Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 5h

There will be bad days. Days where you question yourself. Days where you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. Days where you feel like you don’t belong.

But keep your chin up. Keep going. Keep doing what you love to do. You will find your way.

2

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 1d

This fight scene I’m working on is taking after The Last Gasp Of Midnight and The Monsters We Feed in its use of…unconventional weapons 😂

3

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 1d

Being solo dad today is surprisingly conducive to drafting this final fight scene

My little warriors are contributing the fight choreography

Though mini-daughter is throwing me for a loop since none of my characters are supposed to be dual wielding battle axes in this scene 🤔

2

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 1d

I can’t decide which is worse:

not having the inspiration to write when you have the free time to write

or having the inspiration to write while you are stuck at work all day

1

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 2d

Going out with a bang on the last edit of this beast. Worked out that the final touch I’ll be adding is a tiny bit of brutal combat in the middle of an already 110 page finale

30 paragraphs ought to be enough to get out the fight I’m seeing in my head

So let the countdown begin

4

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 3d

The cute giant dog content in this manuscript shan’t preclude the grimdark violence content.

4

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 6d

Very excited to help celebrate wirh @spotlightindie.bsky.social!! Happy year one of supporting indie authors!

Spotlight Indie @spotlightindie.bsky.social · 6d

Our Big Indie Weekend is nearly over, but before we wrap up, we're inviting some friends over to celebrate one year of Spotlight Indie. Join Holly and Frasier, plus @thomashowardriley.bsky.social, @alethearlyons.bsky.social and @tdevens.bsky.social at 9pm! youtube.com/live/glKdXsC...

1 1

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 11d

2yr old daughter just walked in wearing her favorite snow white costume and unprompted told me that when she grows up she wants to be a daywalker so she can chop vampires up with her sword

So now that I’ve won parenting I’ve got to figure out what to do with the rest of my night

1 4

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 11d

me: *writes multiple books after years of practice & hundreds of drafts having learned thousands of little tricks of writing, plotting, editing & publishing*

anyone: do you have any writing advice?

me: um, what? hmmm *taps chin* how to write? how to write? how to write?

2

Reposted by Thomas Howard Riley

Bill Adams - Willow Wraith Press author/owner @williamjadams3.bsky.social · 19d

I know there's still a week left, but Tuesday, Sept 23rd at 8pm CST, we will be chatting with @thomashowardriley.bsky.social about his book, The Light of Kasaban for Willow Wraith Press' Indie Book Club. Come join the chat!

1 5 7

Reposted by Thomas Howard Riley

Bill Adams - Willow Wraith Press author/owner @williamjadams3.bsky.social · 18d

Hey indie book fans on #booksky, Willow Wraith Press' Indie Book Club book of September is The Light of Kasaban by @thomashowardriley.bsky.social!

Here's my review for this awesome book!

Don't forget, we are talking with Thomas tonight at 8pm CST!

1 2 7

Reposted by Thomas Howard Riley

Spotlight Indie @spotlightindie.bsky.social · 15d

@thomashowardriley.bsky.social is the author of We Break Immortals, The Monsters We Feed, The Light of Kasaban and The Last Gasp of Midnight. Recently described himself as 'profoundly silly'. You can find Thomas here: thomashowardriley.com

1 5

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 13d

Editing fun:

It just doesn’t hit the same during an emotional scene when your main character feels hopless instead of hopeless

1

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 15d

As much as it frustrates me how long it takes to write & edit & publish a book, I am eternally grateful for that time because I tend to keep coming up with badass ways to improve the story all the while

Sometimes a VITAL element of the story only reveals itself on the final edit

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 16d

Weird fact: I have synesthesia so to me letters have colors & textures & ‘vibe’

Because of this, the way letters are arranged in characters’ names impacts their personalities in my writing

I’m not remotely qualified to determine how weird this might seem to anyone else

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 17d

Relief is noticing in the final copy edit of your manuscript that the sequence of events might be out of order and you panic thinking you’ll have to chop up and reassemble the whole book, only to remember that you already did that and this is the correct sequence

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 22d

I’ve heard that a good author can survive in the wilderness for up to 72 hours with only a single new story idea and their own determination to find some kind of writing device to jot that idea down before they fall asleep.

1

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 23d

Sometimes you stumble across a line while editing that you’d forgotten you wrote

Sometimes those words are a perfect distillation of your main character

I’d say this is by far the best way to summarize Evran Caid (from The Heroes We Never Were)

I can’t wait for you to meet him

2

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 24d

The problem with me writing so much serious rated-R high stakes dark (grimdark?) stuff is that at my core I am a profoundly silly person and a certain amount of that goofiness inevitably works its way into my books.

1 2

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 25d

Writing a character when I know from the start that they are going to die

Every day I watch them grow from a little idea into a complete person, someone who surprises me and inspires me and the more beautiful their souls become the more it hurts to know what must happen to them

Reposted by Thomas Howard Riley

Spotlight Indie @spotlightindie.bsky.social · 26d

Big Indie Weekend Panel: INDIE AUTHOR SUMMER PARTY. Join us as we invite @tdevens.bsky.social, @thomashowardriley.bsky.social and @alethearlyons.bsky.social to join Holly and Frasier to wrap up the weekend with a celebration of all things indie!

1 6 10

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 27d

Thank you Bjorn!!! 🔥 It’s been a long journey for this one.

1

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 27d

THANK YOUUUUUU!!! You have exceptional taste so it makes me so glad you dig it! 😃

1

Reposted by Thomas Howard Riley

A.J. Calvin @ajcalvin.bsky.social · Sep 10

In a city where magic is forbidden and most of its users are detained and killed, Saya dares to protect and teach children born with the gift. The Light of Kasaban is a story of oppression, defiance, and found family.

Review below

@lordtbrffa.bsky.social @thomashowardriley.bsky.social
#booksky

Review: The Light of Kasaban by Thomas Howard Riley | FanFiAddict

Synopsis: In the brutal desert city of Kasaban, the old gods have had their statues crushed to powder by invading Priests, with magick forbidden to anyone b ...

fanfiaddict.com

10 17

Thomas Howard Riley @thomashowardriley.bsky.social · 27d

Thank you! 🙏

1