I've written up a brief script for anyone who wants to call or write your representatives regarding this bill (yes, even the ones you think won't care). PLEASE DO THIS IF YOU ARE ABLE. This bill *cannot* pass.
You can find your representatives here: www.congress.gov/members/find...
Or even an easier swap to R. M. Sterling to untangle from the other R. J. -- I only have 1 short story published at the moment, so it would be an easy-ish switch.
A little bit of both, but at it's core it's probably branding. My goodreads page is mixed with another R.J. Sterling (which is my fault-- I had researched the name but somehow missed this other person), and I feel as though I can craft more of an identity around a name like Sterling Jenkins.
Thanks for your advice. I only have 1 story published so far, so now would be an easier change than later.
I am seeking advice from writers!!
If I want to tweak my pen name, should I inform that magazine that published my story, or just leave it be?
I like it when people call me "Sterling," and now I'm wondering if I want to officially make it the first name of my pen name. #writesky #writersofbluesky
Ahh neat, thanks!
Oof, I need to develop an accountability habit like this for submissions. I have too many stories that are languishing, unsubmitted. Is this a spreadsheet or some other sort of software for tracking?
Reminder: In light of Bad Bunny's Superbowl performance spotlighting Latino culture, here's a hefty list of Latino speculative fiction authors I curated if anyone wants to take a gander and read some phenomenal work. Much love to all!
go.bsky.app/6BAmgpi
Ooh I liked this one a lot! Thanks.
It's my third day being very very sick, and I need a break from my Peaky Blinders binge. Any #shortstory recommendations to fill my afternoon? They do not need to be Peaky Blinders related, but major points if wool suits are involved.
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
Oh my GOD this story!!! So surprising, heartbreaking, breathtaking!
"The sweater we buried you in is hanging in my closet. "
What a first sentence!!!
#writersofbluesky #sciencefiction #writesky
There's only two more days to vote for your favorite Apex stories of 2025! And while you're at it, you might read my story "Cassandra and the Changeling," published in issue 151.
It's only 1000 words long and full of queer teen angst (as well as a pinch of resistance).
#writersofbluesky #writesky
I appreciate being included in this!
TELL ME YOUR 🏳️🌈QUEER SHORT SFF🏳️🌈 OUT IN DECEMBER 2025!!! Originals only pls, up to novella in length, indie okay. Just reply with the author, title, and a link to read and/or buy and I'll get them on the list. Here's November's list for context & more info: www.patreon.com/posts/some-q...
Here's a flash!
R.J Sterling, "Cassandra and the Changeling," www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
Thank you!
MINNESOTA VERSION OF COME OUT YE BLACK AND TANS
I understand that there is the issue of trust, but I also would want to leave the door open for someone who is moving away from using gen AI. It's getting normalized by so many schools, peers, media, and soon there will be a generation of new writers who need to be guided away from its use.
I also realized that this is my *2nd* project this year that heavily features Dead Mom Angst.
The implications of this pattern are nobody's business except for me and the tiny imaginary therapist that lives in my head.
#writesky
You know that it's a good writing day when you're crying for two pages.
My spouse is starting to realize that I don't want comfort when I'm crying and writing. I want celebration! I successfully tapped into a deep well of emotion and put it on the page!
"In the next ten to twenty years, automation will grind jobs to dust as it grinds out unbelievable volumes of production . . . labor will have to intervene in the political life of the nation to chart a course which distributes the abundance to all instead of concentrating it among a few." #MLKDay
I find Gmail’s new “write this for me” feature deeply sinister. They’re trying to convince you that you are dumb and helpless. Don’t let them steal your ability to formulate thoughts and communicate. You were capable of writing an email in 2022 and you’re capable now.
Calling all 2SLGBTQIA+ poets! We have a message for you from our poetry editor Jess Cho: “Dear queer poets, PLEASE FUCK ME UP.” If you have something strange, dark, and unrepentantly queer… send it our way! We’re open to submissions right now and we pay $50/poem!
I am so desperately curious to know what the prompt was.
“Be kind, be involved, believe in your art,” he said. “At a time when people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism. When they tell you it doesn’t matter, when they tell you a fucking app can do art you say, if it’s that important, why the fuck do they want it so bad? The answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human. And that, in my book, and in my life, includes monsters.”
Love this from Guillermo del Toro
Ooh I am very intrigued by that title! That's part of one of my favorite lines in the Tempest.
Clipping.'s song "Dodger" is a #scifi story about an analyst who tracks down people who choose to unplug from the internet.
"Human unedited, ended the technical betterment
For all the rest of 'em, though
Upend excessive unethical detriments"
youtu.be/h0-k7vW9Xek?...
I love this! It is a story of hope in a magically created eco disaster.
"Out of habit, I rub the pad of my thumb along my bottles’ corks. All properly stoppered, shut tight. Through the glass, the winds feel warm and cold, soft and terrible, each one unique."
-- "Rewilding the Many Tethered Winds", my new short story out now at @kaleidotrope.bsky.social !
