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  "From Morgan Le Fay to Elaine of Astolat, these Arthurian retellings put female characters from legend center stage." Includes my novel The Cleaving alongside some fascinating-looking reading. (As spotted by @WTPress@wandering.shop, for which my thanks!) https://www.jezebel.com/these-female-focused-king-arthur-retellings-reimagine-the-roots-of-romantasy #books #Fantasy #KingArthur

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  I just read a third or possibly fourth news article where the reality of an 'AI has discovered something marvellous!' story turns out to be GenAI somehow accessed material it had no permissions for, which was the outcome of an expert's years of work, and presented it without attribution. GenAI is a fraud. Whatever it offers is generated from work stolen from humans who know what they're doing. There is no intelligence in LLMs.

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  "The bestselling crime writer and Scotland’s first female Geographer Royal had long kept their work separate, until a chance discovery about a doomed 17th-century expedition forced them to collaborate." This interview with Val McDermid and jo Sharp is an intriguing read, and I'm confident the book will be too. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/28/val-mcdermid-jo-sharp-this-door-of-the-seas

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  Interesting. "corporate shareholders are taking to the courts to accuse tech executives of concealing illicit AI practices like scraping copyrighted material to train their models." "angry shareholders who say taking on that legal risk was a breach of their fiduciary duties and even securities fraud." https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/big-techs-ai-copyright-woes-spur-new-wave-of-shareholder-suits?taid=6a5a2f2aacbde000015cae30&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=...

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  I have now read Longbourn by Jo Baker - the story of what's going on below stairs during Pride and Prejudice. I got the ebook as I have had train reading time this week. Thank you to everyone who recommended it to me. It is excellent.

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  Today, I've been rereading Legend by David Gemmell for the first time in a long time, as preparation for next Tuesday's Super Relaxed Fantasy Club in London, where I'm one of a group of the contributing authors discussing the commemorative anthology, The Iron Code, published by Newcon Press. It's been very interesting to see what I recalled correctly about the story, as well as what I didn't remember at all. If you're curious to learn more, maybe come along on Tuesday?...

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  Hedgehogs are remarkably flexible when they need to scratch an itch - and a good shake gets the dust and other crud out of their spines. However, hitching up their prickles does make them top-heavy... #TinyJoys

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  Today's prize for most nonsensical email in the ever increasing deluge of spam generated by ChatGPT or whatever, goes to whoever thinks I'll believe the programme director of the Cheltenham Literary Festival wants to headline a book of mine from 2019. Because LLMs don't understand dates or the passage of time. I can't find any way to alert the literary festival via their website, as contact details are limited and specific. I'll settle for flagging this for my fellow authors...

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  Today's break from the ongoing everything. From the BBC - Books, letters and notes documenting the "unlikely" friendship between writer JRR Tolkien and his profoundly deaf fan are going under the hammer. "She kept talking to my mother about these amazing books that she was reading and she had lots of questions," Dutfield said. "My mother, who wasn't interested in them at all, said 'Why don't you write to the author?' - so that's how that starte...

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  For those interested, this year's J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature, given by Brandon Sanderson, is now available for viewing online. As are lectures from previous years. Whether or not you're a fan of a particular speaker, seeing the genre through someone else's eyes is invariably interesting, in my opinion anyway. https://tolkienlecture.org/

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  UK journalists! I appreciate you are running out of things to say about the current heatwave, but we do not need the neologism 'sunbrella'. Look up 'parasol' in whichever dictionary you have closest to hand. Also, Sunbrella appears to be a company name, so maybe check your bright ideas online first, before committing yourself in print.

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  Husband rings the car insurance people to ask why his renewal quote is ludicrously high, when compared to mine and Resident Son's on a percentage basis. Bloke on phone starts explaining, Ah well, Sir, these days, the increased cost of car parts... Husband politely cuts him off to explain he works in motor manufacturing and offers to list the parts that are common to his model of Skoda and the Skodas his wife and son drive. Renewal quote comes down to something sensible very swiftly.

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  Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'free' #BookQW Livak's at liberty to do whatever she wishes - once she can decide on her most profitable course of action. Secondary world epic fantasy not from the point of view of some chosen one or long-lost royal heir. Livak works for herself. Available internationally from a wide range of retailers. The Wizard's Tower Press website offers full details. https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-juliet-e-mckenna/th...

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  I politely suggest those surprised to hear King Charles III refer to the importance of checks and balances on the exercise of power by those in authority do some reading on how King Charles I and King Charles II handled these things and the consequences for all concerned.

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  I don't want Yes/Not Now or Yes/Maybe Later options when I'm offered added AI for software that has always worked fine without it. I want Yes/No, not now, not ever, not this side of the heat death of the universe.

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  Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'better' #BookQW The Green Man sends Dan Mackmain to sort out clashes between the supernatural and the everyday world. Dan's mum is a dryad and learning to use the abilities he inherited with his greenwood blood definitely improves his chances. He does still have a few things to work out, though. Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/191795011X/ Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-green-man-s-holiday A full ran...

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  Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'family' #BookQW Dan Mackmain's prepared to meet most supernatural challenges head-on, but this enemy has gone behind his back, and that's a big problem. Modern fantasy rooted in British myths and folklore, widely available from a range of retailers. For a full range of UK and international purchase options, visit The Wizard's Tower Press website. https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-juliet-e-mckenna/the-...

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  Your reminder that legislation to curb the rights of trans people to use restrooms or do anything else means everyone's behaviour, clothing etc will be opened up to intrusive and unwanted scrutiny and potential challenge in our daily lives. This is not a 'them' issue. Trans rights are human rights.

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  Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'quick' #BookQW Dan's hunting a killer and he needs to move fast to prevent another death. That's very much easier said than done. The Green Man's Quarry is contemporary fantasy blending myths and legends, ancient and modern. For a comprehensive range of national and international purchase options, visit the Wizard's Tower Press website. https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-juliet-e-mckenna/the-g...

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  News of this year's book dates and the next Green Man title, as well as where to find a podcast short story from me - over on the blog. And a reminder - I'm useless at newsletters, so you can sign up for an email alert whenever I post something new there. https://www.julietemckenna.com/this-years-book-dates-and-a-podcast-short-story/

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  This hedgehog arrives to find our resident mighty hunter intent on a mouse that's scurried out of her reach, hiding in those stacked bricks. Initially cautious, the hedgehog realises the cat isn't interested in it and decides to have a quick snack. The cat has no idea that it's there.

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  Many of you will be familiar with the splendid book blog Runalong the Shelves. I was very pleased to answer a few questions about The Green Man's War and some other things. You can find the interview here https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/interviews/2024/12/6/interviewing-juliet-e-mckenna #writing #books #SFF #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy

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  I have now added The Tiny Book Case pin badge to my convention lanyard, as I thoroughly enjoyed writing a short story for Ben and Nico's podcast, and then hearing and discussing their stories. These were all very different even though we were working from the same single-word prompt of 'Whip'. See podlink at https://pod.link/1524142040/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xODk2NTc3OQ orwherever you get your podcasts from. The following episode will be our highly enjoyable, more gene...

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  Reading done, so now it can be shared 😊 The Green Man's Debt will be out in September from Wizard's Tower Press. Those up to date with the series will recall Dan asking someone for a favour. That marker's been called in, and this takes Dan and Fin to Ireland.

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  My updated Eastercon schedule is on my blog for your reference. Find out where you can come to learn the title of this year's Green Man book, and hear a reading from it to spark your interest... https://www.julietemckenna.com/my-eastercon-schedule-update/

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  I gather the SF&F subgenre formerly referred to as 'blokes in cloaks' is now to be known as 'mantasy', and may be considered the counterpart to 'guy fi'. You may now go on with your day.

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  I am one of the nearly 10,000 authors contributing our names to Don't Steal This Book; a protest launched today at the London Book Fair. If AI developers wish to use our work in their software they can ask us for permission. If we agree, they can pay us to license it on clearly defined terms. This is how copyright operates. Tech companies ignoring copyright is theft. For the UK government to even consider allowing this to continue is a disgrace. https://www.theguardian.com/technol...

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  "ICE came to Newford. Big mistake." A free novelet from Charles de Lint. Download the ebook here. https://www.charlesdelint.com/IceOut.html I am looking forward to reading this! #books

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  UK folk, please vote in local elections whenever possible. Hereabouts, a Tory (formerly UKIP) County Councillor, elected with a 19 vote majority on a 42.7% turn-out, has been sharing quotes from Enoch Powell on social media, seemingly as valid points for discussion.