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Enjoying doing the copyedit of Mortedant's Enigma. "‘Find anything?’ said Mirial as I left. ‘The look you’re giving me says no but it can be hard to tell, your face being the way it is.’"

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Paul "Princejvstin" Weimer @princejvstin.com · 13h

I loved this latest work from @rjbarker.bsky.social

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 14h

Right, on to copy edits. But Mortedant 3 now stands at 10k words and Irody is on his way to having his day well and truly ruined once more.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 16h

OH NO. That Dark Fellow is at it again. Confused people have said INCY WINCY is even better than A NUMBERS GAME. A low bar if you ask me. Anyway it's pre orderable now... @angryrobotbooks.bsky.social @daturabooks.bsky.social

amazon.co.uk

Incy Wincy

Buy Incy Wincy New by R.J. Dark (ISBN: 9781917415347) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Also, had the oddest dream last night. I could only listen to music by The Cure if I climbed up some bamboo, and it was really flimsy bamboo but sometimes you gotta listen to some Cure. Only now I ama wake I realise it wasn't even bamboo, but a dragon tree.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A subtle handle change for spooky month, but I like it.

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James Alistair Henry @jamesbluecat.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Waterstones have picked Pagans as one of their Paperbacks of the Year, so in all stores at 20% off!

Cover of Pagans, as one of Waterstones' Paperbacks of the Year

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If you enjoyed High Potential then the original French version its based on, HIP, is on Amazon and it is so much odder and therefore better. French Morgan is a wonderful binfire.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Anyway, a thousand words down on Mortedant 3, so lets hope someone wants it, and now on to the copy edit.

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Melissa Caruso @melissacaruso.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

MORTEDANT'S PERIL by @rjbarker.bsky.social has everything: it's funny, it's gripping and page-turny, it's got plot twists and a murder mystery and the unique amazing bizarre worldbuilding you expect from RJ Barker, the characters are great, ahh, just read it (out now): bookshop.org/p/books/mort...

bookshop.org

Mortedant's Peril

In a city of ancient automata, strange spirits, and sleeping gods, a cleric of death finds his own life on the line in this vividly imagined fantasy murder mystery from the acclaimed author of The Bon...

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Mad thing happened on Monday. For the first time in an age I wasn't unbearably tired all day. It was great. Anyway, back to normal now, but I'll always have monday.

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Melissa Caruso @melissacaruso.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Discoverability for new SFF books seems way down these days, especially outside of bestsellers and certain subgenres. I'm noticing this as both a reader and a writer. Great stuff is in danger of sinking without a trace. Please post about new/recent books you love or are excited for!!! I'll start:

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A quick snippet from MORTEDANT'S ENIGMA. "The castle is an uncomfortable and cold place. Its dark corners and tunnels are filled with shadows that seem to move with a life of their own and come lumping their way towards you rather than decently waiting to be approached as shadows should."

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Cloud Save in theory. 'I, a hero, will save your file and allow you access to it from anywhere on anything!' Cloud Save reality. 'Yeah mate, when I feel like it. I'm busy right now.'

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Just over 1k words down. Now on to copy edits for Mortedant's Enigma.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

COPY EDITS TODAY. I'm changing the way I do copy edits by trying to get a few hundred words of writing in before hand. So let's see how that goes.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Like CATS? Like SPACE? Like MECHS? Like SHOOTING STUFF. Like QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ETHICS OF CONSENT IN UPLIFTING ANIMALS AND ALSO THE HEALING OF TRAUMA THROUGH KINDNESS Then, my friend, put the 6TH OF OCTOBER in your diary. Audio and EBOOK release of BEASTS OF THE WILD BLACK. (Tell everyone.)

A cat is looking out of a human space suit at you. That's what we call in the trade, a visual metaphor. Now comes the blurb.

Years ago, Deep Strike cadet Min Law was left behind during what was meant to be a routine operation. Though he survived, the resulting trauma almost ended his career. Now, as captain of the DST Thunberg, he is preparing to take his crew on a similar journey to a seemingly quiet world following a garbled distress signal. The mission is simple on paper: find the source of the call, offer aid, return home.

But nothing is simple in the Wild Black at the edges of the unexplored universe. As the crew of the Thunberg searches for the signal’s source, they find strange ships and corpses that shouldn’t be there. The mysteries begin to pile up. What happened out here? And why does some of the technology look horribly familiar?

Fortunately, Min’s team of animal counterparts is prepared for anything. The bear, Sitka Pete, is eight hundred pounds of loyal muscle. The rooks are quick and coordinated, perfect for reconnaissance. And the cats, Oz and Hinder, well, they’re just cats. But together they’re more than up for whatever the Wild Black can throw at them—even if this region isn’t quite so unexplored after all . . .

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Runalong Womble @runalongwomble.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It’s excellent you wants this

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's very hard to show you the new library so far as it's full of builder's stuff but it's coming along. This is the view when you are standing on the book balcony.

Lots of curved wood. A path. In the corner is the book nook. Some of the shelves are glass fronted.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

So, what will Irody do today? Well, friend, today is the most important bit of any murder mystery, today is the day Irody finds the corpse.

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Mark Thompson @markreckons.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Just seen Danny Tommo referred to as "Captain Thugwash" and seriously, that's excellent work.

static.klipy.com

Amy Poehler's Perfect Chef's Kiss

ALT: Amy Poehler's Perfect Chef's Kiss

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

2300 words this morning, back on the Hasp train.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hey hey friends. You can ore-order INCY WINCY, Mal and Jackie's second adventure from Bookshop.org , 23-27 September and save 20% with the code: SEPT20 Each sale supports real independent bookshops in the UK. If you liked A NUMBERS GAME, you will LOVE this.

uk.bookshop.org

Incy Wincy

Malachite Jones is still keeping up his double life as a pretend psychic and unwilling detective aided by his best friend, Jackie. The last thing he wants is a missing person case, let alone two. Exce...

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Are you even English if you haven't dragged a bluestone from Preseli to Salisbury Plain so you can complete your megalith?

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

My 2nd favourite ever negative reader review of one of my books was someone who listed all the things that should have happened in it to make it a good book, and all those things did happen in the book and I have never been so puzzled in my life.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'd love to reccommend this but alas @mikebrooks668.bsky.social is on my boycott list because my son will read his books and not mine. So Mike is clearly a bad person who has turned my son into A TRAITOR.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Another amazing cover from Joe Wilson for the final main volume in the Tyrant Philosophers series.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The boy is doing maths and his latest homework was something to do with a PERPEDICULAR BISECTOR. I have no idea what it is but I do know it is great fun to say in a Dalek voice. Maybe something you, @richardclegg.bsky.social can use in your lectures.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Oh dear. Today involves so much admin and no writing. The horror, the horror.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Finally home. Aldo, Finnish border control are terrifying.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

There is a whole channel in this Danish hotel that is just people, and sometimes people dressed as bears, sleeping and Danish people you are lovely but WTF?

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We are MAROONED in Scandanavia. Thankfully it is in beautiful Copenhagen.

I've no doubt Copenhagen is beautiful but maybe not this bit.

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Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

You can see from the photo that boat's tipped too far right

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Brilliant weekend at the Fantasy Festival in Esbjerg. Tired now and it's a long trip home.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A platform boot of nostalgia, stamping out human art, forever.

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Nat Guest @unfortunatalie.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

"My house and his house are two different houses, territories overlaid and overlapping. Our topographies don’t yet mesh; we are both creeping around each other’s edges, living together but apart." My first few weeks with a cat. nothingbutawordbag.substack.com/p/where-a-ca...

Substack preview. Art of two black cats, voids against a floral sofa. Text: Where a cat could sit - on learning to live alone together

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Jack Hurley @loudribs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Here - I’ve made a map of Leeds for you all to get angry about:

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Pema @pema.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

just finished Mortedant's Peril by @rjbarker.bsky.social and you should read that right now actually

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Really mad that AI has ruined the gentle vein of deliberately misspelling common things for mild amusement. Can't see a man hitting a cricket ball with a Crinkley Bant and smile wryly now.

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Crowsa Luxemburg @quendergeer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

and another thing. i'm not siding with the oppressor by remaining neutral in matters of oppression. don't put in the paper that i'm siding with the oppressor by remaining neutral in matters of oppression

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Ginger Coffee Creams of Horror @gnofhorror.com · 15/09/2026

Laura Mauro returns with Biographies of Valiant Drunken Tigers: a novella and short story steeped in Japanese folklore, bleak and charming at once. Review now live: #LauraMauro #JapaneseHorror gnofhorror.com/biographies-of-valia…

Book Review Laura Mauro Returns- Biographies of Valiant Drunken Tigers

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Like all cats, they loved poetry and had no small opinion of themselves, so if you asked any cat its name, you were likely to get a very long and involved poem telling you of every exploit they’d had since they were a kitten. Even cats never used real cat names." BEASTS OF THE WILD BLACK.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Swamp fantasy paused for a final readthrough of this. Not long now. Almost time to get your cat mech on...

Page proofs of BEASTS OF THE WILD BLACK.

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RJ BaHarker @rjbarker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Yes. The advantage is it looks really cool.

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