I’m also an immigrant. So were my grandparents and great grandparents (who were poor and spoke no English). And when I applied for a visa to the UK there was a consulate I could go to. Where are the safe and legal routes to come here?
Author of Chaos Walking, Monster Calls, More Than this, Burn, Different For Boys. Won a couple Carnegies and an Olivier. Four wins away from an EGOT.
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I’m also an immigrant. So were my grandparents and great grandparents (who were poor and spoke no English). And when I applied for a visa to the UK there was a consulate I could go to. Where are the safe and legal routes to come here?
I’d also say my regular reminder that I, too, am an immigrant. And if you’re “not talking about me”, then your “concern” isn’t immigration. You’re just a racist.
Elon Musk is an immigrant.
It is insane to me that the richest man in the world is using his global megaphone to call for millions of British people to be rounded up and deported (including my family) and somehow this isn’t even news.
Beginning to think one of the big red flags of narcissism is calling everyone else a narcissist.
Keir Starmer must go.
I’ve not read it.
I do have to say the movie does one particular thing that infuriates me: convenient movie Alzheimer’s. I had a grandmother with dementia. Whenever it’s a plot device or used to gently make us melancholy, it’s a slap in the face of anyone who’s ever dealt or dealing with it.
He won’t let the press anywhere near him. This is getting weirder and weirder.
I hope everyone was paid very well for Thursday Murder Club.
I’m one of those guys. The British have perfected a system where you’ll sweat on public transport the entire year round.
Says the Cypriot. Try having Scandinavian genes when England sees grey skies and, no matter the actual temperature, cranks up the heating to Rome in August.
“Little gay me” not “little gay men”, obviously. This account celebrates a Short King.
Instead, little gay men watched the original Poltergeist so often I could - no kidding - do the whole thing nearly verbatim. All gay kids believe in terrifying underworlds. And either vanquishing or ruling them. Leather bars, for instance.
Tim curry can do no no wrong. If that’s how he thinks Romanians, THEN THAT’S HOW THEY SOUND.
Sometimes, I think about the movie “Congo”, which has Laura Linney shooting murderous apes with a laser beam, and I wonder at the senseless universe where I paid to see that.
Honestly, little gay ten year old me would have watched “K Pop Demon Hunters” approximately 9,500 times.
“Golden” is a bop, tho, isn’t it?
You’re my soda pop. My little soda pop.
America is not “headed” to a sycophantic, cult of personality dictatorship. It’s there right now. This very moment.
The White House tonight:
Ugh. Have been informed that 30 years of running have left me facing inevitable knee replacement. Am currently on the path of what can be done to delay that as long as possible.
I have a book out in two weeks. So....one repost of this and I'll drop one fact/spoiler/detail about the book. @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social www.walker.co.uk/978152951581...
There are eleven Hellraiser films?
Any company approached by the vipers of Sex Matters would do well to use this as an example of how to respond. Robust, humane, filled with both generosity and quiet fury. Just because transphobes are loud and rich does NOT mean they are the majority or have right on their side.
This, from the Quakers, is worth reading. It's a serene, confident, utter rebuke of the hate and fear that's peddled by Sex Matters. The last two pages are smokin'. If you're on the wrong side of the Quakers, you really need to sit down and have a good chat with yourself.
also, the clear examples of transphobia are excellent:
Any company approached by the vipers of Sex Matters would do well to use this as an example of how to respond. Robust, humane, filled with both generosity and quiet fury. Just because transphobes are loud and rich does NOT mean they are the majority or have right on their side.
This, from the Quakers, is worth reading. It's a serene, confident, utter rebuke of the hate and fear that's peddled by Sex Matters. The last two pages are smokin'. If you're on the wrong side of the Quakers, you really need to sit down and have a good chat with yourself.
Here’s the link to file claims in the Anthropic case: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...
That lovely fellow next to her is Axel Scheffler, the illustrator of most of those 50 million, yet somehow not in the headline. Sure it’s an oversight. He’s also an incredibly nice person.
That lovely fellow next to her is Axel Scheffler, the illustrator of most of those 50 million, yet somehow not in the headline. Sure it’s an oversight. He’s also an incredibly nice person.
I want a QR code on a tee shirt that uploads hostile malware to any AI powered glasses that look at it.
Oh look, it's the thing every fascist government says about the opposition party before they dissolve them and turn the country into a one party state.
It's important to understand that he singles out Black women because there are few negative consequences for him when he does. It's his most frictionless lane for bullying. The broader public has shown him few, if any, will step up to defend us, and it's only ramped up since his first term.
Donald Trump is waging a fascist takeover of the United States. Democrats are responding the only way they know how: by heeding the advice of the wonks who helped get them into this situation — and whose advice is to avoid discussing what Trump is doing. More: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Oh, I know, all good! The new Chaos Walking book is all about found family, so it's on the brain. Please tell her I said hello, and I hope she likes the rest.
Just finished Unseen Academicals (for the umpteenth time) and am again so moved my Terry Pratchett’s humanity and simple decency. Even something as simple as Veternari commanding (and meaning it) that “There are no slaves in Ankh-Mordor” feels revolutionary in the current crappy world.
This was absolutely incredible. And look out for Bessie Jaye Smith who won the auction to be in the new Chaos Walking book…
Right so @ngjeannette.bsky.social and I ran 2 auctions which raised £30000 for trans rights charities* in South Africa & the UK thanks to amazing donations from genre creators and the community. *Triangle Project, The Good Law Project, GenderDynamiX and Gendered Intelligence... bit.ly/genrefortrans
I mean, define “real” when it comes to parents, but yes, this is lovely.
Oh. Fuck. Off. I hate that modern discourse is that leaders just lie and we know it and they know it and they don’t care and apparently neither do we. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/w...
Just finished Unseen Academicals (for the umpteenth time) and am again so moved my Terry Pratchett’s humanity and simple decency. Even something as simple as Veternari commanding (and meaning it) that “There are no slaves in Ankh-Mordor” feels revolutionary in the current crappy world.
It’s even better on desktop email
I do hope Mamdani wins, but I also know that there’s no sport New Yorkers love more than hating their Mayor. Not a clue why anyone would want the job.
It is easier to switch between British and American driving than it is to switch between British and American tipping.
“Conservative Man Proudly Scared of Everything”
“Conservative Man Proudly Scared of Everything”
Dreamt that Depeche Mode had released and was touring a new album I’d never heard of called “JBates! Hulu and Lulu”, including the exclamation point. Honestly, I’ve no idea, but I’m sure my brain doing shit like this is why I can never remember my Apple ID password.
And suddenly, everyone has a mustache.
Everything is terrible. But on the other hand: waffles.
Everything is terrible. But on the other hand: waffles.
Oh you asked ChatGPT? Well I asked your mother. She said you never call or treat her as anything other than an originating demon for your neuroses. She's human, too, you know, with crushed dreams and bad choices. ChatGPT is not your mommy, and it's creepy you think so, says your actual mom.
If you’re bothered by Manchee in Knife of Never Letting Go, then never EVER watch the Gregory Peck “classic” The Yearling. The death count of cute vulnerable things is through the roof. Like Scream for baby animals.
Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of a silenced John Boyne.
I can only assume McDonald’s hash browns are made with heroin.
Editorial meeting today for Piper At The Gates of Dusk. Nearly done with first draft of lizards book three. And started a new adult novel because I apparently have too much free time.
Michael Penn - calling it ring and run - wrote a whole song about it called “Big House” on his debut album. Great track. m.youtube.com/watch?v=jnrm...
In a world of John Boynes and JK Rowlings, be a Terry Pratchett. It's good advice on pretty much all topics.
In a world of John Boynes and JK Rowlings, be a Terry Pratchett. It's good advice on pretty much all topics.
Shiver by Jonsi is the most gorgeous song. That is all.
And when John Boyne says in his Telegraph piece that writers aren’t meant to “denigrate, insult and push people to a point where those that are emotionally vulnerable might not survive their attacks”, all I can say is that he wrote the words below.
And when John Boyne says in his Telegraph piece that writers aren’t meant to “denigrate, insult and push people to a point where those that are emotionally vulnerable might not survive their attacks”, all I can say is that he wrote the words below.
So when he said if all the debut prize nominees came back he’d withdraw, he was just lying?
Called it. www.telegraph.co.uk/books/author...
Called it. www.telegraph.co.uk/books/author...
The man is literally starting a war against mail-in voting because Putin told him to. The colossal, limp, flatulent weakness of it all. Why choose a dictator so embarrassing?
You honestly can’t underestimate the effect this solidarity has on young trans people. I meet them all the time at my book events, living extraordinarily brave lives in the face of the bigotry of the rich and curdled. Be the voice that helps them feel safer and more loved.
Genuinely heartening about what solidarity can do, how much the LGBTQ+ community supports our trans siblings, and how - though loud - that tiny minority of transphobes really is a tiny minority. Keep it up.
You honestly can’t underestimate the effect this solidarity has on young trans people. I meet them all the time at my book events, living extraordinarily brave lives in the face of the bigotry of the rich and curdled. Be the voice that helps them feel safer and more loved.
Genuinely heartening about what solidarity can do, how much the LGBTQ+ community supports our trans siblings, and how - though loud - that tiny minority of transphobes really is a tiny minority. Keep it up.
I’m only relaying what they said, folks. We shall see.
Look at that solidarity gets the goods
The Polari Prize has issued a statement saying it is “pausing” the prize for this year. It says it is against transphobia in any form.
Now that a lot of people have seen Weapons, can we talk how amazing Amy Madigan is in it?
And now I need a nap.
Drunk lad just muttered “faggot” to me and my husband on the tube. Turns out your author won’t put up with that, and I may have sworn loudly and repeatedly in a scene-making fashion before I knew what I was even doing. He denied it but then apologized. Now I am full of adrenaline. AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
I know Stockholm Syndrome has been debunked, but I genuinely have no other way to explain straight people and Oasis.
I am for trans people, unreservedly I am also for Gaza and arts funding and healthcare and solar energy and the post office and unions and abortion and raising the minimum wage and thriving public schools and freedom of speech and abolishing ICE and defunding the police that’s just being a person
Graham Linehan ruined his own life by walking down a path of hatred but forgetting to first become a billionaire writing beloved children’s books and THEN walking down a path of hatred
On my musical playing device, I have five different songs called Shame (Bastille, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, OMD, Stabbing Westward) but only one called Shameless (Pet Shop Boys). Makes you think… …that I rarely listen to music past 1991.
Assembled. Filled with books. My heart is at peace.
There is nothing more passive aggressive than a washing machine that’s finished but hasn’t unlocked the door yet.
Trump Always Chickens Out.
Saturday. Waiting for two Billy bookcases to arrive from IKEA. More updates as they occur.
Ack! I tagged the wrong Stephen Daly. The correct photographer is @thatstephendaly.bsky.social
Ack! Sorry man.
THIS is more like it. Great work @jaseokundaye.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I have to say, the full and wide support for the authors withdrawing from the Polari Prize has been wonderful. On the other side, it’s the same stale old six people who won’t stop screaming, yet who somehow always feature heavily in articles.
New author headshot by @stephendaly.bsky.social
Remember when Joanna Cherry MP and Rosie Duffield MP rolled their eyes in parliament when another MP read a letter from a trans constituent who’d considered suicide? What a crappy world TERFs have made for themselves. Cruel and empty. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
I am one of the 14 authors who chose to leave the Polari Prize, and I find myself frustrated and saddened at the way this entire story has been represented. 1/
I'm reminded of the Joseph Welch quote to Joseph McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Joanna Cherry should never live this moment down.
I’ll say it again: I’m vocal on trans rights because 1) I’m a decent person, 2) I have a trans niece whose happiness has skyrocketed since coming out, and 3) all these arguments were used against gays and lesbians in the 80s. And Black people in the 60s. And Jewish people in the 40s…
So much disingenuousness is required to be a transphobe, a constant pretense of not understanding any real evidence or experience, that it really does break your brain. To quote TMBG, “You can’t shake the devil’s hand then say you were only kidding.”
Remember when Joanna Cherry MP and Rosie Duffield MP rolled their eyes in parliament when another MP read a letter from a trans constituent who’d considered suicide? What a crappy world TERFs have made for themselves. Cruel and empty. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
So I finally started watching Ted Lasso and was enjoying it. Then I accidentally saw what they do with Nate’s character, and now I’m like, why bother with the rest?
Rereading Ned Beauman’s superb debut novel “Boxer, Beetle” and discovered he’s got a horror novel out next month under the pseudonym Kit Burgoyne. Nice.
The sadness of other place blue ticks having to lurk here and screenshot so they have something to get mad about. The sadness that with multiple times the followers they get less engagement than I do. Amazing the difference a platform with mostly humans makes.
