Sheila Jenné
@jennelikejennay.bsky.social
Science fiction author & copyeditor. BLACK SAILS TO SUNWARD, THE SEA OF CLOUDS, and BISECTION out now. Support small presses and indie authors. 🚫 AI.
Find my work at https://sheilajenne.com/works
Find my work at https://sheilajenne.com/works
Pinned
Buy Invasive
Once a dedicated pilot, Robin has one final job: to land a ship of pilgrims on a new world. There her husband can work as a botanist among people who share his faith, her kids can grow up in open spac...
buy.bookfunnel.com
INVASIVE is out today! Ecological disaster in a religious space colony.
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
I love that I can't get my OWN worlds wrong. I dread writing about our world; I've never understood it. But I have thought through every detail of my made up worlds.
When people don't understand "write what you know" and think it means you have to write about things you personally have experienced/done, and therefore fantasy/sci-fi is out.
Take it from the mouth of the queen herself:
Take it from the mouth of the queen herself:
December 23, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I love that I can't get my OWN worlds wrong. I dread writing about our world; I've never understood it. But I have thought through every detail of my made up worlds.
Dear charities asking me for just $2, just two little dollars, is that so much to ask, etc,
I'd be a LOT more likely to give if giving didn't put my information on a permanent list which will make you email me every OTHER time you want $2, and then probably sell it to all your charity friends.
I'd be a LOT more likely to give if giving didn't put my information on a permanent list which will make you email me every OTHER time you want $2, and then probably sell it to all your charity friends.
December 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Dear charities asking me for just $2, just two little dollars, is that so much to ask, etc,
I'd be a LOT more likely to give if giving didn't put my information on a permanent list which will make you email me every OTHER time you want $2, and then probably sell it to all your charity friends.
I'd be a LOT more likely to give if giving didn't put my information on a permanent list which will make you email me every OTHER time you want $2, and then probably sell it to all your charity friends.
You know, I hate to say it, but that is what the policy was made to exclude. If there are words in the text that aren't written by you, nor quoted with permission from another human, then it's not a wholly human-written work and it shouldn't be competing with works that are.
Jason, I'm saying that there are literal words in the literal text that did not start with me.
December 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
You know, I hate to say it, but that is what the policy was made to exclude. If there are words in the text that aren't written by you, nor quoted with permission from another human, then it's not a wholly human-written work and it shouldn't be competing with works that are.
Reposted by Sheila Jenné
Don’t miss this End of Year Sci-Fi book bundle. Especially if you love sci-fi and are tired of the same old tired tropes found in traditionally published books. Expand your mind with these 41 mind-bending reads! 📚💙🪐 #booksky #sciencefiction
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
December 18, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Don’t miss this End of Year Sci-Fi book bundle. Especially if you love sci-fi and are tired of the same old tired tropes found in traditionally published books. Expand your mind with these 41 mind-bending reads! 📚💙🪐 #booksky #sciencefiction
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
It can be hard to find new indie sci-fi. The selection is so huge that you just don't know what to get, and you don't want to blow a lot of money on stuff you might not end up liking.
Bundles are a great solution. Pretty cheap per book and now you have lots to browse!
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
Bundles are a great solution. Pretty cheap per book and now you have lots to browse!
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
The End of the Year Sci Fi Sale by Niranjan and 28 others
The End of the Year Sci Fi Sale: 41 items for $25.00
itch.io
December 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM
It can be hard to find new indie sci-fi. The selection is so huge that you just don't know what to get, and you don't want to blow a lot of money on stuff you might not end up liking.
Bundles are a great solution. Pretty cheap per book and now you have lots to browse!
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
Bundles are a great solution. Pretty cheap per book and now you have lots to browse!
itch.io/b/3450/the-e...
Not that Amazon cares what we think, but I'd like them to know this is why people are dropping them.
Just gonna drop this here. Amazon is forcing a new AI feature on authors whose books are available on Kindle. This is a petition to give us the choice to opt out, because currently, we cannot.
c.org/SrJxqbKp4F
c.org/SrJxqbKp4F
Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?
Change the new AI feature Ask this Book
c.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Not that Amazon cares what we think, but I'd like them to know this is why people are dropping them.
Alas, so apt
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Alas, so apt
INVASIVE is out today! Ecological disaster in a religious space colony.
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
Buy Invasive
Once a dedicated pilot, Robin has one final job: to land a ship of pilgrims on a new world. There her husband can work as a botanist among people who share his faith, her kids can grow up in open spac...
buy.bookfunnel.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:53 PM
INVASIVE is out today! Ecological disaster in a religious space colony.
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
buy.bookfunnel.com/1bw55sqmd1
Reasons to buy it today: 🧵
This infuriates me.
They're embedding an AI in Kindles that is empowered to analyze our books without our permission and tell the reader about them....likely inaccurately.
We have no recourse.
writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
They're embedding an AI in Kindles that is empowered to analyze our books without our permission and tell the reader about them....likely inaccurately.
We have no recourse.
writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
Kindle's New Gen AI-Powered "Ask This Book" Feature Raises Rights Concerns - Writer Beware
In a recent press release, Amazon noted that some new features were coming to Kindle. We’re adding new AI-powered reading features that preserve the magic of reading on Kindle. Story So Far lets you c...
writerbeware.blog
December 13, 2025 at 12:46 AM
This infuriates me.
They're embedding an AI in Kindles that is empowered to analyze our books without our permission and tell the reader about them....likely inaccurately.
We have no recourse.
writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
They're embedding an AI in Kindles that is empowered to analyze our books without our permission and tell the reader about them....likely inaccurately.
We have no recourse.
writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
#sffchat
Here's the moment Robin realizes that poverty among the aliens is no different from the poverty she experienced in her childhood. Haves and have nots, even on a planet that was promised to be full of abundance. But amid that poverty is the kindness people extend to each other.
Here's the moment Robin realizes that poverty among the aliens is no different from the poverty she experienced in her childhood. Haves and have nots, even on a planet that was promised to be full of abundance. But amid that poverty is the kindness people extend to each other.
December 11, 2025 at 1:34 PM
#sffchat
Here's the moment Robin realizes that poverty among the aliens is no different from the poverty she experienced in her childhood. Haves and have nots, even on a planet that was promised to be full of abundance. But amid that poverty is the kindness people extend to each other.
Here's the moment Robin realizes that poverty among the aliens is no different from the poverty she experienced in her childhood. Haves and have nots, even on a planet that was promised to be full of abundance. But amid that poverty is the kindness people extend to each other.
#sffchat
In the colony, it's a very top down structure. Everyone owns the resources in common, but the religious leaders get to decide who gets what.
Among the aliens, the leader is the council of elders, ruled by the Eldest. She defends property rights and enforces hunting seasons.
In the colony, it's a very top down structure. Everyone owns the resources in common, but the religious leaders get to decide who gets what.
Among the aliens, the leader is the council of elders, ruled by the Eldest. She defends property rights and enforces hunting seasons.
December 11, 2025 at 1:25 PM
#sffchat
In the colony, it's a very top down structure. Everyone owns the resources in common, but the religious leaders get to decide who gets what.
Among the aliens, the leader is the council of elders, ruled by the Eldest. She defends property rights and enforces hunting seasons.
In the colony, it's a very top down structure. Everyone owns the resources in common, but the religious leaders get to decide who gets what.
Among the aliens, the leader is the council of elders, ruled by the Eldest. She defends property rights and enforces hunting seasons.
#SFFChat
Growing food is one of the main problems in the book. They start out eating scrubber lichen, a bioengineered symbiotic organism used for food aboard ships. But after arriving on the planet, it becomes urgent for them to grow their own food.
Growing food is one of the main problems in the book. They start out eating scrubber lichen, a bioengineered symbiotic organism used for food aboard ships. But after arriving on the planet, it becomes urgent for them to grow their own food.
#SFFChat Q2: What is food production like in your world? E.g. Are their valuable crops that are scarce, economies based on specific crops, staples that crop (hah!) up in the story a lot or that have cultural significance?
December 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
#SFFChat
Growing food is one of the main problems in the book. They start out eating scrubber lichen, a bioengineered symbiotic organism used for food aboard ships. But after arriving on the planet, it becomes urgent for them to grow their own food.
Growing food is one of the main problems in the book. They start out eating scrubber lichen, a bioengineered symbiotic organism used for food aboard ships. But after arriving on the planet, it becomes urgent for them to grow their own food.
#sffchat
This is a huge issue in Invasive. The scarcest resource is land. The colonists come from Proxima, where they live under domes and space is at a premium. They hoped Eos would have endless space for them to expand into, but... it's not that simple.
This is a huge issue in Invasive. The scarcest resource is land. The colonists come from Proxima, where they live under domes and space is at a premium. They hoped Eos would have endless space for them to expand into, but... it's not that simple.
#SFFChat Question 1: Does your world suffer from any resource scarcity? How does that impact the story (or the context of the story as part of the background)?
December 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
#sffchat
This is a huge issue in Invasive. The scarcest resource is land. The colonists come from Proxima, where they live under domes and space is at a premium. They hoped Eos would have endless space for them to expand into, but... it's not that simple.
This is a huge issue in Invasive. The scarcest resource is land. The colonists come from Proxima, where they live under domes and space is at a premium. They hoped Eos would have endless space for them to expand into, but... it's not that simple.
Good morning #sffchat!
I'm the author of the Imperial Mars series as well as Bisection, and Invasive comes out next week.
I'm trying to think of *anything* I can't do without. The only things I can think of are publishing resources: Query Tracker and Submission Grinder. Invaluable.
I'm the author of the Imperial Mars series as well as Bisection, and Invasive comes out next week.
I'm trying to think of *anything* I can't do without. The only things I can think of are publishing resources: Query Tracker and Submission Grinder. Invaluable.
Good morning and good evening #SFFChat!
Introduce yourself and share a "writing resource" you can't do with out (notebooks, a specific writing program on the computer, music to inspire, a particular writing advice blog, an editor you love, etc, etc)!
Introduce yourself and share a "writing resource" you can't do with out (notebooks, a specific writing program on the computer, music to inspire, a particular writing advice blog, an editor you love, etc, etc)!
December 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Good morning #sffchat!
I'm the author of the Imperial Mars series as well as Bisection, and Invasive comes out next week.
I'm trying to think of *anything* I can't do without. The only things I can think of are publishing resources: Query Tracker and Submission Grinder. Invaluable.
I'm the author of the Imperial Mars series as well as Bisection, and Invasive comes out next week.
I'm trying to think of *anything* I can't do without. The only things I can think of are publishing resources: Query Tracker and Submission Grinder. Invaluable.
Reposted by Sheila Jenné
we talk a lot about the weirdo techbro obsession with immortality these AI necromancy projects embody, but I'm arguably even MORE fascinated by the terror of allowing yourself to experience deep, complex emotions they so obviously reveal
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
IN DEPTH | If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
www.independent.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
we talk a lot about the weirdo techbro obsession with immortality these AI necromancy projects embody, but I'm arguably even MORE fascinated by the terror of allowing yourself to experience deep, complex emotions they so obviously reveal
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
I need people to realize that sex in a book isn't just there to get the reader off. We're trying to say important things about the role of sex in a relationship or a life! Because sex is a part of life, not a separate thing you can throw between some asterisks and skip without missing anything.
good morning, I have noticed that some of the critical responses to the Crave show Heated Rivalry have been, let's say, incomplete
sex scenes are craft! goddammit!
sex scenes are craft! goddammit!
Anatomy of a Sex Scene: Heated Rivalry Edition - Reading the End
Heated Rivalry, AKA the gay hockey show, has been getting a lot of buzz for its explicit(-ish) sex scenes, and a lot of that buzz has been coming from viewers and critics whose experience with the rom...
readingtheend.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I need people to realize that sex in a book isn't just there to get the reader off. We're trying to say important things about the role of sex in a relationship or a life! Because sex is a part of life, not a separate thing you can throw between some asterisks and skip without missing anything.
I can't quite believe it.
But my publisher.....actually paid me 🎉 Four months after I requested rights back, and over a year after it was due, but the full amount I invoiced for.
Now to see if they pay all my pub sibs....
But my publisher.....actually paid me 🎉 Four months after I requested rights back, and over a year after it was due, but the full amount I invoiced for.
Now to see if they pay all my pub sibs....
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 PM
I can't quite believe it.
But my publisher.....actually paid me 🎉 Four months after I requested rights back, and over a year after it was due, but the full amount I invoiced for.
Now to see if they pay all my pub sibs....
But my publisher.....actually paid me 🎉 Four months after I requested rights back, and over a year after it was due, but the full amount I invoiced for.
Now to see if they pay all my pub sibs....
Okay, the Smashwords end of year sale is up!
Black Sails to Sunward is in it at 75% off, so if you've been wanting to read it for less than the price of a loaf of bread, here's your chance.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...
If you're in it too, comment with your link!
Black Sails to Sunward is in it at 75% off, so if you've been wanting to read it for less than the price of a loaf of bread, here's your chance.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...
If you're in it too, comment with your link!
Black Sails to Sunward
The Age of Sail—in space. Cannon battles, class conflict, and clashing loyalties mark the beginning of the Imperial Mars trilogy.
www.smashwords.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Okay, the Smashwords end of year sale is up!
Black Sails to Sunward is in it at 75% off, so if you've been wanting to read it for less than the price of a loaf of bread, here's your chance.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...
If you're in it too, comment with your link!
Black Sails to Sunward is in it at 75% off, so if you've been wanting to read it for less than the price of a loaf of bread, here's your chance.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...
If you're in it too, comment with your link!
This is the month Invasive comes out, so I signed up for this bookfunnel promo for new releases.
Unclear honestly how BF promos work, but if you're interested in SFF new releases, some of these look good!
books.bookfunnel.com/newrelease-d...
Unclear honestly how BF promos work, but if you're interested in SFF new releases, some of these look good!
books.bookfunnel.com/newrelease-d...
New Releases - December 2025 Edition
Searching for your next favorite read?
Look no further!
These fantastic authors bring you the very best in storytelling!
THE TITLES SHOWN WERE RELEASED IN
NOVEMBER 2025 & DECEMBER 2025
Add them to you...
books.bookfunnel.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This is the month Invasive comes out, so I signed up for this bookfunnel promo for new releases.
Unclear honestly how BF promos work, but if you're interested in SFF new releases, some of these look good!
books.bookfunnel.com/newrelease-d...
Unclear honestly how BF promos work, but if you're interested in SFF new releases, some of these look good!
books.bookfunnel.com/newrelease-d...
The blog wasn't due for an update, but this topic has been weighing on me so here we go.
How do we avoid getting mistaken for AI, and at the same time not abandon good writing tools just because it uses them?
Is it clickbait if I say, the answer may surprise you?
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/06/k...
How do we avoid getting mistaken for AI, and at the same time not abandon good writing tools just because it uses them?
Is it clickbait if I say, the answer may surprise you?
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/06/k...
Keep calm and em-dash on
I do think there are some key things we can do to sound less like AI without sacrificing our style. The secret is to look beyond little quirks like dashes and into the heart of a piece—because it’s…
sheilajenne.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The blog wasn't due for an update, but this topic has been weighing on me so here we go.
How do we avoid getting mistaken for AI, and at the same time not abandon good writing tools just because it uses them?
Is it clickbait if I say, the answer may surprise you?
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/06/k...
How do we avoid getting mistaken for AI, and at the same time not abandon good writing tools just because it uses them?
Is it clickbait if I say, the answer may surprise you?
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/06/k...
Who all is doing the smashwords sale? Want to drop your links in here for me to repost when the sale opens?
I've never done it before but it should be a good chance to scoop up some of y'all's books at a steal.
I've never done it before but it should be a good chance to scoop up some of y'all's books at a steal.
December 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Who all is doing the smashwords sale? Want to drop your links in here for me to repost when the sale opens?
I've never done it before but it should be a good chance to scoop up some of y'all's books at a steal.
I've never done it before but it should be a good chance to scoop up some of y'all's books at a steal.
Am I the only one who always drew a blank when teachers said to "show don't tell"?
New post from the blog.
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/02/w...
New post from the blog.
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/02/w...
What they mean by “show don’t tell”
When writing, I always try to use the most concrete language I can.
sheilajenne.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Am I the only one who always drew a blank when teachers said to "show don't tell"?
New post from the blog.
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/02/w...
New post from the blog.
sheilajenne.com/2025/12/02/w...
Wow! THE SEA OF CLOUDS is a finalist!
You can buy this sailpunk adventure here:
buy.bookfunnel.com/157vme57uk
You can buy this sailpunk adventure here:
buy.bookfunnel.com/157vme57uk
December 1, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Wow! THE SEA OF CLOUDS is a finalist!
You can buy this sailpunk adventure here:
buy.bookfunnel.com/157vme57uk
You can buy this sailpunk adventure here:
buy.bookfunnel.com/157vme57uk
To preserve the value of human labor:
-don't use it
-get rid of stuff that uses it if you can
-call it out when you see it
-make using it the most cringe thing a person could ever do
-don't use it
-get rid of stuff that uses it if you can
-call it out when you see it
-make using it the most cringe thing a person could ever do
Sure, they've made an environmentally catastrophic mass hallucination disinformation plagiarism Clippy that will destabilize the world, but also their other goal is to replace human workers entirely and let us humans starve. A boycott of AI is the most important boycott of your entire life.
"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."
December 1, 2025 at 1:30 PM
To preserve the value of human labor:
-don't use it
-get rid of stuff that uses it if you can
-call it out when you see it
-make using it the most cringe thing a person could ever do
-don't use it
-get rid of stuff that uses it if you can
-call it out when you see it
-make using it the most cringe thing a person could ever do