Sarah McPherson
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summermoth.bsky.social
Sarah McPherson
@summermoth.bsky.social
480 followers 580 following 390 posts
HE manager by day. Writer, crafter, LARPer, runner. Procrastinator extraordinaire. Lover of the fantastic. Definitely not a grown up. She/her.

Find me here: https://linktr.ee/summer_moth
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summermoth.bsky.social
A four-panel Peanuts cartoon by Charles Schultz, showing Snoopy sitting on the dog house roof typing on his typewriter. Panel 1: Gentlemen, Regarding the recent rejection slip you sent me. Panel 2: I think there might have been a misunderstanding. Panel 3: What I really wanted was for you to publish my story, and send me fifty thousand dollars. Panel 4: Didn't you realise that?
January 23, 2026 at 12:26 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
December reads 💙📚:
1. Spin of the Triangle by Stephanie Carty (novella-in-flash)
2. The Lives of the Dead by Fiona McKay (novella-in-flash)
3. The Museum of Shadows and Reflections by Claire Dean (short stories)

#books #amreading #novellainflash #shortstories #shortstorycollection #2025reads
Three books, roughly stacked on a red satin throw: 'Spin of the Triangle' by Stephanie Carty, 'The Lives of the Dead' by Fiona McKay, and 'The Museum of Shadows and Reflections' by Claire Dean. 'Spin of the Triangle' has a white spine with black text. 'The Lives of the Dead' has a black spine with white text. 'The Museum of Shadows and Reflections' has a teal and white cover that looks hand-drawn, with white text and an image of a female figure swinning underwater.
January 5, 2026 at 2:08 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Last-minuter here, as always!
A circular purple badge with yellow and white stars scattered across it. Text reads: The Welkin Writing Prize, Micro Wizard'.
January 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
I'll take that! 💜
Screenshot of a post by Merrian-Webster. Text reads: Take a screenshot of this GIF, and whichever new word you land on is YOUR word for 2026. Let's. Go. The Gif has stopped on the word 'joyous'.
January 1, 2026 at 11:00 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Homemade chocolate covered Brazil nuts (three ways), and Christmas pudding made and steaming!
Homemade chocolate covered Brazil nuts in a small grey ceramic dish. There are three varieties: white chocolate drizzled with milk chocolate, milk chocolate drizzled with dark chocolate, and dark chocolate drizzled with white chocolate. A Christmas pudding in a foil-covered basin, steaming in a pan on the hob.
December 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Haven't managed as much reading time as I'd like the past few months, so just two completed reads for Sept/Oct/Nov 💙📚:
1. In the Dark Eyes of the Rabbit by Debra A Daniel (novella-in-flash)
2. The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (novel)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novellainflash #novel #2025reads
The book 'In the Dark Eyes of the Rabbit' by Debra A Daniel. The cover illustration is a painting of rabbit sitting in long grass with a hint of yellow flowers, against a purple sky. The book 'The Coin' by Yasmin Zaher. The cover is yellow with black text, and a photograph of a model wearing a white trenchcoat and snakeskin stiletto heeled shoes. Their head is not visible, they have one arm raised, and one leg kicked high in the air.
December 5, 2025 at 3:34 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
August read (just the one!) 💙📚:
1. It Felt Like Everything by K.S. Dyal (novella-in-flash)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novellainflash #2025reads
The book 'It Felt Like Everything' by K.S. Dyal lying on a red satin throw. The cover is grey, with black and grey text, and has a drawing of two people's legs in the top right, one wearing a short black skirt, white socks, and black and white trainers, and the other wearing skinny-fit black trousers, black socks, and white trainers.
September 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Floki here is the epitome of 'Spine? What spine?' (There are any number of photos I could have used to illustrate this...!)
A brown tabby cat with white socks sleeping on a black sofa. His front half is twisted one way and his back half is twisted the other way, with his back feet in the air, so it looks like he has no spine.
August 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
July reads 💙📚:
1. Aerth by Deborah Tomkins (novella-in-flash)
2. Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls (novella)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novella #novellainflash #2025reads
Two books roughly stacked on a black table: 'Aerth' by Deborah Tomkins, and 'Mrs Caliban' by Rachel Ingalls. 'Aerth' (on the bottom) has a black and cream spine. 'Mrs Caliban' (on the top) has a pink spine and a white cover with handwritten stye lettering in black, pink, and green, and two sketched figures swimming in a circle. The male figure is green and the female figure is pink. It has a green 'Faber Editions' banner down one side.
August 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Smol black kittens are prone to crimes. This one stole the tiny dongle for my wireless keyboard/mouse off my desk, and I was briefly convinced she must have swallowed it and I would have a very expensive vet bill, until I discovered it, extremely soggy, on the living room rug downstairs...
A small black cat with a little white chest patch and very wide green eyes, staring intently at something behind the camera.
July 11, 2025 at 12:47 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
June reads 💙📚:
1. A Dress for Kathleen by Heather Richardson (novella-in-flash/hybrid)
2. Cold Toast by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris (flash fiction collection)
3. Murder at Mount Fuji by Shizuko Natsuki, trans. Robert B Rohmer (novel)

#books #amreading #novel #novellainflash #flashfiction #2025reads
Three books roughly stacked on a red satin throw: 'A Dress for Kathleen' by Heather Richardson, 'Cold Toast' by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris, & 'Murder at Mount Fuji' by Shizuko Natsuki. The cover of 'A Dress for Kathleen' is fully visible; it is a close up photograph of part of a white dress with appliqued blue flowers and embroidered words, with blurred green trees in the background and white text.
July 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Today's #FolkloreThursday theme is travel, journeys & holidays.

The Wayfaring tree (Vibernum lantana) often grows alongside paths & is associated with protection for travellers, preventing them from getting lost & guiding them home.

(Illustration by Jan Kops, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Botanical illustration of Vibernum lantana (wayfaring tree), showing its oval green leaves with toothed edges, domes of small white flowers, a cluster of red (unripe) berries, and one of black (ripe) berries. Illustration by Jan Kops, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
July 3, 2025 at 5:34 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Slightly belatedly sharing my copy of the @natflashfictionday.bsky.social anthology, with my story 'Objects in the Lost Property Box the Day After the Office Christmas Party' - my first time in the anthology! This started life in a @mattkendrick.bsky.social WBTL workshop ❤️
#FlashFiction #NFFD2025
'Monsoon: National Flash Fiction Day Anthology 2025' edited by Karen Jones and Cheryl Markosky, lying on a black and white tarot print blanket. The cover is dark blue with white text, and a slightly abstract image in blues and reds that looks like water flowing between banks of flowers. Cover art by Jeanette Sheppard. A partial image of the page of the anthology with my story. Text reads: Sarah McPherson; Objects in the Lost Property Box the Day After the Office Christmas Party; This is followed by the first few sentences, not fully visible.
June 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
75 words from me up at @paragraphplanet.bsky.social today! ☺️
A screenshot of the daily story on Paragraph Planet on 20 June 2025: Paper Skin by Sarah McPherson. It is dark blue text in a white box, that reads: Paper Skin. She tries to read but can’t focus on the words; they blur, swim, and dance. In a rage she tears each page out, throws empty covers aside. She pastes paper onto her body; her arms, breasts, belly. When every inch but her eyes is covered she stands in her garden, living papier-mache, and as the breeze dries the glue, the words seep into her skin and finally she can see the whole story.
June 20, 2025 at 4:08 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
May reads 💙📚:
1. A Life in Chameleons by Selby Wynn Schwartz (novella-in-flash)
2. Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo (novel)
3. The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart (non-fiction) - audiobook, from library

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novel #novellainflash #nonfiction #2025reads
Two books roughly stacked on a brown leather couch: 'A Life in Chameleons' by Selby Wynn Schwartz, and 'Our Sister Killjoy' by Ama Ata Aidoo. The cover of 'Our Sister Killjoy' is partly visible; it is mustard yellow with large black text and has a purple spine with white and yellow text. 'A Life in Chameleons' has a black cover with white text and an image of a blue, green and yellow chameleon sitting on a bunch of pink and orange flowers and green leaves. A screenshot of the audiobook cover for 'The Authority Gap' by Mary Ann Sieghart, which is red with bright blue text, and an image of 'male' and 'female' people icons (like you might see on bathroom doors) standing on blocks, in bright blue and dark blue. The 'male' figure is higher up than the 'female' one.
June 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
April reads 💙📚:
1. A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, translated by Jane Degras (memoir)
2. if there is no shelter by Tracey Slaughter (novella-in-flash)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #memoir #novellainflash #2025reads
Two books roughly stacked on a red velvet blanket: 'A Woman in the Polar Night' by Christiane Ritter, and 'if there is no shelter' by Tracey Slaughter. The cover of 'if there is no shelter' is only partly visible. The cover of 'A Woman in the Polar Night' shows a stylised/abstract image of the arctic landscape with two birds flying over it, in different shades of blue on a cream background.
May 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Badges acquired! (Was also missing a rainbow one, so fixed that while I was at it) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Two small round button pin badges, one of the rainbow pride flag and one of the trans pride flag.
May 1, 2025 at 9:04 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
Very belated joint February/March reads post! 💙📚
1. Fight Night by Miriam Toews (novel)
2. Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (novel)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novel #2025reads
Two books, roughly stacked on a cream/beige carpet: Fight Night by Miriam Toews, and Biography of X by Catherine Lacey. The purple and pink cover of Biography of X is partly visible. Fight Night has a blue cover with large multicoloured text, and a small image of a white aeroplane with a disproportionately large red handbag hanging from the tail.
April 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
She absolutely is, but I would submit that Trinity is also the cutest 🖤
A small black cat with a tiny white patch on her chest, staring at something above the camera with very wide round green eyes.
March 26, 2025 at 12:15 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
January reads - the first books of the year! 💙📚
1. Three Men on the Edge by Michael Loveday (novella-in-flash)
2. All the Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow (novel)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novellainflash #novel #2025reads
Two books roughly stacked on a red background: Three Men on the Edge by Michael Loveday, and All the Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow. The cover of Three Men on the Edge is partially visible, it is white with black text and the edge of a black and white image is showing. The cover of All the Little Bird Hearts is a bright, light blue with an image of a magpie in flight overlaid with yellow text.
February 5, 2025 at 12:01 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
Once again, I'm a last-minuter! (Still time to get your @bathflashaward.bsky.social entries in and join me...!)
A circular digital badge, with an outer yellow circle around a white centre and red text. Text reads: Bath Flash Fiction Feb 2025 Last Minute Club
February 2, 2025 at 6:48 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
And for the pet tax, I give you Thorin...
A brown mackerel-striped tabby cat asleep on a black and white blanket on the back of a sofa, with red curtains behind. He is on his side with his legs extended and his belly exposed, and looks totally blissed out.
January 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Started my temperature embroidery project (tree template from StitchdoodlesDesign on Etsy) - I'm a few days behind but here are the first eight chilly little leaves stitched! Plus my cute thread organiser 😊

#crafting #amcrafting #embroidery #stitching #temperatureproject
A close up of part of a pre-printed design of a tree with many small leaves on white fabric. Most of the visible leaves have the numbers 1 or 2 inside, for January and February. A couple of leaves on the opposite side of the trunk have the number 11 in. Eight leaves have been filled in with fishbone stitch, in various shades of green, blue and silver. A pre-printed design of a tree with many small leaves on white fabric in a square embroidery frame. The leaves have numbers inside from 1 to 12, for the months of the year. Eight leaves have been filled in with fishbone stitch, in various shades of green, blue and silver. There is a wooden needle minder in the shape of a sleeping cat in the bottom left corner. A wooden thread organiser in the shape of a cute sleeping cat. There are holes around the edge numbered 1 to 16, with a rainbow of coloured embroidery threads looped through them, laid out in a radiating circle.
January 13, 2025 at 11:40 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Finally got something submitted for this! ✨
A circular digital badge in mottled green, dotted with multicoloured stars. Text reads: The Welkin Writing Prize, Astronomer of Words.
January 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Didn't finish any new books in December, though I did reread The Women Could Fly because I read it in a rush for my October book club & wanted to appreciate it at a slower pace. So that leaves me at 21 books read for 2024 (one not pictured as it was a library book - Daring Greatly by Brené Brown) 📚💙
A collage of six photos of books, in small stacks or lying flat: We that Animals by Justin Torres, Alison by Lizzie Stewart, Getting by in Tligolian by Roppotucha Greenberg, The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy, Losing the Plot by Derek Owusu, Inland Empire Afternoon by John Brantingham, Lovelace Flats by Jupiter Jones, Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan, This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, The Top Road by Fiona McKay, and Panty by Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay (translated by Arunava Sinha). A collage of four photos of books, in small stacks or lying flat: Stormbred by Eleanor Walsh, Hereafter by Sarah Freligh, Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, Throw a Seven by Nod Ghosh, The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings, The Raptures by Jan Carsen, and A Learning Curve by Jan Kaneen.
January 1, 2025 at 5:28 PM