Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13h

Really sad to hear this. You've done incredibly important work over the years. You will be missed.

Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13h

Oh no! This is heartbreaking! @onspecmag.bsky.social has been so so so important not only for speculative writers but particularly for Canadian speculative writers. My first sale ever was to On Spec and it gave me the confidence to keep writing and developing. We'll all miss the magazine!

On Spec Magazine @onspecmag.bsky.social · 13h

With our new issue, we are making the sad announcement that this will be the final year for On Spec. See www.onspec.ca for details.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 3d

🧛‍♀️🪐 Looking for some supernatural sci-fi for Halloween? I recommend Monsters and Mainframes by @barbaratruelove.bsky.social. This one has it all -- quirky sentient ships, vampires, werewolves, aliens, evil bureaucracies, genre mashups and more. It's monstrously good! #Halloweenread

Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 9d

Yeah, this is appalling.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 12d

Thankfully many smaller and indie presses are stepping up and publishing innovative and daring works. Shoutout to presses like @ecwpress.bsky.social, @undertow.bsky.social, @coachhousebooks.bsky.social, @anvilpress.bsky.social and all the others, including my publisher @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 12d

Declining news coverage for books, obsessions with sales numbers, increasingly conservative book publishers -- it's a tough time for the midlist writer and anyone else who isn't a bestseller.

thewalrus.ca/the-publishi...

The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem | The Walrus

Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it

thewalrus.ca

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13d

🧠💪Your focus is like a muscle. The more you regularly train it, the stronger it will get.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13d

🗓Write at the same time/place every day if you can. Habits become unconscious over time.

📤Save shallow tasks (emails, bills) for scheduled times. Do you deep tasks like writing first.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13d

⏱️ Try methods that force focus such as Pomodoro (25min writing, short break, repeat).

🎯 Leave yourself a natural starting point for the next writing session by ending your session on something you’re excited to continue. This works really well for me!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13d

📵 Digital detox - remove apps that don't serve you and only distract. This is a great life changer beyond writing as well.

🛑Use website blockers if you can't resist temptation.

💻Consider writing on a device not connected to the internet. Believe it or not, there are such things.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 13d

Finding it more difficult to focus on writing, given the state of the world? You’re not alone. I’ve been leaning heavily on a few habits to deny distraction.

🚪Lock the door to your writing space if you have one.

🚫Put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

🗓Block time so people can’t pull you away.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 16d

The rapture seems like a good time to remind people of Has the World Ended Yet, my collection of apocalyptic tales from @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social. Angels descend upon a superhero retirement community. Deity salesmen wreck a suburban neighbourhood. And more! peterdarbyshire.com/has-the-worl...

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 26d

👋 Show up IRL. Festivals, launches, readings, book clubs, writing groups — nothing builds community like presence.

And above all: read, read, read! 🖤

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 26d

⭐ Rate & review. Even a quick star rating on Goodreads or Amazon boosts visibility in the algorithm.

📖 Subscribe to literary mags. Many are on Patreon, often with online communities built in.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · 26d

Creators bring light to darkness. We need to support them now more than ever.

📚 Read widely. Seek out authors from small presses or outside the mainstream who don’t always get marketing or hype.

💌 Share your appreciation. A kind DM or post can be the push someone needs to finish their next book.

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Sep 5

Wow! Anthropic to pay $1.5 billion to authors in landmark AI settlement. Maybe it would have been cheaper to license those works in the first place. www.theverge.com/anthropic/77...

Anthropic to pay $1.5 billion to authors in landmark AI settlement

Lawyers said it’s believed to be the largest-ever settlement in a US copyright case, paying about $3,000 per book.

www.theverge.com

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Reposted by Peter Darbyshire

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · Sep 2

It's ALIVE!!!!

Today is the official pub date for NMLCT, published by @ecwpress.bsky.social!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Aug 27

"Writing is like life. Sometimes it’s better to push into the unknown than try to pursue some elusive perfection with what you have."

I talk about the writing life at On Creative Writing. www.oncreativewriting.com/post/peter-d...

Peter Darbyshire on plotting, passion, and a writer's voice

In this question and answer interview with author Peter Darbyshire, he explores his creative process. He discusses his shift from a "pantser" to a "plotter," embracing a more structured approach to wr...

www.oncreativewriting.com

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Reposted by Peter Darbyshire

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · Aug 27

The first review of NMLCT is here, just days from its official release. Thanks to Rob McLennan.

"Vermeersch builds his bricks of lyric narrative in lengthy and even gymnastic lines, more oriented in propulsive, almost staccato, sound than in his prior work"

robmclennan.blogspot.com/2025/08/paul...

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Aug 26

I imagine more Canadian publishers will be following suit shortly.

Undertow Publications 🇨🇦 @undertow.bsky.social · Aug 26

Shipping update for our U.S. customers.

Dear Friends,

A quick update on shipping to the U.S. (Though, given the chaos in the U.S. and elsewhere this feels rather insignificant, tbh.)

For the time-being, book orders for U.S. customers will be fulfilled through Print on Demand. Some books and printed matter are still exempt from duties and tariffs under the Canada-US-Mexico Trade deal. For any U.S.-bound shipments I have to supply the HS Code, a Certificate of Origin, name and contact details of the manufacturer, and the obligatory Customs Declaration. On top of that, some shipping partners have added brokerage fees to clear items through customs. Even with all that, whole truckloads of packages bound for the U.S. have been turned around at the border as officials on both sides try to figure out who is responsible for collecting duties and taxes. This leads to more costly delays.

For our customers outside Canada, a book ordered direct from us won't come with any extras like bookmarks, etc. But your POD book will be no different than if you ordered a copy online via Barnes & Noble, or Amazon, etc. If there is any issue with your order, please do get in touch and we will fix it. We're sorry it's come to this, and thank you for your understanding and on-going support.

-Michael

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Aug 11

I had an excellent nap yesterday!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Aug 4

Yes, I've been more conscious about my subscriptions as well, particularly the Canadian ones!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Aug 4

What's the state of Canadian lit mags? Most editors feel their magazines are not sustainable. Remember, if you like a magazine/creator, subscribe to keep them going! litmags.ca/survey/ #CanLit

State of Lit Mags 2024 – Literary Magazines Canada Collective

litmags.ca

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Jul 29

This one caught my attention right away!

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Peter Darbyshire @peterdarbyshire.bsky.social · Jul 29

"My great-grandmother told me a story about how her uncle went missing and he was taken away by witches. That was one of the originating stories." @silviamg.bsky.social on her new novel, The Bewitching. www.goodreads.com/interviews/s...

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's New Gothic Novel Is Bewitched, Bothered, and Emboldened

Three women are bewitched across time and space in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest Gothic ghost story, The Bewitching. Minerva is a foreign exchange student on...

www.goodreads.com

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