iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Huge congrats to Karl Diesseroth for his share in a @nobelprize.org for his work with light and the brain. I very much enjoyed his book, Connections, indeed his work is referenced in The Fire In Their Eyes, and also gave us the random prompt for Alexander The Mate for @breakthroughbook.bsky.social

Photograph of the hardback book connections by Nobel Prize winning Karl Diesseroth

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Having a LOT of fun with the ‘side’ project. A little bit of genre writing under a pseudonym. But what opportunities there are to just let the words flow when you don’t need to do any research. And you can indulge Paul Bettany’s Chaucer character with a little literary evisceration. 😉 #booksky

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Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe @pinballshoppe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

My order of @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social Tom Cox books have arrived, to a pinball bar in Wellington, New Zealand. Its amazing where free shipping from @blackwells.bsky.social Blackwells will get you!

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Nicole will be launching Fallowfield on The House Directory stand at the Battersea Decorative Arts Fair this evening, entry ftee after 4pm. A bit lateral until you understand the art and design inspirations for the book! Special price for signed paperbacks at the event and on the stand…. #booksky

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Delighted to announce Dan Brotzel’s latest, The Earth Husband, a literary romance with an otherworldly aura. Known for his funny-sad stories, Dan has created a memorable love triangle with a twist. See comments for more #goldenyearsromance #funnysad #ghostlylove #literaryromance #lovebeyondthegrave

Image shows a graphic of the cover design of the Earth Husband, the new funny-sad love story by Dan Brotzel, coming Feb 27

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Benji definitely wins my ‘Reader Photo Of The Week’ award.

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Oh. Oh. Oh. The Zeppelin movie on Netflix.

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

“Rollicking absurdity,” says Frances for the Compulsive Reader — an excellent resource for the bookish — in her glowing review of Curious Events Lately Occurring in this Neighbourhood by Tom Cox. “Captivating” indeed… compulsivereader.com/2026/09/26/a...

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Absolutely, one of the most distinctive voices in the literary landscape.

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

What connects being an artistic detective with insatiable curiosity? How do you become a QI elf? How does a fascination with neopaganism and the folk renaissance lead to a 5 year quest, resulting in a new book? Excellent interview with Awakenings author and ‘great eccentric‘ Stevyn Colgan below:

Image shows the cover of “awakenings: why neopaganism, and the folklore Renaissance matter” a new book by Stevyn Colgan and the cover art includes traditional symbols and creatures from folklore and representations of Neolithic structures

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Never gets old… When excited authors send us pictures after receiving their first box of new books. Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley, out Oct 8. Find out why this story that beautifully combines suspense, 70s culture, mysterious deaths, and the art world is getting such a buzz! #booksky

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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Disabled people make society uncomfortable. Left or right…. It doesn’t matter. People want to believe it can’t happen to them. That if they become disabled there will be a magic “fix”. We challenge their denial, so they deny us solidarity and support. That’s ableism.

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

On the off chance anybody is going to the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival today, I'll be on stage at 3pm in the small marquee, talking about Everything Will Swallow You & Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighbourhood (I'll have some signed copies too). blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

A nice interdimensional portal I found on the RSBP Reserve at Budleigh Salteron.

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Isn’t it amazing how one really lovely and thoughtful gesture from someone can change your whole mood and perspective?

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Lovely feature on Fallowfield in Round & About. Captures themes from the past haunting the present, to the author’s signature blend of “art, memory and suspense.” Comps to Donna Tartt and Barbara Vine! A background in art journalism beautifully informs Nicole’s atmospheric stories. Out 8/10 #books

Image is a styled shot of the cover and the open magazine showing the feature in Round and About, the local Bucks glossy magazine, carrying a story on the upcoming release of Fallowfield, the second artful mystery novel from art, design and architecturejournalist, Nicole Swengley

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

In case you’d like to purchase from a great independent bookshop…

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Excellent and enlightening interview with art and design journalist, Nicole Swengley, ahead of the pre-launch event for her highly anticipated follow-up to her debut novel, The Portrait Girl. Nicole discusses the inspiration for Fallowfield at the Autumn Decorative Fair in Battersea… #booksky 🔗⬇️

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Jen @jenillustrates.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

If you’re in the UK then you can ask Simon via the quoted post as part of #buyastrangerabook if you’d like a book by Tom from me If you’re outside the UK then all of Tom’s books are available to buy via Blackwells - I think they’re still offering free postage bsky.app/profile/bigg...

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Last year I had the thought, "Maybe it would be nice to write a collection of stories all set in the kind of places I'd expect to find if I stepped through these portals I photograph on my walks?" It was. And it's now published, and available here: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

blackwells.co.uk

Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighbourhood

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Women Writers Network @womenwritersnet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Looking for a #network of fellow #WomenWriters? We encourage and promote women writers’ work as well as offer a supportive and well-informed #WritingCommunity. Come meet us at our monthly #SkyChat on Thursday, 17 September at 6 pm BST when we'll discuss #Writing the Future. #WomenWritersNet

Open book on a beige background. Text state: Women Writers Chat Join us for a Skychat on Writing the Future on Thursday, 17 September, 6pm BST. Follow #WomenWritersNet and @womenwritersnet.bsky.social for details.

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Claire @thechesilbeach.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Just finished this. So, so, SO GOOD. The stories are funny, strange, odd, relatable, weird, outlandish, and exactly what I’d hoped for from Tom Cox. I swear I got funny looks in the cafe when I laughed so loud at the end of “Hedgecock’s Trip Down Memory Lane”

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This is a fearless book (in so many ways) and well worth having for moments when you need exactly this much bite-size fun. Or indeed the ideal gift for the readers in your life… a stocking filler full of imaginative wonder… and a great example of determination in both author and publisher. #booksky

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Me reading a very tiny story from this. (Yes I know I have great taste in socks.)

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

That is to say: I've written and published 16 books, and I'm wholly proud of the most recent 10 of them, including this latest small, weird, inconsequential one. I'm 51, I've never been a better writer than I am now & I believe my best is still to come. So maybe it's not such a bad place to be in.

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I sometimes feel hesitant about promoting this book, being a follow-up to a novel that people tell me made them cry & became a lasting part of their interior world. It's short and silly, nothing like EWSY. But I think there's room in the world for comedy sketch shows as well as epic two hour films.

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Erin Green 🖖 @erin-o-green.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Moien! I'm about halfway through Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighborhood by @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social. Imagine the drawer in your house where all the "maybe I'll need this later" stuff sits around. There's a hammer, but also flower salts, that little gizmo...

Cover for Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighborhood by Tom Cox. In a woodcut style, a hand holds up a hagstone for the light to shine through. Surrounding the hand and stone are odds and ends: a bee, a helicopter, a sun, a telephone, etc.

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

"If you read the review of Everything Will Swallow You in The Guardian, and were put off by the description of 'comfy cardigan fiction', please ignore and forget it. That is as wrong as it would be to describe Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet as 'chicklit'." www.marshwoodvale.com/books/2026/0...

marshwoodvale.com

Tom Cox and the Power of Friendship » Books, Most Recent - Marshwood Vale Magazine

Tom Cox is the antithesis of the short-attention-span writer. He doesn’t use text speak, trendy abbreviations or any of the life’s-too-short-to-actually-read-something scraps of Tik-Tokery or Instagra...

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Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's eight years tomorrow since we posted on Twitter that Sting had been in to return his books.

A shelf on the book return trolley. The titles of the five books are Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make, The Bonds That Break, Every Step You Take and I Am Watching You.

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Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Marcelo Johan Ogata has an underwater encounter with a feather star (Crinoid sp.). These ancient invertebrates first appeared in the fossil record about 300 million years before the dinosaurs. #AGoodPlace

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The limited edition bookmarks are gone now but Blackwell's still have signed copies (with free international delivery) available here: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

blackwells.co.uk

Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighbourhood

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I wonder if there’s ever a spark of clarity and if so how the realisation they have been manipulated by grifters into bullying actual heroes feels. Into blaming all the wrong people. But the human brain is too good at shutting down such realisations. The need for power and purpose is too powerful.

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Our MD is quoted here… this challenging industry is certainly in flux, but there are many valid paths to publishing (due diligence, a thick skin and huge effort required for all) but even the big companies can fail and be a risk unless they never overextend and always ring fence author royalties.

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

One month until Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley is out! This atmospheric and ‘artful’ mystery will appeal to fans of Nicole’s debut, The Portrait Girl, plus readers of Barbara Vine and Maeve Haran, and anyone into themes of art, design, dark academia, 70s culture and amateur female sleuths. #booksky

Screen, grab of praise for Fallow Field by Nicole Swengley., One review says “intergenerational murder on campus. A twisty page, turner with summer balls, 40-year-old romances and intrigue, right until the end” from Nigel West historian, and author voted the expert’s expert by the observer. Another quote says “do we ever really know our parents? Nicole Swengley has produced an enticing cocktail of murder, mystery and parental love that will keep you guessing, until it’s satisfying conclusion.” Maeve Haran, author of the campervan, detectives

Image shows the cover of a Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley in the foreground are daffodils, which are a theme of the book, in the middle ground is the silhouette of a contemporary woman, in the background is a grand Georgian type house, lit up at night

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

ICYMI: An extract from our upcoming non-fiction from former QI researcher and all-round intriguing guy, Stevyn Colgan, recounting his 5-year exploration of a cultural phenomenon, is on our Stack* Awakenings: Why Neopaganism and the Folklore Renaissance Matter is on pre-order on our *shop **see⬇️

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Also, please do follow Breakthrough's account on here. Help them grow. They're working hard to try to do good things for writers, having learned from the mistakes of other, less fair and transparent publishers.

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Heroic effort from Tom! Writers really shouldn’t have to work this hard on anything that isn’t writing, but the book industry is the way it is. We are doing our best to disrupt that a little bit and also grow enough so that we can supply some extra support labour to writers as brilliant as Tom.

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John-Paul Flintoff @jp.flintoff.org · 01/09/2026

"kind of like the noise two pigs would make if they’d been eating hot gravel then opened a newspaper at a page that offended them" Thank you for this @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The interdimensional portal pixies have stolen my glasses. Should I wait for them to return them, or should I order a new pair of great expense?

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

To celebrate the release of this/it hitting number on the Blackwell's bestseller chart, I'm giving away THREE signed copies of this to Bluesky users today. To enter just repost this and pop a reply below. #booksky

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Ian Martin @ianmartin.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Well this, unsurprisingly, is tremendous. I'm only an hour in but already it's the best short story collection since @quantick.bsky.social's and that was the best in ages. Bloody @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social Tom Cox, sickeningly prolific and consistently weird and funny. Hard recommend.

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

A retrospective on a thoroughly enjoyable creative exercise in which 10 authors from @breakthroughbook.bsky.social passed the narrative parcel to come up with a longish short story called Alexander the Mate. Links to read it in the substack: #booksky stephaniebretherton.substack.com/p/the-conseq...

stephaniebretherton.substack.com

The consequences of passing the narrative parcel

What do 10 authors, Alexander the Great, and modern neuroscience have in common? A free ‘short’ story for a start…plus news of a Blackwell’s bestseller with free shipping!

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Valeria Vescina @valeriavescina.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Yes! Delighted for you, Tom and @breakthroughbook.bsky.social - and @brethertonwords.bsky.social, who makes great things happen! 👏👏👏

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Stephanie Bretherton @brethertonwords.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Somebody is a bit poorly, so shall be treated to the stories about a hound called Houdini which pepper this gorgeous collection of short fiction by #TomCox. My signed pre-order arrived yesterday. Get yours from Blackwell online with free shipping! #booksky #CuriousEvents @djacidreflux.bsky.social

An adorable little spaniel contemplates story time with the paperback of Curious Events Lately Occurring in this neighbourhood by Tom Cox

The book is published by breakthrough books and his ideal for anyone who loves a

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

If anyone else happens to be drunk right now, why not do your future self a favour and get a signed one with free international delivery? What have you got to lose? blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

blackwells.co.uk

Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighbourhood

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Breakthrough Books @breakthroughbook.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Oooh, let’s get to number 1!

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Already up to number 4 on the Blackwell's bestseller list... Can we sneak it to number one, maybe for an hour or two, I wonder, before it's once again bested by books with proper commercial weight behind them?

The current Blackwell's bestseller list, with my new book at number 4.

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