see the ending clearly. Bittersweet, though. Have loved this journey. #Writing
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AJ Aalto CryptidKeeper @ajaalto.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
The real world is an incredibly dark and ugly place right now, so I’m spending tomorrow in Azeroth with cookies, and Friday/Saturday writing the most ridiculous banter & plot twists I can manage. Must escape. Resilience at zero.
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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 11/02/2026
Rep. Raskin: “You ignored the law and even with over 100,000 employees at your disposal, you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference, and jaded cruelty towards more than 1,000 victims raped, abused, and trafficked. This performance screams cover-up.”
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
Just a quick update from the Twin Cities. (Please forgive the unsolicited message). THINGS ARE NOT BETTER IN MINNEAPOLIS. The media is mostly moving on, Trump is focused on other stuff, BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON THE GROUND. More than 2,000 DHS thugs continue to roam the streets, abducting people 24/7, assaulting legal observers with impunity, and routinely denying 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights. Drones and helicopters are overhead every day. Hundreds and hundreds of terrified families have not left their homes since mid-December ... relying on the community to bring them food and help with rent and other necessities. (Those people are NOT violent drug cartel sex offending murderers, as DHS would tell you. Most are legal residents or citizens.)  If anything, things have just become more stressful and intractable (think trench warfare as a suitable metaphor): The resistance is better organized and numerous, but DHS has become more clever and better at disguise... and the county sheriff's office is increasingly supporting them . Do not let anyone tell you that Homans (the new person in charge of the occupation) is making anything better. Do not let anyone tell you that 700 ICE agents leaving the city has made much of a difference; the remaining force (again, ~2,000) is still larger than the entire city's police force (which is legally unable to do anything). Please call your congressional reps ... especially if there is any chance the administration might listen to them.
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