iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Mythology Queen Shauna Lawless joined us for a fascinating discussion including: -Shauna's excellent approach to home school in lockdown: throw out the curriculum, watch Bill And Ted -Shauna greatly offended and intrigued the Sandwich Shop of Dreams -Announcement of the TV show of Shauna’s series!

A stack of Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless. The cover has a green Celtic tree with a face of a woman in the branches at the top and images of a horse, a bird, an axe and a bow and arrow in the corners

A black and white photo of Shauna Lawless against some trees

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

We're back!! After a year of far too many disruptive shenanigans, it is time to get this show back on the road! Or back in the podcast feeds And what better way to do it than an episode with @stevetoase.bsky.social that immediately veered off into a discussion about German cake and cheese. Classic.

A black and white photo of Steve Toase wearing a biker jacket with bare trees in the background

The cover of Dirt Upon My Skin by Steve Toase, featuring a black background and a circle with a pattern made up of brown trowels in the centre

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Our next guest is the wonderful @rainewilson.bsky.social Lorraine's latest book, The Salt Oracle, is an Arthur C Clarke Award finalist! Set 17 years after the internet crashed & left the world broken, aboard a floating college, Auli studies the Oracle - an uncanny girl who channels dangerous ghosts

A black and white photo of Lorraine Wilson on a rocky coast

The cover of The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson, featuring a woodcut-style drawing of a young woman with skulls, fish bones and fishing hooks in her hair

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Season 15 continues with the brilliant Cleland Smith! @angelacleland.co.uk is the Scottish-born author of Sequela & Black Doe. Black Doe follows a member of the legendary assassins trying to retrieve her stolen memories & a mother bearing a deadly secret in a world soaked in magic & blood.

The cover of Black Doe by Cleland Smith, with a green background, a dagger with a deer head through the O and black celtic doe designs in the corners

A photo of Cleland holding a landline phone

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Season 15 kicks off with @davidmbarnett.bsky.social David is an author, journalist & comic book writer. His latest series is creepy & unsettling folk horror: An isolated Lancashire village in Withered Hill, crabby coastal horror in Scuttler's Cove, a multi-timeline mining community in Scratch Moss

The cover of Twisted Pike by David Barnett, featuring a black background with an orange wolf made out of thorny vines and the words "The cunning will be punished."

A photo of David Barnett wearing a grey coat against a snowy background

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

6th Sept - Kicking off the season is David Barnett! Freelance journalist, novelist and comic book writer, David's novels focus on creepy and unsettling folk horror. Twisted Pike, the fourth and final of his Withered Hill universe books comes out in October! @davidmbarnett.bsky.social

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

13th Dec - One Star Quiz! That's right, Christmas comes early with the best gift of all, the most smally like hand quiz there is with the most independent of adjudicators, @lauramauro.bsky.social ! Guests to be announced closer to the time.

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

29th Nov - MK Hardy is the pen name for two geeky women living & writing together in Scotland. They'll be talking all things gothic & ghosty with The Haunting of Avis Lovelock. @mkhardywrites.com

The cover of The Haunting of Avis Lovelock by MK Hardy, Featuring the front of a large ship with ghosts around it and an old cameo pendant

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

1st Nov - Stark Holborn will be returning! Novelist, games writer, film reviewer and author of books with fabulous names like Triggernometry and Nunslinger, there's never a shortage of things to discuss with Stark on the show! @starkholborn.bsky.social

The cover of For The Road by Stark Holborn, featuring a hand with a heart on it, caught in a linked chain in the shape of a figure 8

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

18th Oct - Helen Cooper - we're jumping across to the world of psychological thrillers next with the author of the upcoming The Woman In The Villa! Expect twists, turns, thrilling secrets and lots of Italian food! @helencooperwriter.bsky.social

The cover of The Woman In The Villa by Helen Cooper, featuring a cloudy, orange, sunset sky, with a woman in a blue dress and sunhat holding a glass of wine, looking out over a villa

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

4th Oct - @rainewilson.bsky.social writes about themes of identity, belonging & the legacy of trauma. The Salt Oracle, an Arthur C Clarke Award finalist, is set 17 years after the internet left the world broken, aboard a floating college with the Oracle, an uncanny girl channelling dangerous ghosts

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

20th Sept -Cleland Smith will be our 1st guest (or second) & she's bringing along her alter ego Angela Cleland! Ranging from magic & murder with assassins in Black Doe, to poems exploring the experience of having children through the prism of horror & sci-fi in Real Cute Danger @angelacleland.co.uk

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Season 15 guests! Summer is coming to an end (it bloody better be or we'll set the Sandwich Shop of Dreams on it!) & so the next season of Writeopolis is upon us! 6th Sept -There will be a guest. Probably. Most likely. Or it could be a classic host-only opener. Who knows! (Not us, that's for sure)

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The season finale is upon us and we're ending strong with @pauladashe.bsky.social Paula is the award winning author of We Are Here To Hurt Each Other, a collection of short stories in a dark and bloody world where nothing is sacred and no one is safe. So, a nice, light end to the season!

A black and white photograph of Paula D Ashe

The cover of We Are Here To Hurt Each Other by Paula D Ashe, featuring a human head shape made up of teeth and a dystopian background

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Season 14 speeds on with the wonderful @helencooperwriter.bsky.social up next! Described as the master of the twisty plot (a most delightful title, more of this please), Helen is a writer of psychological thrillers including The Woman In The Villa, My Darling Boy and The Couple In The Photo.

Helen Cooper stood in a bar holding a copy of My Darling Boy

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

S14 continues with @mikebrooks668.bsky.social returning to discuss This Is Where The Future Bleeds. A fabulously-named book following a smart-talking bunch of rogues thrust into an epic quest to save the future & meddle with the destinies of empires. Definitely nothing that can go wrong there...

A photo of Mike Brooks wearing a black tank top sitting on a metal staircase.

The cover of This Is Where The Future Bleeds by Mike Brooks (from Titan Books) featuring a figure in a red cloak with a sword standing on a ledge with a background of stormy clouds, yellow and green crashing water and blue wasp-like creatures

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

S14 continues with @emmanewman.bsky.social! Emma writes SFF short stories, novels & novellas, and is an audiobook narrator & Hugo Award-winning podcaster. Will she raise us up to her award-winning level, or will we drag her down with our shenanigan-riddled chaos? I think we all know the answer...

A photo of Emma Newman wearing a gorgeous blue coat and silver necklace

The cover of The Vengeance by Emma Newman, featuring a purple background, a heart with a dagger in it, bat wings, a skull and Crossbones, pirate ships, cutlasses and pistols and a compass

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Next up we have the return of @starkholborn.bsky.social! Novelist, games writer, film reviewer; there's never a shortage of things to discuss with Stark on the show! Author of For The Road, the Factus Sequence, Triggernometry & Nunslinger - clearly we need to discuss her excellent naming tactics!

A photo of Stark against a blue background, wearing a yellow top with the word "Yello?" and a drawing of a person on the telephone

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

S14 continues with @dancoxon.bsky.social! Dan has won a World Fantasy Award, a Saboteur Award and two British Fantasy Awards! His fiction anthologies include the strange & unsettling Unquiet Guests, stories inspired by Mythago Wood in Heartwood & the tragic high school yearbook of For Tomorrow.

A photo of Dan Coxon wearing a dark blue shirt against a tiled background

The cover of Unquiet Guests, an anthology edited by Dan Coxon, featuring a green background with a white arched brick window filled with a spiderweb. At the bottom are the names Grady Hendrix, Kirsty Logan, Irenosen Okojie, Ally wilkes, Clay McLeod Chapman, Chuck Palahniuk, Matthew Holness, Claire Fuller, Will Maclean, Alison Moore

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

It's that time again! Season 14 kicks off next week with the brilliant @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social Mahmud is a British-Egyptian SFF writer and translator. A former journalist, he now writes about generation ships, sentient libraries and memory taxes instead.

A black and white photo of Mahmud wearing glasses, a t-shirt and a shirt

The cover of The Republic of Memory, featuring all blue, a woman with large wings, and a futuristic city in the background

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Season 14 is closing in fast so we'd best get announcing guests!! 26th April - Kicking things off we have @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social! A former journalist, Mahmud now writes about generation ships, sentient libraries and memory taxes instead. His debut, The Republic of Memory, comes out on 14th May

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Closing out this glorious season is the fabulous @realjacksonford.bsky.social! Jackson's latest series starts with The Bone Raiders & follows a bone-wearing clan who decide riding giant fire-breathing lizards (totally not dragons) is the only way to stop every raider in the land being wiped out.

A photo of Jackson Ford wearing a sports top against a multicoloured background

The cover of Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford, featuring two women in black and red armour looking at each other and giant lizards in the background breathing fire

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Our next guest is the wonderful @bookdragonauthor.bsky.social Charlotte is an author, ghostwriter, freelance editor, proofreader, reviewer and podcaster! The Fireborne Blade & The Bloodless Princes duology follows a knight trying to steal a sword from a dragon! Sapphic women with swords FTW!

A photo of Charlotte bond holding up a mug

The cover of The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond, featuring a woman in armour, holding a sword, with a white dragon behind her

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Next up we have @thomasdlee.bsky.social! Tom's Sunday Times bestselling debut, Perilous Times, sees Sir Kay & his fellow knights awakened from their mythical slumber in modern times. Britain is divided, there's a dragon, & Kay is not the only ancient & terrible thing to crawl out of the ground...

A photo of Tom wearing a navy blue jacket and a blue shirt, with a background of grass and a brick wall. Photo credit to Stephanie Emma Photography

The cover of Perilous Times, featuring a read dragon tail wrapping around a bare tree, with a castle and an industrial city in the background

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Season 13 continues with @nicholaseames.bsky.social Nicholas is the author of The Band series, which starts with Kings of the Wyld and follows a band of mercenaries that have long split up and grown old and drunk. Until an old bandmate turns up with a plea for help...

The cover of Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, featuring four men in armour with shields, swords and axes. With the tag line 'The Boys Are Back In Town' above

A photo of Nicholas Eames wearing a blue shirt

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

After the chaos of the One Star Quiz, we return to the normal Writeopolis format with the wonderful Aliette de Bodard! @aliettedebodard.com writes speculative fiction: she has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award and six British Science Fiction Association Awards!

Author photo by Chloe Vollmer-Lo
A photo of Aliette de Bodard wearing a black jacket, white shirt and glasses, leaning against a wall with gold and black wallpaper

The cover of Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard, featuring a figure rising above a giant snake and giant chicken, with a spaceship at the bottom, all in bright colours

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

It's almost One Star Quiz time! Join us for chaos & confusion with independent adjudicator @lauramauro.bsky.social Temporary team captain @stewarthotston.com The brilliant @worrad.bsky.social & the fantastic Kayleigh Dobbs! Next Sunday, 11th January, 8:30pm in the Discord! discord.gg/TYBF6T7c

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

A wild season 13 appears on the horizon, full of the cheer of the One Star Quiz!! That's right we will be bringing in the new year in the most smally like hand way on the 11th January with @stewarthotston.com @worrad.bsky.social Kayleigh Dobbs and @lauramauro.bsky.social adjudicating independently!

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Closing out the season & year we have @michaelrmiller.bsky.social! Because what could be more festive than dragons Michael's Songs of Chaos series has a kitchen boy who rescues a doomed dragon egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within. The latest in the series, Reckoning, was released in Sept

The cover of Ascendant, Songs of Chaos book 1, by Michael R Miller, featuring a white dragon with a leather band around its eyes, a boy in armour holding a sword and a glowing orb, with a dusty orange background with a tower

A photo of Michael R Miller wearing a white t-shirt and black shirt

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Next week we have mythology queen @shaunalawless.bsky.social! Shauna is an author & blogger from County Down. Her critically acclaimed Gael Song series combines Irish mythology with real-life history. It starts with The Children Of Gods And Fighting Men, full of Vikings & magic, kings & warriors!

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Our next guest is the wonderful Cameron Johnston! @cameronjohnston.bsky.social's books include The Maleficent Seven - 'Seven Samurai, but villains' The Last Shield - 'gender-flipped Die Hard in a mysterious castle'. & First Mage On The Moon - couldn't find a one-liner but it's mages on the moon!

A photo of Cameron Johnston standing in front of some large stones, wearing a blue and white hoody

The cover of First Mage on The Moon, featuring a rocket that looks like an ancient fantasy tower, against a moon

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Whalesong is out now! So we expect you all to have read it before Sunday so you can ask @phokion.bsky.social all the questions!

The cover of Whalesong by Miles Cameron, showing a sun with a purple space background, and a spaceship in front

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Next up we have the delightful @phokion.bsky.social! And he's bringing along his alter ego Miles Cameron! With over 50 books already published, there's a lot to talk about! His latest historical fantasy, The Venetian Heretic, is set amongst the magic of Carnevale in Venice - with added espionage!

A photo of Christian Cameron, wearing a jumper, sitting in Philopoemen’s seat at the theater of Megalopolis.

The cover of The Venetian Heretic by Christian Cameron, featuring a blue background showing Venice, and a gold lion holding a sword and a book

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

This Sunday! 8:30pm! Live in the Discord with @stevetoase.bsky.social Join us for talk of horror, archaeology, motorbikes, vintage cocktails and cake! discord.gg/TnVuER79

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Our next guest is the wonderful @stevetoase.bsky.social Steve lives in the Frankenwald, Bavaria, Germany (but was born in Yorkshire. Good lad) His archaeology-themed horror collection Dirt Upon My Skin has been shortlisted for Best Collection at the British Fantasy Awards!!

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Season 12 continues with @nicholaseames.bsky.social Nicholas is the author of The Band series, which starts with Kings of the Wyld and follows a band of mercenaries that have long split up and grown old, fat and drunk. Until an old bandmate turns up with a plea for help...

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Season 12 returns this week with the amazing Justin Lee Anderson! @justinleeanderson.com is the author of the Eidyn saga, a twisted fantasy road trip through a kingdom based on the history, mythology and etymology of Edinburgh! The latest in the series, The Damned King is out now!

The cover of The Damned King by Justin Lee Anderson, featuring a blue background with a white silhouette of a ruined fort. A group of four figures wearing black armour and holding weapons stand in the foreground, one is holding a sphere of blue magic

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Season 12 kicks off next week with the amazing Justin Lee Anderson! @justinleeanderson.com is the author of the Eidyn saga, a twisted fantasy road trip through a kingdom based on the history, mythology and etymology of Edinburgh! The latest in the series, The Damned King is out now!

A photo of Justin Lee Anderson wearing a leather jacket, leaning against a brick wall

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Writeopolis may be enjoying the lazy days of summer, but season 12 is on its way! 14th September - no time for a host only opener, we have Justin Lee Anderson to lead us on a twisted fantasy road trip through a kingdom based on the history, mythology & etymology of Edinburgh @justinleeanderson.com

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

It's that time of year again! That's right, it's One Star Quiz time!!! Join us for chaos, confusion and calamity with independent adjudicator @lauramauro.bsky.social @stewarthotston.com and @davewragg.com Next Sunday, 20th July, 8:30pm in the Discord! discord.gg/2CXxf7Z2

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

AK Faulkner returns! @poopraven.bsky.social is back to talk about Sword of Avalon, the latest in the Inheritance series - a world of Celtic gods, magic & incredible gifts! If queer spies taking on evil billionaires is more your thing, you can pre-order The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare now!

The cover of Sword of Avalon by AK Faulkner, featuring a sword in the centre, a blue and purple background with a Celtic pattern, and white flowers around the edge

A photo of AK Faulkner with purple hair wearing a dark purple jacket

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Writeopolis S11 E6 - ??? A night of mystery and intrigue... Will it be a host only night? Will a magical guest appear? At this point, even we don't know! Join us next Sunday, 22nd June, 8:30pm, live in Discord to find out!

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Our next guest is the fantastic Marguerite Kenner! @margueritekenner.bsky.social co-runs Escape Artists, consisting of Escape Pod (sci-fi), PodCastle (fantasy), PseudoPod (horror) & Cast of Wonders (YA) She's also a Hugo Finalist, community organiser, mentor & teaches business skills to creatives

A photo of Marguerite Kenner in a red top and black jacket, in the sunshine, with a blurred background

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Trans women are women Trans men are men Non-binary, agender, genderfluid and every other gender are valid

The transgender pride flag with the words "TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS"

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

You're eligible to nominate for the WFAs if you are a member of World Fantasy Con this year or the previous two years and will have got a nomination form with latest progress report email. Apologies for any errors/omissions, they are wholly your friendly local admin's fault and not intentional!

"Special Award - Professional - Laura Bennett / Agent / Liverpool Literary Agency - David Thomas Moore / Editor / Rebellion - Writeopolis / Podcast - The Tiny Bookcase / Podcast - Fantasy Book Swap / Podcast - RJ Bayley / Wheel of Fate / Audiobook - PodCastle / Podcast - PseudoPod / Podcast - Breaking The Glass Slipper / Podcast"

"Special Award - Non-Professional - Writeopolis / Podcast - The Tiny Bookcase / Podcast - Fantasy Book Swap / Podcast - RJ Bayley / Wheel of Fate / Audiobook - PodCastle / Podcast - PseudoPod / Podcast - Breaking The Glass Slipper / Podcast"

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

whereas WFA has them together. BFA has an audio category but WFA doesn't, so I've shoved the audio under the special awards section. Is that correct? Who knows! Anyone can add a suggestion to the BFA list (but check the sheet to see if it's already been added first). docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

"Short Fiction - A Dramatic Video Reading of “Taking the Piss” / Jasper Bark / Hotel Macabre vol 1 / Crystal Lake Publishing - As If Your Mouth Were Sewn Shut / CC Adams / For Tomorrow / Black Shuck Books - The Witch’s Pillowbook / Priya Sharma / Bound in Blood / Titan - Not wanted on Voyage / Stephen Volk / Nightmare Abbey 7 / Dead Letter Press - Totu / Stephen Volk / Shadowplays / PS Publishing - Blessed Mary / Stephen Volk / Beyond & Within: Folk Horror / Flame Tree Press"

"Audio - Writeopolis / Podcast - The Tiny Bookcase / Podcast - Fantasy Book Swap / Podcast - RJ Bayley - Wheel of Fate / Audiobook - PodCastle / Podcast - PseudoPod / Podcast - Breaking the Glass Slipper / Podcast"

"Independent Press - Solaris - Angry Robot - Black Shuck Books - Flame Tree Press - Wizard’s Tower Press Newcomer - Eliza Chan / Fathomfolk / Orbit"

"Anthology - Hotel Macabre vol 1 / Crystal Lake Publishing - Bound in Blood / Titan books - For Tomorrow / Black Shuck Books - Beyond & Within: Folk Horror / Flame Tree Press - Nightmare Abbey 7 / Dead Letter Press - Shadowplays / PS Publishing"

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Writeopolis @writeopolis.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Nominations for the World Fantasy Awards 2025 and suggestions for the British Fantasy Awards 2025 are both open! I thought I'd give you a list of the friends of the show who are eligible in the various categories. Some of the categories overlap. BFA has fantasy novel and horror novel separate,

"Best Fantasy Novel - part 1 - The Gods Below / Andrea Stewart / Orbit - The Company of the Wolf / David Wragg / Harper Voyager - Warlords of Wyrdwood / RJ Barker / Orbit - The Blood Dimmed Tide / Stephen Aryan / Angry Robot - Wheel of Fate / AK Faulkner / Ravensword Press - Song of the Huntress / Lucy Holland / Pan Macmillan - Fathomfolk / Eliza Chan / Orbit - Titanchild / Jen Williams / Titan - The Sword Unbound / Gareth Hanrahan / Orbit"

"Best Fantasy Novel - part 2 - Days of Shattered Faith / Adrian Tchaikovsky / Bloomsbury - The Trials of Empire / Richard Swan / Orbit - The Legacy of Arniston House / T L Huchu / Pan Macmillan - Witch Queen of Redwinter / Ed McDonald / Orion - The Fall of Wolfsbane / Jon Cronshaw / Wyvern Books - Guild of Assassins / Jon Cronshaw / Wyvern Books - The Wolf and the Wyvern / Jon Cronshaw / Wyvern Books - The Dark Feather / Anna Stephens / Harper - Ninth Life / Stark Holborn / Titan"

Best Horror Novel

- The Hungry Dark / Jen Williams / Harper
- Draw you in vol 1 / Jasper Bark / Crystal Lake Publishing
- Draw you in vol 2 / Jasper Bark / Crystal Lake Publishing
- Draw you in vol 2 / Jasper Bark / Crystal Lake Publishing

"Novella - A Marriage of Undead Convenience / Stephanie Burgis / Five Fathoms Press - Millionaire’s Day / Kit Power / French Press Publishing - New York Minute / Stephan Aryan"

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