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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! Technomancers vs Necromancers in 1880s Nova Scotia! Walking corpses! Rogue automatons! Bad breakfasts! Craig DiLouie sez: "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

Image shows the cover of The Nightshade Cabal against a chalkboard background with a light blue skull. Captions read: "Victorian Era Mayhem and Mystery, Thrilling Inventions, Reanimated Corpses, Found Family, Dueling Spellcasters, Canadian Setting, Surly Fae, and Award Nominated."

The first page of The Nightshade Cabal. Text Reads:

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, 1881

"I’m telling you, Jonathon, these so-called stage magicians are nothing more than charlatans and hucksters of the highest order.” Isaac Barrow said, raising his voice to be heard over the din of the crowded Theatre Royale. "The act is nothing but mirrors and wires and other trickery making you think you've seen something you haven’t.”

Inspector Jonathon Eddings chuckled heartily, shaking his head. "And I keep telling you, Barrow, being fooled is the whole point of the bloody show!” Fifteen years in Halifax had done little to blunt the edge of his thick Mancunian brogue.

His friend’s retort failed to quell Barrow's annoyance. The inspector's
invitation had had all the cordiality of a press gang. Eddings had bought the tickets to thank Barrow for his help with a recent investigation. He hadn’t skimped, either; they sat just three rows back of the orchestra pit. The notion of putting down hard-earned coin with the express intention of being hoodwinked by some sham of a magician struck Barrow as inordinately foolish. He knew of the occult and the dangers of flirting with its deadly secrets. Real magic being
his stock-in-trade, he considered the pretend variety, popular on stage, mildly offensive at best. It was only on his friend's repeated insistence that he had finally, against his own better judgement, agreed to attend the performance.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Not sure if they'd be exactly what you're looking for in the sphere of dino books, but have you read the Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy by @robertjsawyer.com?

Cover art for the novel Far-Seer by Robert J Sawyer shows a dinosaur-like character holding a telescope and navigation tools.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

BREAKING: Fuck Your Yankee Blue Jeans have also withdrawn from the Freedom 250 celebration.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! There's a chill in the air, and it runs deeper than just the turn of the season Check out the book Craig DiLouie(!) called "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Aaaand done! I already had The Cyanide Process paperback, so I'm looking forward to bombing through the whole trilogy. 😎

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

From @onspecmag.bsky.social: On Spec is a finalist for both the Aurora (Canada's biggest SFF awards) and the Hugo Awards (arguably the world's biggest SFF awards). My story is in the final issue. Needless to say, I'm pretty thrilled to be part of this! @csffa.bsky.social @thehugoawards.bsky.social

The cover art for On Spec Magazine issue 134, "Dancing with the Holly King" by Janice Blaine.

The first page of 'Seven for a Secret' as published in On Spec Magazine. Text Reads:

Blurb: “I’ve seen too much strangeness in my years to deny the ab-natural out of hand, but I’ve never been one to take omens to heart,” Hallett said. “For all I know, a sign like the color of the sky is meant for some other arsehole twenty leagues away.” He spat on the deck all the same.

SEVEN FOR A SECRET
Chris Patrick Carolan

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1778.

Odd-Eyes Mullin was still swinging from the gallows, naught but a ten-minute walk from the stinking wharfside tavern where Captain Ollie Hallett raised a tankard to his second mate’s memory. Mullin had always boasted how his left eye, bright and blue as the waters off Nassau, turned away evil and let him see danger coming a mile away. Whether it was the truth or simply superstition, in the end it had done him no good. The crows would have both his eyes—the uncanny blue, and its brown mate so dark it looked almost black—out by morning. The rest of his corpse would be left to hang until natural decay let it fall from the rope like an overripe apple, a warning to any man who might find himself inclined toward unsanctioned acts of piracy.

Or any woman, for that matter, Hallett mused, his eyes slipping to Elise Dawes as he sipped his ale. Not that such warnings are often given much heed.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Oh no I've been blocked by @why.bsky.team, probably because of my controversial opinions about AI being the skidmarks on the internet's tighty whiteys.

screenshot showing I have been blocked by a member of Bluesky's staff

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

This is almost as funny as the time Bryan Adams blocked me on Twitter.

Oh no I've been blocked by @why.bsky.team probably because of my controversial opinions about AI being the skidmarks on the internet's tightie whiteys.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Patrick Ewing actually makes a jump shot, and the Knicks win an important game.

In this still frame from Clerks: the Animated Series, Patrick Ewing celebrates a successful jump shot in front of cheering fans.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Oh heck yeah! Would love to see either of these nerds drawn by someone other than me one day. 😎

Pencil sketch of Isaac Barrow and Emily Skye from the novel The Nightshade Cabal, as rendered by the writer Chris Patrick Carolan.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I don't know if this is the best time of day on a Friday to hit the algorithm or whatever, but I do need to buy new shoes this weekend so here's a plug for my book. From @parliamentbooks.bsky.social LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Those are speed holes. They make the potatoes grow faster. Actually, the drainage is important to ensure you don't get rot. An alternative is to use fabric/cloth bags for growing! I've had good results with these, and they're usually cheaper than the hardware store 5-gallon buckets.

Root vegetable growing bags in various colours, featuring a "quick access" velcro flap on the side.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I want to tale a full week off from it all to binge watch old Sword & Sorcery clunkers, is that too much to ask?

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

This is an actual book I once found on the shelves of the library I worked at.

Image shows the cover of a book titled "Knives, Knife Fighting & Related Hassles" by Marc 'Animal' MacYoung. The author is pictured on the cover.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

A keen reader reached out to ask if my recent @onspecmag.bsky.social story 'Seven for a Secret' takes place in the same world as my novel, The Nightshade Cabal. The answer is YES! This tale of piracy and possession takes place roughly 100 years before the events of the book.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

I make like zero dollars from my writing on average and therefore can't justify spending actual money on character art, but I would rather stick to my own rough pencils than turn to AI images for anything.

Black and white pencil illustration of Isaac Barrow and Emily Skye from The Nightshade Cabal. He wears a suit and bowler hat, she wears overalls with her choppy red hair all askew.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

I've got this pair from my book, The Nightshade Cabal. It's a steampunky urban fantasy type story set in 1880s Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here we have Isaac Barrow, a technomancer who would rather be left alone to work on his inventions, and Emily Skye, a scrappy teenager with her own powers and secrets.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! There's a chill in the air, and it runs deeper than just the turn of the season Check out the book Craig DiLouie(!) called "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world ... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

I sometimes (read: often) wonder how many copies of magazines like Beeton's might be languishing forgotten in old steamer trunks or the dusty top shelves of country house larders waiting to be found. Then I hope they're found by folks who know what they're looking at so they don't end up in the bin

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, I pledge to never forgive and never forget the cowardly and cruel actions of this Alberta government. Make no mistake, Bill 9 will destroy lives. #ABLeg #ABPoli #TransRightsAreHumanRights #FireTheUCP #DanielleSmithIsUnfitToLead

The Transgender flag bearing the words "This Bill Will Kill," in reference to Bill 9, the so-called "Protecting Alberta’s Children Statutes Amendment Act" which invokes the Notwithstanding Clause to prevent court challenges.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! There's a chill in the air, and it runs deeper than just the turn of the season Check out the book Craig DiLouie(!) called "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world ... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

Cover art for The Nightshade Cabal by Chris Patrick Carolan. Image shows a mail figured dressed in black, with his back to the viewer. A Victorian city scene in the background is shrouded in mist. Caption reads "Only the dead know the secrets of the Cabal..." A Crime Writers of Canada 2021 Awards of Excellence Finalist badge has been added.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

These bastards from Hell are called "Molasses Kisses," but we always just called them Witch Candies. They look fun but taste like sadness. I don't know if they exist outside of Canada, but y'all can have any that end up in my bag.

Witch Candies: individually wrapped taffy-like treats, dressed in orange waxed paper decorated with witches, bats, and spooky trees. Horrid.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! Anyone up for a paranormal mystery set in and under 1880s Halifax, Nova Scotia? Check out the book Craig DiLouie(!) called "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world ... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Thanks for another #FridayReads, Gabino! Horror, crime, magic, friendship, violence, and monsters? Check, check, etc! Check out the book Craig DiLouie(!) called "a powerful Victorian adventure, rich in detail and set in a fully realized world ... A stunning debut!" LINK: books2read.com/u/490zOw

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Now shipping worldwide! (to both of the world's many countries)

Screenshot from Ben Sherman's website proudly announcing "Now Shipping Worldwide!" The dropdown lets you choose from two shipping destinations: the United Kingdom or the United States.

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Someone: "Can you walk me through your writing and editing process?" Me:

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

It might be time for us all to revisit and reevaluate S1M0NE (2002).

Movie poster for SIMONE (stylized as S1M0NE). A blonde woman, pictured larger than life, clutches her shoulder as it dissolves into pixels. A suited man in the corner looks up at her. Caption reads "A star is... created."

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Chris Patrick Carolan 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @cpcwrites.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

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