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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21h

#WIPSnips 3/10: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are no instances of ‘petal’, but two of ‘flower’ (and one of ‘flowery’). #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

Jerya turned again, looking inland, beyond the sprawling stands of gorse with their bright flowers, the scattered clumps of sea-buckthorn, the first of its berries flaring orange. Beyond the bushes and a few cowering trees were the rooftops of the village—Renstrall-folk called it a town, and there was no fault in local pride—and beyond those a modest swell of green hills.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21h

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/10: How do you feel about spoilers? I think there’s a clue in the name… And even when writing about a really well-known book, we should remember that there will always be people who are new to it, and don’t yet know that Lizzy and… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 22h

#WordWeavers 3/10: Share a line from your WIP that foreshadows something important without giving it away. This is the first appearance of a character who will become more significant, much deeper into the book. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

He followed her along a couple of short passages. She talked over her shoulder. “I’m a medical student. Working here over the summer, for experience, then back for my final year.”
“That would be at Velyadero, then?” It was the only University that admitted females. Jerya of Skilthorn had something to do with it, he was sure.
“Yes. We’ll be the first to qualify…” She broke off, pushing open a door. “Here we are.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-six Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London.

theshatteredmoon.substack.com

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-six

Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/10: Do you have plans for your next work yet? While finishing (editing) the final book of the Shattered Moon series, I’ve also started a new novel, in very different vein. Contemporary, local, and drawing… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#WordWeavers 2/10: Other than novels, what types of writing do you do, such as poetry, screen plays, etc? These days, mostly essays, in the form of Substack posts. But for about 40 years my income rested on a mix of photography and writing, both… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#WIPSnips 1/10: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There is one instance of ‘injury’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

"Why do we have to clear it?" demanded Razvel.
Tari looked at her. "It’s not stable. Easy to break an ankle if one of those blocks turns."
"And this would be a very bad place to have one of us unable to walk," added Gaf. Razvel only scowled.
Gaf wasn’t proud of the thought that came to her then. We could just leave you here… She’d never act on it, she didn’t really wish injury on anyone; but Razvel was so very annoying in these moments.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/10: What are you hoping to achieve this month? There’s a simple objective: to finish editing on the final book of The Shattered Moon, The Skilthorn Inheritance, then at least get started on the remaining steps… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#WIPSnips 30/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are 11 instances of ‘guard/guarded/guarding’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

"Ah…" She knew well enough by now that Gulverren’s family were not aristocracy, would not even be considered gentry by the more snobbish of arbiters; people of modest birth and modest means. His parents had made real and lasting sacrifices to send him to a respectable school; a Guard scholarship had enabled him to continue to University in Denvirran. He had told her all this with neither pride nor shame, just as a matter of fact; but she was fairly sure that his rise to the rank of Major, and transfer to the Principal’s Guard, considered the elite of the service, gave his parents pride enough for a whole shire.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 30/9: Where did this month's writing take you? While editing the final Shattered Moon book means spending time in that world, the new writing I’m doing is much more local and wholly contemporary. The main settings are… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#WordWeavers 30/9: What stereotypes do your MCs deal with in their world? Mostly, exactly the same ones we struggle with in our world today. Skin colour doesn’t really code for status, but all the problems of sexism and class division are there… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-five Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London.

theshatteredmoon.substack.com

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-five

Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#WIPSnips 29/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are 332 instances of ‘well’—you’ll excuse me if I don’t go through them all looking for the ‘best’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

It was clear that Jerya’s name meant something to her, and didn’t take long to clarify the relationships; Meladne technically Jerya’s step-mother, Tegwen her half-sister, Manaili her niece. The link was Holdren, father to one, grandfather to the other. That Torvyn was her cousin was straightforward too.
Well, family relationships weren’t that different either side of the divide—at least until you ran up against the whole business of Earls and Countesses, not to mention Dowager Countesses, Principals, Electors…

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#WordWeavers 29/9: Is your character more likely to enjoy a sunrise or sunset, and why? Growing up in a land regulated by Dawnsong, sunrises carried a special significance; but for Jerya sunsets were a greater visual spectacle purely… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 29/9: Talk about something with your work this month you're really proud of. While finishing editing the final book of the Shattered Moon series, I’ve also been writing large chunks of a new and very different story; it’s contemporary… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#WIPSnips 28/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are 32 instances of ‘prime’—almost all in ‘Master Prime’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

"I’d love to go to the Buttery, as long as we can get a table to ourselves."
"Rank, even Emeritus-rank, does have its privileges."
She didn’t think Analind, who’d never been one to throw her weight around even as Master Prime, really intended disturbing innocent Novices to secure them a private table. Fortunately there was no need; the Buttery was no more than half-full.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 28/9: Could you work without the internet? What would change? I started out typing on paper, communicating by post/phone, shooting pictures on film. In terms of my personal workflow, I wouldn’t want to go back, but ‘progress’ has been… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#WordWeavers 28/9: Tell us about your MC’s religious or spiritual beliefs Jerya grew up accepting the common belief that Dawnsingers had some influence over the sun. It was only when she became a Novice Dawnsinger herself that she discovered that this… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#WIPSnips 27/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are seven instances of ‘delay/delaying’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

“My lady, I humbly apologise for the intrusion on this occasion, but I am mandated by the Statutes of Denvirran to deliver this into your hand and brook no delay.” He held out a scroll which had, she realised, already been in his hand: a hand which trembled very lightly. She accepted it automatically, and he went on, “I am Major Gulverren of the Principal’s Guard. This is a First Notification to Electors of the Principality of Denvirran. It now being the opinion of his doctors that the Principal’s illness is grave, it is necessary to be prepared for the possibility of an Election.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 27/9: How much time passes between sitting down to write and actually writing? Variable. Sometimes the words are ready to spill out and I can hardly get seated and open the laptop fast enough. Other… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#WordWeavers 27/9: What interesting quirks do your characters have? I don’t think in terms of ‘quirks’; that smacks (to me) of assembling characters from a kit of parts, like a glorified Photofit picture. To work for me, characters should be whole… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#WIPSnips 26/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are seven instances of ‘observe/observed’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

It was not, he observed immediately, truly vertical. He doubted the angle even reached forty-five degrees. Then he smiled at himself; doubtless every single visitor since the thing was first established had had the same thought. Pulling out his watch, he saw that it was still not quite three in the afternoon. There was time, indeed, to retrieve his horse, cancel the room—with the sacrifice of a fifty per cent deposit—and move on.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 26/9: How does your faith feature in your works? I don’t often use the word ‘faith’ about my own beliefs, but atheism/humanism are belief systems too. There’s nothing we’d call a religion in the Shattered Moon books, but my next… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#WordWeavers 26/9: Authors talk about how smart their MCs or villains are, but have you ever written a slow-witted character? There’s one in my current/next WIP. Though it’s probably more accurate to say he lacks aptitude for critical… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#WordWeavers 25/9: Do illicit drugs or alcohol play a role in your story? Nothing illicit. And alcohol is the only drug of note, but lots of significant conversations take place in pubs, with an occasional… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 25/9: Talk about a communal writing project you worked on. How did it go? I’ve never worked on a project I’d describe as communal. I’ve contributed to anthologies, & recruited writers for a walking/travel book, but in both cases… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-four Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London.

theshatteredmoon.substack.com

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-four

Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 24/9: Do you write primarily for yourself or for a reader? It’s a false dichotomy. As Toni Morrison understands: "If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it." #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#WordWeavers 24/9: If your MC made a grand entrance, what fitting song would accompany them? Having reached a position (in fact more than one) of eminence, Jerya tries very hard not to appear grand and to remain approachable. The last thing she wants… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#WIPSnips 23/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There is just one instance of ‘tumble’, or rather, ‘tumbling’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

Swaying down the long switchbacks of the main descent, where the road crossed and re-crossed the tumbling river on a succession of sturdy bridges—unremarkable until you contemplated how they’d been thrown across the gorge and its cascades—his mind took a path of its own. Instead of harking back over all that had gone on between himself and Torvyn, he found another face entering into his ken.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 23/9: What "little thing" really helps you write? My brain 😉 And a cushion, not for me, for the laptop, to set it at a comfortable level for typing. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#WordWeavers 23/9: Have your characters' journeys affected your own life? If so, how? First response is that it’s mostly the other way around, but I guess thinking about the experiences and choices they face must have had some impact on me. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#WIPSnips 22/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are definitely no instances of ‘meltdown’; I don’t even need to check, much too contemporary. One of ‘rage’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

“Indeed,” she said, now with that chilly calm that was often more ominous than the immediate rage. “I should be most interested to hear your justification for that.”
“Oh, I can give you that in one sentence. It’s the established legal fact.”
“Legal ‘facts’ are the opinion of one court and can be overturned by another.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 22/9: What's the latest in the writing process you've found a mistake? I reckon I could pick up a copy of any published book, including ones that I worked on years ago, have been through several editions and multiple rounds of… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#WordWeavers 22/9: If you wrote a memoir on your writing journey so far, what would it be called? Back to the Future. Good title isn’t it? I’m amazed no one’s thought of it bef—sorry, what did you say? #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-three Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London.

theshatteredmoon.substack.com

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-three

Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips 21/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are two instances of ‘stream’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

The house and the accommodation block obscured much of the parkland and most of the lake, but she could see a glimmer of morning sunlight on water between the two. Nearer to, the home-farm sat snugly in its own shallow valley, beside the stream that also powered the mill. Between the house and the stable-yard were the walled gardens, their glasshouses also glinting in the sun. As she looked, she saw a figure crossing from the stables to one of the paddocks. Tiny as it was from this distance, she fancied she saw a bald head pale in the morning light: Vireddi. As she reached the rail, three horses, then four, began to move towards her. One tiny piece of the great jigsaw that was Skilthorn.

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WordWeavers 21/9: In your current WIP, which character do you relate to the least and why? I relate to all the POV characters; not sure how I could write them otherwise. But ‘relating to’ someone doesn’t mean being unaware of their flaws. Here… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 21/9: What can a reader know to be true about you from your work? If they get a general impression that I’m a decent human being, that’s good enough for me. I think it’s clear enough that I have no truck with sexism, homophobia,… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#WIPSnips 20/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are five instances of ‘signal(led)’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

“It’s all right, G, it was a long time ago.”
G, looking relieved, drank an inch. “And… anyone else since? I’m assuming you’ve not married again without telling me.” That would, his tone implied, be stretching even the most episodic of friendships too far.
Wandell hastened to reassure him. “No, nothing like that. For whatever reason, I haven’t been… receptive to the possibility. Well…” He took a pull at his own beer, saw how low both glasses were, signalled for more. “Until the last few months.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#WordWeavers 20/9: How do your characters access water or whatever they need to drink? Population centres exist where there’s a reliable water supply, be it well, spring, or stream. It’s widely known that water from streams needs to be purified, and… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 20/9: Share an analogy that really stuck with you. “Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#WIPSnips 19/9: Snips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 of The Shattered Moon. There are 0 instances of ‘tube’, nor near-synonyms like ‘pipe’ & ‘cylinder’. Had to be a bit inventive… well, a telescope is basically a tube, isn’t it? 24 instances. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

The mention of the naked eye set another hare running at the back of her mind, but there was something she’d been meaning to say. “You know, I met my husband over a telescope.”
“Really?”
“A strict pedant would say we met a few hours before, but the telescope was our first time alone together.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#WordWeavers 19/9: What are three personality strengths your antagonist has? If we’re talking about Perriad, then it’s ‘had’ not ‘has’. What strikes me now is that she clearly shares two of the traits I identified in Jerya: Persistence and Decisiveness…. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 19/9: Are you more comfortable writing to a structure or freeform? As per, there’s a marked distinction between my non-fiction work and fiction. The former was often highly structured; e.g. a walking guidebook is separated into… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#WordWeavers 18/9: What are three personality strengths your MC has? Jerya: Persistence—some people call it stubbornness; Decisiveness—some people call it impulsiveness (including herself, on occasion); Deliberation—a counterbalance to her impulsive… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#WIPSnips 18/9: #WIPSnips are from The Skilthorn Inheritance, Book 9 (and final) of The Shattered Moon. There is one instance of ‘payment’. #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

“Perhaps I might return to the subject with which we—specifically you—began. I thought I might say a little more about what I have been doing, and in the process perhaps explain why I have informed the solicitors of my wishes regarding payment, and also—supposing you’re interested—why I made a point of referring to Countess Torvyn by her title.”
“Indeed,” she said, now with that chilly calm that was often more ominous than the immediate rage. “I should be most interested to hear your justification for that.”
“Oh, I can give you that in one sentence. It’s the established legal fact.”

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#WritersCoffeeClub 18/9: Share a word you've used only to learn later you were pronouncing or using it wrong. I’m fairly confident I haven’t made any such errors in my published writing, but I still remember reading out an essay in my first year as a… #books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

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Jon Sparks @jonsparksauthor.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-two Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

theshatteredmoon.substack.com

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-two

Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London

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