@swan_tower@wandering.shop
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swan_tower

@swan_tower@wandering.shop

Author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent & more. Also 1/2 of M.A. Carrick. (she/her)

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swan_tower, to random
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"We can't afford to pay you a living wage," says the person earning millions a year

--basically every labor dispute ever

swan_tower, to random
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I do not know why Japan decided to gather a couple hundred people and have them play "Ode to Joy" on theremins hidden inside matryoshka dolls, but I am here for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiJHRn0f8yE

swan_tower, to random
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Can anybody tell me whether Mastodon has a built-in way to switch between different accounts? I run our M.A. Carrick account over on Twitter, and would like to set up one here, too, but I can't see how to manage it other than logging out and in all the time, or keeping a different browser open. Am I missing something?

Alon, to random
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Religion-based systems of discrimination in theory allow the individual to convert and become a member of the privileged class, for example the Ottoman millet system, or French colonialism in Algeria. But in practice, any attempt by the oppressed to do it at scale is resisted. Portugal traded in African slaves starting in the 15th century, saying it was legal because they were not Christian; then as the Congo converted to Christianity, the legal basis for slavery changed from religion to race.

swan_tower,
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@Alon Or Renaissance/early modern Spain, where Jews and Muslims were encouraged to convert en masse . . . and then subjected to massive discrimination as "New Christians" versus "Old Christians."

swan_tower, to random
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How many of you don't like prologues in novels, and why don't you like them? (I'm wondering if the reasoning has changed over time.)

swan_tower, to sundaypix
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For , a glimpse inside the Hagia Sophia . . .

@sundaypix

swan_tower, to random
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Book View Cafe has a YouTube channel for author readings -- check out me reading the prologue from MIDNIGHT NEVER COME, the first book in the Onyx Court series!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d46nJjcSUeg

swan_tower,
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@Firlefanz The "fits into a Mastodon post"-sized answer is that a few years back there were differences of opinion about the direction the organization should go in (likely exacerbated by the conversation happening in <checks calendar> March of 2020), and this led to some members departing.

swan_tower, to sundaypix
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@sundaypix If I can be forgiven two entries for , I have a pair of very different offerings! This first one I think of as the "ghost bird" I attempted to capture on (digital) film at Westminster Abbey . . .

swan_tower, to random
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Anybody want to place bets on how many thousands of words I've written so far on AMA answers? (Time frame was slightly more than three hours of responding.)

swan_tower, to sundaypix
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@sundaypix For , have the most blinged-out skull I've ever seen, from a random shop window in Paris!

lilithsaintcrow, to random
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Me: loading dishwasher, minding my own business, bothering nobody

The Muse: "YOU WILL PUT UNICORNS IN THE PORTAL FANTASY. CRANKY ONES."

Me: "...I what now?"

The Muse: "BUT ONLY AT NIGHT."

Me: "But--"

The Muse: "THAT IS ALL."

...I don't even know, but I'm not gonna disobey.

swan_tower,
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@lilithsaintcrow That was my brain hearing a track from the score to The Fountain and declaring THIS IS HOW THE NOVEL WILL END.

Did I know what the plot of the ending was? No. But I had a mood, and I had marching orders from my subconscious.

lilithsaintcrow, to random
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“This book is too complex! The language is dense! There's too much going on!"

tents fingertips together Excellent.

swan_tower,
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@lilithsaintcrow Yeah, I write for the people who showed up for exactly that.

swan_tower, to random
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Having repeatedly commented "that's a good tree" while out walking with my husband, I have

  1. concluded that just as all puppers are good puppers, all trees are good trees, and

  2. come up with a proposed Internet Classification Scheme:

cute lil' sapling = twee
thicc trunk = tronk
gnarled trunk = burly boi/burly gurl
tall 'n thin = skypole
REALLY tall = heckin' skypole
sequoia = cloud frend (choose your preferred misspelling)

swan_tower, to random
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I really wonder how much Talenti's sales are boosted by the sheer utility value of their containers after you've eaten all the ice cream.

swan_tower, to random
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Tomorrow night! I'm doing an online event with @kateheartfield , who also has a Norse-inspired book (THE VALKYRIE) out now:

https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/event/marie-brennan-kate-heartfield

swan_tower, to random
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Five days left in the for Year Three of the SF/F magazine ZNB Presents, and they could really use some signal-boosting!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/znb/znb-presents-year-three

swan_tower, to random
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It pleases me far more than it should to pair this hideously 1990 neon-painted long-sleeved shirt with pajama pants whose plaid does not match AT ALL.

swan_tower, to random
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Halloween is tomorrow, and THE MAP OF LOST PLACES is barely $500 from goal! Back Sheree Renée Thomas' and Lesley Connor's spooky anthology now!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/apexpublications/the-map-of-lost-places-a-horror-anthology

swan_tower, to random
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This whole "we're going to change things and make it opt-out rather than opt-in" schtick has existed for a long time. It wasn't okay when Facebook decided to make your friends-only content public, and it isn't okay now.

swan_tower, to random
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"Whatever the scandal-sheets may claim, I do not wear trousers at home, though I have considered it once or twice. (The incident at Booker's Club should not be counted; I was extremely drunk at the time.)"

After ten years of not knowing what the hell happened at Booker's Club, I have finally written this tale! Now I have a third Lady Trent short story, a scandal-sheet's report on the very inappropriate behavior of Mrs. Isabella Camherst while at home in Falchester. Trousers Are Involved.

swan_tower, to random
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I'm reading TONIGHT at Strong Women, Strange Worlds, with Jessica Peter, Ginger Smith, Rosalyn Briar, Victoria Nations, and Meredith R. Lyons -- free event, register here! tinyurl.com/m5n37k5n

swan_tower, to random
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Would love recs for video games. My criteria are: 1) I like a good narrative, 2) I suck at speed reactions/hand-eye coordination challenges, 3) I like puzzle-solving, and 4) I'd prefer something that's not a giant undertaking lasting dozens of hours. Chants of Sennaar is a good example size-wise, though more robust narrative would be ideal.

swan_tower, to random
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A BREVIARY OF FIRE, collecting many of my folklore-based stories, will be out on the 21st! You can pre-order now or wait to buy it direct from the publisher after it's out (and a print edition will follow soon, I promise):

https://www.swantower.com/writing/a-breviary-of-fire/

swan_tower, to random
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A BREVIARY OF FIRE is out now! Sixteen stories inspired by folklore and mythology, all in a convenient ebook:

https://www.swantower.com/writing/a-breviary-of-fire/

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