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Reposted by Lucy A. McLaren

Small Spec Book Awards @specawards.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

As a result of recent disqualifications in the horror category for the 2026 SSBA competition, we have updated our slides to include our new semifinalists. Congratulations to all the semifinalists, and we wish you good luck in the final round of the competition!

Image shows all 10 fantasy books honored as semifinalists in the 2026 Small Spec Book Awards.

Image shows all 10 horror books honored as semifinalists in the 2026 Small Spec Book Awards.

Image shows all 10 science fiction books honored as semifinalists in the 2026 Small Spec Book Awards.

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Small Spec Book Awards @specawards.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

ECHOES OF THE ETHERSTONE by @lucyamclaren.bsky.social (Own Talyn Press) FALLEN DESTINY by @yolandasfetsos.bsky.social (@brigidsgatepress.bsky.social) HUNTING STATIC by Jayde Layne (@thewpp.bsky.social) SMALL MAGICS FOR THE TRAVELING WIZARD by @samckenzie.bsky.social (@cloakedpress.bsky.social)

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Small Spec Book Awards @specawards.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Congratulations to @lucyamclaren.bsky.social! Her book ECHOES OF THE ETHERSTONE, published by Owl Talyn Press, is a semifinalist in the fantasy category for the 2026 Small Spec Book Awards. #SSBA #SSBA2026

A visual showing the cover of ECHOES OF THE ETHERSTONE as a semifinalist.

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Woohoo! Through to the semi-finals. 😎

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Woohoo, Echoes of the EtherStone is in the semi-finals! Congratulations to my fellow semi-finalists!! 🥰

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

#WIPSnips word of the day is “offer” - here’s mine from my gothic horror fantasy, This Loathsome Monster, which I’m currently editing! 🙂 #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

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J.V.Jones @jv-jones.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Friday March 27, Heath Miller will be live-streaming his narration of Chapter 1 of Endlords Join us at 8pm ET on TikTok and Discord. We’ll be giving away three signed J.V.Jones hardbacks. Come learn how Watcher of the Dead got his name. Links in comments. #epicfantasy

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Dave Capdevielle @cadaverdave.com · 30/06/2025

Need a voice actor for your project? Consider hiring me! 📨 CONTACT - cadaverdavebiz@gmail.com

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DD Ward ..."Interim Pirate Queen" @ddwardiswriting.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

I don't use generative AI. I don't use Chat GPT. I don't use Pro Writing Aid. I don't even use Grammarly.

The word AI with eat black diagonal line through it.

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Gothic psycho - gothic books featuring killers that I am for some reason *very* drawn to at the moment. And here’s a selection of my favourites! Did I miss any? Anything I must read that would fit in with these?? #gothicbooks #gothicvibes #gothicreads #gothicreader #BookSky #ReaderSky

Black background with blood splatter detail.
Red writing reads: gothic psycho
White writing reads: gothic books featuring killers that you should totally read

Black background with blood splatter detail.
Cover for Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce
White writing reads:
Inspired by true story of Belle Gunness
Female serial killer
Feminine rage
Unlikeable (but compelling) main character

Cover for The Butcher’s Daughter by David Demchuk and Corinne Leigh Clark
White writing reads:

Inspired by Sweeney Todd
Unreliable narrator
Epistolary storytelling
That ending!!!

Black background with blood splatter detail.
Cover for The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
White writing reads:

Murder mystery
Victorian London
Child exploitation
Twist ending

Cover for Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen
White writing reads:

Visceral body horror
Sapphic romance
Fantastic worldbuilding
Shocking ending

Black background with blood splatter detail.
Cover for Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
White writing reads:
Female serial killer
Black humour
Climactic - and gruesome - ending

Cover for Echoes of the EtherStone by Lucy A. McLaren
White writing reads:

Inspired by Jack the Ripper
Murder mystery
Amateur sleuths
Female friendship

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Reposted by Lucy A. McLaren

silvertiger @ gateway fate! @kittendrumstick.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

my only notes to people under 30: your 30s aren't for ditching fandom, they're for re-evaluating all the "cringe" stuff you liked as a teenager through the lens of someone who can appreciate it fully, going, "that owned, actually," and becoming even more unhinged about it. please look forward to it.

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Apparently it’s International Gothic Reading Month, soooo here’s my Jack the Ripper inspired gothic horror fantasy book in case you fancy it. 😏 #gothicreadingmonth #gothicbooks #gothichorror #gothicfantasy #BookSky #WritingCommunity #indiebooks #indieauthor

Black background with red blood stain.
White writing reads:
Fancy a Jack the Ripper inspired gothic horror fantasy book for gothic reading month?

Black background with red blood stain.
Cover for Echoes of the EtherStone by Lucy A. McLaren - black with red light coming from an old fashioned streetlamp, silhouette of top hat wearing person in foreground, a glinting knife in their hand.
White writing reads:
Out now
Ebook just 99p/99c
"Echoes of the EtherStone is a thrilling gothic mystery where the power of friendship can overcome even the darkest of evils.”

Black background with red blood stain.
White writing reads:
Echoes of the EtherStone
Catching a killer will come at a cost.
Character art:
Man with brown skin and short, curly black hair, brown eyes, stern faced.
Man with white skin, side-parted brown hair, blue eyes, a slight smile on his lips,
Woman with white skin, blonde hair in a braid around her crown, blue eyes, thin-faced and serious expression.
Woman with dark brown skin, brown eyes, long curly black hair half pinned up.
All are wearing Victorian inspired period dress.

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Reposted by Lucy A. McLaren

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 20/01/2026

What's remarkable is not just that Trump is so loathsome and narcissistic that he doesn't care when an innocent woman is killed in a protest unless and until he finds out that her dad was a fan of his ... it's that he's so disregulated he *can't help but say so out loud*.

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

One line book reviews for: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Play Nice by Rachel Harrison Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce What Hunger by Catherine Dang The gothic/horror vibes continue and show no signs of abating & I am *loving* it.

Black background white red mist graphic. White text reads:
One line book reviews (because I have too many outstanding and not enough brain power to write anything longer)

Black background white red mist graphic.
Book cover for Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley
White text reads:
A dark, funny slasher story that kept me guessing, perfect for any horror fans.

Black background white red mist graphic.
Book cover for Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce
White text reads:
Dark and disturbing story with an unlikeable but strangely compelling main character.

Black background white red mist graphic.
Book cover for What Hunger by Catherine Dang
White text reads:
A compelling story of grief, rage, and violence that was hard to put down, though the ending left me wishing there'd been more (says more about me, probably haha.)

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Little early birthday pressie from my niece and nephew. Looking forward to reading these! 📚 #horrorbooks #amreading #gothichorror #horrorreads #amreadinghorror #BookSky

Two books pictured:
Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill (black cover with plants and rodents and skulls around the title)
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy (black cover with a red doorway through which a Wolf is walking down some stairs)

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Delighted to say the ebooks for both books (so far) in The Commune’s Curse series are available wide in ebook! And they’re both just 99p - what a bargain, if I do say so myself. 😏 #darkfantasy #indiefantasybooks #fantasyreader #fantasyseries #thecommunescurse #BookSky #indieauthor

Ebooks now available wide
Covers for:
The Cruel God’s Awakening (The Commune’s Curse: Book 1) - depicting a red haired woman wearing a green cloak with back to the cover, facing a ruined castle in distance.
The Mad Man’s Hope (The Commune’s Curse: Book 2) - depicting a man and a boy, both wearing brown cloaks and with their backs to the cover, facing the wooden fenced walls of a small town.
Link: Linktr.ee/lucyamclaren

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Some 2025 favourites in TV, film, and music! Anything you enjoyed watching / listening to here?? 🙂 #2025wrapup #amwatching #amlistening #authorlife #indieauthor

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Just entered my first SPFBO! Good luck to everyone else who’s submitted. Fingers crossed for getting into the lucky 300 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 #spfbo #fantasybooks #fantasywriter #fantasyreader #darkfantasy

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Christmas book purchases 📖 First time I’ve been in a bookshop and headed straight for horror rather than fantasy 🧐😏 #horrorbooks #booksbooksbooks #horrorreads #gothichorror #femininerage #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Favourite books read in 2025. The vibe has definitely leant more towards gothic and horror this year, though there are still a few fantasies in there! 📕 #2025reads #gothicbooks #horrorbooks #amreading #readerlife #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Happy holidays everyone! Wishing you all rest, peace, & love. ❤️ Thank you to everyone who has supported me as an author this year, in whatever way that has been! Here’s to 2026–I’ve got big plans for my writing. Watch this space. 👀📚 #happyholidays #authorlife #fantasywriter #fantasybooks

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

A reminder that voting is open for the @indieinkawards & your votes for my book Echoes of the EtherStone would be amazing. ❤️ www.indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-... #indieinkawards #indiebooks #BookSky #writingcommunity #indiefantasy #gothicfantasy

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

A lovely review for my debut re-release, The Cruel God’s Awakening. ❤️

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Voting is now open for the Indie Ink Awards! Please consider voting for Echoes of the EtherStone in the following categories: - best book cover & cover artist - best friendship - best morally gray character - best setting

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

The Cruel God’s Awakening (The Commune’s Curse: Book 1) is out today! I hope it finds all the dark fantasy fans. And if you fancy giving it a try, the ebook is just 99p / 99c! Bargain. Link in bio. #darkfantasy #fantasyreads #bookrelease #foundfamily #animalcompanions #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

One more day until the (re)release of The Cruel God’s Awakening, the first book in my dark fantasy series, The Commune’s Curse. Oh and the ebook is included in the very first Introverted Indies Stuff Your Kindle event from 15th to 18th December too, on sale for just 99p / 99c!!

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C.M. Rosens @cmrosens.com · 04/12/2025

5 ways to give your fave authors free-to-you gifts over the holidays! 💙📚 1. post about their book on socials 2. rec on other posts & Reddit threads 3. suggest their book to a book club! 4. order their book from a library/ask can it be ordered in! 5. add it to GoodReads lists for discoverability!

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

My dark fantasy (re)release The Cruel God’s Awakening (The Commune’s Curse: Book 1) is coming in less than a week!! & the ebook is just 99p / 99c, how’s that for a bargain? Grab a copy here: mybook.to/TCGAtcc1 #darkfantasy #fantasyreads #bookrelease #animalcompanions #foundfamily #chosenone

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

It’s #WIPWednesday so here’s a little quote from my current gothic fantasy book which I am currently tweaking and rewriting, with the hope of finishing it by the end of the year. LET’S DO THIS. #wipquote #gothicfantasy #amwriting #gothicbooks #writerlife #gothicvibes #WriterSky #writingcommunity

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

The #WIPSnips word of the day is “fourth” so here’s a snippet from my current work in progress, a gothic fantasy story. Trigger warning: pregnancy loss. #WriteSky #writingcommunity #writerlife

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Reposted by Lucy A. McLaren

✨#WIPSnips✨ A Daily Writing Share Tag @wipsnips.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Welcome to a new week of #WIPSnips! The word for December 8th is "fourth" #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#WIPSnips a bluesky writing community tag
December 8 - fourth
Share a line from your WIP with the daily word for inspiration
Use #WIPSnips. Don't forget Alt Text for graphics
Synonyms, variation and vibes are fine.
Support others on the #WIPSnips tag!
Hosted by rosie-j-potter.bsky.social

The image behind the text is a border that is black with stars with a light blue rectangle highlighted by a fuchsia line. An illustrated caticorn holding a pencil and writing in a book with a rose behind one ear is in the lower right corner

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who nominated Echoes of the EtherStone in the Indie Ink Awards!! It’s up for more categories than I had hoped which is amazing. Voting opens 15th December, I’ll share more details then ❤️ #gothicfantasy #indieinkawards #bookawards #indiebooks #gothicbooks #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

U.K. fantasy and gothic fiction fans! If you fancy any of my books as Christmas gifts (for yourself or others, I’m not judging 😏), do check out my ko-fi shop this week. 📕 ko-fi.com/lucyamclaren... #gothicfantasy #darkfantasy #signedbooks #indiebooks #supportindie #indiebooks #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Time for a bookshelf makeover! 📚 See anything you recognise?? 👀 #bookshelfie #bookshelf #readerlife #amreading #BookSky #ReaderSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

When there are too many good books to read so you just read 5 at a time 😅😅😅 (All in different formats to be fair so it’s not so bad). My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

I recently finished watching What We Do In The Shadows and I have no idea why it took me so long!! Amazing, hilarious, and heartwarming. Will definitely need to rewatch. 🧛🏻 If you know anything in the same vein (ha), do let me know your recommendations! #whatwedointheshadows #wwdits #amwatching

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

If you fancy some political dark fantasy this holiday season, why not check out the re-release of my debut book? ⚔️ The Cruel God’s Awakening (The Commune’s Curse: Book 1) is coming 15th December and is just 99p / 99c on ebook! Pre-order here: mybook.to/TCGAtcc1 #darkfantasy #fantasyreads #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

If you fancy some gothic m*rder mystery this holiday season, why not give Echoes of the EtherStone a try? It’s available in paperback and ebook (the latter of which is just 99p / 99c!!). Buy here: linktr.ee/lucyamclaren #gothicfantasy #gothicreads #bookquote #murdermystery #BookSky #gothicvibes

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Christmas jumper day in the office AKA my lounge (self-employed life). 🎄 #indieauthor #amwriting #christmasjumper #writerlife #indiewriter

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Well, the new covers for my dark fantasy series, The Commune’s Curse, are looking rather good together. 👀👀👀 #darkfantasy #fantasybooks #bookcover #fantasyreads #BookSky #fantasyseries

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Just 2 weeks until the (re)release of The Cruel God’s Awakening (The Commune’s Curse: Book 1). If you didn’t read it the first time round and fancy some dark fantasy in your life, do add it to your Christmas list 😏 Pre-order here: linktr.ee/lucyamclaren #darkfantasy #fantasyreads #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

And that’s a wrap on #NoNotWriMo! I got to 90th place on the leaderboard which isn’t bad as I think hundreds of people took part. Thanks to the awesome people at Freewrite for hosting this & giving me the boost I needed to get moving on my WIP. Now to try and get this baby finished… 📕 #amwriting

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Final day of #NoNotWriMo 💪🏻 This has been an awesome motivator, I’m going to continue into December to try and finish my book! #amwriting #fantasywriter #gothicfantasy #freewrite #indieauthor #authorsky #BookSky

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Lucy A. McLaren @lucyamclaren.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

A little look behind the scenes at my highly professional family tree for my current work in progress (a gothic fantasy featuring toxic romance & feminine rage & fighting the patriarchy). I absolutely know what I’m doing. 📚 #indiebooks #gothicreads #indiewriter #toxicromance #BookSky #WriterSky

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