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A.J. O'Toole

@scribblerotoole.bsky.social
115 followers 244 following 168 posts

Writer - working on short fiction and my novel "Half A Lie". Good listener, quiet talker, part-time drinker. Black Country state of mind.

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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
Hourly Spaced @hourlyspaced.bagpuss.org · 9h
Let's pick up Daisy and go down the pub. I haven't got a care in the world.
23:11
S01E04 Battles October 15 1999
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 7h
They should have gone all out and done Classic British TV Comedy Animals. £50: Spiny Norman (illustrated here) £20: Victor Meldrew’s telephone dachshund £10: Duke, Boycie’s Great Dane £5: Mrs Slocombe’s Pussy
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Trash Cat Lit @trashcatlit.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's Monday again, let's cheer you up with a spotlight from our latest issue 🦝 We loved Olivia O'Toole's darkly funny list, the slow build and increasingly inventive options, and the delicious last few. trashcatlit.com/how-are-you-...
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Hourly Spaced @hourlyspaced.bagpuss.org · 04/10/2026
No, he's an artist.
20:29
S02E04 Help March 23 2001
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
That's his whole thing!
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Cheers!
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
Fibonacci Sequins @brentwaggoner.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Read the first piece of fiction I've had published in 20 years! It's short! Thursday Was the Sharpest Day by Brent Waggoner | New Flash Fiction Review share.google/SknsudCEQTto...
share.google
Thursday Was the Sharpest Day by Brent Waggoner | Issue #42
Monday is for vacuum cleaners, tubes clogged with hair and paperclips. Tuesdays (two-days) people remember that they only had one copy of the will.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
If a tiny village is seeking independence from the UK then you should hear my pitch (in novel form) to get Freedom for the Black Country. We've already got a separate language and culture.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
And on to the next (and final!) chapter... 1300 words this morning, incredible rate for me. Off for a walk and a recharge. #amwriting #indielit
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
That reminds me - need to start working on my Swifty Apocalypse story!
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Today's scare stories are warning against drinking tea and flushing the toilet. Shame, those are two of my few remaining guilty pleasures. Life'll kill ya... If you don't beat it to the punch.
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
The Onion @theonion.com · 09/09/2026
“I remember googling the word ‘stupid’ for the first time, reading the definition, and thinking, ‘Holy shit—this is me,’ ” — Derrick Henard
theonion.com
Everything Finally Clicks For Man After Getting Diagnosed As Stupid
CARY, NC—Describing the experience as “a revelation,” 38-year-old Derrick Henard told reporters Wednesday that everything had finally clicked for him after he was given a diagnosis of stupid. “I remem...
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Trash Cat Lit @trashcatlit.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Our Autumn Prompted Story issue is LIVE! 🦝 13 flash fiction written to blind-chosen prompts. Grab a cuppa and snacks, sit back and immerse yourself in the imagination and creativity of our 12 contributors 💜 trashcatlit.com/prompted-sto... @joycebingham.bsky.social @jessebinger.bsky.social 1/2
trashcatlit.com
Prompted Stories Pop-Up Autumn 2026
We selected thirteen flash for the second prompted challenge of the year. These twelve writers showed amazing imagination and creativity with their prompts. Our Guest Readers for this issue were Le…
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Researching a character who kinda might be based on someone I used to know... and accidentally clicked through to their LinkedIn page. Now I need to hope LinkedIn doesn't grass me up with their "you've been noticed!" emails.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Yep. I used to live in the pointy bit at the top of it.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Drafting a chapter today. Very much "don't get it right, get it written". #amwriting #indielit
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Today: a revision and tidy-up request for a submission. Red pen out, let's kill some commas and conjunctions. #amwriting
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
GossamerWight Literary Magazine @gossamerwight.com · 31/08/2026
How Aliens became the rare sequel that was as good as – or better than – the original. 'One of my favourite exchanges in the film was when Private Hudson asks his female colleague, “Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?” She replies, “No. Have you?"' theconversation.com/how-aliens-b...
theconversation.com
How Aliens became the rare sequel that was as good as – or better than – the original
Forty years on, James Cameron’s transformation of Ridley Scott’s horror classic remains a masterclass in how to make a sequel.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I've seen it, but nowhere near as many times as the first one. Seagal has a similar approach in his early films... Marked for Death in particular.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Watched the finale. I can't recommend it. The Irish are always half way down a pint of insipid dark beer, and the Italians are always cooking.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Name your favourite Bob
Little Bobby Zimmerman
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Yeah - I didn't dare ask what she was running away from, I'll just make it up!
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
In a pub on a remote Scottish Island, catch the accent of the barmaid. 'Black Country?' *looks over both shoulders* 'I can neither confirm or deny...' Later: 'Ar, ah'm frum Walsall.' 'Dudley. Bin up 'ere long?' '22 years.'
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Back in the bar that inspired this story. It's a great place. (Drinking a Glen Scotia Victoriana) @literarygarage.bsky.social
Last Orders at The Parting Glass
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Yep. "Who wants to play at army? No girls allowed."
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Thanks! 🙏
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
3500 words, positive responses from my test readers, and it's going in. Now I need to go for a walk, burn off the submission adrenalin.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Went in on Wednesday night after the eclipse. Great food. Hand drier as below. It's a bit cosy if there's more than one of you in there.
the hand drier in the gents toilet of the Great Himalayas restaurant, Southport
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
If the Prime Minister is heading to Stourbridge today, I recommend the Royal Exchange, the Unicorn or the King William if he fancies a pint pulling photo opportunity.
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
Sean Thomason @seanthomason.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
So embarrassing when people think the point of reading a novel is to know the plot, so a summary is just as good. The plot isn’t important, you rube. You absolute simpleton. The point of reading a novel is to find out what the characters are eating and start thinking about what you want for dinner.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Ready for the eclipse
Bob Dylan holding a pair of sunglasses
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Been working really hard, solid progress, and I'm down to 4308 words.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Black Country features in book on where tourists rarely go - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Black Country features in book on where tourists rarely go
Author Chris Moss says it was "brilliant" to explore the West Midlands and its heritage.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Inside Llewyn Davis is on BBC2 tonight. The cat deserved an Oscar.
Inside Llewyn Davis. BBC2. 10pm
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This was our shower radio for a few years.
Penguin shower radio.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Second draft done. 4300 words. I'll do another draft, and then try to work out how to trim down to the 3500 limit required. Going to be a tough one.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
"Dudley, a town in a part of England’s West Midlands known as the Black Country—the spiritual heartland of pork scratchings—was the obvious place for me to start my investigations. A major cog in the Industrial Revolution, Dudley helped pull England into the modern age."
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Lot of the local character features from my novel are in this piece. Black Country pubs, the Living Museum, scratchings, cobs, the Beacon, the Titanic, Marsh and Baxters. Bostin' www.pelliclemag.com/home/2026/4/...
pelliclemag.com
World Crust — Pork Scratchings and Making Meat of the Scraps — Pellicle
The pork scratching’s journey from humble Sunday roast side to mass-market snack belies its enduring popularity as a curious cornerstone of the British pub experience. The pork scratching as we know i...
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Reward bottle for 'Least Said' published on New Flash Fiction Review @nffr.bsky.social newflashfiction.com/least-said-b...
Champagne Lanson - Le Black.  #amwriting
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Reposted by A.J. O'Toole
Hourly Spaced @hourlyspaced.bagpuss.org · 06/08/2026
03:04
S01E02 Gatherings October 1 1999
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
First draft finished. Re-reading now and checking I have all the structure before I polish and punch up and polish. #amwriting
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I forgot to follow up that this one did get published: trashcatlit.com/the-seven-of...
trashcatlit.com
The Seven of Cups
A.J. O’Toole Scheduling a Summer Fete is clearly a far better predictor of rain than the weather report I’d checked before leaving my umbrella at home. Escaping the dark clouds and approachin…
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Cooking up a short story, the triangle of characters are talking to each other in my head, I'm trying to get all the beats in place without it turning into a novel. This is great. It's also torture. There's never enough time.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
What are five things in your upcoming release? Black Country pubs TV star Girl you fancied at school A scam for The Money Folklore of a woman found dead in a spooky tree
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Love an airport where you can check in and then wander off...
Barra Airport.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Better day when you see two herons.
a heron on the Isle of Barraheron 2, in there somewhere
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Chart of where the SS Politician wrecked
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Having a single Grouse, just in case I'm never here again. Slainté.
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A.J. O'Toole @scribblerotoole.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
What'll you have?
Auction of the last few bottles from the wreck of the SS Politician
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