CL Hellisen
@clhellisen.bsky.social
Stories in F&SF, Strange Horizons, Apex, Tor, Shimmer, BCS.
Repped by Caro Clarke
The Shape of Monsters out now https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Shape-of-Monsters-Audiobook/B0FGDJ5X1M
https://clhellisenlanding.carrd.co/
They/them, Scotland + S. Africa
Repped by Caro Clarke
The Shape of Monsters out now https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Shape-of-Monsters-Audiobook/B0FGDJ5X1M
https://clhellisenlanding.carrd.co/
They/them, Scotland + S. Africa
Pinned
CL Hellisen
@clhellisen.bsky.social
· Jul 7
Godskin
Sometimes among the fish and crabs, we trawl squid and octopus, or little sharks, all added to the pots. Sometimes it’s a fish person, a thing we cut free and do not talk of, pretend we never saw. …
strangehorizons.com
If you'd like to read my World Fantasy Award shortlisted story Godskin, then amble on over to @strangehorizons.bsky.social ...
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...
Enjoyed this episode with Scotland's @lyndseycroal.bsky.social, talking novellas, short stories, closed room horror, her recent and upcoming releases, and her path of discovery writing.
(My own approach is similar - if I plot something out extensively, i get too bored to go back in and write it.)
(My own approach is similar - if I plot something out extensively, i get too bored to go back in and write it.)
This week on the pod we talk with the brilliant @lyndseycroal.bsky.social, who was just yesterday nominated for a BSFA Award! She tells us about writing 100 published stories, and explains what her next book (out soon!) is about...
Watch now: youtu.be/oQkEzFDtyKE
Or listen: linktr.ee/ukpageone
Watch now: youtu.be/oQkEzFDtyKE
Or listen: linktr.ee/ukpageone
January 28, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Enjoyed this episode with Scotland's @lyndseycroal.bsky.social, talking novellas, short stories, closed room horror, her recent and upcoming releases, and her path of discovery writing.
(My own approach is similar - if I plot something out extensively, i get too bored to go back in and write it.)
(My own approach is similar - if I plot something out extensively, i get too bored to go back in and write it.)
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Your brain thinks your cat is a baby.
Science says that’s…completely reasonable.
#CatScience #ScienceOfCats #Neuroscience
#BrainScience #PsychologyFacts
#ScienceCommunication #SciComm
#CatsOfInstagram #CatLovers
#CatParents #DidYouKnow
#FunScience #NerdyButCute
Science says that’s…completely reasonable.
#CatScience #ScienceOfCats #Neuroscience
#BrainScience #PsychologyFacts
#ScienceCommunication #SciComm
#CatsOfInstagram #CatLovers
#CatParents #DidYouKnow
#FunScience #NerdyButCute
January 27, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Your brain thinks your cat is a baby.
Science says that’s…completely reasonable.
#CatScience #ScienceOfCats #Neuroscience
#BrainScience #PsychologyFacts
#ScienceCommunication #SciComm
#CatsOfInstagram #CatLovers
#CatParents #DidYouKnow
#FunScience #NerdyButCute
Science says that’s…completely reasonable.
#CatScience #ScienceOfCats #Neuroscience
#BrainScience #PsychologyFacts
#ScienceCommunication #SciComm
#CatsOfInstagram #CatLovers
#CatParents #DidYouKnow
#FunScience #NerdyButCute
Reposted by CL Hellisen
"I’d dropped hundreds, maybe thousands, of coins into the skull of Francisco Xalbec, and I still wasn’t sure how full it was, but I knew with profound certainty that I had to fill it."
TODAY beloveds!! new fiction 🖤💀
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec by Alan M. Fisher
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
TODAY beloveds!! new fiction 🖤💀
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec by Alan M. Fisher
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec - PSYCHOPOMP.COM
Every time I died, I received another coin to place in the skull of Francisco Xalbec.
psychopomp.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:44 AM
don't need a free course to tell me LLMs are plagiarised slop and create *more* not less work to correct the flaws they make because they're glorified text-predictors.
how about the government put money into paid apprenticeships for older adults (not just young folk and new graduates).
how about the government put money into paid apprenticeships for older adults (not just young folk and new graduates).
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 1:39 PM
don't need a free course to tell me LLMs are plagiarised slop and create *more* not less work to correct the flaws they make because they're glorified text-predictors.
how about the government put money into paid apprenticeships for older adults (not just young folk and new graduates).
how about the government put money into paid apprenticeships for older adults (not just young folk and new graduates).
I wrote a thing about short stories, why they get rejected, and what you can apply to your own work.
clhellisen.beehiiv.com/p/a-view-fro...
clhellisen.beehiiv.com/p/a-view-fro...
A View from the Slush
clhellisen.beehiiv.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:15 PM
I wrote a thing about short stories, why they get rejected, and what you can apply to your own work.
clhellisen.beehiiv.com/p/a-view-fro...
clhellisen.beehiiv.com/p/a-view-fro...
Reposted by CL Hellisen
It comes from a livejournal post Cat Valente wrote when they were editing Apex (I'm horrified to learn that this is now 16 years old). It's basically what you're saying here - show us the cool shit up front, don't bury the lede, hook us early
catvalente.livejournal.com/590003.html?...
catvalente.livejournal.com/590003.html?...
Adventures in Editing
I've been fiction and poetry editor over at Apex Magazine for several weeks now. I've accepted a story, asked for rewrites on a couple of stories, and rejected a whole lot of stories, and not a few po...
catvalente.livejournal.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:55 AM
It comes from a livejournal post Cat Valente wrote when they were editing Apex (I'm horrified to learn that this is now 16 years old). It's basically what you're saying here - show us the cool shit up front, don't bury the lede, hook us early
catvalente.livejournal.com/590003.html?...
catvalente.livejournal.com/590003.html?...
I've been slush reading for many years now, and I mostly say no to stories where the reward is all in the ending.
**A reader is only going to get a few lines in before they judge yea or nay.**
You need to set up the payoff of the ending in the first few lines.
And that's a tough one.
**A reader is only going to get a few lines in before they judge yea or nay.**
You need to set up the payoff of the ending in the first few lines.
And that's a tough one.
January 28, 2026 at 9:57 AM
I've been slush reading for many years now, and I mostly say no to stories where the reward is all in the ending.
**A reader is only going to get a few lines in before they judge yea or nay.**
You need to set up the payoff of the ending in the first few lines.
And that's a tough one.
**A reader is only going to get a few lines in before they judge yea or nay.**
You need to set up the payoff of the ending in the first few lines.
And that's a tough one.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
I'm thrilled to discover that Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology is on the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Awards!
The works the authors brought to this book are unique and powerful and focus on voices that, like Tanith herself, seem to slip too easily beneath community awareness.
The works the authors brought to this book are unique and powerful and focus on voices that, like Tanith herself, seem to slip too easily beneath community awareness.
January 27, 2026 at 12:34 AM
I'm thrilled to discover that Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology is on the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Awards!
The works the authors brought to this book are unique and powerful and focus on voices that, like Tanith herself, seem to slip too easily beneath community awareness.
The works the authors brought to this book are unique and powerful and focus on voices that, like Tanith herself, seem to slip too easily beneath community awareness.
Today's good news is that @thisjulieday.bsky.social's Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute is on the Stoker long list for Superior Achievement in an Anthology.
I'm incredibly proud of having a short story (Makers) in this anthology packed with superstar writers.
I'm incredibly proud of having a short story (Makers) in this anthology packed with superstar writers.
January 27, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Today's good news is that @thisjulieday.bsky.social's Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute is on the Stoker long list for Superior Achievement in an Anthology.
I'm incredibly proud of having a short story (Makers) in this anthology packed with superstar writers.
I'm incredibly proud of having a short story (Makers) in this anthology packed with superstar writers.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
“Magie Vol, Ogies Toe” by @clhellisen.bsky.social (Winter ‘26) “is another loss story, in which the lead and their sister must find a way to satisfy the ravenous ghost of their mother.”
It’s a bit early to have a favorite story of the year, but my favorite of the sixteen 2026-published short works I’ve read is reviewed here in my Magazine Minis, featuring Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope www.tarvolon.com/2026/01/26/t...
Tar Vol's Magazine Minis: Asimov's and Kaleidotrope
Tar Vol's January 2026 Magazine Minis features reviews of sci-fi and fantasy short fiction from Asimov's and Kaleidotrope, with a standout tale by Dan Peacock
www.tarvolon.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:10 PM
“Magie Vol, Ogies Toe” by @clhellisen.bsky.social (Winter ‘26) “is another loss story, in which the lead and their sister must find a way to satisfy the ravenous ghost of their mother.”
Reposted by CL Hellisen
When a review of the anthology specifically mentions your story 😊
"Kyi’yaji by Xan van Rooyen was one of my favorite stories, equal parts chilling and mesmerizing. I loved the concept within and how music was used as the catalyst. I found this one profoundly moving."
Link 👇
#booksky #horror
"Kyi’yaji by Xan van Rooyen was one of my favorite stories, equal parts chilling and mesmerizing. I loved the concept within and how music was used as the catalyst. I found this one profoundly moving."
Link 👇
#booksky #horror
01/25/2026 Recent Reads & Reviews: SAUUTI TERRORS
SAUUTI TERRORS Short Stories from the Unique Universe created by Contemporary African Writers. Edited by Eugen Bacon, Cheryl Ntumy, and Stephen Embleton.SAUUTI TERRORS, by its own description, is an a...
www.candacenolaauthor.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Just grabbed myself a ticket for this - an excellent group of writers
BFS Online is excited to announce our next event, Faith, Science & Folklore, taking place Wednesday 28th January 2026, 7pm (GMT).
Ticket: tinyurl.com/fascifolk
@samkhorton.bsky.social @rainewilson.bsky.social @mkhardywrites.com @davidgreenwriter.bsky.social
Ticket: tinyurl.com/fascifolk
@samkhorton.bsky.social @rainewilson.bsky.social @mkhardywrites.com @davidgreenwriter.bsky.social
January 26, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Just grabbed myself a ticket for this - an excellent group of writers
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Fuck ICE, fuck Reform, and fuck anyone who actually wants this.
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
January 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Fuck ICE, fuck Reform, and fuck anyone who actually wants this.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Cheap Meat: Hollow
March 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Cheap Meat: Hollow
i have evolved into a snot-based lifeform
January 26, 2026 at 11:04 AM
i have evolved into a snot-based lifeform
Reposted by CL Hellisen
"[SAUÚTI TERRORS delves] into themes of feminine rage & empowerment, of self-identity & place, of family, societal expectations & everything in-between all while told through the lens of a new world with a lush history of lore, legend, & deities all its own."
Thank you to @candacenola.bsky.social 🔥
Thank you to @candacenola.bsky.social 🔥
New review! Thanks to Flame Tree Press for the beautiful copy!
www.candacenolaauthor.com/post/01-25-2...
www.candacenolaauthor.com/post/01-25-2...
01/25/2026 Recent Reads & Reviews: SAUUTI TERRORS
SAUUTI TERRORS Short Stories from the Unique Universe created by Contemporary African Writers. Edited by Eugen Bacon, Cheryl Ntumy, and Stephen Embleton.SAUUTI TERRORS, by its own description, is an a...
www.candacenolaauthor.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:04 AM
"[SAUÚTI TERRORS delves] into themes of feminine rage & empowerment, of self-identity & place, of family, societal expectations & everything in-between all while told through the lens of a new world with a lush history of lore, legend, & deities all its own."
Thank you to @candacenola.bsky.social 🔥
Thank you to @candacenola.bsky.social 🔥
Cancer has already taken so many people I love, and another dear family member is going.
I just can't.
I hate it so much.
Hold your loved ones, you never know if that hug is going to be the last one you get.
I just can't.
I hate it so much.
Hold your loved ones, you never know if that hug is going to be the last one you get.
January 26, 2026 at 8:44 AM
Cancer has already taken so many people I love, and another dear family member is going.
I just can't.
I hate it so much.
Hold your loved ones, you never know if that hug is going to be the last one you get.
I just can't.
I hate it so much.
Hold your loved ones, you never know if that hug is going to be the last one you get.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Show your lockscreen seems like the most blatant social engineering way of getting hold of your device brand and mobile provider, with a bonus extra helping of maybe a picture of your kids or whatever. So maybe think about that in this time of no fed posting, eh.
January 25, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Show your lockscreen seems like the most blatant social engineering way of getting hold of your device brand and mobile provider, with a bonus extra helping of maybe a picture of your kids or whatever. So maybe think about that in this time of no fed posting, eh.
Anyway, this is why I block people :)
What a fucking knob.
What a fucking knob.
January 24, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Anyway, this is why I block people :)
What a fucking knob.
What a fucking knob.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
I made a needle felted apple axolotl this evening 🍎
January 24, 2026 at 5:58 AM
I made a needle felted apple axolotl this evening 🍎
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Transphobia is a cancer of the heart and mind.
It is a useless fear, based on ignorance and cruelty.
Trans people are not responsible for a single one of the problems we face.
Do the world a favor and grow the fuck up.
It is a useless fear, based on ignorance and cruelty.
Trans people are not responsible for a single one of the problems we face.
Do the world a favor and grow the fuck up.
January 24, 2026 at 3:15 AM
Transphobia is a cancer of the heart and mind.
It is a useless fear, based on ignorance and cruelty.
Trans people are not responsible for a single one of the problems we face.
Do the world a favor and grow the fuck up.
It is a useless fear, based on ignorance and cruelty.
Trans people are not responsible for a single one of the problems we face.
Do the world a favor and grow the fuck up.
My extremely elegant son. He's legit just sitting like this, staring blankly, like he forgot what he was doing.
My sweet stupid son.
My sweet stupid son.
January 24, 2026 at 11:54 AM
My extremely elegant son. He's legit just sitting like this, staring blankly, like he forgot what he was doing.
My sweet stupid son.
My sweet stupid son.
Reposted by CL Hellisen
"It’s that my eyes have seen something through a lens the author does not have."
Honestly, I see this in modern fiction a lot. Research will only get you so far. That's why, when featuring diversity, you also should take care about which elements you're best placed to tell.
Honestly, I see this in modern fiction a lot. Research will only get you so far. That's why, when featuring diversity, you also should take care about which elements you're best placed to tell.
January 24, 2026 at 10:11 AM
"It’s that my eyes have seen something through a lens the author does not have."
Honestly, I see this in modern fiction a lot. Research will only get you so far. That's why, when featuring diversity, you also should take care about which elements you're best placed to tell.
Honestly, I see this in modern fiction a lot. Research will only get you so far. That's why, when featuring diversity, you also should take care about which elements you're best placed to tell.
A reminder that my story about grief, ghouls and diaspora is available free to read on @kaleidotrope.bsky.social
It's pronounced mar-ghi (guttaral like the ch in loch) fawl, oo-er ghis (guttaral ch) two. The i sound sound rhymes with quay/key
So helpful, I am
kaleidotrope.net/winter-2026/...
It's pronounced mar-ghi (guttaral like the ch in loch) fawl, oo-er ghis (guttaral ch) two. The i sound sound rhymes with quay/key
So helpful, I am
kaleidotrope.net/winter-2026/...
“Magie Vol, Ogies Toe” by CL Hellisen
kaleidotrope.net
January 24, 2026 at 10:21 AM
A reminder that my story about grief, ghouls and diaspora is available free to read on @kaleidotrope.bsky.social
It's pronounced mar-ghi (guttaral like the ch in loch) fawl, oo-er ghis (guttaral ch) two. The i sound sound rhymes with quay/key
So helpful, I am
kaleidotrope.net/winter-2026/...
It's pronounced mar-ghi (guttaral like the ch in loch) fawl, oo-er ghis (guttaral ch) two. The i sound sound rhymes with quay/key
So helpful, I am
kaleidotrope.net/winter-2026/...
Reposted by CL Hellisen
Really important review of The Everlasting here by the ever-thoughtful @stewarthotston.com. I felt too uncomfortable with the opening chapters to read the book but Stew has done an excellent job of exploring why.
stewarthotston.com/2026/01/23/r...
stewarthotston.com/2026/01/23/r...
A review of the deeply problematic, The Everlasting
I wrote this review because I feel like I live in a time where we have to draw attention to narratives that abuse our sentiments about right and wrong, that use sleight of hand to have us accept da…
stewarthotston.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Really important review of The Everlasting here by the ever-thoughtful @stewarthotston.com. I felt too uncomfortable with the opening chapters to read the book but Stew has done an excellent job of exploring why.
stewarthotston.com/2026/01/23/r...
stewarthotston.com/2026/01/23/r...