James Bennett
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jamesbennett.bsky.social
James Bennett
@jamesbennett.bsky.social
British Fantasy Award-Winning author 🏳️‍🌈

The Ben Garston Novels. Book of Queer Saints. The Dark magazine.

Website: https://james-bennett.org/

'Inventive and vivid'
Publishers Weekly
Pinned
Seeing as we're having a 🌈SUPER GAY DAY🌈, I made a promo post for my profile. All links to independent outlets are in the alt text (or sail the Big River if it suits).

Featuring my British Fantasy Award winning story "Morta" and three shortlisted anthologies.

All gay. All slay. All day. 🏳️‍🌈☠️📚💙
Phew. Read through the whole of part one of the wip today, making my little notes.

I don't hate it.
November 25, 2025 at 11:12 PM
The EU has had a massively positive impact on my life in this regard, from introducing previously non existent workplace protections in the UK in the early '00s and onwards.

"Why do you live in Europe?" ppl ask.

Well, I don't wish to live where I'm not wanted. Simple. 🇪🇺💙
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.

🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.

This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
A week of sound purchases. The Loop earbuds are also a game changer. And my new winter jumpers are so comfy, despite getting laughed at for wearing chunky jumpers. I shall not be cold!
November 25, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Ugh. This new Kindle color is a *dream* for making editing notes. Smooth as the devil's scorched red backside, which I know is how these hellish corporations get you.

But it's nice!
November 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Gonna nom my agent @helenlane.bsky.social I was blown away by her detailed insight and feedback of my novel and she's really helped it become the book it wants to be!
By the way, it's National Editor Appreciation Day.

Nobody ever reads a great article and thinks, "Dang, that was some tight editing." But editing is a big part of how it got to be great.

So writers, if you've ever worked with a good editor, shout 'em out.
November 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Hmm. Thought I'd been blocked by a couple of authors I admire. Turns out they'd been added to a block list I was following.

List revoked. Future caution applied.
November 25, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by James Bennett
"it isn't reeeally horror, it's—"
November 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Joiiinn usssss
Join us for our wintry deep dive into the world of folk horror, with DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS: MIDWINTER running over the weekend of 6th and 7th December! www.eventbrite.com/e/darkness-i... #folkhorror #folklore #winter #midwinter #writing #writers #fiction #books
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Part one of the wip finished this morning. 35K words (unpolished).

Got an imminent editing haul on the other book, but I wanted to break some ground.
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
"He who does not know how to write does not think that it is a labour. Three fingers write, but the whole body labours."

Colophon in Pope Gregory's "Pastoral Care", 8th century
November 25, 2025 at 7:44 AM
2025 awards eligibility post.

"Under Damnable Eaves" - Of Enchantment, Enigma & the Infinite, Stars & Sabers Publishing

"Down Street" - Blood in the Bricks anthology, NewCon Pres

"The Road of Mirrors" - Final Curtain anthology, Lethe Press.

And one tale in The Dark magazine, but a reprint.
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
My Xmas pressie to myself is a new Kindle Colorsoft. The Fire 7 (2017) is old now, slow and a tad chunky.

Did look at a Kobo, but I don't wish to lose hundreds of purchased books, so 🤷‍♂️
November 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
These Loop earbuds are pretty good, must say. They definitely seem to be helping my concentration with the old writing. Background noise in the building is staying just that: muffled in the background.
November 24, 2025 at 10:54 AM
He drew me a picture. I'm reasonably impressed.
November 22, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Cat is one of the best of us. All queer creatives are brave and pretty much heroic in the face of a pretty disgusting world, so
I am stoked to see The Shape of Monsters has finally got its #LGBTQ+ and #LGBTIA+creators tags!

And unexpected Best of 2025 tag too

Great way to wind down a work week
November 22, 2025 at 7:11 AM
I'm so grateful, to all of you
November 22, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Have a green door, Bsky.
November 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by James Bennett
Darkness In The Fields is always a fantastic dive into the secretive rituals of folk horror. For the upcoming Midwinter edition, I'll be asking a panel of brilliant Blood In The Bricks contributors about their thoughts on the genre and the inspiritation behind their contributions to the anthology.
Looking forward to my final folk horror event of the year with DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS: MIDWINTER 2, and a great line-up of talent joining us for the weekend on 6th and 7th December! www.eventbrite.com/e/darkness-i... #folkhorror #folklore #writing #writers #fiction
November 21, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Phew. Wrote ten thousand words today.

I'm exhausted.
November 20, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by James Bennett
Art is an act of hope. Writing is an act of rebellion. The world will always need more stories--from real human beings, not bullshit plagiarism machines. Every book is a love story from the author, and every reader is fighting the war against cruelty, ignorance, and hopelessness. We are fighting.
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by James Bennett
🔥 COVER +TITLE REVEAL + SUBMISSIONS OPEN🔥

YOUR BODY IS A FEVER DREAM: A Cosmic Body Horror Anthology from Trans & Gender Nonconforming Voices

A Charity collection coming in October 2026🖤☠️🏳️‍⚧️

Art by @mxmorgan.com

All the info here: tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/11...
November 20, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I favour mornings to write, because it takes energy. But lunchtime kills me. Afterwards I'm just pushing words around, so I think finding that sweet spot for your creativity, knowing your rhythm, helps.
November 20, 2025 at 3:06 PM
#SFFChat Q3: Shout out a trans writer or artist whose work you admire (or a trans character from a trans author's work!).
November 20, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Nothing is ever wasted. This morning I extrapolated a 1K word scene from a shelved novel that no one is ever gonna see and reworked it into my wip.

I realised I was essentially about to write the same scene.
November 20, 2025 at 1:07 PM
We're definitely into the "why make the bed, we're only gonna be in it later?" stage of the season. 🎅
November 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM