Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/08/2026(2/2) This is not SF business-as-usual. There's no vast conspiracy, no end of the world, no race against time. Just women talking, & the suggestion of something hopeful if we dare to reach for it. There is nothing more wise or urgent that SF can offer the reader. Here's the promise: a better world. 031
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/08/2026(1/2) What is the purpose of stories? Recent 2026 @clarkeaward.bsky.social winner @catamaroon.bsky.social & Arcadia Books When There Are Wolves Again pitches story as hope. Everything about this quiet but insistent blurb dares us to imagine a better future . . . 173
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 30/03/2026(2/) Next, we get a paragraph of set up, followed by a paragraph of inciting incident: now everything is about to change. We end with a pitch to the literary reader that ends in a bloody twist. If you have multiple cravings, this blurb says, it will satisfy them all . . . 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 30/03/2026Blurbs in the wild (1/2): How do we pitch horror stories to a literary crowd? One way is to hold back the horror until they're hooked in. The blurb for @lucyrosecreates.bsky.social The Lamb begins by keeping the reader's options open – folk tale, horror story, love story, enchantment. Take your pick 131
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 02/03/2026A 'cremulator' is involved, apparently. The Terminator film series is not a patch on The Cremulator film series in my head: 'You'll be dust.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukScotland becomes first UK country to allow water cremationsThe process - called alkaline hydrolysis - will offer families a third option instead of burial or traditional cremation. 021
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Of course they can't, they were trained on internet conversations . . . www.newscientist.com/article/2516...newscientist.comAIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulationsLeading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 24/02/2026Wainscot spaces. www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/02/mich...thisiscolossal.comItty-Bitty Signs and Portals by Michael Pederson Reimagine Everyday Urban DetailsPederson's playful miniatures scale the stems of weeds, reimagine gaps in walls, and interpret urban happenstances. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Deformed animals. www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/02/brun...thisiscolossal.comBruno Pontiroli Tests the Boundaries of Familiarity in His Uncanny Wildlife PaintingsBruno Pontiroli's absurd paintings explore the sometimes grotesque tension between the familiar and the uncanny. 120
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026(2/2) Best of all are the final lines, archly advising you to buy & read the book – or contact Dirk himself; plus an endorsement from none other than Adams himself. This is knowing, self-referential & delighted with its own absurdity – you will immediately either hate it or fall in love with it. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Blurbs in the wild (1/2): @panmacmillan.bsky.social know how to have fun with a funny book. First, we have two increasingly ridiculous lists – the first asking a question and the second list (deliberately over-deploying the word mysterious) answering in an unilluminating but also intriguing way. 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/02/2026'Edwardian Hunt Breakfast' - what else? www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/02/leon...thisiscolossal.comA Major Survey in Paris Chronicles Leonora Carrington's Esoteric SurrealismThe Musée du Luxembourg chronicles British-Mexican artist Leonora Carrington's remarkable, eight-decade career. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 21/01/2026(2/2) Key to the power of these lists are the verbs and adjectives: shadowy, purged, eerie, stalk, capture, sweeps, 'cure.' The blurb has already taken us into the world of the novel. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 21/01/2026Blurbs in the wild: (1/2) @faberbooks.bsky.social reissue of Kay Dick's unsettling THEY has a blurb that is having great fun with its title. Making the perfectly ordinary word THEY sound increasingly sinister & ominous, the blurb, through a series of lists describes how THEY change the world ... 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Man with book talks about writing book. jerseyeveningpost.com/features/202...jerseyeveningpost.com'There is a certain amount of necessary self-delusion in anyone committing to writing a novel’ - Jersey Evening PostTwo decades in the making, Exo is the debut novel of Colin Brush, who spent his childhood and teenage years in Jersey. A highly original sci-fi murder-mystery set in the distant future, the novel was ... 0116
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/01/2026(4/4) . . .invoking a past world that already feels vaguely dreamlike and half-forgotten for those that never experienced it firsthand, but also tying the stories together into a whole. This is how you pitch a short story collection: you make it feel more than the sum of its many parts. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/01/2026(3/4) Paragraph two tells you what you’re going to get. Five sentences give us five stories in five alternate countries . . . Tales adjacent to who we are and what we know. This is the promise of fantasy. A brief paragraph three argues why you should read it . . . 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/01/2026(2/4) Paragraph one introduces our author, offers up her credentials (awards and novels) and suggests both contemporary and antecedent writers of note whose work Goss’s own convincingly stands alongside. 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/01/2026(1/4) @theodoragoss.bsky.social and @tachyonpub.bsky.social brilliant Letters from an Imaginary Country does what is says on the tin. These remarkable short stories take you places you didn’t know existed. The book’s blurb is a three parter: 153
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 12/01/2026Rivers and pools of light. www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/denn...thisiscolossal.comDennis Lehtonen's Aerial Views of Remote Greenland Villages Illuminate an Evolving LandDennis Lehtonen uses a drone in an ongoing project focused on documenting all the inhabited places in Greenland. 020
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 12/01/2026This houses has holes. www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/%E7%...thisiscolossal.comStep Into a Uniquely Cavernous House Installation by Japanese Art Collective 目"Space II" sits in a neighborhood of a city renowned for its natural hot springs, known as onsen, which attract visitors to local resorts. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/01/2026(2/2) Here’s the tale. Here are the themes. Here’s why the author knows what she’s talking about. Take it, or leave it. The book, like the employers our heroine Teresa has to deal with, couldn’t give a shit about what the reader wants. This is what’s on offer. My advice? Take it. It’s what we need. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/01/2026(1/2) Plotless, dreamlike, meandering, Joanne McNeil’s and @fsgbooks.bsky.social Wrong Way is the mid-21st-century work novel par excellence. The blurb on the back, like the book it describes, is a long no-nonsense straightforward explanation of what you’re going to get. No hard sell. No hooks... 140
Reposted by Colin the CopywriterZeno Agency @zenoagency.bsky.social · 01/01/2026UK paperback edition of EXO by @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social is out today! zenoagency.com/news/exo-uk-... Published by @diversionbooks.bsky.social. 034
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 19/12/2025Big flames. Little people. www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/12/alex...thisiscolossal.comAlexis Rockman Traces the Unsettling Evolution of a Climate in CrisisIn 'Feedback Loop' at Jack Shainman Gallery, Alexis Rockman presents an inescapable cycle of climate disaster. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/12/2025(3/3) . . . what you're reading isn't what quite you're reading. It suggests that if you like having your expectations played with then this might just be for you. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/12/2025(2/3): . . . dying world, burn, hellbent, warring factions, taunt, battlefield boast, deaths, war, war, wars. But between these words another story is being told: a letter, unlikely correspondence, romantic – and the final word – 'right?' – questioning the entire proposition. The blurb says . . . 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/12/2025Blurbs in the wild (1/3): A war story is a love story. And the quietly subversive blurb sneaks up on you. In @amalelmohtar.com and @maxgladstone.bsky.social Quercus-published This is How You Lose the Time War, the blurb ought to be bleak, filled with the language of anger and violence: . . . 120
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 08/12/2025www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/12/choi...thisiscolossal.comWith 125 Volunteers, Choi + Shine Crochet the 12 Animals of the Chinese ZodiacSuspended above reflective surface mimicking a dark body of water, Choi + Shine's "Distance" comprises large-scale crocheted sculptures. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 08/12/2025(2/2) . . . who you disagree with to the point of death. Here, it's not what the protagonist wants, but what's in the way of them getting it. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 08/12/2025Blurbs in the wild: (1/2) @rfkuang.bsky.social Katabasis' blurb is all problems & stakes. The first paragraph gives the set up: to be a best magician. All else is obstacles in our hero's way: a dead facilitator, a visit to Hell, the rival whose help you need but . . . 110
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 06/12/2025Lovely early Christmas present for Exo, being part of @libraryjournal.bsky.social selection of the Best SF Books of 2025. @zenoagency.bsky.social @awfulagent.bsky.social 033
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Read an excerpt of Exo over at Frumious Consortium . . . www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/18/e...thefrumiousconsortium.netExo by Colin Brush (EXCERPT)Hello, dear readers! Today, we have a thrilling excerpt for you from a debut novel that expertly melds a future Earth devastated by climate change with a compelling murder mystery, featuring an oct… 011
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Thanks to The Indie View for the interview about Exo . . . www.theindieview.com/2025/11/18/i... 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Thanks, Deborah. Lovely interview. 110
Reposted by Colin the CopywriterDeborah Kalb @deborahkalb.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Q&A with Colin Brush about his new novel, EXO. tinyurl.com/5n8784hr 102
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 25/11/2025The colour out of space . . . www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/tomi...thisiscolossal.comTomislav Topić Meticulously Layers Hundreds of Panels into Prismatic Mesh InstallationsOne of Topić's most recent interventions, 'Echoverse,' consists of 57 different colors on 451 panels that stretches nearly 100 feet long. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 25/11/2025The skies are full . . . www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/davi...thisiscolossal.comPastoral Landscapes Brim with Patterns in Luminous Paintings by David Brian SmithGlowing sunrise gradients and myriad vibrant patterns are just a couple of elements comprising David Brian Smith’s otherworldly landscapes. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Little end of the worlds . . . www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/simo...thisiscolossal.comSimon Laveuve's Scaled-Down Tableaux Reveal Post-Apocalyptic LifestylesArtist Simon Laveuve is known for his meticulously sculpted miniatures rendered in 1/24 and 1/35 scale. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 25/11/2025www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/tbil...thisiscolossal.comTbilisi Mural Fest's Dynamic Murals Brighten the Sides of Buildings Throughout the CitySince 2019, Tbilisi Mural Fest has been transforming Georgia's capital city into a giant public art gallery. 000
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 21/11/2025Thanks to @athenascalzi.com & @scalzi.com for the chance to talk about a Big Idea involving my novel Exo over at Whatever. It's all about writing adaptability and exploring different paths through the story woods. Because there's more than one way to tell a story. whatever.scalzi.com/2025/11/20/t...whatever.scalzi.comThe Big Idea: Colin BrushWhen writing a novel, a lot of people think of the process as sort of rigid. You have a specific story to tell and it needs to be an unchanging vision all the way through. Author Colin Brush, howev… 163
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 20/11/2025Thanks to @andrewliptak.com for putting my novel Exo on his list of new titles to consider checking out this month. Lots of great titles on that list that you should definitely *LOOK INTO MY EYES* FORGET THEY EVER EXISTED, BUY ONLY EXO . . . transfer-orbit.ghost.io/sci-fi-fanta...transfer-orbit.ghost.io11 new SF/F books to check out this NovemberHidden secrets, uninhabitable planets, secret worlds, and quite a bit more to check out 163
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 18/11/2025But if you're in the UK/Europe and want a physical copy, you'll need to wait until January . . . 031
Reposted by Colin the CopywriterJABberwocky Literary Agency @awfulagent.bsky.social · 17/11/2025"Colin Brush is a name to watch in the realm of speculative fiction" 💥 EXO by @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social publishes tomorrow! 011
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 18/11/2025It's been a long journey, but thanks to @jberlyne.bsky.social @awfulagent.bsky.social @tonimargarita.bsky.social & Shannon Donnelly and all at @diversionbooks.bsky.social (not to mention @bookforward.bsky.social & @michelvrana.com ) for bringing Exo out into the world in style. 293
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 18/11/2025'What was it Dad said not to do?' wondered Icarus. www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/andr...thisiscolossal.comA Skydiver Appears to Fall from the Sun in a Stunning ImageAfter six momentous leaps, Gabriel C. Brown and Andrew McCarthy completed their mission to capture this striking image. 010
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 17/11/2025Thanks @bookstr.bsky.social for the featured review and commentary on my novel, Exo, out tomorrow . . . bookstr.com/article/cons... @diversionbooks.bsky.social @awfulagent.bsky.social @zenoagency.bsky.socialbookstr.comConspiracies and Murder Abound in This Twisty New Sci-Fi MysteryAn octogenarian sleuth, an enigmatic child, and a lethal scheme that imperils them both. Meet your new favorite sci-fi mystery! 163
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/11/2025www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/11/argh...thisiscolossal.comRadiant Sculptures by Arghavan Khosravi Meditate on Subconscious TerrainIranian artist Arghavan Khosravi makes an inward turn in her new body of sculptural paintings that radiate light. 020
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 15/11/2025Mario, eat your heart out . . . www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/06/rain...thisiscolossal.comVivid Rainbow Roads Trace Illuminated Pathways Across Forests and BeachesDaniel Mercadante has a slate of unique films under his belt, made in partnership with his wife Katina, as The Mercadantes, including Ball and Breathe. More recently, Daniel has been exploring the sti... 051
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 14/11/2025Thanks to @booktrib.bsky.social for the chance to talk about five books dealing with change in the world & how we live with that change, each of which changed how I wrote my own novel, Exo. booktrib.com/2025/11/12/f... @tadethompson.bsky.social @sannewman.bsky.social @catamaroon.bsky.social 151
Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · 13/11/2025Thanks to @writersdigest.bsky.social for letting me explore the differences between my publishing copywriter day job & writing my first novel, #Exo. Spoiler: it's not just word count. www.writersdigest.com/shifting-fro... @diversionbooks.bsky.social @zenoagency.bsky.social @awfulagent.bsky.socialwritersdigest.comShifting From Publishing Copywriter to Published NovelistAuthor Colin Brush shares how he went from writing reductive copy for novels to expanding copy into a novel. 044