AlmaAlexander
@almaalexander.bsky.social
Duchess of Fantasy (http://www.AlmaAlexander.org)
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AlmaAlexander
browse my books: https://shorturl.at/t00Mw
She/her
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AlmaAlexander
browse my books: https://shorturl.at/t00Mw
She/her
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
November 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
Three times now I’ve had the pleasure of listening to @maryrobinettekowal.com read first pages of writers’ work at different retreats. Watching her discover the work’s cadence and adjust accordingly, in real time, was a testament to the skill it takes to be a good narrator.
Text can be read an infinite number of ways, and these are acting choices that AI won't make, and simple prompts can't patch over.
Human narrators who understand the work they are reading elevate it into a dramatic performance that is more than just vocalizing text, it's a new work of art.
Human narrators who understand the work they are reading elevate it into a dramatic performance that is more than just vocalizing text, it's a new work of art.
November 29, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Three times now I’ve had the pleasure of listening to @maryrobinettekowal.com read first pages of writers’ work at different retreats. Watching her discover the work’s cadence and adjust accordingly, in real time, was a testament to the skill it takes to be a good narrator.
Ok - is there a class lawsuit for this one? At $150K damages per work, I'd be IN THE MONEY with this one.
If your business model doesn’t work without breaking the law, you’re not in business.
You’re in organized crime.
You’re in organized crime.
The OpenAI ruling writers should know about 👀 (if your work was scraped for LLM training, this affects you). www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
November 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Ok - is there a class lawsuit for this one? At $150K damages per work, I'd be IN THE MONEY with this one.
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
I know why they didn't do it, but that headline would absolutely CRUSH if they'd deployed an adverbial f-bomb immediately prior to the word "obvious."
November 28, 2025 at 6:31 PM
I know why they didn't do it, but that headline would absolutely CRUSH if they'd deployed an adverbial f-bomb immediately prior to the word "obvious."
Grizzly bear
Moose
Elephant
Lion
raccoon (for values of "wild" - I have a family living in my woods and I see them regularly trotting past the back of the house...)
Moose
Elephant
Lion
raccoon (for values of "wild" - I have a family living in my woods and I see them regularly trotting past the back of the house...)
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Fox
Puffin
Ibis
Slow Worm
Quokka
Fox
Puffin
Ibis
Slow Worm
Quokka
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Rattlesnake
Hyena
Tuatara
Orca
Puerto Rican giant millipede
Rattlesnake
Hyena
Tuatara
Orca
Puerto Rican giant millipede
November 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Grizzly bear
Moose
Elephant
Lion
raccoon (for values of "wild" - I have a family living in my woods and I see them regularly trotting past the back of the house...)
Moose
Elephant
Lion
raccoon (for values of "wild" - I have a family living in my woods and I see them regularly trotting past the back of the house...)
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
On a happier note, it's true. You can find anything in NYC--if you know where to look. www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mir...
Shopping for Miracles at the 'Home Depot of Spiritual Goods' in the Bronx
Struggling with debt? Just got dumped? Husband won’t do your bidding?
www.atlasobscura.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
On a happier note, it's true. You can find anything in NYC--if you know where to look. www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mir...
Back during WWII when my grandparents were very poor grandpa brought my gran a handful of garden snails -"they EAT those in France!" ... /1
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Thieves take €90,000 of snails meant for Michelin-starred restaurants
French police are on the trail of ‘experienced’ criminals who stole a whole year’s worth of produce from Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne’s L’Escargot des Grands Crus
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Back during WWII when my grandparents were very poor grandpa brought my gran a handful of garden snails -"they EAT those in France!" ... /1
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 AM
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
What he really means is that so many WHITE women aren't having kids (that's the "we" who is "disappearing") - pressed on this he would probably admit that he also thinks that so many OTHER women (the not-lily-white kind) are having "too many children" (and that's also why "we" are "disappearing"...
we need to democratize womb transplants specifically so we can ask guys like this "well why aren't YOU bearing children then"
November 27, 2025 at 9:25 PM
What he really means is that so many WHITE women aren't having kids (that's the "we" who is "disappearing") - pressed on this he would probably admit that he also thinks that so many OTHER women (the not-lily-white kind) are having "too many children" (and that's also why "we" are "disappearing"...
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
*looks at story folder, looks at mortgage-paying day job, nods*
I'm not the only author I know who has a huge surfeit of ideas for books that we would love to write and send out into the world if only we had the time to write them.
November 27, 2025 at 6:41 PM
*looks at story folder, looks at mortgage-paying day job, nods*
okay then - the lates dropped only a few short weeks ago - www.amazon.com/Winds-Four-Q... - take a look! (oh and BTW I did the embroidery that's on the cover, too :) )
November 27, 2025 at 4:09 AM
okay then - the lates dropped only a few short weeks ago - www.amazon.com/Winds-Four-Q... - take a look! (oh and BTW I did the embroidery that's on the cover, too :) )
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
And I mean look, if you're going to pirate a book, there's not really anything I or anyone else can do to stop you from doing that. Whatever. You just can't expect everyone to pat you on the back and tell you what a good leftist you are for doing it.
November 27, 2025 at 12:03 AM
And I mean look, if you're going to pirate a book, there's not really anything I or anyone else can do to stop you from doing that. Whatever. You just can't expect everyone to pat you on the back and tell you what a good leftist you are for doing it.
My car needs major surgery. They have made an appointment for dec 8. I try to ask if there is any way I can bring it in this Friday (yes, yes, Thanksgiving) and they say, sure, you can bring it in but we won't be able to work on it until the 8th. So, as in, why then would I bring it in on Nov 28???
November 26, 2025 at 9:06 PM
My car needs major surgery. They have made an appointment for dec 8. I try to ask if there is any way I can bring it in this Friday (yes, yes, Thanksgiving) and they say, sure, you can bring it in but we won't be able to work on it until the 8th. So, as in, why then would I bring it in on Nov 28???
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
Where can I get one of these doodads?!
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
What's the deal with balcony solar?
Cora Stryker joins me to explain how "plug-in" solar took Europe by storm and is finally, via Utah (?), making its way to America.
www.volts.wtf
November 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Where can I get one of these doodads?!
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
*taps sign* bsky.app/profile/this...
REMINDER: if you think your right-on lefty/socialist/communist/etc. politics justifies pirating books, well guess what? Most writers don't make a living wage from their books or writing work, and stealing from them makes you a class traitor.
November 25, 2025 at 7:32 PM
*taps sign* bsky.app/profile/this...
Ok so it's the rainy season in the PNW, my car lives outside... and it's LEAKING. I'm currently sitting in a "slammed" service department, waiting to hear "when they can look at it ". LOOK AT IT. Not fix it. I may be here a while. (Failing a fix i don't know what my alternatives are....)
November 26, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Ok so it's the rainy season in the PNW, my car lives outside... and it's LEAKING. I'm currently sitting in a "slammed" service department, waiting to hear "when they can look at it ". LOOK AT IT. Not fix it. I may be here a while. (Failing a fix i don't know what my alternatives are....)
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
If you want literature to exist you have to support it and that doesn't always mean you, personally, will pay. The more we USE our libraries the better they can justify their funding, and the more people they can serve.
By stealing instead, you're cheating your neighbors AND the artists. Dick.
By stealing instead, you're cheating your neighbors AND the artists. Dick.
November 25, 2025 at 8:05 PM
If you want literature to exist you have to support it and that doesn't always mean you, personally, will pay. The more we USE our libraries the better they can justify their funding, and the more people they can serve.
By stealing instead, you're cheating your neighbors AND the artists. Dick.
By stealing instead, you're cheating your neighbors AND the artists. Dick.
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
Canadian COVID Forecast: Nov 22 - Dec 5, 2025
SEVERE: AB
VERY HIGH: MB, NB, North, NS, SK
HIGH: CAN, BC, NL, ON, PEI, QC
MODERATE: none
About 1 in 161 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.
SEVERE: AB
VERY HIGH: MB, NB, North, NS, SK
HIGH: CAN, BC, NL, ON, PEI, QC
MODERATE: none
About 1 in 161 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.
November 25, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Canadian COVID Forecast: Nov 22 - Dec 5, 2025
SEVERE: AB
VERY HIGH: MB, NB, North, NS, SK
HIGH: CAN, BC, NL, ON, PEI, QC
MODERATE: none
About 1 in 161 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.
SEVERE: AB
VERY HIGH: MB, NB, North, NS, SK
HIGH: CAN, BC, NL, ON, PEI, QC
MODERATE: none
About 1 in 161 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
95% of authors are not making a living through book publishing. The public needs to understand this.
November 25, 2025 at 2:24 AM
95% of authors are not making a living through book publishing. The public needs to understand this.
pre-Christmas “what do I get for my bookworm” gifting guide
this is for those of you who know other writers far better than you know my work - but if you want to gift someone any of my books for Christmas (but aren't sure which). Here's a quick and dirty gifting guide: if you like Guy Gavriel Kay…
this is for those of you who know other writers far better than you know my work - but if you want to gift someone any of my books for Christmas (but aren't sure which). Here's a quick and dirty gifting guide: if you like Guy Gavriel Kay…
pre-Christmas “what do I get for my bookworm” gifting guide
this is for those of you who know other writers far better than you know my work - but if you want to gift someone any of my books for Christmas (but aren't sure which). Here's a quick and dirty gifting guide: if you like Guy Gavriel Kay (historical Fantasy) or Sharon Kay Penman (historical fiction, straight, no chaser) - the two faces of the Kay coin - you might like my historical fantasy trio, "Secrets of Jin Shei", "Embers of Heaven", "Empress".
almaalexander.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM
pre-Christmas “what do I get for my bookworm” gifting guide
this is for those of you who know other writers far better than you know my work - but if you want to gift someone any of my books for Christmas (but aren't sure which). Here's a quick and dirty gifting guide: if you like Guy Gavriel Kay…
this is for those of you who know other writers far better than you know my work - but if you want to gift someone any of my books for Christmas (but aren't sure which). Here's a quick and dirty gifting guide: if you like Guy Gavriel Kay…
Reposted by AlmaAlexander
I 100% set Gemini up for failure here but I appreciate LLMs' game willingness to go along when I asked it for details on the musical number I had just entirely made up
November 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I 100% set Gemini up for failure here but I appreciate LLMs' game willingness to go along when I asked it for details on the musical number I had just entirely made up