Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 07/04/2026@katemckean.bsky.social -- Read your latest newsletter and found it really helpful. Which book by Elizabeth McCracken has amazing writing advice? 110
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 14/03/2026My students turned me into a space mermaid after a discussion about whether the existence of God can ever be disproved — like the existence of space mermaids. Possibly my favourite teaching moment. #Teaching #RE #Philosophy #ClassroomMoments #TeacherLife 030
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 11/03/2026The real terror of the Libraro Prize isn’t the judging. It’s my conservative Christian mum reading my YA novel full of gore and swearing. At least I spared her any sex scenes. Read it here: shorturl.at/VyVpf #Libraro #AmWriting #YAfiction 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 10/03/2026Teen fiction should reflect real experiences and minds. In Terminal Fuse, my MC struggles with anxiety & depression like I did as a teen, but her 'found family' helps her feel seen & learn to cope. Read it on Libraro: shorturl.at/VyVpf 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Really polished work in Game Changer by Mary Heeran White. Clean prose, perfect grammar (a recovering English teacher notices!), and the tension deepens steadily. The worldbuilding lands exactly when you’re ready for it. Read it on Libraro: shorturl.at/nCYs6 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Ah spuds! Terminal Fuse has gotten the #potatopunk treatment! This AI chip was half-baked, but now it’s fully loaded. Read it on Libraro: shorturl.at/oVoqK 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Benjamin Franklin got it wrong. It’s not taxes that's certain. It’s grading... and maybe caffeine. #teaching 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 08/03/2026What’s your favourite trope in fiction? In Terminal Fuse I played with the white room trope—except my MC remembers everything. Every mission. Every death. Which, honestly, makes the horror worse. #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #BookTropes #SciFiBooks 020
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 08/03/2026Reading slush for a literary agency taught me a brutal rule: in late, out early. Start scenes where the problem begins. Leave before they drag. Honestly, it’s true for the whole novel too. #WritingTips #AmWriting #WritersCommunity #StoryCraft 030
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 08/03/2026The AI breach has begun… and Angeline Castillo is the only fuse left to burn. My #cyberpunk thriller Terminal Fuse is now publishing on Libraro. If you like rogue AI, cybernetic upgrades, and impossible missions, check it out: shorturl.at/oVoqK #WritersLift #AmWriting 011
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 08/03/2026It's awesome when feedback cites your exact inspiration: ' This felt like the novelization of a video game, and I suspect that is something that would be very popular with a sizeable audience, so I think it could be a success.' shorturl.at/0JDb6 #litrpg #ya #videogamesshorturl.at 020
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 08/03/2026It's really encouraging to get supportive feedback from other writers. 010
Reposted by Josiah GrayRey N. Ath @reyanth.bsky.social · 07/03/2026Welp, The #LibraroPrize has reached the point where the visibility boat has sailed. Only the books with established audiences that are trending will be catching the organic crowd. (Who mostly seem to run from the awful quality of the frontrunning translations.) Time to let that be and write #TSS. 111
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 07/03/2026The Awakening by Joseph Lyttleton reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk in the best way possible. The way he describes the world is blunt but darkly funny while also tackling weighty ideas. It's the kind of story that sticks with you. Read it on Libraro: shorturl.at/g18pU 011
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 07/03/2026The ÆRA Research Facility is MASSIVE and so are its dangers. Monsters in the halls. A countdown to total destruction. An AI whispering in her mind. And at the center of it all—a teenage hacker fighting to survive. #scifi #yalit #writerslift #WIPSnips 190
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 07/03/2026Countries should introduce a 'classroom conscription' like a national educational service where everyone must spend a year working in education. Nothing shows you the importance of good #parenting quite like #teaching someone else’s kids. 😅📚 130
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 07/03/2026#writerslift If you write sci-fi or horror, share your WIP. I’m publishing *Terminal Fuse* where a teen with cybernetic upgrades learns the AI in her head may be the only way to survive her suicide mission. shorturl.at/oVoqK #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #Libraro 100
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Just read Downpour: Stone & Storm by J M Di Girolamo — and what a great submission! The worldbuilding is lush and immersive, bringing a fantasy world of endless rain to life; and it really feels YA which I love, love, love. Find it on Libraro: shorturl.at/OYb0Q #YAfiction 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 06/03/2026I like sci-fi that wastes no time getting into trouble. That’s the idea behind Terminal Fuse. The danger starts early — and the clock never really stops. Read it on #Libraro: shorturl.at/CSOCN #SciFi #WritingCommunity 020
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Hey #WritingCommunity! What's the lesson you wished you'd learned BEFORE starting your first novel? For me, I wish it'd realised the importance of having a clear pitch. My first novel was rather aimless. #writingtips #amwriting 020
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Some entries grab you with plot. Others pull you in with the sheer beauty of the writing. Pulse Points by @marescreve.bsky.social has a poetic flow and a raw narrative voice, each POV is a character study. Worth a read on #Libraro: shorturl.at/wsdAy 011
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Happy #WorldBookDay2026! As a festive treat, here's evidence of the time I dressed up for my students... But no other teacher did, rather embarrassing. Bragging rights to anyone who can figure out who I am! 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 04/03/2026What’s your biggest writing bad habit? Mine's refusing to edit... I hate it! #writers #writingcommunity #amwriting #indieauthor 240
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 04/03/2026Just read The Cook by NS Streets for the #Libraro Prize by #HachetteUK — genuinely impressive. Pacey, suspenseful, and vividly written, with tight narrative control that keeps the tension building. I’d absolutely keep reading. Take a look: shorturl.at/6txPs 001
Reposted by Josiah GrayWoodley Dowar @wdowar.bsky.social · 04/03/2026lethargy a foe deep in bone get some sleep #vss365 #lethargy #haikuprompt #senryu #poem #writing #amwriting #writesky 0165
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 04/03/2026I entered my sci-fi novel into the #Libraro which means I am now refreshing the page like it personally owes me money and answers about my life choices. If you enjoy high-stakes fiction written by someone who's crashing out in real time, read my novel: shorturl.at/CSOCNmedia.tenor.coma cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire .ALT: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee surrounded by fire . 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Still ruminating over Darkness and Distance by @estella_rua. This #Libraro entry has staying power, almost like Frankenstein's monster itself. The continuation of Mary Shelley's story does feel like her intended spiritual successor: app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 001
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 03/03/2026 Love this by @katemckean.bsky.social: 'What we don't see are all the unfinished, unsuccessful books... It's not like the author's bio says "Ms. Writer is the author of three published books and twelve and a half unpublished manuscripts." Maybe we should start that!' I think we REALLY should. 071
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 02/03/2026 @wdowar.bsky.social called my writing 'new William Gibson for the video game age' and I think it might be the single greatest complement I've recieved. Excuse me while I ugly cry in the corner. 😭 #cyberpunk #Libraro #HachetteUK 031
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 02/03/2026Hypothetical Situation! You wake up in a lab, half-machine, and there’s a voice in your head telling you to trust them. Do you... A) Follow the voice B) Don’t trust it — go alone C) Call IT support! 😂😭 Find out on #Libraro: shorturl.at/SzzIJ #YAfiction #NearFuture #AI 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 02/03/2026YA readers — this one’s for you. Island lab. Rogue AI. Monstrous experiments. A teenage hacker who should be dead… but isn’t. Terminal Fuse is a near-future horror-thriller built for fans of high-concept sci-fi. Read here: shorturl.at/SzzIJ #YA #SciFi #SF #Libraro 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 02/03/2026Riverborne by R Parker delivers something both surreal and beautiful. Naming the protagonist Ghost feels like a narrative promise — and the story truly fulfills it. The pacing is slow but deliberate, building toward something I actually want to see unfold! @Libraro_ shorturl.at/jk64B 101
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 01/03/2026Anyone with young kids should ABSOLUTELY entry this prize drawing. My daughter loves her Yoto and she's only eighteen months. It's the toy that never grows old. #Yoto #WorldBookDay 010
Reposted by Josiah GrayWoodley Dowar @wdowar.bsky.social · 27/02/2026When the alien #threat came it wasn't an #artifact, it was broadcast: the work of an extraterrestrial #poet. We were #obsessed with its ideas. It had an unbreakable #hold on us. When the spell broke we had lost our will to create. After that: Everything else #scififri #2wordprompt #vssmagic #vss365 0224
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Just finished AI Assassin by NJ Atkins — seriously sharp writing. The verbs carry the pace (no lazy adverb clutter), so every scene's immersive. Great Black Mirror vibes too: tech weaponised in chillingly plausible ways. Tight, tense, and cleverly executed. #Libraro 001
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Schools should be exempt from YouTube commercials since nothing details a lesson quite like a tampon advert. #teaching #philosophyofasmartass 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 25/02/2026An island research facility prying open the universe's secrets. Hundreds of failed experiments still roaming its corridors. And one rogue AI that wants out — no matter the cost. Terminal Fuse. Read it now on #Libraro. #WSPitQuerying #WIPSnips #YA #SF #H #T 041
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 25/02/2026Until I had a daughter, I didn't get that scene in ET but now I see Spielberg's genius. #ET #Spielberg #girldad #ParentingMoments #NowIGETIt #80sMovies 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 24/02/2026The Dream Architect by R J McLaughlin is, without question, one of the strongest #Libraro submissions I’ve read. This is dark academia done properly — not just in aesthetic, but in atmosphere, tone, and intellectual weight. The hook genuinely hooks! #DarkAcademia #SpeculativeFiction 021
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 24/02/2026When working at a literary agency, I rejected HUNDREDS of queries. The reason? Most openings were predictable or cliche. Which is why mine's intentionally unforgettable. The protagonist must drown her friend, in order to save him. Read it on #Libraro: app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... #WritingTips 011
Reposted by Josiah GrayWoodley Dowar @wdowar.bsky.social · 24/02/2026More #blueskywriters in the Libraro competition. Head over to Libraro at the link below to support @josiahgray.bsky.social 's wonderful, contemporary cyberpunk fiction. You do need to register to vote but there is a cash prize for readers who engage there too and lots of brilliant work to explore! 021
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 23/02/2026I don’t usually read this kind of narrative — but The Whistleblower by Clinton Kay won me over. It’s a slow burn (not dull — measured), driven by strong character moments, vivid description, and dialogue that feels natural. The manuscript is a real #Libraro contender! 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Cybernetic augmentation is every gamer’s daydream, but teenage Angeline Castillo’s upgrades aren’t just enhancing her innate abilities: they’re integrating her with the very AI her spec-ops team is tasked to destroy. Read my #YA novel Terminal Fuse on #Libraro: app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Science turns death into a respawn for teenage hacker Angeline Castillo — but the upgrade comes with cybernetics and a voice in her head called Archie. He might be the fuse that saves the world… or burns it down. #WritingCommunity #Libraro 030
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 22/02/2026The pages of Daughter of the Waning Moon by Misha Bolton sing. ✨ Many of the fantasy elements feel familiar, but the beauty of the writing carries you away — and the character names are spectacular. @Libraro_ @hachetteuk app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 010
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 22/02/2026I just read Daughter of the Night by Gemma Vale and thoughoughly enjoyed the use of 1st person POVs. For anyone intested in tightly written YA fantasy, this book is for you! Read it for the Libraro Prize and support an upcoming artist! app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 22/02/2026The atmosphere in The Need is relentless. The forest feels alive — and not in a good way. From the gory moose to the marks on the trees, every encounter unsettled me. The protagonist can’t trust anyone — that tension works. app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 000
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Teen hacker dies in a biotech lab. Respawns. Half her skull replaced with cybernetics. The facility's in ruins. There’s now a voice in her head. He says he’s trapped. He says needs her. And he can offer help in return. In a place crawling with things that shouldn’t exist… do you form an alliance? 110
Josiah Gray @josiahgray.bsky.social · 20/02/2026Anyone else enter their novel in the #LibraroPrize? Tell me about your story. I'd love to read and plug it! My #Libraro entry is a YA technothriller called Terminal Fuse: app.libraro.com/manuscript/d... 130
