iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This morning, I decided to introduce my books to each other. Foolish move. The chonkier one tried to consume the other. The slimmer one retaliated with a firm crane kick. They have since been disciplined and returned to separate regions of their living quarters.

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Cursed Morsels @cursedmorsels.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

D. Matthew Urban is one of my favorite Weird fiction writers, and this will be his second time publishing a collection through Cursed Morsels. Absolutely can't wait to share this book with y'all!

A multi-round job interview becomes a dizzying spiral into ominous realms. A child’s obsession with a neighbor’s death prompts an act of theatrical self-destruction. A spider-infested house draws an exterminator into webs stranger than any arachnid’s. A downwardly-mobile couple’s visit to an abandoned subdivision turns nightmarish when they encounter the empty homes’ new owners.

The stories in Nowhere’s Door Is Always Open unfold on thresholds, shifting sites of transition and change as mundane as a birthday, as momentous as first love, as terrifying as a swan dive into another world. Ranging from creeping unease to body-horror freakout, from small-town gothic to online Grand Guignol, this collection poses the question of any beckoning portal: are you ready for what’s on the other side?

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Trash Cat Lit @trashcatlit.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We are back after a speculative fiction festival in Derby 🦝 Trash Cat got to hang out with three amazing Trash Family and writing powerhouses, @leighloveday.bsky.social @meanerharker.bsky.social and @sjtownend.bsky.social DO meet your heroes - they'll inspire and invigorate you 💜

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JP Relph @therelphian.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Spent the weekend in Derby for the Edge-Lit spec fic festival. Did some decent thrifting and spent loads of time with these absolute legends. @mrlovelyday.bsky.social @meanerharker.bsky.social and @sjtownend.bsky.social I was inspired, invigorated, and laughed so much. Trash Family are the best 💜

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Zoe Davis @meanerharker.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Had the best day out in Derby yesterday, attending Edge-Lit 12. It was a chance to meet some wonderful people from @trashcatlit.bsky.social and attend some writing workshops. Couldn't have asked for better company. Already looking forward to the next one x

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Leigh Loveday @leighloveday.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Edge-Lit '26 done! Banger panels, workshops and signings, sweet raffle madness and the company of superb humans @meanerharker.bsky.social, @sjtownend.bsky.social and @therelphian.bsky.social making it a special one.

Five panellists seated on stage under a big 'Edge-Lit Genre Fiction Festival' display: V Castro, Gemma Amor, Dan Coxon, Tim Lebbon and Priya Sharma

The QUAD building in Derby plus a bundle of five British Library Tales of the Weird books won in the infamous Edge-Lit raffle

Edge-Lit 12 brochure with a copy of the 'Unearthed' anthology edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi, a bunch of raffle tickets, a chaos raccoon badge from Zoe and a Bag of Bones Press sticker from Sarah

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Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

some news!

Publisher's Marketplace Deal Report, Sons of Nod by Thomas Ha Imprint: Tordotcom, Imprint: Tordotcom. Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Thomas Ha's SONS OF NOD, a novella about a group of boys laboring to build machinery for a reckless corporation on a strange and desolate island, to Avery Davis at Tordotcom, with Ann VanderMeer editing, for publication in fall 2027, by Michael Curry at Donald Maass Literary Agency (world English).

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Please find and add me on my new Facebook account. The old one got hacked and shut down :'( Look for me, Sarah Townend.

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Horror Tree @horrortree.com · 16/09/2026

What does it mean to be STUCK? @sjtownend.bsky.social seeks dark speculative stories for a charity anthology. Interpret the theme however you like. 📝 500–4,000 words 💰 0.5p/word 🗓️ Jan. 31, 2027 horrortree.com/taking-submi...

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

HORROR STORY CALL ALERT! Bag of Bones Press is back in action and after your darkest stories for our next paid, charity anthology. Working title: STUCK. Details can be found here: www.bagofbonespress.com/submission-c... Please like and share!

static.klipy.com

Person Deeply Stuck in Thick Mud

ALT: Person Deeply Stuck in Thick Mud

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Small Wonders @smallwondersmag.com · 06/09/2026

We're accepting applications to join our first readers team! This is a great way to see what makes a magazine like ours work, read LOTS of different styles of flash fiction and poetry, refine your own tastes, and work with some nifty people: airtable.com/applzdlHLTpe...

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

static.klipy.com

Person Deeply Stuck in Thick Mud

ALT: Person Deeply Stuck in Thick Mud

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Thomas S Brown @tomsbrown.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Witches, We will have Samhain/Halloween cards for you. Also available to all who celebrate the spooky season. Doing the art now, will be based on this piece from The Emberlings (but with more cats.) Do not say we didn't warn you.

A floating witch figure with no visible face (but with visible eyes) in an arch of twisted branches tied to form a shrine with candle at the top.

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Horrific Scribblings @horrificscribs.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

NEW SCRIBBLING ALERT! Honored Scribe SJ Townend returns with her third HORRIFIC SCRIBES offering, “Bedroom Eyes.” horrificscribblings.com BONUS! Now in Horrific Bloggings: an interview the author! #quiethorror #domestichorror #folkhorror #psyschologicalhorror #horror @sjtownend.bsky.social

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

If you fancy something creepy to read with your morning coffee, a new story from me (Bedroom Eyes), is live today! Also, there's an interview I did recently with Horrific Scribes. Links below. 🖤🖤🖤

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Roald Dahl knew what was coming for the publishing industry re: the pervasive enslaught of AI slop. Has anyone here read his "The Great Automatic Grammatizator?" Originally published in 1948 I think.

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Spare 10 mins? Why not check out my strange story, "My God, What Has Happenend?" in this month's Penumbric release? :)

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Today, I binge-read "I Who Have Not Known Men," (by Jacqueline Harpman) and I am not okay. What a story. Five out of five cracked spines from me.

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Looking for a weird short read to start off your Wednesday? www.exposedbonemag.com/pieces/negle...

exposedbonemag.com

Neglect Takes the Form of the Recovery Position | My Site

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

p.s. (because no edit button!) I've read a lot of ghost stories, written some, but I smile when I think of this story - such an original idea for ghosts! 🖤👻

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Happy Pub Day! TY for being part of FZS3: Jay McKenzie, @andyhumphrey11.bsky.social Thomas Nicholson, Damir Salkovic, E.F. Ritter, @improbablerex.bsky.social , @mikearhodes.bsky.social , Alistair Rey, Isabelle Nygren, @sjtownend.bsky.social @collyleonard.bsky.social @melodyemcintyre.bsky.social

2 copies of Frost Zone Stories paperback book upright showing back and front cover, 2 more copies places flat before them.

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Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Hey there. Latest story, now out, "Scion." Strangeness. Estrangement. And the history that gets lost in between. A son and father in a moving house. Deranged relatives at cross-purposes. A community fleeing a murderous intruder. A crumbling lunar colony in revolt. Hope folks enjoy. Twisty one.

clarkesworldmagazine.com

Scion by Thomas Ha

Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.

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Steve Rasnic Tem @stevetem.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

It's Women in Horror month. Remembering Melanie today. Here's a link to all her titles in print. www.amazon.com/stores/Melan...

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Frost Zone Stories book 3 officially arrives on Tuesday, but you can pre-order/order now (currently at reduced price in some places) The digest-sized paperbacks are the best way to read these short stories by ten talented dark fiction & quiet horror authors. www.frostzonestories.com/p/issuesbook...

Image of Frost Zone Stories book 3 on left, on right: Ten tales of the unexpected, the chilling, the dreadful, and the strange. Stories by: Jay McKenzie, Andrew Humphrey, Thomas Nicholson, Damir Salkovic, E.F. Ritter, Rex Burrows, Mike A. Rhodes, Alistair Rey, Isabelle Nygren, SJ Townend. See the link in post for more info on ordering.

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The closing story in Frost Zone Stories book 3 is "Going Last" by SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social books2read.com/u/mvgvoJ www.frostzonestories.com/p/issuesbook...

cover of Frost Zone Stories book 3 on left: black cover FROST ZONE in white, below which is a green oval shape with type, S T O R I E S. Image is black and white antique etching of woods and stream into which a troll-like figure has been added in the shadows and a tall, thin man with slouchy top hat, pirate boots, long black coat, and skeleton face and hands. He is scattering stars to the ground atop a tiny hare. On the right: SJ Townend "Going Last" Forgive my rant--please, forgive my rant-- but I think I'm about to inhale a fresh ghost. ... And what's growing in my brain, the iniquitous curse that brought me to this hospice, is also running out of room ... As over-accommodated as I am, loneliness drapes over my sloped shoulders like an oversized coat. This, I suppose, is the burden of being the last to go. Frost Zone Stories Book 3, Spring 2026

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Horrific Scribblings @horrificscribs.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Horrific Scribes, Exhibit Five, "They F**k You Up," is now open! #Horror about parents f**king up their kids and vice versa. horrificscribblings.com @timbrownwrites.bsky.social @zaryfekete.bsky.social @matthollingsworth.com @sjtownend.bsky.social @pammerdrums.bsky.social @awhcolumbus.bsky.social

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Mark Peters @markpeters.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

***Short Story Rec!*** (horror/weird fiction): “I Have Seen Seven Bad Things” by @sjtownend.bsky.social . Thoughts gravitating between “that was so weird” and “that was brilliant”. I’ve read this one probably half a dozen times, never gets old. You can read it in any one of these three books:

Cover art for YOUR FINAL SUNSET by SJ Townend. Shows people floating upwards into an ominous-looking sky.

Cover art for TOO BAD, YOU DIED anthology edited by Damien Casey. Shows a skull in the grass with a leaf-covered scythe above it.

Cover art for BRAVE NEW WEIRD VOL. 3, edited by Alex Woodroe. Styled to look like a cereal box, shows a green skeleton eating from a cereal bowl.

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

From @BagBonesPress over on X: Dear Bone Bags, Greetings. It's been a while... Our bones are itching to put out another charity horror story call. Is there anybody out there? Are you still writing? We're open to call-theme pitches. Please share your ideas in this thread. Love and darkness, BoB.

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Second story in the TOC spotlight: "Good Jeans" by Andrew Humphrey @andyhumphrey11.bsky.social Frost Zone Stories 3 eBook may be ordered, releasing March 3. Paperback will be available around the same time. books2read.com/u/mvgvoJ

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Tenebrous Press @tenebrouspress.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

🔥SALE🔥 In honor of announcing the Table of Contents for BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror Volume Four, Volume THREE is on sale now for 20% off at our webstore for a limited time🖤☠️ store.tenebrouspress.com/products/bra...

store.tenebrouspress.com

BRAVE NEW WEIRD Volume Three (softcover; includes eBook)

The Most Important Meal of the Day…is Weird. Why so glum, friend? Are you feeling fatigued? Logy? Knackered? Do you require sustenance? A boost of energy to reinvigorate your existence? We have good n...

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Spring's coming early to the Frost Zone, with book 3 tentatively planned to release on March 3rd. TABLE of CONTENTS and COVER:

on left: cover of Frost Zone Stories book 3. Black and white image in centre is part of an antique etching of woods and river with a cave-like area, in which can barely be seen a hunched over troll-like creature. A thin man in black with top hat and skeleton face and hands sprinkles stars above a tiny hare. The text reads on top: Book 3, Spring 2026
Frost Zone in white atop a black banner bordered with green, and S T O R I E S below this in a rounded rectangle of green with black text. Author names are at bottom of cover and also listed to the right of cover with story title: Jay McKenzie - Melt, Andrew Humphrey - Good Jeans, Thomas Nicholson - The last Polling Station, Damir Salkovic -Missing Places, E.F. Ritter - A Winter on Poplar Avenue, Rex Burrows- Path of Totality, Mike A. Rhodes - The Old Graveyard, Alistair Rey - Never Leave, Isabelle Nygren - Minor Adjustments, and SJ Townend - Going Last

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Tenebrous Press @tenebrouspress.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Alex & I have 1 last cage match before we announce the final BRAVE NEW WEIRD ToC later this week. As usual the hard part’s the fun part: there’s SO MUCH AMAZING WEIRD to choose from. This scene’s amazing. Meantime: why don’t y’all check out our winners from years past? store.tenebrouspress.com

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

It is never not exciting to see your own story-words in print, on paper, in an actual book. AN ACTUAL BOOK! (Tales of Sley House 2025, Sley House Publishing.) @sleyhouseeditor.bsky.social

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Jim writes great horror. Highly recommend his Changes collection.

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

@markpeters.bsky.social Thanks for all your editorial support with this anthology. You're a star x And thanks to all the wonderfully creative authors who submitted stories to us at Bag of Bones Press for our Skin call in 2024.

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Frost Zone Stories @frostzonestories.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Frost Zone Stories Book 3 is out this spring with 10 awesome stories by the authors: (order subject to change) Jay McKenzie Andrew Humphrey Thomas Nicholson Damir Salkovic E.F. Ritter Rex Burrows Mike A. Rhodes Alistair Rey Isabelle Nygren SJ Townend

light blue rectangle with inside text: Ten tales of the unexpected, the chilling, the dreadful, and the strange. Dark Fiction & Quiet Horror Short Stories by: (list of authors as in the post). Above the rectangle: Coming this spring...Frost Zone (in white) STORIES (in black within a green oval) Book 3. Background is a black square.

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I've just discovered a new cupboard in my classroom that I swear wasn't there last term. Should I open the cupboard door? I'm going to open the cupboard door. If you don't hear from me again, please tell someone to check the cupboard.

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JP Relph @therelphian.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Stunned to find my horror story on Ellen Datlow's Best Horror Recommendations list 😍 Scratch is one of my favourite pieces, published in Bag of Bones Press (@sjtownend.bsky.social) SKIN anthology and my horror collection, Sick Ink (links in thread) To see it highlighted in this list is amazing 🖤

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Congrats to all of the wonderful Skin authors (Bag of Bones Press, edited by me and Mark Peters) who got a mention in Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the year recommended list! JP Relph, Rob Shearman, Jim Horlock, to name a few! SKIN, a charity anthology, is available to buy here: amzn.eu/d/asR60dC

amzn.eu

SKIN: An Anthology of Dark Fiction

Buy SKIN: An Anthology of Dark Fiction by Townend, Sarah (ISBN: 9781068679001) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

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Agita Publishing @agitapublishing.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Nobody was around to tell me not to start a new online horror and sci-fi magazine, so. Stay tuned.

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Catherine McCarthy @catherinemccarthy.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

A selection of great indie books I read this year. I highly recommend all of these!👇📚 (See list below, left to right)

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Catherine McCarthy @catherinemccarthy.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

The Lion of the Desert by MatthewJBenecke Sick Girl Screams by @sjtownend.bsky.social The World of Vile Wonder (antho), edited by @coyhall.bsky.social Harrowfield by @stephellis.bsky.social Mad Days by @elfordalley.bsky.social The Skin We Feel Most Comfortable In by @craigwallwork.bsky.social

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

My story, YELLOW CAR, is now available to read, along with many other horrifying journey-themed tales, in this anthology from Hell Bound Books: www.amazon.com/HellBound-Hi...

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Fancy a Bristol-based Christmas horror story from me? Check out WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES published by Horrific Scribes here: horrificscribblings.com/when-one-doo... You can read more horrifying tales by other authors too at horrificscribblings.com

horrificscribblings.com

When One Door Closes

A man has an issue with the doors in his house. Even the doors on his advent calendar are playing up. But are the doors his only issue?

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SJ Townend @sjtownend.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

My nine-year-old son, unprompted, just broke into the robot dance for the entire of his one hour long school carol service performance. No other kid was dancing. Made my Christmas! 🤣

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Lauren (LJ) McMenemy @laurenwrites.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Massive thanks to @sjtownend.bsky.social for reviewing this anthology and singling out my story as the reason for picking it up in the first place! Hiding Under the Leaves is still available from @theslabpress.bsky.social as a great Chrissy pressie for the folk horror fan in your life...

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