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  #PennedPossibilities 1074 — What creatures are capable of speech in your world? I have implied that at least some animals (dogs, cats, rats) in my lost 'magical' city of Hirstel are capable of speech. I've never gotten around to exploring the idea. Then there are dragons, who have a language of their own. They can't (or won't) form human words but can understand them. Humans can learn their speech and communicate. The same is true of ghouls, which are es...

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  #ScribesAndMakers July 18. A can of worms or a barrel of monkeys? That depends on what you're fishing for.

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  #WritersCoffeeClub 21: Do your works contain erotic elements? How far do you go? This is one reason I have pen names. I am only explicit in the books I've written as Sienna Santerre. This is more about readers' expectations then anything else; I'm certainly not going to throw graphic sex into a light fantasy adventure. No need for it, nor does anyone want it there. But I have no objections to including it where it helps the story along or aids in the understanding of the...

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  #WritersCoffeeClub 7/22. Are the limits of what is considered 'erotic' more or less universal? Some aspects are universal, some are cultural, and some are individual. All intertwined so it's impossible to say what is what isn't.

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  #WritersCoffeeClub July 24: Should a reader be forewarned about any and all erotic content, no matter how small? I don't know if they 'should' be but it's safest to include warning labels. Slap an 'adult content' declaimer on there if the story contains truly graphic material. But I prefer not to in or on the book itself; that sort of thing doesn't belong there. I'll mention it in the sales material or tag it.

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  #WordWeavers July 24: Antagonist POV: What has the power to instantly irritate you? Kiska Mur dislikes vagueness. She wants her facts served up cut and dried and not touching each other.

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  A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders. ~ Lord Dunsany It's the birthday of my favorite writer of #fantasy

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  #ScribesAndMakers 7/27 Do you feel your creative work leans more towards reflecting life as it is or as you would like it to be? Who am I to say how life should be? I comment on life as it is (or as I see it), even in fantasy settings. I suppose I have a tendency to puncture the dreams of my more idealistic characters.

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  I rarely have #dreams I remember at all—much less vivid ones—but last night’s involved Mark O’Connor (the musician), a pride of lions, and a young Tyrannosaur. I was trying to find my old 35mm camera so I could get a picture of them all.

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  ‘Interesting’ #characters tend to be unrealistic and unconvincing. I would much prefer to put normal people in interesting situations. Like Sam Gamgee marching into Mordor.

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  Two fictional house on the #Naples #Florida beach that are sort of the same house. https://eggshellboats.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-house-on-beach.html

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  I like to think of ‘science fiction writer’ and ‘fantasy writer’ and ‘poet’ as facets of the creative gem I am.

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  #PennedPossibilities 1084 – In your universe, what happens to people when they die? In my primary fantasy universe (the Izan Mythos), no one knows, including the gods. This doesn't prevent a wide range of theories and beliefs. There are definitely no ghosts--I nixed that idea early on.

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  You know you are a #fantasy writer when you know exactly what day it is on the calendar you invented but aren't sure what it is in the 'real' world.

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  It's fine to be cutting edge but blunt objects can do more damage.

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  My all time favorite #review: 'This is supposed to be a novel?" It was a review of a short story.

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  Seeing another as a stereotype is bad; seeing ourselves as one is worse.

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  Writing #fiction is not making stuff up but, rather, the art of making people believe stuff you have made up.

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  I could say the magic is somewhat of the same level and sort as what is found in Zelazny's Amber novels.

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  Some pictures of, and a few words about, the spot in the Hocking Hills that inspired my #mystery #novel These Remembered Hills. https://eggshellboats.blogspot.com/2026/04/hill-farm.html

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  Infinity Give me half of infinity; you can take the rest. We’ll compare the two and see which one has the best. Mine’s a really big amount, big enough, at least, that when I began to count the counting never ceased. Half’s enough for anyone, everyone assures, but I hope when all is done mine is bigger than yours. Stephen Brooke ©2026 #poetry #LightVerse

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  #ScribesAndMakers 19 April: Have you ever been to a poetry reading? Yes, and read at them. Not for some years, due to the distances involved these days.

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  #ScribesAndMakers Apr20 Have you ever read or performed your work in front of an audience? Quite a bit, both as poet and musician. That kind of stopped when covid first hit and never started up again. The larger and less personal the audience, the better! I might shy away from talking to you in a normal setting but I'm always willing to get on stage.

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  #PennedPossibilities 991 Tell us about your work in progress. What is the genre or genres? The current WIP (or the one I'm paying the most attention to at the moment) is science fiction, related to my five Jack Mack books, but set 1400 years earlier and telling of the invention of the first usable jump drive. More a collection of interweaving stories about the first steps toward the stars than an actual novel (sort of hearkening back to old school SF in that respect).

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  Today we release Stephen Brooke's latest #poetry collection, Night Rains. Here's a direct link to the print edition at the retail shop: https://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-brooke/night-rains/paperback/product-95wp5rj.html Or visit Arachis Press (arachispress.com) for both the print and the free ebook editions. #bookrelease

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  #WordWeavers Apr 22 What would your antagonist be willing to die for? In the current WIP, nothing. The antagonist is a faceless corporation. Few of my antagonists have that deep a commitment to anything. Many are, to some degree, psychopathic. One exception would be the wizard Lord Radal of the Donzalo's Destiny series, who is convinced he is giving up what is left of his life to ensure his daughter's safety (and was also fiercely loyal to the king and might have been willing t...

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  Gigantic octopi, sixty feet long or so. If that doesn't belong in a story, I don't know what does. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6285

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  The release date for Oliver Davis Pike's #sciencefiction novella, 'Mission Delayed,' is set for May 18, 2026. This story is set in the Jack Mack universe, about four years after the last published novel (Blind Jump). More news as we draw nearer the day! As usual, the book will be available as print and free ebooks.

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  #WritersCoffeeClub Apr 3: Have you studied writing? Did it prepare you, or did you learn more by doing? I formally studied some on academic/critical writing, which probably helped in my journalistic efforts. For fiction (and even poetry) however, it was a bit of mixed blessing; it gave me a basis but I had to 'lose' some of the habits and techniques I'd accumulated, and learn to be less analytic and provide more than 'just the facts.'

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  #WritersCoffeeClub 4/4: Do you switch between past and present tense? How do you make it work? My main narrative will always be past but if I dip into a character's inner thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness manner I might switch briefly to present. This works better, I think, in first person (or very close third).