Rene Astle 🍁🌻
LightNews LightNews
banner
castle88.bsky.social
Rene Astle 🍁🌻
@castle88.bsky.social
1.3K followers 490 following 1K posts
Author of science fiction and fantasy where characters find their families and their place in the world ... or the universe. Reader of same. Urbanist and environmentalist (the former stemming from the latter). She/her. Find me at reneastle.substack.com.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
castle88.bsky.social
Rene Astle 🍁🌻 @castle88.bsky.social · Mar 8
If you're looking to (temporarily) escape to the great big sea of stars, book 1 in The Lyra Cycle is free at your favourite online retailers.

Follow the ragtag crew of the cargo ship Lyra as the reluctantly get embroil in adventures they didn't ask for.
books2read.com/lyracycle1
The book A Dead Ship in the Deep Black sitting on a table with tea
castle88.bsky.social
The speed of the decline is shocking.
youtu.be/lYWk7dh40VI
You're Not Crazy. The Bugs Are Disappearing.
YouTube video by Joe Scott
youtu.be
December 9, 2025 at 2:45 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Since I was up at ridiculously early o'clock this morning and the paints were already out, I did some more mucking about.

Now, I think I should have stayed in bed even if I didn't feel like I'd sleep anymore.
A pair of blue beetles with white spots done in gouache.
December 8, 2025 at 3:39 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Up at ridiculously early o'clock this morning after spending half the weekend in bed with a migraine. Why? Who knows. Aren't migraines fun 😒
But in the in between times, I played with gouache. I need to work on getting the right ... fluidity? I'm sure there's a technical term for it.
A colour wheel to explore mixing gouache. Strokes are choppy and fluidity isn't right.
December 8, 2025 at 1:12 PM
castle88.bsky.social
I enjoyed this book. This might be a good chance to pick up a gift for a book lover - signed by the author even!
dcgreschner.bsky.social D.C. Greschner @dcgreschner.bsky.social · 4d
Thank you to @thezone.fm for playing my shoutout on the radio today! Hope to see lots of you at Indigo Mayfair this Sunday ✍️📖👽
#booksigning #indieauthor #scifibook
December 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Happy Caturday! 😂
December 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM
castle88.bsky.social
I almost forgot today's Countdown to 2026 free sci-fi book - Lightwave: Nexus Station (Folding Space Series book 1)

heathertexle.com/CountdownTo2...
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
Decorative image with the cover of Lightwave Nexus Station on a colourful background of illustrated aliens, astronauts, and planets.
December 6, 2025 at 3:12 AM
castle88.bsky.social
28 days until 2026! Today's free book in the Countdown to 2026 is Chaos Zone by Kate Sheeran Swed.
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
books2read.com/chaos-zone
Decorative image of the cover of Chaos Zone against a colourful background of illustrated aliens, astronauts and spaceships.
December 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Today's free Countdown to 2026 book is by yours truly.

"Living on the edge, the crew of the Lyra expects surprises. But they're not prepared for the one they find when they pick up two new crew and a salvage job on a third-rate space station."
heathertexle.com/CountdownTo2...
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
Decorative image of the cover of A Dead Ship in the Deep Black on a colourful, illustrated background filled with astronauts, aliens, spaceships and planets.
December 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
castle88.bsky.social
It's day two of the Countdown to 2026 featuring free sci-fi books ... and what a perfect day to have TWO books!

Grab a copy of The Dark of Light (Starhawke Rising book1) AND Arch Allies (Starhawke Rogue book 1).
heathertexle.com/CountdownTo2...
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
Decorative image featuring to cover of The Dark of Light against a colourful, illustrated backdrop of aliens, astronauts, spaceships and planets.
December 2, 2025 at 3:05 PM
castle88.bsky.social
The Countdown is here!

The first free sci-fi book is "Now I have a Raygun Ho-Ho-Ho". I just finished reading this anthology and it was a blast (and a great way to discover new to you authors).

heathertexle.com/CountdownTo2...
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
Decorative image of the colourful "Now I Have a Raygun" cover on an illustrated background of spaceships, planets, aliens and astronauts.
December 1, 2025 at 1:20 PM
castle88.bsky.social
I saw @saanichbc.bsky.social's Curby in the wild today. It brought a smile to my face, and not just because the leaf sludge in the bike lanes was becoming slippery. No picture unfortunately.
November 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Do you love science fiction? Do you love free books?
Join us as we countdown to 2026 with a month of free science fiction.
Find a new book every day at heathertexle.com/CountdownTo2...
#FreeSFBooksCountdown
Decorative image with aliens, astronauts, fireworks and party hats with the text "3 days until we countdown to the new year with FREE sci-fi books!"
November 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM
castle88.bsky.social
I have now discovered the Bird Whisperer Project. And it is wonderful.
birdwhisperers.bsky.social Bird Whisperer Project @birdwhisperers.bsky.social · Nov 4
Calling all bird loving artists! This month's bird is the Spotted Owlet. 🤎 Draw! Paint! Sculpt! We hope you'll join us. Posting day is Nov 26th.

Rules and Full Size Ref. Photo here: birdwhispererproject.com/participate/

#birds #BirdWhisperer #art #owl
The spotted owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from North Pakistan to Southeast Asia. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the iris is yellow. There is a white neckband and supercilium. Sexes are similar. (from Wikipedia) Our reference photo has the owl perched in a tree, where two branches diverge. Body is in side profile, breast facing our left, and their head is turned to face us. In the background are more large tree limbs
November 27, 2025 at 2:32 AM
castle88.bsky.social
Well, I intended to write 4 stories during Not A Novel November. I wrote two. But that two more than I had at the beginning.

Now it's back to the final edits on book 4 in The Lyra Cycle.
#amwriting
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 AM
castle88.bsky.social
There are many things I love about living on the Wet Coast of Canada. A small one is that my winter cycling gear is:
* Waterproof, reflective jacket big enough to fit over a sweater
* Rain pants
* Waterproof gloves
* Lightweight running toque (if it's really cold)
* Waterproof shoes
* Safety googles
schellbrewer.bsky.social David Berg @schellbrewer.bsky.social · 14d
Hey winter cyclists: the smartest thing I've done after threatening to do it for too many years was actually write down what to wear based on temperature. This helped immensely last year, and winter is coming 🥶
November 25, 2025 at 5:42 AM
castle88.bsky.social
Only 211 words in before Day Job, but I'll take it. Hopefully, I can write some more tonight. Not sure the lurking migraine will let me though.
#amwriting
November 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
castle88.bsky.social
Woot! New season of Saint-Pierre coming January 5th.
November 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
castle88.bsky.social
There's a village growing near where I live.
A door with two gnomes and a hedgehog on mossy ground in front of it
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 PM
castle88.bsky.social
I'm pretty sure I'm jinxing it but I *might* almost have a pants pattern that mostly fits 😳

Just need to transfer the latest changes to the pattern and hope I don’t screw up then fix the pockets and add a proper zipper fly (since I started with pyjamas) ... and make another muslin.
November 20, 2025 at 3:53 AM
castle88.bsky.social
I had intended to have this short story in Not a Novel November written this past weekend. Instead, I wrote almost 400 words before Day Job.

Now, off to work I go.
#amwriting
November 19, 2025 at 3:19 PM
castle88.bsky.social
"Birb incoming! Shields up!"

Find your smiles where you can.
November 18, 2025 at 1:22 AM
castle88.bsky.social
Termites are cockroaches?! What the what?!

@ologies.bsky.social blowing my mind again.

www.alieward.com/ologies/blat...
Blattodeology (YES, COCKROACHES) with Dr. Dominic Evangelista — alie ward
Dazzling colors. Remote habitats. Gentle parenting. Fantastic genitalia. And yeah, swimming through sewers to surprise you. It’s cockroaches and I promise you will find something to love about them in...
www.alieward.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:50 AM
castle88.bsky.social
Although I still own a car (it's 15yrs old), currently I don't plan to replace it. It's interesting to read other people's reasons.

For me, it's both environmental impact and cost ... with a dash of enjoying walking and cycling more than driving (even in the rain).

www.cbc.ca/news/climate...
Why some Canadians love living without a car | CBC Climate Change News
In this issue of our environmental newsletter, we share the experiences of people across Canada who don't own a car; track China's progress on cutting emissions; and check out an efficient way to remo...
www.cbc.ca
November 15, 2025 at 1:05 AM
castle88.bsky.social
So close! I miscounted near the end.

I solved the daily Clues by Sam (Nov 13th 2025) in less than 13 minutes
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟨
cluesbysam.com
Clues by Sam
A daily logic puzzle where you deduce who are criminals and who are innocent!
cluesbysam.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:23 AM
castle88.bsky.social
Only just over 300 words today in story 2 of Not a Novel November, but the story is still coming along, finding its feet. The main character has changed a bit and I'm liking it.

Hopefully, I can write some more before work tomorrow morning since tomorrow night is theatre night.
#amwriting
November 13, 2025 at 3:47 AM