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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Here's a snapshot of the other authors' books I shared a table with this weekend. A big thank you to Jesse McMinn, Jacqueline Thorpe, Brandon Butler, Don Miasek, and J.P. Babb! #WOTS2026 #TorontoWOTS #indieauthorslife

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Word on the Street Toronto was an absolute success. Here's me, not manning my table, letting others do all the work! Slacker! #WOTS2026 #TorontoWOTS #indieauthors #canadianauthor

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Set up again at Word on the Street. Yesterday was a blast. So. Many. People. Excited to do it all again! I'm at table WB2. #torontowots #wots2026 #MeetMeAtWOTS

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Hey Converse, I've worn your shoes all my life. I've been in marketing and design for 20 years. There's no way this was accidental; the placement is spot on. Fuck you. I'm never buying your racist products again.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I just backed Kevin Was Bees on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/tdo... Kevin Was Bees is one of my favourite short stories EVER, so seeing it come together in a collection is bloody tremendous! If you like sci-fi, check this out! You won't regret it.

kickstarter.com

Kevin Was Bees

And Other Strange Stories

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Can*Con @canconsffh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

DON'T PANIC BUT WE ARE LESS THAN A MONTH OUT FROM CAN*CON (we're panicking a little) If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, do so! If you're thinking about signing up for special events but haven't yet, what are you waiting for??? www.can-con.org

can-con.org

Can*Con

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Today is the day! Joel Minty's PURGE OF ASHES is loosed into the world. This is deep fantasy with a rich narrative, a large cast of characters, and a complex magic system. Minty has put care into every damn word. #indiauthor #fantasybookrecs #canadianfantasy www.amazon.ca/Purge-Ashes-...

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend When Words Collide as a presenter. Happening in the Hyatt Regency in downtown Calgary, it's a massive conference with panels, workshops, special guests, live readings, lectures, and a marketplace with a focus on writing (leaning towards spec fic).

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This weekend (Aug 14 - 16) , I'll be at When Words Collide in Calgary! I'm on 3 panels, so it'll be a busy day, but I'm soooooooo looking forward to it. Gonna be a blast! If you're there, come say hi! #CanadianBooks #IndieAuthor #BookSky #WWC2026 #WritingCommunity

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Had a pint with the impeccable Joel Minty this weekend. He gifted me the 4th copy of Purge of Ashes. I beta read this, so it's great to see this coming together! EPIC level fantasy with beautiful prose. Released later this Aug! #IndieAuthors #EpicFantasyBooks #CanadianAuthor #CanadianFantasy

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day last night and loved every damn minute of it! I saw some spoilers people posted ahead of time, but they were small potatoes. Great movie!

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Just finished Mistborn! That was my first foray into Sanderson's writing and I really enjoyed it all. Sazed is my favourite character, but Vin was great too. Now, onto All Systems Red by Martha Wells to see what Murderbot is all about.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Want a sword & sorcery book with strong women who don't hold back? The entire Sisters of Jade Trilogy is now on kobo and kobo plus. www.kobo.com/ca/en/series... #Kobo #KoboPlus #FantasyBooks #IndieBooks

Sisters of Jade book cover in green, with text and arrows pointing at the cover.

Action & Adventure
Strong Female Characters
No Romance
Sword Fights
Werehyena
Found Family
Daring Rescues
Stormy Seas

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

This Saturday June 20, 11 am - 4 pm, I'll be at Great Lakes Brewery for ONCE UPON A PINT! I'll be reading from Sisters of Jade at 12:10, but there is much more to see. Grab a book, grab a beer, and spend your Saturday afternoon at GLB Etobicoke! www.greatlakesbeer.com/once-upon-a-...

greatlakesbeer.com

ONCE UPON A PINT • Great Lakes Brewery

Grab a book, grab a beer, and spend your Saturday afternoon at GLB Etobicoke! Date: Saturday, June 20Location: GLB EtobicokeTime: 11AM-4PMAdmission: Free to join! GLB ETOBICOKE is turning a summer Sat...

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I'm all set for the Buy Canadian Book Fair tomorrow! Come by the East York Community Centre (1081 1/2 Pape Ave, Toronto) from 1 to 4 to say hi, buy some books, and check out some other amazing authors!

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

My books are on sale on Kobo until June 2nd! If you like heroic fantasy with strong female leads and found family, check out the Sisters of Jade Trilogy. www.kobo.com/ca/en/series...

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I'm reading Brandon Sanderson for the 1st time. Mistborn. The Final Empire. I'm listening to the audiobook at work and... ...are there really characters called Ham and Brie? Breeze?? And another one called Dachshund? Am I hearing that right?

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Damn!!! My friends Don Miasek's great sci-fi book Pale Grey Dot is available in braille. So jealous!

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

My heroic fantasy trilogy is now on Kobo and Kobo Plus!! www.kobo.com/ca/en/series...

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Don Miasek @donmiasek.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I (along with @james-downe-author.bsky.social) will be appearing on three panels at this year's WHEN WORDS COLLIDE festival in Calgary, August 14 to 16. Read on to learn more! dmiasek.com/2026/04/17/w...

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

I am so excited to announce I'm going to be a panelist at When Worlds Collide in Calgary this August! Really looking forward to chatting with other fine authors about writing monsters, cinematic storytelling, and creating authentic, respectful characters. #BookSky #CanadianBookEvents #AuthorEvents

A list of panels I will be speaking at this August at When Worlds Collide.

Writing Beyond the Self: Creating Characters Outside Our Lived Experience
Aug 15, 9 to 10:15

Making Monsters: the Art & Craft of Writing Horror
Aug 15, noon to 1:15

Cinematic Storytelling: Does Hollywood Flair Work in Speculative Fiction?
Aug 15, 4:30 to 5:45

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

A great new Canadian book event is happening in Toronto on Sunday, June 7! Come by, buy a few books, and meet some amazing Canadian authors. I’ll be there, signing and selling, with a bunch of local authors. #BuyCanadianBookMarket #BuyCanadian #BookSky #IndieBooks #fantasy #AuthorSigning

A graphic for the Buy Canadian Book Market. June 7. 1 - 4 pm. East York Community Centre, Toronto. The image is green, with a bunch of people reading, and the info is written above and below.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

gonna write a story where the MC is a butcher, and every time there's a major plot development the price of steaks goes up

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Heading out for an annual writing retreat!! Me and some friends, a little place up by Blue Mountain, drinking, good food, great conversation, and of course a shitload of writing.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Want a fast-paced fantasy book with 4 strong women kicking ass? How about sailing dangerous waters to save a child? Or a broken senator struggling with a lifetime of mistakes? Sisters of Jade has all that and more. And it's the start of a completed trilogy! www.jamesdowne.com/books/sister...

Book cover showing a warrior woman wielding a mace. Below are waves and flames, with the silhouettes of three other women. The whole thing is stylized in green, looking like paper cutouts.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

FREE for this weekend only! My writing group always does an annual, 24 hour one-shot anthology. This year's theme was Emptiness. 48 stories written and edited in only 24 hours. I'm not in this one, but there are some awesome authors here! www.amazon.ca/dp/B0GL42LJJZ

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I'd rather write one book a year--hell, one book in my entire life--than constantly shit out piles of slop. Writing isn't a race.

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Aysha U. Farah @ayshaufarah.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

If there’s anything these last few months should drive home it’s that country means nothing, but community means everything

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

New post with a deleted scene from 'Sisters of Jade'. I've decided to show some of the parts I cut as I wrote the trilogy. It was was reworked after I decided I wanted the stakes for Jona to be much higher and more personal. #IndieFantasy #FantasyBooks www.jamesdowne.com/post/sisters...

jamesdowne.com

Deleted Scene for the Fantasy Book Sisters of Jade

I wanted to share one of these deleted scenes from my fantasy book 'Sisters of Jade'. If you haven't read the books, don't worry. There are no big spoilers here.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Job posting... and the method to apply, I kid you not, is by mail. Like, there's a physical address I can mail my fucking cover letter and resume to. WTF?

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Smooth Dunk @smoothdunk2.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

US government rn

A cartoon of a news report. The picture shows a government official doing a press conference flanked by goons.
The headline reads “A man attacked federal bullets with his body”
Underneath the picture is a quote saying “those bullets had families”

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Evan May @gianttourtiere.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

There are some people making the argument that the problem with ICE is lack of training. Even if that were true (I don't think it is) it's also irrelevant because their leadership is saying that they are doing exactly what they want them to do. So there's no good faith 'fix' to be made there...

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 25/01/2026

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

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Reposted by James Downe

Stephen Kotowych 🇨🇦 @ourmankoto.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Where is Alex Pretti's cellphone now? Who has it? (Presumably some US federal agency). He'd been filming for some time before he was shot. It's no doubt further evidence Pretti was doing nothing wrong before he was attacked. THAT video and audio needs to be released right now #Minnesota #AlexPretti

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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

ICE just gunned down ANOTHER person, beating a man half to death before shooting him at point blank range. What the fuck are we doing? ARREST ICE NOW. PROSECUTE ICE NOW. I will not rest until every single one of these murderers is held accountable to the communities they terrorize.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 25/01/2026

Van Hollen: "They really think the American people are stupid. I mean, we can all see the video. We saw the video with Renee Good. We saw the video with Alex Pretti. The real domestic terrorists are in the White House right now."

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse. 😢💔🙏 He spent his life helping people, and now our government is peddling lies in an attempt to make you believe them.

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Yesterday, over 30,000 people protested against ICE in below-zero temperatures. Amazing work, everyone. Minnesota strong. Tomorrow, there will be more of us.

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James Downe @james-downe-author.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Minnesota appreciation post! You are all heroes. The world sees you. Stand up! Protest! Sing! Make your voices to loud to be stopped. FUCK ICE and FUCK TRUMP. You can do it! #ICE_OutForGOOD

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Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

TODAY, Friday January 23rd, 2026: We are ALL residents of Minnesota. We ALL want #ICE_OutForGOOD 🚫 🧊 Also: #ICE_OUT4ReneeGood 💔

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