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In praise of Not Quite Winning the Thing

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 8

New post alert! About rejection, coming so close to winning it almost hurts, and the opportunity for building long-term relationships.
halekatie.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

Or, 3 times ‘not quite’ has led to something more

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 7

Popped into the lovely @westwoodbooks.bsky.social in Sedbergh today, to sign copies of The Edge of Solitude! (Plus a copy of My Name is Monster which was hanging out alongside them.) ✍️ Grab them while you can!

Five Things Friday: issue 31

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 7

Five more writing opportunities available to free subscribers!

Lots of opportunities for poets - plus some big bucks for theatre writers. Good luck!

halekatie.substack.com/p/five-thing...

Lots of opportunities for poets - and some big bucks for theatre writers

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Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

silviaalexandra.bsky.social @silviaalexandra.bsky.social · Jul 3

Currently reading this and dreaming of Antarctica (even in the depths of winter).

I also don't iron the duvet.

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 3

The Edge of Solitude is out in paperback today!!! 💫 Penguin the cat says you should grab your copy now, and hold on tight to this hot (ice-cold) commodity! ❄️

(I know, we don’t iron our duvet covers. Life’s too short when there are books to be written & read.)

www.samreadbooks.co.uk/product/pre-...

A black and white cat hugging a copy of The Edge of Solitude in paperback

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 3

Ahhh lovely! Thank you! (And who has time for that level of ironing?? I don’t even iron my T-shirts)

Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Canongate @canongate.co.uk · Jul 3

Happy (1 of 2) Publication day!

THE EDGE OF SOLITUDE – @katiescribbles.bsky.social
AVOIDANCE, DRUGS, HEARTBREAK & DOGS – Jordan Stephens
THE CREATIVE ACT – @rickrubin.bsky.social
ODDBODY – Rose Keating

These 4 wonders are out now in all good bookshops & online: uk.bookshop.org/lists/out-to...

A stack of paperback books published today, floating against a grey background

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Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Canongate @canongate.co.uk · Jul 3

Set in a time of acute climate crisis, The Edge of Solitude is a powerful story about the collision of ambition and principle and its devastating repercussions, set aboard a lone vessel bound south

'Beautifully written and exquisitely tense' C.J. COOKE
'A masterwork of vision and power' MANDA SCOTT

a paperback copy of The Edge of Solitude by Katie Hale, floating on top of a stack of books against a grey background

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jul 3

The Edge of Solitude is out in paperback today!!! 💫 Penguin the cat says you should grab your copy now, and hold on tight to this hot (ice-cold) commodity! ❄️

(I know, we don’t iron our duvet covers. Life’s too short when there are books to be written & read.)

www.samreadbooks.co.uk/product/pre-...

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 29

Come join me for a book launch & quiz! There are prizes to be won, and a chance to celebrate the paperback launch of The Edge of Solitude!
Proceeds go to support the wonderful @antarcticheritage.bsky.social. It'd be lovely to see you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-edge-o...

Cambridge Dictionary adds new definition for 'slop' to reflect 'low-quality content created by AI'

Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Mslexia @mslexia.bsky.social · Jun 24

'It’s an important reminder that quality and integrity remain unmistakably human. In an era of machine-made content, those values are more crucial than ever.' 👇 #writers #amwriting #writingcommunity

The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · Jun 24

An AI-related definition of the word ’slop’ has entered the Cambridge Dictionary for the first time, ’reflecting growing concerns about increasing amounts of low-quality content created by AI’ 👇 #BookSky

ebx.sh

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Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · Jun 23

🚨 Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the *lowest* on record (JAXA data)

• about 350,000 km² below the 2010s mean
• about 1,010,000 km² below the 2000s mean
• about 1,590,000 km² below the 1990s mean
• about 2,150,000 km² below the 1980s mean

More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

Line graph time series of 2025's daily Arctic sea ice extent compared to decadal averages from the 1980s to the 2010s. The decadal averages are shown with different colored lines with purple for the 1980s, blue for the 1990s, green for the 2000s, and white for the 2010s. Thin white lines are also shown for each year from 2000 to 2024. 2025 is shown with a thick gold line. There is a long-term decreasing trend in ice extent for every day of the year shown on this graph between May and August by looking at the decadal average line positions.

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 23

Fancy £1000 or so for your writing? This week's Five Things Friday is fully to bursting with big-paying prizes & opportunities!

From @poetrylondon.bsky.social @frazzledlit.bsky.social and more!
halekatie.substack.com/p/five-thing...

Five Things Friday: issue 29

5 prizes & submission opportunities - worth thousands of pounds!

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 19

Book 24 of 2025: ‘Clear’ by Carys Davies.

What a perfect tender little island of a book! 🌊

Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Sam Read Bookseller @samreadbookseller.bsky.social · Jun 19

On this very hot long summer day, a polar stack from our #IndieBookshopWeek guest bookseller @katiescribbles.bsky.social, who last night won the @societyofauthors.bsky.social Tom Gallon short story prize. Cool down with one of these polar novels, the last of her 3 piles of #RecommendedReads

Katie smiling and holding book stack outside bookshop window with the Edge of solitude by Katie hale, at the mountains of madness by HP Lovecraft, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, lean fall stand by Jon McGregor, and The wager and the bear by John ironmonger.

Book stack on gate in front of field and green fells under grey sky

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Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 18

Book 23 of 2025: ‘My Phantoms’ by Gwendoline Riley.

What a sad and honest-feeling book. I felt for every single character.

Photo shows a hand holding a copy of My Phantoms

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 18

Book 23 of 2025: ‘My Phantoms’ by Gwendoline Riley.

What a sad and honest-feeling book. I felt for every single character.

The Edge of Solitude: book launch & polar quiz!

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 16

I had the loveliest day on Saturday, cosplaying as a bookseller for the afternoon at @samreadbookseller.bsky.social, to celebrate #IndieBookshopWeek!

Chatted to some lovely people about my book, and met an excellent dog called Pretzel.

Sam Read Bookseller @samreadbookseller.bsky.social · Jun 14

We thoroughly enjoyed training up Cumbrian novelist and poet @katiescribbles.bsky.social as an #IndieBookshopWeek guest bookseller today. She's left us some recommended reads which we'll share in the week, and some early signed copies of the paper of her brilliant 2nd novel #TheEdgeOfSolitude.

Katie, a white woman with long brown hair wearing a denim jacket, leans on the window of Sam Read, smiling, and holding a paperback book 'the edge of solitude'. The window is full of colourful new hardbacks, with rainbows, raindrops and a smiling sun hanging above them.

Katie leaning on the bookshop counter and pointing to a pile of signed copies of The Edge of Solitude.

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Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Sam Read Bookseller @samreadbookseller.bsky.social · Jun 13

Did you know #IndieBookshopWeek starts tomorrow? We're kicking off in style with a visit from Cumbrian poet and novelist @katiescribbles.bsky.social who will be moonlighting as a trainee bookseller for us from 2pm tomorrow, Saturday 14th. #ChooseBookshops #CumbriaCulture #BooksAreMyBag #ShopLocal

Poster for independent bookshop week, 14-21 June 2025, with illustration of rolling hills with cute whitewashed bookshop amongst trees. It reads 'shop local, shop independent' at the top, and books are my bag at the bottom, with the hashtags indie bookshop week and choose bookshops.

photo of author Katie Hale - a white woman with long brown hair wearing a bright neon floral pattern dress - smiling and holding her book the edge of solitude - a hardback with coral, lilac and blue sea and clouds and a mint green iceberg on the cover. She is in a garden and there is flowery bunting behind her.

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 9

What’s that, you say? An online book launch? AND a quiz?? With prizes??? And pictures of penguins????

On 2nd July, help me send the paperback of The Edge of Solitude out into the world! (And maybe win a copy, too…?) Proceeds to @antarcticheritage.bsky.social.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-edge-o...

Love books? Fascinated by Antarctica? Just think penguins are cute? If the answer to any of these is YES! then this event is for you!

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 9

Fancy a month writing in a hobbit pod? Or penning a story for Doctor Who? Or making a really cool zine?

Five more excellent writing opportunities in this little round-up. Good luck!
halekatie.substack.com/p/five-thing...

Five Things Friday: issue 27

Zines, TV & Doctor Who! - plus a residency in a hobbit pod

On books in the landscape

Reposted by Katie Hale - writer

Polly Atkin @pollyrowena.bsky.social · Jun 1

Inspired by the behind-the-scenes photos @katiescribbles.bsky.social took of me taking photos of the newly arrived paperback of her brilliant novel #TheEdgeOfSolitude, I've written my 1st blog post in an era or two. pollyatkin.com/2025/06/01/o...

Some time in the mid twenty-teens, when twitter was still twitter, and still a place to make connections and jokes, my partner Will stepped out of the bookshop where he had been working part-time f…

pollyatkin.com

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Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 9

I love that - 'not too hot in any sense'!

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · Jun 1

Book 22 of 2025: ‘The Bees’ by Laline Paull.

Next month’s Book Club book, and it had me gripped from the start and weeping by the end. What a gorgeously satisfying read.

Photo shows a hand holding a copy of The Bees, which is a yellow paperback, against a yellow wall

Five Things Friday: issue 26

Katie Hale - writer @katiescribbles.bsky.social · May 30

Fancy publication? Development opportunities? A really impressive-looking (and well-paid) fellowship? All here in this week's Five Things Friday!
halekatie.substack.com/p/five-thing...

Publication, development - and an impressive looking fellowship!