Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 1hIt’s so interesting to hear this, Clodagh! When writing them, I imagined them as points for the reader to pause, re-group, let the narrative sink in and rest, while also deepening the narrative and commenting on it. It’s interesting that the narrative was pulling you on faster in the first read! 010
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 4hAw, thank you for this, Clodagh! ❤️❤️❤️ I guess there’s more space for those pauses in a second read? 110
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 4hThank you to @delgeo14.bsky.social for starting this discussion! A little terrified to have my words about it out in the world, but also delighted to be included ❤️ My Novella-in-Flash, The Lives of the Dead, was inspired by my experiences of motherhood in the early years 262
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 12/10/2026Big thanks to @frazzledlit.bsky.social for including me in this anthology ❤️ 3201
Reposted by Fiona McKayGearóidín Nic Cárthaigh @gearoidinc.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Bin night will never again be the same! Well done @fionamckay.bsky.social 122
Reposted by Fiona McKayRosaleen Lynch @rosaleenlynch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026'Unexpected Weather' - A stunner from @fionamckay.bsky.social in the 10th Anniversary edition of #GhostParachute Read it and never see your bins in the same way again! 122
Reposted by Fiona McKayMatt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026"It is spring – that month that comes in like a lamb and takes its leave with a vicious swipe of its lion’s paw" A stunner from @fionamckay.bsky.social Love the language, the rhythms, the deep and resonant emotions beneath every word. Brilliant, brilliant writing. 122
Reposted by Fiona McKayBrett Pribble @brettpribble.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Read "Unexpected Weather" written by @fionamckay.bsky.social and illustrated by @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social. "They had been full, full, full, and now it is so lovely to be empty, to be so full of potential and not the leavings of people’s lives." tinyurl.com/2s465p64tinyurl.comUnexpected Weather — Ghost ParachuteThey had been full, full, full, and now it is so lovely to be empty, to be so full of potential and not the leavings of people’s lives. It is spring – that month that comes in like a lamb and takes it... 144
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Thank you, Brett!! ❤️❤️❤️ A joy to be part of it!! 000
Reposted by Fiona McKaySara Hills @sarahillswrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Woohoo! It's a dream to be in Ghost Parachute w/ my weird little rhesus monkey story! Immense thanks to @brettpribble.bsky.social for welcoming me into the 10th Anniversary issue w/ so many writers I admire, and thanks to Brett J Barr for the gorgeous artwork. ❤️❤️❤️ ghostparachute.com/issue/octobe...ghostparachute.comPrimate Signaling — Ghost ParachuteBob and I are at the zoo, checking out the macaques from the wide viewing window, when I notice a muscular man in a tiger t-shirt checking out Bob’s ass. And even though coming here on a token date wa... 4276
Reposted by Fiona McKayDina Strasser @dinaeliz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026SO fun, so strangely moving. Good stuff. Inspires me to go back to an object-based flash I started this time last year. 122
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Hey Dina, thank you! And I’m so glad it’s inspiring you to go back to your flash!! ❤️❤️❤️ 010
Reposted by Fiona McKayBrooksie C. Fontaine @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Go read this lovely story I got to illustrate, and prepare to feel emotional about rubbish bins!! 122
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Brooksie! I love these pretty bins so much, thank you! ❤️❤️❤️ 010
Reposted by Fiona McKayDan Crawley @danbillyc.bsky.social · 02/10/2026"They walk on cooling sand by the sea at the end of another hot day, where they call out to each other, over the sound of the waves,...." Big love for this brilliance by @fionamckay.bsky.social 💙💙💙 142
Reposted by Fiona McKaySuzanne (writing as S A Greene) @sagreene1.bsky.social · 02/10/2026This is stunning!!! Like Virgina Woolf collided with @fionamckay.bsky.social on steroids!!!⬇️⬇️⬇️ 143
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Thank you, Suzanne!! ❤️😍❤️ I will absolutely take any comparison to Woolf (however much undeserved!) 010
Reposted by Fiona McKayKathy Fish @kathyfish.bsky.social · 02/10/2026"On they fly, calling to one another in alarm and joy." It's about bins, but not really, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Brava, @fionamckay.bsky.social 🗑️💙 192
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Kathy, thank you so much!! This means a lot to me ❤️😍❤️ 110
Reposted by Fiona McKaySara Hills @sarahillswrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2026"What a view, what freedom. No longer would they squat obediently in back gardens and down the side-alleys like tethered pets." "But how will their families manage without them?" Wheeee! The depth & relatability. Such an absolutely brilliant story from @fionamckay.bsky.social in Ghost Parachute.🔥❤️ 142
Reposted by Fiona McKayT.L. Tomljanovic @tomljanovic.bsky.social · 02/10/2026“how nice it is to be clean and empty on an evening like this, and not smelling of fish guts, lemon peel and sadness.” 112
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The wonderful @kathyfish.bsky.social shows us how it’s done! This story pivots on the line ‘We excavated them late at night.’, and then fractures and splinters, the language rebounding to create new layers of meaning! Brilliant!! ghostparachute.com/issue/octobe...ghostparachute.comArchaeology — Ghost ParachuteMy childhood best friend was beautiful. For many years, she had to wear a back brace. It gave her a dignified air, as if a string were attached to the top of her head, pulling her up tall. She glided ... 193
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Hey, I have a story in the amazing 10th Anniversary issue of Ghost Parachute 😍 It’s about bins!! (And yes, it’s a metaphor!!) Thanks so much to @brettpribble.bsky.social and @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social for the amazing illustration ghostparachute.com/issue/octobe...ghostparachute.comUnexpected Weather — Ghost ParachuteThey had been full, full, full, and now it is so lovely to be empty, to be so full of potential and not the leavings of people’s lives. It is spring – that month that comes in like a lamb and takes it... 2277
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 02/10/2026🚨🚨🚨 Stop Right Now!! A NEW @sarahillswrites.bsky.social STORY!! Always an occasion!! And ‘tired, low-hanging tits’ had me laughing out loud (and tightening my bra straps) 🚨🚨🚨ghostparachute.comPrimate Signaling — Ghost ParachuteBob and I are at the zoo, checking out the macaques from the wide viewing window, when I notice a muscular man in a tiger t-shirt checking out Bob’s ass. And even though coming here on a token date wa... 110
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I’ve put heavily em-dashed things that I have written into Pangram and it’s come up 100% human. I think Pangram isn’t comparing datasets, but predicting word-order? 010
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026And we all want to be able to trust what we read and trust other writers - but literature will suffer if ai generated fiction displaces human-written fiction. It will become yet another widget in the cogs of capitalism 010
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I’m always starting from the point of ‘this writing feels off’. And yes, a huge volume of publications out of nowhere definitely raises an eyebrow! 130
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026It’s so frustrating, because we all know there’s AI writing out there! 100
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I have tried out a variety of my own writing on Pangram, and all has come up 100% human, and while I’m cautious of course, when something feels off in a piece of writing and then Pangram says it’s 100% AI, maybe it’s correct in those cases? 100
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026There are some very high stakes competitions out there - the commonwealth short story prize is £5000, the moth short story prize is €3000 etc, and if bad-faith writing starts taking big prizes, it’s a very bad thing for literature. Lit mags are finding they are swamped with ai stories… 210
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Order this brilliant book that I had the privilege to get an early glimpse of!! Not just for the werewolf sex!! (But also, the BEST werewolf sex!!) 141
Reposted by Fiona McKaySuzanne (writing as S A Greene) @sagreene1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Writers, if, like me, you're proud of your non-AI work, when you share a new story, maybe you could share your Pangram result too? 7104