Sofie Tholin
LightNews LightNews
banner
sofietholin.bsky.social
Sofie Tholin
@sofietholin.bsky.social
110 followers 140 following 130 posts
S.A. Tholin, writer of the PRIMATERRE series - military science fiction - and PRIMATERRE TALES - space pirates, space detectives, space submariners.

SPSFC winner with IRON TRUTH, book one of the Primaterre!
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
sofietholin.bsky.social
Sofie Tholin @sofietholin.bsky.social · Jun 3
me | my books

back row: military SF/horror
front row: tales of pirate valkyries, a Martian cold case detective, and space submariners

links to books and blurbs: satholin.com/books
Sofie (S.A. Tholin) is posing with her SPSFC raygun trophy in front of several bookcases of graphic novels, and a framed poster of the cover of Summer Empress. The Primaterre/Primaterre Tales series in paperback format, posed in front of the SPSFC trophy and a Summer Empress poster. The books are Iron Truth, Lonely Castles, Chaos Terrain, Summer Empress, and in the Primaterre Tales series, Queen of the Corpsepickers, A Killer in Kirkclair, and Brightwork.
sofietholin.bsky.social
My upcoming novel will have not one, but two maps. I just got to see this sketch of one of them and it looks so good already!
A quick sketch of a Primaterre forward operating base and its surroundings. There's a marsh, jungle, an abandoned power station, and plenty of ruins.
January 20, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
dominishbooks.bsky.social
It's time to unleash my top ten favourite books of 2025:
youtu.be/oImwVrrYGh4
Check out these great SFF titles, and find out why they filled me with joy last year.
What were your favourites?
January 12, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
timhardieauthor.bsky.social
At the start of another year, these are the books l'm planning to read in 2026. I'm a bit of a mood reader so I'm sure other titles will make an appearance throughout the year, but I'm going to make a special effort to pick up these.
www.timhardieauthor.co.uk/blog/reading...
Reading List for 2026 — Tim Hardie
As another year begins, these are the titles I’m keen to read during 2026!
www.timhardieauthor.co.uk
January 10, 2026 at 10:52 AM
sofietholin.bsky.social
I've been writing so much about Mars and Phobos I don't know which of these three feels most like home!
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 21d
Open up this picture fully.

Then look at the surface of Mars.

Then look up to the top right.

Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.

Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.

That's Earth.
A forlorn landscape of layered rocks in the foreground, with hills fading into the background haze. At upper top right, a small crescent moon, and a bright star.
January 1, 2026 at 1:37 AM
sofietholin.bsky.social
It's time for the r/Fantasy Charity MegaSale!

megasale.yrliu.com

Iron Truth is .99 worldwide, along with 600+ other books.

I grabbed Oksy, Come Home by @fantasticphil.bsky.social - and highly recommend the books by @akmbeach.bsky.social, @helynalc.bsky.social, and @stevewestenra.bsky.social!
A promo graphic for the 2025 Holiday Megasale. More than 300 authors, over 650 books free or .99. To benefit the Mary Cariola Center. A black cat on an orange rug, and a paperback of Iron Truth. Shamelessly using my cat to promo my book. That works, right? :)
December 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
sofietholin.bsky.social
Today is the first day in nearly two years that I've not worked on this novel - it's finally finished!

...well, okay, there's one more edit pass to go once I have a proof copy, but for now the next Grace Telluride book is in the hands of my cover artist/typesetter. It's pretty big!
A printed manuscript - it's a chonker!
December 21, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
helynalc.bsky.social
Some of my fave reads of the year. I read a LOT this year, and it was awesome.
helynalc.bsky.social Hel ✨ || Untwining... 🌀🪷 @helynalc.bsky.social · Dec 2
Ooof, hard to say only one so I'll cheat! 😅
- The Star-Crossed Empire by Maya Darjani
- Iron Truth by S. A. Tholin
- the Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Teixcalaan books by Arkady Martine
- Planetfall series by Emma Newman
December 15, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
jpatriciaanderson.bsky.social
I have 8,734 lifetime KU page reads, which was 6 or 7 full huge DoT reads and some DNFs or taste testers, but my goal is to get to 10,000! SDotSI is doing a short stint in KU, and it will take 8 full reads of that to do it 📚💙

Hopeful feminist fantasy with witches? 🥰

books2read.com/savage-daugh...
The cover of Savage Daughters of the Secret Isle by J Patricia Anderson. The cover shows an aerial view of an island that is mostly hidden in clouds. A tiny damaged ship can be seen in a cove of the island. A tiny village can be seen through the clouds at the top of the island mountain.
December 11, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
garybirdshirt.bsky.social
if any of my newer followers don't know, i do have a print shop with lots of art in it that i made.

there's probably still time to get something for the holidays, for those in your life who enjoy art that no one in the room should think about for too long

www.inprnt.com/gallery/gary...
Art Prints by Gary Sargeant
Shop gallery quality Art Prints by Gary Sargeant.
www.inprnt.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:02 PM
sofietholin.bsky.social
Give me 5 games to get to know you:

- Resident Evil (all of them)
- Silent Hill 2/3/4
- Neverwinter Nights 2
- Suikoden
- Shadowgate

...although I'm wildly cheating, narrowing it down to five is ridiculous when there are so many (Dark Souls 2, Vandal Hearts, Vagrant Story, Crusader Kings... aahh)
helynalc.bsky.social Hel ✨ || Untwining... 🌀🪷 @helynalc.bsky.social · Nov 29
Give me 5 games to get to know you:

- Undertale
- Disco Elysium
- Outer Wilds
- SOMA
- GRIS
caradelaney.bsky.social Cara N. Delaney 💖💜💙 @caradelaney.bsky.social · Nov 29
Give me 5 games to get to know you:

- Destiny 2
- Guild Wars
- Age of Empires 2
- Skyrim
- Fallout: New Vegas
November 30, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
dominishbooks.bsky.social
It's overdue, but it's here – my wrap-up of the reading I did in October features not one, but two five-star bangers! Check it out here:
youtu.be/ovlaPU1q5mI
November 24, 2025 at 11:05 AM
sofietholin.bsky.social
Moon Murder Draft 2 progress update: about halfway there. I'm having a lot of fun with it! My characters... maybe not so much, haha*

*and things are about to get worse. Brace for the Moment of Clarity!
A screenshot from Word. The text reads: "The universe is folding in on itself, Grace. Everything is coming undone." It's page 520/982, 265,724 words in total (yes it's a big book)
November 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
geektells.bsky.social
Do you support indie SciFi authors? @aealexander.bsky.social has put together a recap of all four SPSFC competitions with the winners and finalists of each one. SPSFC 5 is underway, too.

Support Indie SciFi!

www.aealexander.com/blog/spsfc
All You Need To Know About the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) — Allison Alexander
Key details about the contest for self-published sci-fi novels founded by Hugh Howey.
www.aealexander.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
blog.readindiefantasy.com
It's A Month of Rain & Reads and we wish you a quiet morning.

In today's Guest Post we hear from Sarah Chorn and Ken Scholes who talk about their experiences with Complex PTSD and how it affected their lives and creativity.

www.readindiefantasy.com/complex-ptsd...

#AMoRaR #BookSky #CPTSD
Banner image for our article about Complex PTSD and Creativity written by Sarah Chorn and Ken Scholes. The banner features the book dragon and the ghost cat, as usual, but there is no photo of the article's authors. It was difficult to make the text readable with both author pictures on the banner, so I decided to not include them. /nils
November 16, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
stevewestenra.bsky.social
I was very kindly asked to do an interview with Alex Puncekar at Grimdark Magazine, & it's now up!: www.grimdarkmagazine.com/interview-wi...

If you're interested in my New Edge Sword and Sorcery Novella, The Barbarian at Dream's End, give it a look! I'm surprisingly less incoherent than I thought 🤣
INTERVIEW: with author Steve Hugh Westenra
We got a chance to speak with Steve Hugh Westenra about their upcoming sword & sorcery novella The Barbarian at Dream’s End. We talk about the sword & sorcery genre, He-Man, and the funding campaign b...
www.grimdarkmagazine.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
warls.bsky.social
Honored to have my illustration Neo Mars featured on the cover of Clarkesworld for November 2025.

clarkesworldmagazine.com
Issue 230
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.
clarkesworldmagazine.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
eyeofthenewt.bsky.social
Hi #portfolioday
I'm Newt, a freelance artist, roleplayer and a folklore nerd based in Prague, Czechia.

Looking for work at the moment and would love to do more book covers, book illustration, TTRPG art and game/animation concept art!

Portfolio: eyeofthenewt.com
Socials: linktr.ee/EyeOfTheNewt
a cropped detail of a digital illustration showing a crazed village woman mid-transformation into a corvid demon. the light from the moon is red and she is levitating in a corn field, her body contorting and a crazed smile adorning her face. a digifal illustration depicting a sunlit forest clearing on which a ruined fort stands. its built of white stone with ivy slowly overtaking it a d through out the image, there are a few goblins scattered, patrolling the grounds. the one we see most clearly, on the foreground carries a spear and a grin on his face. portrait of a brown haired pale man done in the style of an old looking oil painting. it is contained on a thin oval frame a d lit by a single point above. it shows a man wringing out his hands on a dirty rag. he is dressed in a worn white shirt, daek waiscoat and a pale yellow necktie. his hair is falling loosely around his face in a messy ponytail and gis face bears marks of decay. his eyes are glazed over like eyes of a corpse and he has the look of tightly concealed anguish on his face. digital illustration depicting riders dressed in decorated, east slavic folklore inspired garb, mounted on giant goats, flying thru the sunset-lit orange sky. they have gleefull expressions on their face and are adorned in many shiny pieces of jewelery.
October 15, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
stevewestenra.bsky.social
The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle turns TWO today. 😭

I had wanted to do something cool, like write a blog post or do a giveaway or even just make a new video, but I haven't had time.

Instead, I shall write a (probably) long thread here.

Mainly, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who's given it a chance
October 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
tessahastjarjanto.com
Doing another call to #booksky for participation in an event we're doing in November!

If you're a book blogger, reviewer, book lover, I'd love for you to join us with a review of an indie book or guest post about any book-ish topic.

More info ⬇️⬇️⬇️

www.readindiefantasy.com/announcing-a...
Announcing a Month of Rain and Reads… Coming this November! – Read Indie Fantasy
www.readindiefantasy.com
October 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
helynalc.bsky.social
Marketing post! But lazy, because I'm deep in edits.

Please gaze at my books. Consider them well. Perhaps read? 💜
Some people really liked them, so you might as well!

books2read.com/skylarkinthefog
books2read.com/imbued
helynalc.itch.io

#BookSky #books #scifi #fantasy #indieauthor #indiebooks
helynalc.bsky.social Hel ✨ || Untwining... 🌀🪷 @helynalc.bsky.social · May 31
I haven't been around a lot these days, but guess what. I have books!

If you like stories featuring lost, trauma-riddled almost-adults searching for home and finding it in each other, searching for agency and trudging through messy pain to grasp it, I write that.

Links on my profile!
📚💙 📚🪐 🌈📚
A trope map for Skylark in the Fog by Helyna L. Clove. The cover of the book featuring starry background, a bright blue, foggy rift in space shaped like a bird taking flight, and a small spaceship zooming out of it is in the middle. Around it, labels with arrows: - a prickly space pirate with commitment issues - a runaway queen with AI powers - a half-brainwashed soldier trying to find himself - shady galactic empire vs rebels - wormhole machine shenanigans - cute robots & alien BFFs - Star Wars and Firefly vibes with awesome women and strong platonic bonds - the cycle of hate and war, the meaning of home - humanity sucks - humanity rules - a swashbuckling adventure, now with extra trauma! (and perhaps healing) A trope map for Imbued by Helyna L. Clove. The cover of the book featuring a lush scene with green-purple vegetation of leaves and thorny stalks surrounding a while calla lily which is grasped by golden, magical threads and being pulled towards the ground, is in the middle. Labels with arrows are around it: - childhood trauma-induced amnesia - VERY reluctant hero (crossed out) villain (crossed out) ??? - manipulation - failed magic experiments and dead gods - telepathic flirting - queernormative society - demisex romance (slowburn no spice) - dreams & visions galore - "I am a weapon" Digital art of the three main characters of Skylark in the Fog by @nightshading on Twitter. Jeane Blake is on the left, a tall, blonde, white woman in her twenties. Her hair is in a ponytail, and she's wearing a brown leather jacket that's slightly big for her, green cargo pants, and a white shirt. And also a gun holster and an unfriendly grimace on her face. Maura Tholis is in the middle. She is a short, curvy, brown-skinned woman with light brown hair in two buns and on her shoulders. She is wearing a long red sleeveless dress. On her left hand, there is a high-tech looking black glove with blue lights on it. Her expression is kind. Roy Philemon is on the right. He is a skinny white, short brown-haired man also in his late twenties. He's wearing a black jacket, grey T-shirt, and brown cargo pants. He's got some stubble on his face and he's holding a gun in his left hand sort of non-chalantly. The two main characters of Imbued by Helyna L. Clove, digital art by Talli Morgan. A man and a woman stand facing each other on blue-green background. The woman, Calla, has brown skin and long auburn, wavy hair. She's wearing a long-sleeved, loose green tunic with golden embroidery on the sleeves. She's holding out her palms and concentrating on a small sphere of light hovering above her fingers with a stark expression. The man, Gray, has brown skin, black, mid-length, wavy hair, and he's wearing a black long-sleeved jacket. His hands are hovering around Calla's, focusing on the light sphere as well, but he's really looking at her with a gentle expression.
October 9, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
dominishbooks.bsky.social
Another month, another TBR, and for some reason I seem to be mostly reading sequels in October. Check out my plan here:
youtu.be/JRbY4kQvTX8
What are you planning to read?
October 6, 2025 at 10:04 AM
sofietholin.bsky.social
#SFFChat Day 4 - Snippet: Haunting.

A snippet from Summer Empress. A villainess makes her spooky entrance!
The creature Haakon had called his moon goddess descended into the oubliette on steps of whirling glass. Veils covered her masked face, the silks shifting over pearlescent metal. She looked like a dead thing, some poet's sweetheart risen from her grave to haunt opium dreams.
October 5, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
spotlightindie.bsky.social
It's time for an epic giveaway! To be in with a chance of winning the complete Dragon Spirit's trilogy by LL MacRae, please comment below with your favourite fictional creature companion. The winner will be announced at our Indie Author Summer Party at 9pm on Sunday 5th Oct. #bookgiveaway
October 4, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
seantcollins.com
The Deep Ones, a comic about sea monsters by me and @thorazos.bsky.social
Why We Fear the Ocean
There’s something down there…
medium.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Sofie Tholin
sofietholin.bsky.social
Thanks very much to Tim for this lovely interview that really got me thinking pretty hard about my process, and why I do what I do. Check it out! :)
September 28, 2025 at 1:24 PM