James Flanagan
LightNews LightNews
banner
jimiflan.bsky.social
James Flanagan
@jimiflan.bsky.social
1.9K followers 3.4K following 230 posts
Author of speculative fiction and academic scientist, Professor of Cancer Informatics at Imperial College London

Www.jimiflanwrites.com

https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.flanagan
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
jimiflan.bsky.social
James Flanagan @jimiflan.bsky.social · Oct 22
A little over a year ago today I published my debut scifi novel, GENEFIRE.

I thought it would be good to reflect on the last year, and see where this has led me. One step further than I had ever been before

🧵
a scarecrow is in the middle of a field with a man holding a gun
Alt: Sam tells Frodo he is about to take one more step, further than he had ever been before
media.tenor.com
Reposted by James Flanagan
spsfc.bsky.social
The fifth #SPSFC is about to close for entries and we're looking for a few more judges:

spsfc.space/2025/11/07/l...

Come for the free books. Stay for the Discord community full of self-published authors and avid science fiction readers.
Photo of sand descending in an egg timer published by openDemocracy.
November 7, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
aealexander.bsky.social
I'm excited to be a judge for this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Competition! If you write and self-pub sci-fi, you should submit. #SPSFC #SPSFC5 #SciFi #ScienceFiction www.aealexander.com/blog/spsfc
All You Need To Know About the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) — Allison Alexander
Key details about the contest for self-published sci-fi novels founded by Hugh Howey.
www.aealexander.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:25 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
Very excited to be a judge for #SPSFC5 this year!

Go on sign up, submit your fantastic Sci-fi. I want to read it!
October 13, 2025 at 6:10 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
👀 look here!
spsfc.bsky.social The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition @spsfc.bsky.social · Sep 19
With the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) taking book entries next month, we're looking for a few good volunteers to join us as judges:

spsfc.space/2025/09/19/j...

More than a few, actually. #SPSFC
A photo of the retro raygun awarded to the winner of the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition alongside a plague that notes the winner of SPSFC 4 as Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker. Next to the trophy is Welker's book, which has a cover of a hovering ovoid spacecraft above San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The sky is orange and full of portent.
September 20, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Reposted by James Flanagan
jaimegill.bsky.social
This makes me so happy I could cry. Black Sky, Blue Earth - my aching story about climate collapse & personal rebirth - is the lead story in this year’s @oysterriverpages.bsky.social. It has a lot of my soul in it. Please read it & all of Oyster River’s work

www.oysterriverpages.com/black-sky-bl...
September 9, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
samillingworth.com
I STRONGLY encourage all educators to read this amazingly well-researched article from @themarkup.org about the issues of AI-detection software and who really benefits from it (spoiler: it is not our students): themarkup.org/artificial-i...

#AI #GenAI #HigherEd

HT @jessifer.bsky.social
California colleges spend millions to catch plagiarism and AI. Is the faulty tech worth it? – The Markup
Colleges and universities renew Turnitin subscriptions year after year even though its flawed detectors are expensive and require students to let the company keep their papers forever.
themarkup.org
June 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by James Flanagan
natureportfolio.nature.com
Starting July 1, researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health will be required to make their scientific papers available to read for free as soon as they are published in a peer-reviewed journal. Nature asks experts what researchers need to know about the NIH policy. #Academicsky 🧪
NIH-funded science must now be free to read instantly: what you should know
US biomedical agency’s public-access policy kicks in on 1 July. Nature talks to specialists about how to comply.
go.nature.com
June 29, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
mjz1957.bsky.social
Gift Article
#Econsky
#Academicsky

www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Europe Is Recruiting Academics Disenchanted With America
The U.K., France and other countries have set up funds to help U.S. researchers relocate to the continent.
www.wsj.com
June 29, 2025 at 10:57 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
This is a damn good story to read, I got stuck in the endless loop…
jaimegill.bsky.social Jaime Gill @jaimegill.bsky.social · Jun 15
Please read The Drinking Game. Not because my interactive, autofictional #alcoholism story won the Subnivean Fiction Award. Because it’s probably unlike anything you’ve read before (it’s half story, half game) and might madden & enlighten you. Go on. Just one drink
www.subnivean.org/post/copy-of...
A judge summarising the qualities that made The Drinking Game an award winning story
June 15, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
mshelton.bsky.social
A joint project of @freedom.press and @eff.org: Journalists have been asking us about how to prepare devices for travel. We put together a checklist of things you can do: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
Preparing devices for travel through a US border
US border searches of electronic devices put journalists’ work at risk. But there’s a lot you can do to be prepared
freedom.press
June 12, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
toadshadezine.com
Issue #3 is ready! Check out stories by @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social, @rworauthor.bsky.social, Zee Coonen, Irina Verene, and Kay Northbridge. Art by @jartravian.bsky.social, @beingcam.bsky.social, Melissa Yskamp, and Denny Marshall.

Head to ToadShadeZine.com to get yours!
#payforart #FuckAI #zine
A neon sign says 'Toad Shade Zine Volume Three'. Underneath the sign is a deranged theme park mascot in overalls wearing overalls. There is a sign next to the mascot the reads 'You Must Be This Tall To Die!'.
May 14, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
aishatuado.bsky.social
🏆 I won the Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Award! It's the first win for a story centering an African refugee woman.

Read here: www.jerryjazzmusician.com/short-fictio...

💬 Please leave a comment at the bottom of the publication page.

#WritingCommunity #ShortStory #WritersOfBluesky
April 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
jimiflan.bsky.social
Ready to test my writing skills in the Twisted Teams challenge "Twisted Teams 1"! Looking forward to the creative prompts and team collaboration. Any other writers joining me? twistedtournament.com/homepageteams #TwistInTaleContest #writingcontest
Twisted Teams - A Writing Competition with a Twist
Join Twisted Teams - A Writing Competition Balancing Individual Creativity with Team Collaboration
twistedtournament.com
April 9, 2025 at 10:58 AM
jimiflan.bsky.social
🔥🔥🔥
shannonknight.bsky.social Shannon Knight @shannonknight.bsky.social · Apr 6
The Narratess Sale continues! Tess arranges two sales per year, and these are generally my best of the year. Domestication has slid into the top 100 (currently #62!) on the Zon in Western Horror. Get your sheep farm horror! #NarratessIndieSale
indiebook.sale
Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7 Banner designed by Arden Powell Book cover of Domestication by Shannon Knight. Illustration by Savanna Mayer. An Icelandic ram with curling horns is being sheared and a monstrous skeleton of something canine is emerging from the sheep's body. The art is comic-style and very creepy.
April 6, 2025 at 6:01 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
🔥🔥🔥
marywyrd.bsky.social Mary Wyrd (she/her) @marywyrd.bsky.social · Apr 5
The #NarratessIndieSale is LIVE

300+ Indie Fantasy, Horror, and Sci-Fi books await.

Find new favorites and grow your TBR.

Check out these indie delights!

#BookSky #IndieBooks
Indie Book Sale. Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror. April 5 - 7. Image of 21 book covers: The Half Killed by Quenby Olson. Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson. The Carnelian King and other Stories by Arden Powell. Kingdom of Forgotten Curses by Autumn Kaufe. The World Within by Dani Finn. Under Far Galaxian Skies by Natalie Kelda. Moonshadows Guardian by Dianna Gunn. Between the Lines by D. Hale Rambo. The Envoys of War by Dave Lawson. Merchants of Light and Bone by Erika McCorkle. Witch in the Lighthouse by Azalea Forrest. Mechanical Heart by Beverly Anne Michel. A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden. Linda West Monster Gunslinger by KC Grifant. The Unbreakable Bond by Lou Stardust. Sick Girl Screams by SJ Townend. Black Stream by Sarah K. Balstrup. Love the Sinner by Mo Moshaty. Claws and Contrivances by Stephanie Burgis. The Wings of Ashtaroth by Steve Hugh Westenra. The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies. Illustration of a buff dragon reading a book surrounded by stars. Left corner: ghosts float off candles and skulls. Right corner: the planet Saturn and a rocket.
April 6, 2025 at 6:01 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
🥳
jimiflan.bsky.social James Flanagan @jimiflan.bsky.social · Apr 6
GENEFIRE is on fire!🔥

At 0.99c for the rest of the weekend in the #narratessIndieSale

Indiebook.sale
Advert for SciFi novel GENEFIRE Advert for many books in the Narratess Sale
April 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
GENEFIRE is on fire!🔥

At 0.99c for the rest of the weekend in the #narratessIndieSale

Indiebook.sale
Advert for SciFi novel GENEFIRE Advert for many books in the Narratess Sale
April 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by James Flanagan
ormakal.bsky.social
The sale is now live!

Go check it out at indiebook.sale

You can filter by genre, queer rep, wide, POC rep, disability rep and price, so it makes it much more easier to find the book you want!

#NarratessIndieSale
April 5, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Reposted by James Flanagan
tabithawrites.itch.io
The #NarratessIndieSale is this weekend! You can get DIRT-STAINED HANDS, THORN-PIERCED SKIN for $0.99 on all platforms starting tonight/tomorrow. Check out the other books too at indiebook.sale. 🌈📚
Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A dragon is at the bottom, a pile of skulls is on the left of the text, and a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7 Surrounding the banner are the book covers of some of the books in the sale.
April 4, 2025 at 9:33 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
And the #NarratessIndieSale is live

indiebook.sale
April 5, 2025 at 10:25 AM
jimiflan.bsky.social
I need to learn what an itch.io is
yrliu.bsky.social Y. R. Liu @yrliu.bsky.social · Apr 4
The next Narratess Indie Sale is almost upon us! From April 5-7, a bunch of very excellent SFF & horror books will be on sale or free over at indiebook.sale!

Additionally, we also have itch.io bundles this year! There are two fantasy bundles, a sci-fi bundle, and a horror bundle. Check them out!
Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. The background is composed of the covers of books available during the sale, and the foreground is a starry navy rectangle with text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7
April 4, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Reposted by James Flanagan
sharkiatwrites.bsky.social
THIS WEEKEND 300 indie sci-fi, horror, and fantasy books will be part of the #NarratessIndieSale.

All these lovely e-books (and many more!) will be discounted to $0.99, $1.99 or even free!

Leading bookworms agree, #IndieApril is the best time for a #bookhaul!

#Booksky 📚💙 #IndieAuthors
Promo Graphic for indiebook.sale for #indieapril, calling on readers to prepare their e-readers.
April 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
jimiflan.bsky.social
Great lineup of #SFF in #narratessindiesale
alankdell.bsky.social Alan K. Dell @alankdell.bsky.social · Apr 1
#IndieApril is here!

And what better way to celebrate independent speculative fiction authors than with the annual Narratess Sale?

From April 5-7 the sale will bloat your TBR with nearly 300 books discounted $1.99 to free.

More details in the blog post:
www.alankdell.co.uk/...
💙📚🪐 #SFF
Banner designed by Arden Powell Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7 Indie Book Sale Sci-Fi Selections
April 1, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by James Flanagan
melodyemcintyre.bsky.social
Looking for some awesome indie SFF/Horror fiction? The Narratess Sale goes live Midnight April 5 and ends April 7.

All books are $1.99 or less, including my flash fiction horror collection, Thin Slices, which will be on sale for $0.99.

indiebook.sale
Thin Slices by Melody E. McIntyre: Over 90 stories, all 1000 words or less, this little book is bursting with scares. over the Narratess banner: Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7 Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 - 7 In centre: Banner for the Narratess Indie Book Sale. A chonky dragon reads a book at the bottom, a pile of skulls with a candle and ghost sit on the left of the text, and a space ship flies by a planet on the right of the text. Text: Indie Book Sale indiebook.sale Fantasy, Sci FI & Horror April 5 – 7 Around that are the covers for the following books: Melody E. McIntyre - Thin Slices; Stephanie Ellis - Paused; G.J. Terral - Bloodwoven; Robert Mammone - Your Evil is My Good; Caitrín Casey - Green Grow the Rushes; Michael Clark - Hell on High; Andy Peloquin - Shields in Shadow; E.K. Larson-Burnett - A Madness Unmade; Freddie A. Clark - Umbra; Leda Palmer - Betrothal Voyage; Amy Sanderson - The Last Archdruid; KC Grifant - Melinda West_ Monster Gunslinger; A.Z. Rozkillis - Space Station X; Kristina W. Kelly - Tavern Tale
March 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
jimiflan.bsky.social
Wow
aliettedebodard.com Aliette de Bodard @aliettedebodard.com · Mar 26
Legit spat out my tea
A graph that tracks the rise of medical papers written by ChatGPT by the use of the word "delve" (which it says ChatGPT oversuses). The comment below says "ChatGPT delved too greedily and too deep"
March 26, 2025 at 9:14 PM