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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her)

@samarcand.itch.io

1.1K followers 2.4K following 1.5K posts

Girly Trans Soul Rebel, author & reader. So many books. So many comics. So much tea. Pronouns:she/her Author of The Long Sleep, Down Among The Yla, Ghostkin, The Princess and The Elephant, Stories From The Corner of the Room and All The Books Of Earth.

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · Dec 7

I'm a trans, femme lesbian writer of (mainly) science fiction and fantasy.

I've got 8 self-published books - three novels, 2 short story collections, a children's picture book and a memoir of my transition.
samarcand.itch.io
ko-fi.com/samarcandbooks
linktr.ee/samarcand

Samarcand Books

samarcand.itch.io

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 11h

I really hope you enjoy them. (Now I'm nervous...)

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 12h

And if you do read please give me a review, cos I'm not really in a position to review my own books. They're bloody good though...

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Reposted by Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her)

Kaya Skovdatter 🏳️‍⚧️ (She/They) @gothgreenwitch.bsky.social · 12h

Curious what you're in for with Rise in Glorious Raiment? Ellen has another very kind review answering that!

Also, the reviews thread this one comes from is an enormous amount of work, so maybe go support Ellen by picking up some of her books as a thank you for this massive, ongoing resource.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

#137 Rise in Glorious Raiment by @gothgreenwitch.bsky.social
It almost seems redundant to say that this - the 20th episode of the Hulderotica series is another exploration of a different style of writing. But Kaya keeps doing it so I'm going to keep commenting on it.
This episode finally gives /1

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

Boon) style that was being conjured up.
It pretty much goes without saying at this point that I loved the story. Kaya is one of the most talented writers I've come across in a long while and as long as she keeps writing, I'll keep reading.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

she was instead artfully evoking them to underpin the atmosphere that she had created.
Interestingly, this episode was utterly devoid of any sexual activity whatsoever. The monster fucking levels remained at zero. But that seemed right for the Romantic (from that era, as opposed to Mills and /4

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

but manage to stay with the paler, more violet hues. I've not read a lot of his work, but I think that this was Lovecraftian in its style. Positively squamous at times. There were also hints of Clive Barker and his Cenobites in some of the descriptions of the Maidens. Not that Kaya was copying, /3

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

us some long-awaited answers. We find out who and what the Maidens are and what Marrowmont is. We get strong hints of what the Big Bad might be and we get started on the season finale.
The style this time is gothic. It has long, complex sentences that threaten to fall into deep purple prose, /2

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 14h

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 18h

I finished watching Picard season 3 last night and I think the moral of the story is that the true assimilation is the friends you pick up on the journey.

Reposted by Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her)

Keith from New England @wfutbolfan.bsky.social · 2d

I picked up Ghostkin. Looks really cool.

Read Indie authors.
Read new authors.

(Tip if you can.)

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 5d

With my sudden unemployment, please buy my books. (Too subtle?)
Samarcand.itch.io
ko-fi.com/samarcandbooks

Now that I'm not going to have to worry about work for a bit, I plan on getting back to writing and putting some stuff up on Scribblehub.

Samarcand Books

Samarcand.itch.io

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 1d

Oh good. So not only is my transness being attacked but so is my neurodiversity.
What's next? Doctor Who fans don't really like science fiction? People who read are really illiterate?

Adam @abrokenbattery.bsky.social · 2d

Simon Wessely — the controversial psychiatrist once dubbed “Britain’s most hated doctor” has been appointed vice chair of Labour’s review into overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...

Controversial professor to investigate overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence for Labour

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments...

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 1d

Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

You're welcome. Although I do have to admit to a vested interest in the answer.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

I try to use 'anti-trans bigot'. I feel it gets the point across.

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

This sounds like the sort of statement that a trans journalist should ask for. I would very interested in the reply. With the understanding that no response is actually an extremely profound and telling reply.

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 3d

i think it is fair to request a statement from @jay.bsky.team on TRANS PEOPLE and where we fit in on @bsky.app.

i think as a transgender journalist, it's acceptable and makes sense for me to ask this

and so, the question, am i not a person as a trans girl and do i not deserve to feel safe here?

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

I emailed him my argument but he's dealing with other union issues (like mine isn't the most important thing!) today and tomorrow.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

Just written out the arguments for the appeal against the dismissal.
I think I've got a pretty strong argument, but at the same time, I didn't think it would get to this point. So take my judgement as you will.

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 2d

She's always got her nose in a book.

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 3d

I've just get up a Mastodon account. Give me a follow if you're over there (Please).
wandering.shop/@samarcand

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 3d

Book cat.

A black and white cat sitting on the top of a book case.

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 4d

I like a girl with ambition!

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 4d

The problem is that the trans community only has a single $ 10 that we pass around between us. So giving it to a cis guy is going to make things a bit awkward.

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Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 4d

I wonder if he ever get his $10?

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 4d

writer that to not have access to her work is totally adding insult to injury. 7/7

Ellen Mellor 🏳️‍⚧️ Samarcand Books (she/her) @samarcand.itch.io · 4d

Reading this blog has opened me up to a lot of nuance in the series that I had missed and it makes me want to go back and re-read it from the beginning.
It also makes me really quite upset that I've had to cancel my subscription to Alyson's Patreon because she is such an amazing (and prolific) /6