Nathaniel Spain
@nathanielspain.bsky.social
260 followers 390 following 240 posts
Writer, designer, speculative fiction • bi, he/him • Tyne & Wear, UK • Find my work at www.nathanielspain.co.uk • Editor of @carnyxpress.co.uk
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nathanielspain.bsky.social
Hello new followers! You can find some of my recent writing here:

🪐Unfurl (The Braag): bit.ly/3PzGr1J

🌳 Woodwake, in Ten Poets Get to the Bottom of Some Grisly Crimes (Sidekick Books): bit.ly/4g2ddUp

🐴 White Horse in Hare's Paw 19: www.harespawlitjournal.com/issue-19-home
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
garethwatkins.bsky.social
Imagine this happening in the UK and not having to sigh 'what do their parents do?' every time you hear about a new band. Wouldn't it be great to hear music from somebody who isn't directly related to the Lord Admiral Wythenshawe Bloodfeast MP, the Butcher of Bangalore?
nathanielspain.bsky.social
Absolutely wild that I have stories in a new print anthology and the upcoming issue of The Ghastling in the same month - feels like all sorts of things are coming to fruition right now
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
okaydonkeymag.com
"...I'm overcome with the sudden certainty that she'll vanish, the door transporting her to the moon or Siberia. But before my fear can get away from me, she's already through."

"Door in the Woods" by @iamchrisscott.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD. 📝
Door in the Woods by Chris Scott
Sarah is hiking up ahead of me, so she’s the first to see it. She goes around the bend, says “Hey now,” and stops in her tracks. Then I see it, too. Right there in the middle of the trail is a sing…
okaydonkeymag.com
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
uncertainstories.com
We’ve been getting some great responses to our author Q&A series, which we’ll be releasing over the next few weeks. Here’s the first:
Q & A with Flo Ward.
Flo Ward answers some questions for us about writing, reading, and her new short story 'The End of the World'.
www.uncertainstories.com
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
daveyfrankel.bsky.social
Just got my author’s copies of #BrokenGround . Rob Redman, editor of @uncertainstories.com , has done a fantastic job, and the illustrations by @lucyscottpictures are superb.
Stories by me, Mark Taylor, Eva Carson, Tamsin Hopkins, @nathanielspain.bsky.social , Jack Edwards, and Flo Ward.
nathanielspain.bsky.social
Even if it delivers everything they promise with none of the downsides we're all concerned about, this is incredibly undemocratic
nathanielspain.bsky.social
The government has responded to the 2.7 million people telling them not to introduce digital ID by basically saying "we know better than you, we're in charge, so stuff it" lol
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
jntod.bsky.social
On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read
A printed poem which reads:

I hav for breakfast Weetabix

I hav for lunch some meat

I have for tea 2 sosajis and thats enuf to eat

Peter Hazel, 5
nathanielspain.bsky.social
My contributor copies for Broken Ground, the first anthology from @uncertainstories.com, are here! This book is absolutely stunning 😍 So pleased to be a part of this, and looking forward to reading the stories by my fellow contributors.
Broken Ground, Uncertain Stories
nathanielspain.bsky.social
Every October, we watch a selection of gothic, horror, and other seasonal films.

We started this one off with The Seventh Seal. I've watched this before, but I think I appreciate it more now I'm more familiar with the medieval imagination and what a good job this film does in tapping into it.
the Seventh Seal (1957). Against a view of the sea, a knight (Max von Sydow) challenges Death to a game of chess.
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
carnyxpress.co.uk
Submissions are now closed for our first anthology. Thank you to everyone who sent us a story! We've had over 100 submissions, from every corner of the North of England. It’s been very heartening to get such interest in the press, and for folks to trust us with their words ♥️
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
nathanielspain.bsky.social
This month, I've been working on something for a horror game jam. It's a visual novel about religious exiles banished to a horrible planet. It's the first thing like this I've ever made!

It's currently act 1 of a planned 3 act story. You can download it for free here: moss-thing.itch.io/golgotha
Golgotha by Moss Thing
A cursed planet. A heretic’s fate.
moss-thing.itch.io
nathanielspain.bsky.social
Yes I have last-day-of-submissions crazies, but honestly this has been so much fun. Very happy with how it's gone so far. And there's still time to send me your work for consideration!

carnyxpress.co.uk/submissions
carnyxpress.co.uk
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE TODAY!
The Wicker Man (1973). Christopher Lee's Lord Summerisle raises his hands in proclamation as the wicker man stands behind him.
nathanielspain.bsky.social
Saw the writing advice to avoid adverbs as much as possible, which irritated me. Yes, an adverb which repeats the meaning of a verb is unnecessary ("he whispered softly") but every word has its place and flavour. It's not about stripping out types of word, it's about using them with intention.
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
carnyxpress.co.uk
Getting ready for a delicious final batch of submissions arriving for our anthology call-out
The Company of Wolves (1984). A group of wolves dressed in aristocrats' fineries sit at a table spread with delicious treats, tongues lolling.
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
vanessagillings.bsky.social
Inside the magical wood a fox appears! 🦊

My second piece for my solo show at Gallery Nucleus. Both the original painting and sketch for this piece have sold — thank you!! 💕❤️💕 But many originals are still left as well as prints

#kidlitart
#illustration
#gouache
#watercolor
watercolor and gouache painting of a fox holding a stick in its mouth standing on a rock in an overgrown forest
nathanielspain.bsky.social
This month, I've been working on something for a horror game jam. It's a visual novel about religious exiles banished to a horrible planet. It's the first thing like this I've ever made!

It's currently act 1 of a planned 3 act story. You can download it for free here: moss-thing.itch.io/golgotha
Golgotha by Moss Thing
A cursed planet. A heretic’s fate.
moss-thing.itch.io
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
larkspurns.bsky.social
Re: LRT, there has never been a better time to dive headfirst into independent media. Indie games, indie movies, indie comics. Your media dollars support artists, not the corporations mining them like a resource, and it’s the best way to get an authentic, interesting experience now.
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
carnyxpress.co.uk
Galloping into the last few days of submissions, chasing down folkloric tales
A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, 2013). One character, bound with rope, leads the other two on a merry chase around the titular field.
Reposted by Nathaniel Spain
stevetoase.bsky.social
Thinking about reboots. I think so many miss the mark because they concentrate on the story but forget about the atmosphere and emotional resonance. How about we Uno reversed that and started from the position of telling new stories with the impact of old IPs.