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megt.bsky.social
MTH
@megt.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.6K following 1.9K posts
SFF author. PhD in mass comm, anthro/archaeo, folklore, environment. Freelance writer/editor. Grantmaking and public policy. Operator at defunct farm. Cheesehead 🧀 Badger alum. Reposts not necessarily an endorsement.
web: https://oaklandhillsfarm.com
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megt.bsky.social
MTH @megt.bsky.social · Aug 17
A #book is the perfect escape! Want a portal to other worlds? BLACK RIVER can transport you. Like nobledark #fantasy trilogies full of political intrigue, desperate battles and epic journeys? Check out The Enchanter's Web! oaklandhillsfarm.com/novel (Alt txt for deets) #writingcommunity #sff 📚🪐 📚💙
For more info: oaklandhillsfarm.com/novel 4 covers. BLACK RIVER, pub'd by Mystique Press: moonlit waters flanked by pine forest with scudding clouds on the horizon. Cover design: M. Turville Heitz & David Dodd. What if Uncle Rupert’s fanciful stories of world-hopping wizards scavenging exotic animals, magic stones, and weapons of mass destruction were real? Praise for BR: “Is it science fiction? Fantasy? Or... well, I don't care, I just know it was a wild ride and I was sorry when it was over.” LS EW 1: SPECTERS FROM A DREAM. Cover by Ingrid Kallick: a burning barn, a figure silhouetted in the flames and flaming arrows. Smoke coils up and away. They thought their dreams guided them. What if they were wrong? An epic fantasy of intrigue and sorcery, EW 1 finds our heroes trying to manage powers beyond their control in a desperate war against stronger forces with a mission to destroy the world. Praise for EW1: “A rousing high fantasy novel. This kept me up reading for several nights. This is an intricate, well-developed world and characters readers of fantasy will love. I can't wait to read the next in the series.” ESR EW2: DREAD WARRIOR. Ingrid's cover shows a giant wave crashing over a small overturned sailboat with a sword-bearing warrior clinging to the hull of the vessel as a storm rages overhead. What could go wrong when a peaceful land plans a war? In EW2 our heroes must face tribal rivalries and class divisions to somehow unite Shande and her allies to save themselves. EW3: THE RISING OF KEDTAIR. Ingrid's cover shows dragon-like conjurations sent to attack a white-clad, dagger-wielding figure. When all the pieces come together, what if it was always to another’s plan? EW3 finds our heroes desperately gathering armies in an occupied land controlled by a better-armed, better-trained enemy. They must meet an impossible timeline. They count on many pieces falling into place. They didn’t count on the Enchanter’s web.
megt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips: "benefit." From current fantasy WIP in final editing. Val knows the drink is laced with drugs that leave him helpless in the hands of those holding him prisoner. He and Sayre are plotted an escape when the tough paid to keep him there shows up. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity
Sayre trembled in the hallway behind Welf, her eyes wide as she held two mugs on a tray. Why didn’t she run? “Sayre, ale I called for!” Welf shook his head. “How she runs an inn proper, so slow.” His smile broadened again for Val’s benefit. “We’ll set you right. Then it’s time you and I head over to Riverfront again, what do you think?” One dark brow cocked up. “I know that miss at the Windlass Inn was sad to see you leave that night.” As Welf expounded on the fine time they could have, Sayre slipped into the room. Her red-rimmed eyes never left the tray. An imprint of fingertips stood out on her throat. Val tried to force calm on himself, to not leap up and strike Welf, to still thebeat of his pulse in his temple. Sayre handed an ale to Welf. He sniffed it, then turneda glare on her. “No, dearest,” he said. “I prefer the heavier brew. This is Val’s.”
January 5, 2026 at 6:51 PM
megt.bsky.social
Sometimes you just need comfort drinks. Baileys and hot chocolate and a little salted caramel dark chocolate on the side
A green mug with whipped cream and chunks of chocolate
January 5, 2026 at 4:41 AM
megt.bsky.social
#WIPSnips prompt "home" from current WIP novel that's in final editing (yay). In this snip, the character Val has been connected magically to a young woolherd once possessed by the dead wizard who then possessed Val (whew, that sounds confusing but really isn't). #WriteSky #WritingCommunity
No birds sang. No sound came but the crack of thawing rock in the ridges high above and the rush of North Dwell Creek tumbling by the houses leaning over the stream course. Val stared at one sprawling cottage where tattered curtains billowed out the windows as the dawn raised a south wind. He tried to swallow, his throat tight. The two youngest boys had never even left the roof. Had they stared in excitement at the returning Wards of the Without? Or had the daemon swept in even as Nilos and the Ward departed, seeping over the hills like a noisome shadow over noon? Nothing flickered on the edge of his vision. Nothing moved to hint at life in the village. For now, memory was all that said this had ever been a place of life and deeds. Other people’s memories. He felt Farlien’s grief in him, Nilos’s deep sorrow to imagine his brothers wrestling on the roof, his sisters watching the horizon for the Ward’s return, his mother wringing her apron. He sensed Nilos, far away, wishing he had never made contact with the woolherd to give him this new grief, this sight of home.
January 4, 2026 at 6:15 PM
megt.bsky.social
The #SundaySnip is "Renew" and comes from Specters from a Dream, book 1 of The Enchanter's Web (deets available on my website, link in profile). In this snip, our heroes are among refugees escaping after a horrific defeat, and being hunted by their foes. #WritingCommunity #Writesky
Countless pinpricks of light pierced a moonless and cloudless sky their second night on the river. Water purled against the bank or muttered when a pole disrupted the current or splashed with the turn of paddlewheels. The chatter of frogs and insects echoed in waves from one side of the river to another, now and then the booming ‘ngunh-ngung’ of giant frogs shattering the rhythm. As they neared, the chorus of night sounds faded, only to return with renewed fervor as the barges passed.
January 4, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by MTH
wisconsinresist.bsky.social
⚠️ Madison: Emergency Protest, No War on Venezuela! Saturday, January 3rd at 1pm. Forward Statue, State Capitol. ⚠️
January 3, 2026 at 5:06 PM
megt.bsky.social
🌎🧪
January 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by MTH
megt.bsky.social
It's a derailing. Playing whack-a-mole with #cancer can make it tough to #write, to read, to do much of anything. But ... maybe I'll be of use to SCIENCE! #writesky
oaklandhillsfarm.com/tmi-part-2/
TMI, Part 2 - M Turville Heitz
I’m somehow, potentially, making a difference. It kind of makes the misery a tiny bit more palatable. A tiny bit.
oaklandhillsfarm.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:44 AM
megt.bsky.social
It's a derailing. Playing whack-a-mole with #cancer can make it tough to #write, to read, to do much of anything. But ... maybe I'll be of use to SCIENCE! #writesky
oaklandhillsfarm.com/tmi-part-2/
TMI, Part 2 - M Turville Heitz
I’m somehow, potentially, making a difference. It kind of makes the misery a tiny bit more palatable. A tiny bit.
oaklandhillsfarm.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:44 AM
megt.bsky.social
"Trump administration’s actions have put the nation on course for a future where even those who want vaccines may not be able to get them." Also, "vaccine makers may once again threaten to leave the U.S. market." Plus, loss of new tech breakthroughs like mRNA 🧪⚕️
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/o...
Opinion | This Is the Damage Kennedy Has Done in Less Than a Year
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by MTH
pierpaolo.bsky.social
December 29, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by MTH
abbij1961.bsky.social
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
megt.bsky.social
A lot of both journalists, and people working environmental conservation often can be left traumatized by the impacts brought on by climate change. The obvious natural disasters, but also the slower losses like ecosystem destruction and species extinction. 🌎🌿🧪
lorak.bsky.social Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 7d
if you work in news & have witnessed (in the course of reporting) traumatic events, you may experience serious psychological effects. make time for therapy, get rest & maintain friendships. these are important. even if you are “only” a witness to trauma, take care. news.vt.edu/articles/202...
Virginia Tech study finds unique brain changes linked to witnessing trauma
Researchers discovered distinct molecular differences in how the brain processes directly experienced versus witnessed trauma — a finding that could lead to more targeted treatments for PTSD.
news.vt.edu
December 29, 2025 at 11:26 PM
megt.bsky.social
🌎 🌿
mongabay.com Mongabay @mongabay.com · 8d
Camera traps in a Thailand wildlife sanctuary have confirmed flat-headed cats for the first time since 1995, with 29 records in 2024–25.

Fewer than 2,500 remain across Southeast Asia. Conservationists hope the rediscovery sparks protection for threatened peat swamp habitat.
Year-end ‘good news’ as flat-headed cats reappear in Thailand after 29-year absence
Flat-headed cats haven’t gone extinct in Thailand after all. A population is clinging on in the peat swamp forests of Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, in the country’s south, after eluding…
news.mongabay.com
December 28, 2025 at 10:44 PM
megt.bsky.social
Best seat in the house. 🐈‍⬛🐈
An orange tabby and black cat sit on a chair in front of a wood stove with a fire in it. There's a ~20 gallon stoneware crock next to a cat tree and a plastic bucket full if wood near by.
December 28, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by MTH
megt.bsky.social
Last minute gifting! Nobledark epic #fantasy of political intrigue, sorcery, manipulative gods & a little romance. Ebooks of EW on sale up to 50% off from #Smashwords through the end of the year! Free chapter and samples oaklandhillsfarm.com/novel/ Deets and more links in alt text below 👇 #EOYSale25
December 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM
megt.bsky.social
A lot of us got #books for gifts ... let's be sure to let our authors know what we liked and share it on social media and with reviews or stars on our favorite platforms! 📚💙 📚🪐 #WritingCommunity
megt.bsky.social MTH @megt.bsky.social · 14d
Hey #readers, if you like a #book, let your #authors know! Post a review on your preferred platform, throw some stars at it. Maybe even drop a line on social media. #Writers put heart and soul into their work and it can be lonely. A kind word now and then is creative fuel. 📚💙 📚🪐 #WritingCommunity
December 27, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by MTH
rbreich.bsky.social
America's richest 10% now hold 60% of the nation's wealth.

The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.

Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.
December 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
megt.bsky.social
🌎🧪
carlzimmer.com Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 9d
The @nytimes.com Lost Science series continues. Here's my Q&A with a scientist who was studying how wildfire smoke threatens human health when the EPA decided that her research was no longer a funding priority. Gift link: nyti.ms/4jhpw14
Portrait of Marina Vance, a scientist, sitting in a Colorado grassland.
December 27, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by MTH
cnn.com
A growing volume of AI-generated images and recipes meant to look like genuine food blogs have permeated social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. https://cnn.it/3KPT5Kq
December 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Reposted by MTH
wisconsinexaminer.com
As counties across Wisconsin sell off publicly-owned nursing homes to private companies, communities are fighting back. Madeline Figueiredo of @dailyyonder.bsky.social reports. wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/12/24/w...
Wisconsin communities fight to save county-owned nursing homes from privatization • Wisconsin Examiner
Communities fear privatizing county nursing homes will bring understaffing, declining quality of care, and increased regulatory violations.
wisconsinexaminer.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:58 PM
megt.bsky.social
🌎🌿
December 25, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Reposted by MTH
megt.bsky.social
Hey #readers, if you like a #book, let your #authors know! Post a review on your preferred platform, throw some stars at it. Maybe even drop a line on social media. #Writers put heart and soul into their work and it can be lonely. A kind word now and then is creative fuel. 📚💙 📚🪐 #WritingCommunity
December 22, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by MTH
bubbaprog.xyz
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by MTH
epopp.bsky.social
💥💫boom..best post I have read today!! We luv our authors,storytellers,on blue sky!!
megt.bsky.social MTH @megt.bsky.social · 14d
Hey #readers, if you like a #book, let your #authors know! Post a review on your preferred platform, throw some stars at it. Maybe even drop a line on social media. #Writers put heart and soul into their work and it can be lonely. A kind word now and then is creative fuel. 📚💙 📚🪐 #WritingCommunity
December 22, 2025 at 7:16 PM
megt.bsky.social
Hey #readers, if you like a #book, let your #authors know! Post a review on your preferred platform, throw some stars at it. Maybe even drop a line on social media. #Writers put heart and soul into their work and it can be lonely. A kind word now and then is creative fuel. 📚💙 📚🪐 #WritingCommunity
December 22, 2025 at 6:39 PM