John Chrostek
@johnchrostek.com
FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN, novel: https://shorturl.at/WeXfh
BOXCUTTERS, short stories: https://malarkeybooks.com/store/boxcutters
Co-owner @eveninghouse.bsky.social
EIC @cold-signal.com
Buffalo, NY
johnchrostek.com
BOXCUTTERS, short stories: https://malarkeybooks.com/store/boxcutters
Co-owner @eveninghouse.bsky.social
EIC @cold-signal.com
Buffalo, NY
johnchrostek.com
Pinned
okay my grumpy ass has finally settled on a 2025 year in review/eligibility graphic. I have been a furious little literary badger this year desperately clawing at art from all angles. Any interest/support/awards consideration for this work (mine + Cold Signal contributors) is so appreciated
Reposted by John Chrostek
At Evening House, in-person and online, our focus is on amazing books, especially indie & global reads. Some of the most enjoyable, mind-bending and heart-touching experiences can end up overlooked or lost inside an abundance of choices.
We're doing our part to put those books front and center.
We're doing our part to put those books front and center.
Evening House Books
Buffalo's downtown bookstore, a parlor-style cove for deep cut indie literature and bold, diverse, voices.
eveninghousebooks.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:11 PM
At Evening House, in-person and online, our focus is on amazing books, especially indie & global reads. Some of the most enjoyable, mind-bending and heart-touching experiences can end up overlooked or lost inside an abundance of choices.
We're doing our part to put those books front and center.
We're doing our part to put those books front and center.
Grappling with some serious existential & financial angst today. Friendly reminder I've got two fun books with big ideas out that cool readers seem to really enjoy. Would love for you to check 'em out, too
As a debut indie author, I’m really grateful to have found the readers I have with these two books. Would be honored to have them considered alongside 2025’s other great new releases!
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Grappling with some serious existential & financial angst today. Friendly reminder I've got two fun books with big ideas out that cool readers seem to really enjoy. Would love for you to check 'em out, too
Reposted by John Chrostek
My book came out a year ago today. I tried as best as I could to create a level of depth in the reader’s access to each character’s interior world. If you like that kind of narrative intimacy, give my book a try!
@malarkeybooks.bsky.social
malarkeybooks.com/store/firstaid
@malarkeybooks.bsky.social
malarkeybooks.com/store/firstaid
First Aid for Choking Victims, Stories by Matthew Zanoni Müller — Malarkey
This book publishes in November 2024. Preorders will be signed by the author. First Aid for Choking Victims is a collection of mostly longer short stories set in rural areas around Western Massachu...
malarkeybooks.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
My book came out a year ago today. I tried as best as I could to create a level of depth in the reader’s access to each character’s interior world. If you like that kind of narrative intimacy, give my book a try!
@malarkeybooks.bsky.social
malarkeybooks.com/store/firstaid
@malarkeybooks.bsky.social
malarkeybooks.com/store/firstaid
Reposted by John Chrostek
QUEER SAINTS features @ericlarocca.bsky.social @haileypiperfights.bsky.social @horrorsong.blog @ericraglin1992.bsky.social @sammytotep.bsky.social @itsviviactually.bsky.social @emnays.bsky.social @xavilawrites.bsky.social and many, many more!
If I can reach 1000 followers by the end of the day, I’ll permanently make all the ebooks on my website free.
The queer horror anthologies THE BOOK OF QUEER SAINTS VOLS I & II, featuring the best horror writers working in the business, and my debut novel I’M SORRY IF I SCARED YOU.
FREE FOREVER!
The queer horror anthologies THE BOOK OF QUEER SAINTS VOLS I & II, featuring the best horror writers working in the business, and my debut novel I’M SORRY IF I SCARED YOU.
FREE FOREVER!
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
QUEER SAINTS features @ericlarocca.bsky.social @haileypiperfights.bsky.social @horrorsong.blog @ericraglin1992.bsky.social @sammytotep.bsky.social @itsviviactually.bsky.social @emnays.bsky.social @xavilawrites.bsky.social and many, many more!
Reposted by John Chrostek
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
This joke I’m running into the ground is my therapy rn
AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
November 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
This joke I’m running into the ground is my therapy rn
Reposted by John Chrostek
Reminder: A lot of great books published this year during absolutely bonkers news & world event times. That squashes people talking about them. Keep buying books please, keep borrowing them from libraries, and for the love of all that's good, talk about them. Post about them. 📚
November 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reminder: A lot of great books published this year during absolutely bonkers news & world event times. That squashes people talking about them. Keep buying books please, keep borrowing them from libraries, and for the love of all that's good, talk about them. Post about them. 📚
Reposted by John Chrostek
Frankenstein is a metaphor for the dangers of reanimating corpses with electricity
November 13, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Frankenstein is a metaphor for the dangers of reanimating corpses with electricity
Reposted by John Chrostek
good
UPDATE — With Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus), there are now at least 12 congressional Democrats, 15 Democratic-aligned organizations, and 8 Democratic candidates calling for Chuck Schumer to resign as leader:
November 13, 2025 at 2:59 AM
good
AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
November 13, 2025 at 12:29 AM
AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
Last night I got a call from Jeff, or as his friends call him, Mr. Bezos. He said that Amazon is HUNGRY for good PR and good stories! His team saw #TheCandler trending and told me that with #AI technology we can make this DREAM A REALITY!!!
COMING SOON: AMAZON'S #THECANDLER!!
Reposted by John Chrostek
it has to be genuinely beyond the pale, whatever the actual thing is, that this stuff is getting put out as the compromise
November 12, 2025 at 8:07 PM
it has to be genuinely beyond the pale, whatever the actual thing is, that this stuff is getting put out as the compromise
We doing first sentences on main?
1. FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN
2. BOXCUTTERS (finding the joy)
1. FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN
2. BOXCUTTERS (finding the joy)
November 12, 2025 at 6:16 PM
We doing first sentences on main?
1. FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN
2. BOXCUTTERS (finding the joy)
1. FEAST OF THE PALE LEVIATHAN
2. BOXCUTTERS (finding the joy)
Reposted by John Chrostek
Saw that writers were sharing their first lines to convince people to buy their novels, and you know what? I just want to share the first line of my last short story simply because I think it rocks
November 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Saw that writers were sharing their first lines to convince people to buy their novels, and you know what? I just want to share the first line of my last short story simply because I think it rocks
Reposted by John Chrostek
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago spent nearly two months in ICE detention—despite having protection under DACA—until a federal judge ruled that the government had no reason to keep her in custody and ordered her release.
DHS is still vowing to "explore every available option to remove" her. My latest:
DHS is still vowing to "explore every available option to remove" her. My latest:
Then they came for the Dreamers
Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.
www.motherjones.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago spent nearly two months in ICE detention—despite having protection under DACA—until a federal judge ruled that the government had no reason to keep her in custody and ordered her release.
DHS is still vowing to "explore every available option to remove" her. My latest:
DHS is still vowing to "explore every available option to remove" her. My latest:
Reposted by John Chrostek
there's a moment in PARADISE LOST where Satan arrives in Eden and realizes Hell isn't a place; it's a thing he carries within him and it'll follow him wherever he goes. and i think about that when i see these awful rich men whose monstrous wealth has enriched them not at all
“whatever club he’s invited to join has been devalued by the invitation”
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
there's a moment in PARADISE LOST where Satan arrives in Eden and realizes Hell isn't a place; it's a thing he carries within him and it'll follow him wherever he goes. and i think about that when i see these awful rich men whose monstrous wealth has enriched them not at all
I’m gonna hole up in a motel, stockpile a quarter mile of cocaine and jam out a filmable draft of #TheCandler by Thanksgiving weekend
November 11, 2025 at 9:37 PM
I’m gonna hole up in a motel, stockpile a quarter mile of cocaine and jam out a filmable draft of #TheCandler by Thanksgiving weekend
Who the fuck cares about cost of living and human rights and bridging the impossible gap between two souls, all that matters is that #TheCandler is gonna let us Bring Bond Home
November 11, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Who the fuck cares about cost of living and human rights and bridging the impossible gap between two souls, all that matters is that #TheCandler is gonna let us Bring Bond Home
Let’s face facts: James Bond is dead. No one will accept him coming back to life unless someone fetches him from hell. It’s time for a new iconic British male film role to define our 21st century: The Candler.
The Candler is the only one who can go to hell, find Bond and bring him home
The Candler is the only one who can go to hell, find Bond and bring him home
November 11, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Let’s face facts: James Bond is dead. No one will accept him coming back to life unless someone fetches him from hell. It’s time for a new iconic British male film role to define our 21st century: The Candler.
The Candler is the only one who can go to hell, find Bond and bring him home
The Candler is the only one who can go to hell, find Bond and bring him home
I know no one will ever laugh at the Candler as much as I have today but that’s okay
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I know no one will ever laugh at the Candler as much as I have today but that’s okay
This is what I’m picturing for the Candler
November 11, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This is what I’m picturing for the Candler
The next James Bond movie should be about some new guy called the Candler dragging Bond out of hell and for some reason there’s an evil spy spirit that steals a really rough CGI Daniel Craig’s face (because he won’t come back) and so Bond becomes canonically a faceless thumb in a suit
November 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
The next James Bond movie should be about some new guy called the Candler dragging Bond out of hell and for some reason there’s an evil spy spirit that steals a really rough CGI Daniel Craig’s face (because he won’t come back) and so Bond becomes canonically a faceless thumb in a suit
Reposted by John Chrostek
i heard you like bombs inside of bombs inside of cars inside of micros
"Xzibit has planted the smallest bomb inside of a bomb which rests under the floating 2001 Toyota Corolla painted candy red..."
the weirdest episode of "Pimp My Ride" you've ever watched, new on hex today from Julián Martinez @martinezfjulian.bsky.social ! 👇
the weirdest episode of "Pimp My Ride" you've ever watched, new on hex today from Julián Martinez @martinezfjulian.bsky.social ! 👇
Pimp My Ride by Julián Martinez
Xzibit has planted the smallest bomb inside of a bomb which rests under the floating 2001 Toyota Corolla painted candy red with pinstripe and flames which hangs on the fuse of an even bigger bomb, the...
hexliterary.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:38 PM
i heard you like bombs inside of bombs inside of cars inside of micros
Happy birthday to the coolest of the cool. Can’t imagine my life without him as a guiding star
November 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Happy birthday to the coolest of the cool. Can’t imagine my life without him as a guiding star
Reposted by John Chrostek
“I had thought that the point of buying a beloved, profitable publication was to make it more profitable… That is not the point of buying a beloved, profitable publication (or any business). The point is to make the private equity firm more profitable.”
What a thrill to be part of @talkingpointsmemo.com's series about the past 25 years of digital media! I wrote about why private equity goons destroyed Deadspin and why it matters.
There Are No Weird Blogs Anymore Cause It’s More Fruitful to Drive Them Out of Business
I learned many surprising lessons from my 20 months as editor-in-chief of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:56 PM
“I had thought that the point of buying a beloved, profitable publication was to make it more profitable… That is not the point of buying a beloved, profitable publication (or any business). The point is to make the private equity firm more profitable.”
Reposted by John Chrostek
I get to hop on the bandwagon this year and do an awards eligibility post! I had two poems and two short stories published this year. If you're nominating for awards, I'd appreciate your consideration. All work is SFF/speculative except for "Greyhound." Links in replies.
November 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I get to hop on the bandwagon this year and do an awards eligibility post! I had two poems and two short stories published this year. If you're nominating for awards, I'd appreciate your consideration. All work is SFF/speculative except for "Greyhound." Links in replies.