Rachel Hartman
@rachelhartmanbooks.com
Dragon, writer, thinker, friend
Join me at Fake Folktales: http://patreon.com/user?u=3437010
http://rachelhartmanbooks.com/
🇨🇦
Join me at Fake Folktales: http://patreon.com/user?u=3437010
http://rachelhartmanbooks.com/
🇨🇦
Pinned
Rachel Hartman
@rachelhartmanbooks.com
· Jul 12
Get more from Rachel Hartman on Patreon
Creating Fake Folktales
patreon.com
Do you enjoy my books? Then you'll be right at home over at Fake Folktales, where I publish the stories I couldn't squeeze into my novels, plus the adventures of my Folkloric Arts Research Team (two monks and a dragon) who dig up stories even *I* haven't heard before
patreon.com/user?u=3437010
patreon.com/user?u=3437010
Well, our record is now 0-3, but I'm proclaiming a moral victory since we only lost 8-7 after being down 8-0 after four ends.
Off to the curling club to play the glorious roaring game. And almost certainly lose, because that's how this mini-season is shaping up, but oh well. Worst case, we try to lie back and think of it as draw-weight practice. Which we desperately need, *lolsob*.
December 1, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Well, our record is now 0-3, but I'm proclaiming a moral victory since we only lost 8-7 after being down 8-0 after four ends.
Off to the curling club to play the glorious roaring game. And almost certainly lose, because that's how this mini-season is shaping up, but oh well. Worst case, we try to lie back and think of it as draw-weight practice. Which we desperately need, *lolsob*.
November 30, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Off to the curling club to play the glorious roaring game. And almost certainly lose, because that's how this mini-season is shaping up, but oh well. Worst case, we try to lie back and think of it as draw-weight practice. Which we desperately need, *lolsob*.
Learning to bake croissants and pretzels with my son. Also, weirdly, playing the game Pandemic, because whenever we would lose, we would all race for the hall closet and try to abscond with the toilet paper and hand sanitizer. This was what passed for humour in those days.
What's a charming memory you have from the worst period of the pandemic?
November 30, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Learning to bake croissants and pretzels with my son. Also, weirdly, playing the game Pandemic, because whenever we would lose, we would all race for the hall closet and try to abscond with the toilet paper and hand sanitizer. This was what passed for humour in those days.
There are many more songs about curling than I realized. Some are actually pretty catchy.
November 30, 2025 at 4:35 AM
There are many more songs about curling than I realized. Some are actually pretty catchy.
This is where the concept of the "weirdness budget" comes in particularly handy. Sure, you COULD spend it all on making a whole new calendar. If the calendar is super important, then arguably you SHOULD. Just remember that readers have to keep track of all the new stuff you throw at them
Not sure how I feel when a book tells me that instead of "12 months" they have "10 arcs," which are each 40 days long, and they all have names like Blossomarc, Flamearc Snowarc,.... I appreciate the world building, but couldnt we have just kept the calendar the same?
November 30, 2025 at 4:30 AM
This is where the concept of the "weirdness budget" comes in particularly handy. Sure, you COULD spend it all on making a whole new calendar. If the calendar is super important, then arguably you SHOULD. Just remember that readers have to keep track of all the new stuff you throw at them
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Harbor seal
Echidna
Skunk
Copperhead
Lynx
Harbor seal
Echidna
Skunk
Copperhead
Lynx
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Bald eagle
Marmot
Elk
Snapping turtle
Humpback whale
Bald eagle
Marmot
Elk
Snapping turtle
Humpback whale
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
California condor
Mountain lion
Cuban tree frog
Moorean viviparous tree snail
Malayan pit viper waaaaay too close
California condor
Mountain lion
Cuban tree frog
Moorean viviparous tree snail
Malayan pit viper waaaaay too close
November 28, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Harbor seal
Echidna
Skunk
Copperhead
Lynx
Harbor seal
Echidna
Skunk
Copperhead
Lynx
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
I’m really, genuinely stunned that THE RIVER HAS ROOTS made it into the final round of the Goodreads choice awards for Fantasy, & very grateful to everyone who read & enjoyed it enough to make that happen! Voting closes on Sunday, vote for your faves before then!
Final Round: Vote for the Readers' Favorite Fantasy of 2025!
Discover the Readers' Favorite Fantasy in the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards.
www.goodreads.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:55 PM
I’m really, genuinely stunned that THE RIVER HAS ROOTS made it into the final round of the Goodreads choice awards for Fantasy, & very grateful to everyone who read & enjoyed it enough to make that happen! Voting closes on Sunday, vote for your faves before then!
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
This is an excellent book that I recommend to people all the time. Get yourself the new edition.
Just want to point out that "Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada" has a new edition coming out in the spring of 2026 with a much expanded exploration of administrative definitions of Indigenous folks (and more).
November 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
This is an excellent book that I recommend to people all the time. Get yourself the new edition.
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
December is right around the corner, and with it, our somewhat-annual holiday party!
Come by during store hours on Saturday December 6th! We'll have tasty treats, discounts, and almost all our staff will be in! Come pick our brains for the perfect recommendations for holiday gifts or for yourself.
Come by during store hours on Saturday December 6th! We'll have tasty treats, discounts, and almost all our staff will be in! Come pick our brains for the perfect recommendations for holiday gifts or for yourself.
November 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
December is right around the corner, and with it, our somewhat-annual holiday party!
Come by during store hours on Saturday December 6th! We'll have tasty treats, discounts, and almost all our staff will be in! Come pick our brains for the perfect recommendations for holiday gifts or for yourself.
Come by during store hours on Saturday December 6th! We'll have tasty treats, discounts, and almost all our staff will be in! Come pick our brains for the perfect recommendations for holiday gifts or for yourself.
This is horrifying and well worth reading. It doesn't apply perfectly to Canada, but it doesn't NOT apply, either.
This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Part 1: My Life Is a Lie
How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America
www.yesigiveafig.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
This is horrifying and well worth reading. It doesn't apply perfectly to Canada, but it doesn't NOT apply, either.
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
'Who cares?': Carney, when asked about last time he spoke to Trump
Mark continues the tradition of Canadian Prime Ministers being petty bitches. 🚬
gorgeous no notes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37n...
Mark continues the tradition of Canadian Prime Ministers being petty bitches. 🚬
gorgeous no notes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37n...
'Who cares?': Carney, when asked about last time he spoke to Trump
YouTube video by CBC News
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
'Who cares?': Carney, when asked about last time he spoke to Trump
Mark continues the tradition of Canadian Prime Ministers being petty bitches. 🚬
gorgeous no notes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37n...
Mark continues the tradition of Canadian Prime Ministers being petty bitches. 🚬
gorgeous no notes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37n...
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
You know what, I'm just gonna re-up this post
November 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
You know what, I'm just gonna re-up this post
My son says his friend's sibling googled car repair, only read the AI summary, and was in an accident when the "repair" failed while driving.
On one hand, this story feels bullshitty*. OtOH, I'm tickled that these are the bullshitty stories young people are telling about AI, ie. that it sucks.
On one hand, this story feels bullshitty*. OtOH, I'm tickled that these are the bullshitty stories young people are telling about AI, ie. that it sucks.
November 23, 2025 at 11:45 PM
My son says his friend's sibling googled car repair, only read the AI summary, and was in an accident when the "repair" failed while driving.
On one hand, this story feels bullshitty*. OtOH, I'm tickled that these are the bullshitty stories young people are telling about AI, ie. that it sucks.
On one hand, this story feels bullshitty*. OtOH, I'm tickled that these are the bullshitty stories young people are telling about AI, ie. that it sucks.
ADHD meds saved my son's life, I will keep shouting this forever, but yeah, he also discovered that he still had to actually DO his homework, lol.
trying to start a moral panic and the stories are all like “the ADHD meds really helped but didn’t solve everything”
November 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
ADHD meds saved my son's life, I will keep shouting this forever, but yeah, he also discovered that he still had to actually DO his homework, lol.
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
I'm not sure anyone will even see this thread, but we all have projects we wished had gotten more attention. What did you make in 2025 that you feel was overlooked? Tell us about it and share links so more of us can discover it!
November 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I'm not sure anyone will even see this thread, but we all have projects we wished had gotten more attention. What did you make in 2025 that you feel was overlooked? Tell us about it and share links so more of us can discover it!
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
DOH. HUGE NEWS in the tariff wars!
(Point Roberts is a tiny sliver of America you can basically only reach from Canada.)
(Point Roberts is a tiny sliver of America you can basically only reach from Canada.)
November 21, 2025 at 5:26 PM
DOH. HUGE NEWS in the tariff wars!
(Point Roberts is a tiny sliver of America you can basically only reach from Canada.)
(Point Roberts is a tiny sliver of America you can basically only reach from Canada.)
OR, you could just ask me what your toddler is saying. I'm not making a joke, I'm actually good at this. Which was a problem, in a way, because my son (who ended up needing speech therapy) was 3, he went from home (where I understood what he was saying) to preschool, where no one understood him.
“This study is trying to understand how we can leverage AI and machine-learning principles to improve recognition for toddlers and preschoolers.”
Canadian researchers look into how AI can better understand toddler talk like 'doodidees' | CBC News
Two researchers at Western University in London, Ont., are studying how to improve the way artificial intelligence understands toddlers' speaking patterns. They're recruiting preschool-age children to...
www.cbc.ca
November 21, 2025 at 6:01 PM
OR, you could just ask me what your toddler is saying. I'm not making a joke, I'm actually good at this. Which was a problem, in a way, because my son (who ended up needing speech therapy) was 3, he went from home (where I understood what he was saying) to preschool, where no one understood him.
We Vancouverites, unashamed and obvious tourists, didn't lead a life much different than this, because we melted whenever the temperature was above 25C. Which, in Kerala in November, was every single day
So many visitors to India are all like " I don't want to do touristy things I want to experience life as a local" and then claim they're bored when they have to just stay indoors all day to avoid the sun and catch up with ppl at the park in the evening to insult the prime minister
People who feel bad at being called tourists are without doubt the most tedious people on earth to get stuck next to on a plane and it isn't close to close
November 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
We Vancouverites, unashamed and obvious tourists, didn't lead a life much different than this, because we melted whenever the temperature was above 25C. Which, in Kerala in November, was every single day
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
Remember: they used thousands of academic books too! If you’re a scholar, check for your books too. This isn’t just novelists and pop writers, it’s academic books too!
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Remember: they used thousands of academic books too! If you’re a scholar, check for your books too. This isn’t just novelists and pop writers, it’s academic books too!
My new favourite game with the dog is called "Mommy is Boring" and it's where she falls asleep on a mat next to my chair
November 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
My new favourite game with the dog is called "Mommy is Boring" and it's where she falls asleep on a mat next to my chair
Welllll... my team this mini-season is going to test this thesis thoroughly, I fear. 0-2 so far, and boy howdy did we suck hard today.
CURLING IS LITERALLY THE BEST SPORT, I feel the need to add. Like, it BARELY matters if you win or lose, you had so much fun doing it that you can't wait to go again.
November 17, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Welllll... my team this mini-season is going to test this thesis thoroughly, I fear. 0-2 so far, and boy howdy did we suck hard today.
Reposted by Rachel Hartman
Most woke opinion: since incorporated bodies are people & you’re eligible to run for president of the USA if you were born here OR if you were here when the constitution was ratified, Canada can & should run for president of the USA.
Native & First Nations tribal gov’ts can too, also Lake Michigan
Native & First Nations tribal gov’ts can too, also Lake Michigan
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Most woke opinion: since incorporated bodies are people & you’re eligible to run for president of the USA if you were born here OR if you were here when the constitution was ratified, Canada can & should run for president of the USA.
Native & First Nations tribal gov’ts can too, also Lake Michigan
Native & First Nations tribal gov’ts can too, also Lake Michigan
New at Fake Folktales: Brother Erne begins telling Frai Moldi some family stories, in hopes of somehow figuring out the truth about what happened to his mother. I'm not sure this particular story offers many clues, but maybe there are more than meet the eye...
www.patreon.com/posts/mother...
www.patreon.com/posts/mother...
Motherfly | Rachel Hartman
Get more from Rachel Hartman on Patreon
www.patreon.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:16 PM
New at Fake Folktales: Brother Erne begins telling Frai Moldi some family stories, in hopes of somehow figuring out the truth about what happened to his mother. I'm not sure this particular story offers many clues, but maybe there are more than meet the eye...
www.patreon.com/posts/mother...
www.patreon.com/posts/mother...
I went down to Blaine, WA recently to update my Nexus Card documents and was really struck by how almost the ONLY people crossing the border, either direction, were people with Nexus. Meaning there was a line in the "fast" lane, and nowhere else, haha
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Canadian Travel to the U.S. Declines for 10th Straight Month
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I went down to Blaine, WA recently to update my Nexus Card documents and was really struck by how almost the ONLY people crossing the border, either direction, were people with Nexus. Meaning there was a line in the "fast" lane, and nowhere else, haha
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Really wondering when the rodents are going to figure out that we have to throw food at the dog to get her to eat, and some of it sometimes goes under the fridge
November 12, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Really wondering when the rodents are going to figure out that we have to throw food at the dog to get her to eat, and some of it sometimes goes under the fridge