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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne

@rflong.bsky.social
5.5K followers 1.3K following 2.5K posts

Author, Librarian, general book nerd, SFF, Irish, she/her (pretty much always a library in my books) www.rflong.com www.patreon.com/c/RuthFrancesLongJe…

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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 1h
Cork is looking pretty All set for @octocon.bsky.social
View of Cork at sunset
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Sharrow 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇮🇪🦄💙📚🎃 @sharrow.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026
💙📚 #Spéirgorm #irishwriters
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Berlin airport, more apfelkuchen. I can't show you a photo this time because I ate it so quickly. Om nom nom.
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Over on my Patreon I've started a serial - Nightmare in Shining Armour. One dark lord, two amateur kidnappers, and a whole lot of trouble… Chapter 1 is up now for subscribers. www.patreon.com/posts/170827...
"Nightmare in Shining Armour - I've dark lord, two inept kidnappers, a whole lot of trouble - Ruth Frances Long"
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Paul "Princejvstin" Weimer @princejvstin.com · 30/09/2026
oh and the first one is on a kindle sale for $2.99 www.amazon.com/Book-Gold-fi... @kithrup.bsky.social
amazon.com
The Book of Gold: the first magical book heist novel in the Feral Gods trilogy
The Book of Gold: the first magical book heist novel in the Feral Gods trilogy - Kindle edition by Long, Ruth Frances. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Book of Gold: the first magical book heist novel in the Feral Gods trilogy.
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Oisín McGann @oisinmcgann.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We should treat genAI in publishing the way you’d treat a vampire trying to enter your home. You never give it permission to enter. It doesn’t matter if it‘s polite or makes generous offers or it’s *only* going to take the ones *you* don’t care about. It’s here for your blood. Don’t let it in.
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Paul "Princejvstin" Weimer @princejvstin.com · 30/09/2026
I am excited that @rflong.bsky.social THE GOD OF BRONZE, the conclusion to her Feral Gods trilogy, will be coming in November
The god of bronze
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GMBanks @gmbanks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm reading it at the moment and really enjoying it. It's charming and interesting.
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
#Bookqw word is Treat and at The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary on Starling Island, Portia, Jade and Noah are starting to settle in. The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary is out now and only 99p. #Bookstagram #BookstagramIreland #writersofinstagram #StarlingIsland
Bookqw from The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary, out now, in which Noah offers the dragons dates as a treat and Portia is suddenly distracted by thoughts of a different kind of date with Noah.
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Beautiful Poznan ❤️
Poznan cathedral in sunshine
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Daniel Bellingradt @dbellingradt.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
That’s a book from 1756 you won’t find in the catalogues. It’s art from Hito Steyerl, and featured this weekend in the German SZ Magazin. The real Codex Maximilianeus Bavaricus Civilis exists, but without #AI robots on the title page next to an entry about “Leibeigenschaft” #bookhistory #skystorians
A screenshot of a digitized book page that don’t exists. The shown entry of the Munich MDZ, a page from a fake 1756 book titled Codex Maximilianeus Bacaricus Civilis, is enriched with a new title page image: parts of AI robots performing a weird dance. The opened page is about “Leibeigenschaft”.
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Sean Eric Fagan @kithrup.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
There is still 1 copy of this #UKKindleBookGiveaway (a subset of #KindleBookGiveaway) book available: amazon.co.uk/kindle/redeem/?t=GSPBHZG2QM42YKF
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Circ @tinyicecat.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This news is important because all the fucks out there actively attempting to wreck the world want you to think that the work is hopeless and just mitigating the worst case scenario. It's not. Fucking keep going.
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thing is... these things were extremely time sensitive & human beings were solving them in a matter of hours. If they couldn't be cracked in that timeframe & codes reset they moved on. So 2 days isn't great really (Not to mention it has access to all the breakthroughs from Bletchley & Poznan etc)
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Update: Apfelkuchen! Success!
A large slice of apfelkuchen bedside abba even larger cup of coffee in Berlin airport
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Now as we wait for our bus to take us onwards, we also wait for the cafe with the finest apfelkuchen in Berlin airport to open... While drinking a bucket of coffee
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Teeny bit worrying when the pilot welcomes us "on this flight to.... err... Berlin "
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 26/09/2026
So apropos of nothing in particular, let’s talk about media tie-in novel pay vs. original work pay, shall we? Let’s say you write a novel. It’s set in your own world, your own characters, and titled The Original. You get a book deal! Look at you go!
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CE (Catie) Murphy @cemurphy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
With @rflong.bsky.social's delightful TEACUP DRAGON SANCTUARY, I have reached my goal of reading 52 books this year. Yay! www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2YKZGH...
amazon.com
The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary: The BRAND NEW cosy romantasy with adorable teacup dragons, an enemies to lovers plotline and an immersive fantasy world from Jessica Thorne (Starling Island Book 1)
Amazon.com: The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary: The BRAND NEW cosy romantasy with adorable teacup dragons, an enemies to lovers plotline and an immersive fantasy world from Jessica Thorne (Starling Island Book 1) eBook : Thorne, Jessica: Kindle Store
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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
A crowded broadsheet with way too many fonts. It says:
Forget ChatGPT Flyers
Say it with 
Broadsheets
Unlimited fonts
Stretch them
Or cram a really long sentence into one line for no good reason
No whitespace
Mix capital and lowercase
Pointing hands
(They're called manicules!)
Don't be left behind
Broadsheets are the future
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Massimo (mirror) @rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Swedish king Eric XIV's parade armour was made in Arbogain 1562 and decorated in Antwerp by goldsmith Elisaeus Libaerts. One detail of its magnificence, is certainly given by its sabaton's extreme flexibility. Original post
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Bob Johnston @bobjohnstonbooks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A lovely evening at @hodgesfiggis.bsky.social for the launch of @cswritesbooks.bsky.social 's new book 'The Unsolvable Case', the 4th #Undetectables novel with a brilliant panel of @daveruddenwrites.bsky.social @rflong.bsky.social @amyclarkinwrites.bsky.social . @titanbooks.bsky.social
Photograph of Ruth Long, Dave Rudden, Amy Clarkin & Courtney Smyth sitting on chairs behind two round tables and answering questions. They're all laughing. Photo of Bob's hand holding two books The Unsolvable Case & The Undetectables
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Stars and Sabers @starsandsabers.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Book passage on the “surreal journey” of THE HYENA, a mind-bending novel by Emmy Award winner @quantick.bsky.social! Preorder today. Out November 10. Thank you to @rflong.bsky.social for the quote. Art by @erniechiara.com. #surrealism #books #literature #alternatehistory #comingsoon
Picture of the book THE HYENA by David Quantick.
Cover art by Ernie Chiara.

Text:
'The Hyena takes us on a surreal journey through questions of identity and reality and the nature of art and creativity."
- Ruth Frances Long, author of The Feral Gods trilogy
Preorder Now!
November 10, 2026
Stars and Sabers Publishing logo
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AP Stylebook @apstylebook.com · 23/09/2026
Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics.
apnews.com
https://apnews.com/article/openai-safety-ai-framework-089e75b95bc935af092da7b79d92706d
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What to see behind the scenes, find out what I'm up to, get access to artwork, stories, excerpts and even, starting soon, a new exclusive story? Join my Patreon now. www.patreon.com/RuthFrancesL...
patreon.com
Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne — Fiction from the heart which often stray into weird
Get more from Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne on Patreon. Fiction from the heart which often stray into weird. Support Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne and get exclusive access to their work.
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CE (Catie) Murphy @cemurphy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This trilogy is GREAT, one of my favorite things I've read recently! The world building is immaculate, the love stories are agonizingly delicious, and on top of it all they're PHYSICALLY BEAUTIFUL objects :D
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Guess what's up on Netgalley... www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/book... The God of Bronze is out 19th November bringing the Feral Gods trilogy to a close. Amberes will never be the same again. #StayFeral #booksky #speirgorm
The covers of the Feral Gods trilogy (The Book of Gold, The Lore of Silver & The God of Bronze). Text reads "The epic conclusion in the thrilling Feral Gods fantasy trilogy"
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CL Hellisen @clhellisen.com · 24/09/2026
The Shape of Monsters is finally out in print and ebook from Tor UK! If you're here for a dark gothic fantasy with all the broken people, twisted dynamics, mages, murder and monsters then you have gone through the correct door Get it now from your favourite bookshop
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BOO! k HistoriAAAH 🎃 @book-historia.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I found just the most delightfully awful heraldry book in the collection this afternoon, and I am SCREAMING at this absolute mush of the Dürer rhino 😂
A variety of crudely engraved heraldic animals
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 23/09/2026
Anyway, the moral is that just because it wasn’t a grueling slog to write doesn’t mean it’s not fun to read.
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Dylan Lewis @iamdylanlewis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
really tired of the genre of academic think-pieces/melancholia from people who have not worked as a GLAM professional in any real way who are horrified that some things get thrown away or repurposed, and that this is part of the natural cycle of material culture. Just trust us!
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Dylan Lewis @iamdylanlewis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Librarians & archivists go to work every day and devote their time and energy to make things accessible and discoverable, today and for many, many days to come. If you see us at the dumpsters, mind your business! Nobody thinks more about the preservation of knowledge and the human record than we do.
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I haven't done a #BookQW in a while, but with the release of The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary, here's a glimpse of how Portia and Noah first meet. Hint: it doesn't go well. The BookQW word this week is knew/know. The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary is out now from only 99p. mybook.to/TeacupDragon...
Quote from The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary on a dark blue background with the cover in the right hand bottom corner. Text reads: This Week's #BookQW is KNEW.

'Who says I'm a new owner?' Portia snapped, thoroughly fed up with his presumption. 

His smile came back, just on the edge of mocking, and his eyes sparkled with amusement at her annoyance. 'Are you not? You said it was a new situation. How long have you had her?'

Unable to answer, Portia bit her lower lip. For Wenn's sake, she knew all about teacup dragons. It was unavoidable given her upbringing. Jade was just... challenging. That was all. They were just getting to know each other. She'll be far more wary in future.

Unfortunately, Turner read her silence as something else. 'Yes, I thought as much. Learn quickly, young lady.'

The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary Starling Island Book 1 Available Now.
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DocAtCDI @docatcdi.com · 09/04/2026
I have a library joke, but I'll shelve it for now.
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Simon Bisson @sbisson.com · 21/09/2026
Recent Reads: The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary. Jessica Thorne's cosy romantasy has higher stakes than most, underneath its tale of a mysterious island and its link to dragon magic, mixed with academic and social rivalries. An enjoyable confection, much like its tiny dragons that thrive on cream cakes.
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Prof. Dimitra Fimi @dimitrafimi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Wonderful #Tolkien news! Westminster Abbey has announced that J.R.R. Tolkien will be honoured with a memorial in Poets' Corner. I've known about this project for some years + was privileged to be consulted during its development. Great to see it made public! www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-news/a...
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Octocon @octocon.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Octocon is less than 2 weeks away! Whether you're coming to Cork or joining us online, you'll get plenty of chances to hear & see our Guest of Honour @cemurphy.bsky.social talking about her writing life, her many many SFF (and mystery) books, & lots more! #Octocon2026 octocon.com/2025/10/c-e-...
An Octocon card announcing our Guest of Honour C.E. (Catie) Murphy. Catie's face appears in the centre of the card, against a purple background that has details of the Cork skyline in black at the bottom, along with a white giant robot and dragon and a green UFO. Catie is a white woman with short brown hair.
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Rory O Kelly @roryisok.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Happy Birthday @sarahreesbrennan.bsky.social ! Added a new thing to SffAuthors.ie - If it’s your birthday, you're automatically author of the day. (I’m pulling dates from wikipedia so I only have them for some people)
The front page of sffauthors.ie, featuring Sarah Rees Brennan as author of the day. It also features a banner which reads Happy Birthday to Sarah Rees Brennan
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Patrick Samphire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @patricksamphire.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As Steph always fails to mention, this was the winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Award for Best Romantasy/Romantic Fantasy Novel of 2025, so it's an exceptional book!
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is such a gorgeous romance. Highly recommend.
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Stephanie Burgis @stephanieburgis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
If you're in the UK, for just 9 more days, you can scoop up the ebook of my cozy-spooky fantasy rom-com Wooing the Witch Queen for only 99p! www.panmacmillan.com/authors/step... & of course it's still available everywhere else, too: stephanieburgis.com/books/wooing-the-witch-queen #romancelandia
In the centre of this image is the beautiful British cover of Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis. The illustration shows a man in a cloak riding headlong through the night towards an ominous castle with an illuminated, crowned female figure in its doorway and bats flying overhead in the moonlight. A potion vial surrounds that central image and is further framed by leaves and branches. Crows sit on the branches, and a tagline reads: Love can be a witch. A blurb from Sangu Mandanna reads: ‘Warm and lovely’
Around the image, against a starry night background, are various pieces of text connected to it by arrows. They read: “bi villainous heroine,” “sweet cinnamon-roll hero with a fake identity,” “crow friends,” “found family,” and “flirting with fountains pens.” At the bottom of the image are the words: Only 99p this September!
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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
& our more recent Black Death research shows that peasant empowerment only happened in very limited areas where policy enabled it; elsewhere elites used the disruption 2 strip workers’ rights more, creating the 1st debtors’ prisons. But only the outdated “mass death => wealth” version gets quoted 🤨😔
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Jeevani Charika / Rhoda Baxter @jeevanicharika.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I read The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary by Jessica Thorne. Here is my review.
rhodabaxter.com
Book review: The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary by Jessica Thorne
I love this book! The teacup dragons are ADORABLE, but they are also well intergrated into the fantasy world, so they're not just a cutesy addition. The world is well realised and believable. I especially liked the contrast between the rule obsessed and stifling academy and the more laissez faire atmosphere of Starling Island.Portia is wonderfully prickly. It's nice to see a 'difficult woman' as a heroine (she's not 'difficult' she's just very good at what she does and impatient with idiots who can't keep up).
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Jeevani Charika / Rhoda Baxter @jeevanicharika.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"This book was charming and captivating, warm and comforting. Everything I needed." Alana Oxford (author of Scotsman in the Stacks) Cosy, low spice, small town romance. The Valentine's Express on the Brambleberry Railway is out soon. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GHQQMFKB
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Ruth Frances Long / Jessica Thorne @rflong.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So far I've finished two books on this holiday, both absolute 5 star reads - Daggerbound by @tkingfisher.com and The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (this one originally apt as we started the first night in beautiful Paimpont). Highly recommend both.
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Liz Bourke @hawkwinglb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I will be at @octocon.bsky.social in Cork if anyone wants to catch up. Here's my schedule. prog.octocon.com/people/Z0084 It's be good to see you, @cemurphy.bsky.social and @rflong.bsky.social! I don't get out nearly enough anymore.
prog.octocon.com
ConClár Program Guide
ConClár Programme Guide
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Oisín McGann @oisinmcgann.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here's my piece for @thebookseller.com about the issue of increasing admin demands on authors and illustrators doing kids' book events, and the impact the Karshan ruling by the Supreme Court could have on those events in Ireland. (not my choice of headline) www.thebookseller.com/comment/kars...
thebookseller.com
The Karshan ruling is crushing kids' book events
Changes to the rules around self-employment in Ireland is having a swift and serious impact on children's book events, writes Oisin McGann.
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Octocon @octocon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It's ALIVE! Check out the Octocon 2026 programme featuring lots of panels, talks, workshops, readings, crafting sessions, discussion groups, games, and Meet the Creator sessions where you can chat informally with our guests, both in Cork and online! 🥳 prog.octocon.com #Octocon2026 #Speirgorm
Text of image: The Octocon 2026 Programme is LIVE! Check out everything going on in Cork and online on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October at https://prog.octocon.com
Background is a soothing purple with stylised images of Cork landmarks in black across the bottom, joined by a white giant robot and dragon. A green UFO hovers above the text.
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Pádraig @padraigfmac.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Is breá liom an chéad abairt: “Dragons of any size had no place in Portia Starling’s orderly life.”
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Tal @taldragon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#KindleBookGiveaway 5 copies to be redeemed - must have an Amazon UK account to claim. #UKBooksky @kithrup.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/redee... www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/redee... www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/redee... www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/redee... www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/redee...
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