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John Chrostek

@johnchrostek.com

2.3K followers 1.7K following 2.3K posts

Writer: johnchrostek.com Co-owner @eveninghouse.bsky.social EIC @cold-signal.com BOXCUTTERS, short stories: https://malarkeybooks.com/store/boxcutters FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN, novel: https://shorturl.at/WeXfh Buffalo, NY

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John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 12d

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!!!
for literary awards, reviews, readership & general good vibes:
my 2025 books!

promo graphic for my books

text says:
"for your consideration in the categories of literary awards, reviews, readership & general good vibes:

up and coming underground artist and general societal burden John Chrostek's 2025 releases, offering never-before-seen literary adventures of the strange and sincere variety"

all in retro 70's font, then the covers of boxcutters and feast of the pale leviathan

boxcutters
malarkey books

for those adventurous souls who enjoy the variety of short stories, Boxcutters promises a diverse set of tales, spanning the shocking, sad, hilarious and odd.

find tales of cosmic horror, dystopic science fiction and mythic fantasy tied together with simpler tales of small town fight clubs, a possessed Richard Nixon and much more. Boxcutters is there to help cut through the boundaries and get you to the open air."

available at evening house books, asterism, malarkey books, Powell's, and at your local library and indie bookstore if you ask nicely

FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN
Deep Overstock Books

A man falls asleep on a river
raft tube and drifts out to sea,
where he is found & devoured
by a titan of unbelievable size.
But rather than death, what Owen
finds inside is a community of
fellow survivors carving out a life
amidst the flotsam and flesh
of the impossible Leviathan.

There seems to be no hope of escape
until a chain of events reveals to
the survivors that their damnable
fates are tied to a mysterious cult
that lives in deathless splendor
in the ivory halls of New Atlantis.

So begins a war between dimensions, culminating in the awakening of the Leviathan and its march to the shore...

available at evening house books, little ghost books, bookshop.org, powell's and at your local library & indie bookstore if you ask nicely

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 8h

As a writer, I don’t consider myself in competition with anyone outside of a hypothetical variant of me that lives in my head and is a better writer than me and is a fucking asshole about it

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 9h

Window Boy is really something special, had the same reaction lol

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 9h

It is very rad that bookshop is doing free shipping, and hell, you can pick up FEAST for 15 bucks if you've been hungry for this odd ass book:
bookshop.org/p/books/feas...

Feast of the Pale Leviathan

Check out Feast of the Pale Leviathan - <p>A man falls asleep on a river raft tube and drifts out to sea, where he is found and devoured by a titan of unbelievable size. But rather than death, what Ow...

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

and hey, while you're at it, if you like this thread and wanna check out my two new books this year, that'd be very lovely of you, and I hope they end up being up your alley

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

It's a really important moment for us to take the extra step and diversify what businesses we support, and indie bookstores go the extra mile to make our towns and cities better, support good writing for its own sake, and enrich our lives with community and culture!

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

then of course you got your local shops that all have different human booksellers who take time to select books based on their own standards, criteria and vision, which can help take the vast sea of new book releases and make them accessible, all so you can find the perfect new book for you :)

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

there's also @asterismbooks.bsky.social which is a treasure trove of indie presses, run by extremely sweet and talented booksellers. Great place to pick up the latest @malarkeybooks.bsky.social releases like @renbolger.bsky.social, @vikhinao.bsky.social + @abasketofcraig.bsky.social

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

but you got choices! there's @bookshop.org (bookshop.org) where you can support indie bookstores by choosing them as your affiliate link. Check to see if your local shop has some hand-picked favorites:

Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.

An online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores and gives back to the book community.

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

Of course I'll recommend @eveninghouse.bsky.social, the fledgling bookstore my partner and I run, with our beautiful website and great selection of high-quality literature, focusing on small presses, books in translation and bangers new and old (which ship anywhere in the US:)
eveninghousebooks.com

Evening House Books

Buffalo's downtown bookstore, a parlor-style cove for deep cut indie literature and bold, diverse, voices.

eveninghousebooks.com

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 11h

It's a great day, like any other day but especially today, to buy books from indie bookstores or your local library, you sexy bastards

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 12h

Congrats, dude!!! This is awesome!!

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 12h

Not trying to jump the gun here, Mike

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 12h

I'm beginning to suspect this country might have some issues

Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 13h

The President of the United States is calling for the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois to be jailed.

Reposted by John Chrostek

Malarkey @malarkeybooks.bsky.social · 1d

Not lucrative. Not prestigious. But should be fun and it’s $50 in your pocket. Send us some poems; we aren’t open for them very often!

oleada.io/publication/...

Oleada - A Submission Platform

A submission platform for small presses and magazines.

Reposted by John Chrostek

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 2d

made another poor man's book commercial, this one for FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN

please enjoy (the commercial and the book)

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 1d

Happy book birthday, Kristina!!!

Reposted by John Chrostek

Kristina Ten @kristinaten.bsky.social · 1d

Today is pub day for Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine! However much writing can be a solitary act, putting a book out definitely isn’t. Thanks to Stillhouse Press and all of Tell Me Yours’ many champions.

My first book is out now. I hope you like it.

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 1d

Ah, thanks David!! Somewhat effective was my best case scenario here lmao

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 1d

@sashabrown.bsky.social is a true virtuoso

Reposted by John Chrostek

Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 1d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 1d

Incredible

Reposted by John Chrostek

Evening House Books @eveninghouse.bsky.social · 1d

REMINDER:
This Thursday night in Downtown Buffalo, we've got a book signing & literary chat with @leannareneehieber.bsky.social for AMERICA'S MOST GOTHIC! Come hang out, grab a book and set your October up right with gothic history & good vibes:
eveninghousebooks.com/event/leanna...

Leanna Renee Hieber Book Signing & Author Talk - Evening House Books

Come hear from haunted NYC guide and historian Leanna Renee Hieber, who will be discussing her latest nonfiction title, AMERICA’S MOST GOTHIC: HAUNTED HISTORY STRANGER THAN FICTION. […]

eveninghousebooks.com

Reposted by John Chrostek

Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 2d

I see pieces like this a lot, often w/ a spin of lamenting cultural degeneration, but reading is a LABOR issue, it’s declined because so many people are working overtime or two jobs & employers expect after hours work. France has Earth’s highest reading rate b/c long lunch breaks & labor protections

After Dinner Conversation® @afterdinnerconversation.com · 2d

Reposted by John Chrostek

nm whitley @nmwhitley.bsky.social · 1d

ICYMI i talked about stories by Carolyn Zhao @strangehorizons.bsky.social @suplexicon.bsky.social y.social @bruisermag.com @johnchrostek.com @hexliterary.bsky.social and Samanta Schweblin, plus songs by Stereolab, but not Goodnight Moon which I had nothing to say about buttondown.com/shortstoryre...

SHORT STORY REX Sept 2025

1. “The Heartbreak Hotel on Plutonic Planet”, Carolyn Zhao Got sucked in by this one’s sort-of free-associating whimsy, its deceptively naif je-ne-sais-quoi....

John Chrostek @johnchrostek.com · 1d

Thanks for sharing, boss 🤘🍻
Glad the story worked for you & love this write-up in general