Amanda J. McGee
@amcgeewrites.bsky.social
Mapmaker by day, spec fic writer by night. Opinions my own. Codex. She/her. A RIVER WIDE (horror novella) coming from Interstellar Flight Press. Currently raising a toddler, so I have ten whole brain cells.
http://amandajmcgee.com
http://amandajmcgee.com
Pinned
Oh, hey, new followers! Nice to meet you all. I'm Amanda! I write books, most recently A RIVER WIDE, which doesn't have a release date yet but is forthcoming from @interstellarflight.bsky.social and "Viridian" in A SINISTER QUARTET, published by @mythicdelirium.bsky.social. #horrorwriter
The only things holding me together this week are the Ilona Andrews novella coming out on Tuesday and the possible impending snowstorm.
January 21, 2026 at 2:56 PM
The only things holding me together this week are the Ilona Andrews novella coming out on Tuesday and the possible impending snowstorm.
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
🎉 Registration now for our spring classes!
Classes range from short intensives to an 8-week workshop! All classes are live online.
Registration link in thread.
#speculativefiction #onlineclasses #worldbuilding #idealab
Classes range from short intensives to an 8-week workshop! All classes are live online.
Registration link in thread.
#speculativefiction #onlineclasses #worldbuilding #idealab
January 16, 2026 at 8:33 PM
🎉 Registration now for our spring classes!
Classes range from short intensives to an 8-week workshop! All classes are live online.
Registration link in thread.
#speculativefiction #onlineclasses #worldbuilding #idealab
Classes range from short intensives to an 8-week workshop! All classes are live online.
Registration link in thread.
#speculativefiction #onlineclasses #worldbuilding #idealab
Somehow reaching the end of several projects all at once, and I don't know how to feel about it!
January 20, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Somehow reaching the end of several projects all at once, and I don't know how to feel about it!
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
Yesterday these folks had raised $17k. As of right now they’re a few hundred bucks from $100k.
A lot of that is Bluesky—y’all absolutely kick so much ass.
A lot of that is Bluesky—y’all absolutely kick so much ass.
Hey folks Calvary Food Shelf has been helping out people in Minneapolis for 30 years, and now they’re ramping up to meet the crisis, including doing home deliveries so people don’t have to risk going out.
They’re just over halfway to their current goal—let’s get them all the way, shall we?
They’re just over halfway to their current goal—let’s get them all the way, shall we?
Support Calvary Food Shelf: Emergency Response Fundraiser on GiveMN
Help us respond to urgent community needs
www.givemn.org
January 17, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Yesterday these folks had raised $17k. As of right now they’re a few hundred bucks from $100k.
A lot of that is Bluesky—y’all absolutely kick so much ass.
A lot of that is Bluesky—y’all absolutely kick so much ass.
I took a personality test, which is possibly never a good idea...
Perfection
Thoughts on perfection.
amandajmcgee.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:16 AM
I took a personality test, which is possibly never a good idea...
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
Holy shit! If you are still on Spotify, get the fuck off asap.
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 16, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Holy shit! If you are still on Spotify, get the fuck off asap.
Just...so tired. www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
Trump administration sends letter wiping out addiction, mental health grants
The Trump administration sent hundreds of letters Tuesday terminating federal grants supporting mental health and drug addiction services.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Just...so tired. www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
Disturbing but not surprising—more confirmation that LLMs are copying machines
We extracted (parts of) 12 books in experiments with 4 frontier-lab, production LLMs.
We prompted the LLMs with a short prefix of a book and asked them to complete the rest. For Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we extracted 95.8% of the book from jailbroken Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
We prompted the LLMs with a short prefix of a book and asked them to complete the rest. For Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we extracted 95.8% of the book from jailbroken Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
January 12, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Disturbing but not surprising—more confirmation that LLMs are copying machines
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
Strange Horizons fiction submissions open next Monday!
The window will be open for 48 hours from 3 p.m. UTC on January 19th 2026 to 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st 2026.
There will be no cap.
More information on submitting, including the link to our Moksha portal ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...
The window will be open for 48 hours from 3 p.m. UTC on January 19th 2026 to 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st 2026.
There will be no cap.
More information on submitting, including the link to our Moksha portal ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...
January 12, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Strange Horizons fiction submissions open next Monday!
The window will be open for 48 hours from 3 p.m. UTC on January 19th 2026 to 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st 2026.
There will be no cap.
More information on submitting, including the link to our Moksha portal ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...
The window will be open for 48 hours from 3 p.m. UTC on January 19th 2026 to 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st 2026.
There will be no cap.
More information on submitting, including the link to our Moksha portal ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
ICE observers in the Twin Cities are in need of dash cams to prevent further intimidation and frivolous claims.
Cams are $110, memory cards $35, and ship to us directly via this wish list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
If you've been looking for a way to help, we'd sure appreciate it!
Cams are $110, memory cards $35, and ship to us directly via this wish list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
If you've been looking for a way to help, we'd sure appreciate it!
January 6, 2026 at 3:05 AM
ICE observers in the Twin Cities are in need of dash cams to prevent further intimidation and frivolous claims.
Cams are $110, memory cards $35, and ship to us directly via this wish list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
If you've been looking for a way to help, we'd sure appreciate it!
Cams are $110, memory cards $35, and ship to us directly via this wish list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...
If you've been looking for a way to help, we'd sure appreciate it!
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
Half of my office has the flu and at least one person has been exposed to COVID. I didn't get my shots this year (I know, I am kicking myself now). Please cross your fingers and toes.
January 7, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Half of my office has the flu and at least one person has been exposed to COVID. I didn't get my shots this year (I know, I am kicking myself now). Please cross your fingers and toes.
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
oh i had this realization once
January 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM
oh i had this realization once
Reflecting on a conversation recently where someone told me that oats were "bad for humans and not meant for us to consume" because "they spray them with pesticides." He'd been watching YouTube. He does not even buy organic produce. 🤷♀️
January 6, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Reflecting on a conversation recently where someone told me that oats were "bad for humans and not meant for us to consume" because "they spray them with pesticides." He'd been watching YouTube. He does not even buy organic produce. 🤷♀️
Reposted by Amanda J. McGee
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
Corporation For Public Broadcasting Is Dissolved After 58 Years Of Service
www.huffpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 PM
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
I do not want to identify with this post.
I understand on an intellectual level that I cannot expect to be as productive when I’m sick as I am when I am not sick, but what if I’m secretly just a lazy malingerer
January 5, 2026 at 8:46 PM
I do not want to identify with this post.
A thing I miss about Twitter was the polls function. Bluesky, help us!
December 31, 2025 at 5:07 PM
A thing I miss about Twitter was the polls function. Bluesky, help us!
And that's a wrap on Draft 1 of this novel! Huzzah! #wip This gif seems somewhat appropriate.
a close up of a man with a beard wearing a hat and saying `` do you ever think about the roman empire '' .
Alt: Gandalf the Gray grinning with the caption `` do you ever think about the roman empire '' .
media.tenor.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:43 AM
And that's a wrap on Draft 1 of this novel! Huzzah! #wip This gif seems somewhat appropriate.
Is the book done? No. Have I more than met my wordcount goal? Oh, yeah.
a cartoon of ketchup breaking through a wall with the words ohh yeaahh
ALT: a cartoon of ketchup breaking through a wall with the words ohh yeaahh
media.tenor.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Is the book done? No. Have I more than met my wordcount goal? Oh, yeah.
Was about to post something witty but the baby woke up. 🤷♀️
December 30, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Was about to post something witty but the baby woke up. 🤷♀️
Hi, it's my year end reflection. Mostly on what I managed to accomplish this year, nothing particularly deep.
Progress Report: 2025
Hey, y’all! It’s time for my accountability post of 2025! This year has been…a lot. As you are all no doubt well aware. That said, I did manage some writing progress. It was margi…
amandajmcgee.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Hi, it's my year end reflection. Mostly on what I managed to accomplish this year, nothing particularly deep.
I have less than a thousand words left for my wordcount goal and one last super important scene (plus probably another scene or two of falling action). Then this book will finally, after two years, have reached a first draft!
December 28, 2025 at 2:29 AM
I have less than a thousand words left for my wordcount goal and one last super important scene (plus probably another scene or two of falling action). Then this book will finally, after two years, have reached a first draft!
Last night the whole family hauled ourselves up to Mountain Lake, which reminded me that I have not told the internet about Mountain Lake. You may know it from Dirty Dancing, which is the least interesting thing about Mountain Lake.
December 27, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Last night the whole family hauled ourselves up to Mountain Lake, which reminded me that I have not told the internet about Mountain Lake. You may know it from Dirty Dancing, which is the least interesting thing about Mountain Lake.
The dreamy-eyed look that just crossed my face. Ah, if only that were the criteria.
It takes a lot to not be a nobody in the book field, even people with published works. Nobody is going up to the pagan queers at book conferences and saying "oooooh you're a pagan queer? you're the next big thing!"
December 27, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The dreamy-eyed look that just crossed my face. Ah, if only that were the criteria.
2k to go on my writing goal for the year. Can I do it? I have about an hour before I have to go get the toddler, so possible sprint incoming...
December 27, 2025 at 9:14 PM
2k to go on my writing goal for the year. Can I do it? I have about an hour before I have to go get the toddler, so possible sprint incoming...