Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
@lizmonster.bsky.social
Some SF hack. Not your NPC. Trans rights are human rights, now and always.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
I'm a programmer and an author. They are both arts I practice, learn by doing and know that what I make is my work and comes from my mind in ways that I hope will be interesting and useful to other people.
Why would I wish to stop doing what makes my mind spark and create?
Why would I wish to stop doing what makes my mind spark and create?
November 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I'm a programmer and an author. They are both arts I practice, learn by doing and know that what I make is my work and comes from my mind in ways that I hope will be interesting and useful to other people.
Why would I wish to stop doing what makes my mind spark and create?
Why would I wish to stop doing what makes my mind spark and create?
All this discussion of how authors get paid is making me recognize that my contract - which I thought, at the time, was quite good - was actually pretty terrible. And yes, it was negotiated by an agent.
November 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
All this discussion of how authors get paid is making me recognize that my contract - which I thought, at the time, was quite good - was actually pretty terrible. And yes, it was negotiated by an agent.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Yes, and also recognize that with creative fields, survivorship bias is real: You hear about full-time creatives with envious career arcs precisely because they've survived in the field where others (for whatever reason and independent of quality of work) have not. This is an important fact.
Would-be/struggling writers can feel like losers or wannabes when they read about other writers writing "full time" or promo'ing their book in various exotic cities. And it's good to recognize that, yeah, sometimes there's another income (or a spouse is helping to pay the bills).
November 26, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Yes, and also recognize that with creative fields, survivorship bias is real: You hear about full-time creatives with envious career arcs precisely because they've survived in the field where others (for whatever reason and independent of quality of work) have not. This is an important fact.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
2. It's rare for any creative, including writers, to be able to live solely off their creative income. Moreover, there is no correlation between the creative value of art and the income status of its creator. It's okay to have another gig to eat and pay bills and survive our capitalist hellscape.
November 26, 2025 at 12:35 AM
2. It's rare for any creative, including writers, to be able to live solely off their creative income. Moreover, there is no correlation between the creative value of art and the income status of its creator. It's okay to have another gig to eat and pay bills and survive our capitalist hellscape.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
You pull yourself up by your boostraps. Me? I DESERVE free money from the government, and so do my rich friends bsky.app/profile/cwar...
November 25, 2025 at 4:21 PM
You pull yourself up by your boostraps. Me? I DESERVE free money from the government, and so do my rich friends bsky.app/profile/cwar...
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Thank you! If they're published by Tor (US or UK) or from @subpress.bsky.social, they should be DRM-free anywhere you buy them, and if they are not, I will not complain if you take measures to make them so. If you actually purchase my books, it's my opinion that you own them, period, full stop.
I love that your ebooks are DRM-free on @bookshop.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Thank you! If they're published by Tor (US or UK) or from @subpress.bsky.social, they should be DRM-free anywhere you buy them, and if they are not, I will not complain if you take measures to make them so. If you actually purchase my books, it's my opinion that you own them, period, full stop.
Couple years back, tried a DCMA takedown on a pirate site.
The site owner pointed at the web host. The web host pointed at the site owner. Domain registration threw up their hands.
I gave up.
The site owner pointed at the web host. The web host pointed at the site owner. Domain registration threw up their hands.
I gave up.
November 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Couple years back, tried a DCMA takedown on a pirate site.
The site owner pointed at the web host. The web host pointed at the site owner. Domain registration threw up their hands.
I gave up.
The site owner pointed at the web host. The web host pointed at the site owner. Domain registration threw up their hands.
I gave up.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Amazon's current search function insists on autocorrecting my name and substituting different searches for other authors.
I can no longer search for my own books.
I can no longer search for my own books.
November 23, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Amazon's current search function insists on autocorrecting my name and substituting different searches for other authors.
I can no longer search for my own books.
I can no longer search for my own books.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
DOGE did not fail in any way to accomplish its goals.
Its goals were never efficiency or saving money.
Its goals were to destroy as much of government as possible forever, and to steal data for the Space Nazi.
DOGE is fading away like bank robbery gangs fade away after the robberies are done.
Its goals were never efficiency or saving money.
Its goals were to destroy as much of government as possible forever, and to steal data for the Space Nazi.
DOGE is fading away like bank robbery gangs fade away after the robberies are done.
Exclusive: DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter reut.rs/4abeTdx
Exclusive: DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter
The Department of Government Efficiency claimed to have slashed tens of billions of dollars in expenditures, but it was impossible for outside financial experts to verify that because the unit did not provide detailed public accounting of its work.
reut.rs
November 23, 2025 at 12:26 PM
DOGE did not fail in any way to accomplish its goals.
Its goals were never efficiency or saving money.
Its goals were to destroy as much of government as possible forever, and to steal data for the Space Nazi.
DOGE is fading away like bank robbery gangs fade away after the robberies are done.
Its goals were never efficiency or saving money.
Its goals were to destroy as much of government as possible forever, and to steal data for the Space Nazi.
DOGE is fading away like bank robbery gangs fade away after the robberies are done.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Bitter Literary Pigeon does NOT want your pity
November 22, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Bitter Literary Pigeon does NOT want your pity
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
And wrote about it brilliantly. ❤️
I flew to Canada this week to go to a Paul McCartney concert and I wrote about it here:
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
going through hell, keeping going
on art, grief, and the emotional heroism of just bloody keeping on making your work
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:53 AM
And wrote about it brilliantly. ❤️
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
I've grown more conservative as I've grown older but the things I want to conserve are democracy and decency
November 23, 2025 at 11:14 AM
I've grown more conservative as I've grown older but the things I want to conserve are democracy and decency
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Science fiction now is a far smaller part of the industry, and if it wants to regain its prominence and remain relevant, publishers and readers are going to have to find new approaches and stories.
I jotted down some thoughts: transfer-orbit.ghost.io/romantasy-sc...
I jotted down some thoughts: transfer-orbit.ghost.io/romantasy-sc...
Cross-genre takeover
A new report points to 2025 being the biggest year for speculative fiction ever, thanks to the ongoing boom in romantasy fiction
transfer-orbit.ghost.io
November 22, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Science fiction now is a far smaller part of the industry, and if it wants to regain its prominence and remain relevant, publishers and readers are going to have to find new approaches and stories.
I jotted down some thoughts: transfer-orbit.ghost.io/romantasy-sc...
I jotted down some thoughts: transfer-orbit.ghost.io/romantasy-sc...
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Dear Praxis and C&A,
Just a reminder that you're Dutch. Not American.
Stop with the stupid emails. Or, at the very least, call it Zwarte Vrijdag.
Kind regards,
Mevrouw Bee
xx
Just a reminder that you're Dutch. Not American.
Stop with the stupid emails. Or, at the very least, call it Zwarte Vrijdag.
Kind regards,
Mevrouw Bee
xx
November 21, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Dear Praxis and C&A,
Just a reminder that you're Dutch. Not American.
Stop with the stupid emails. Or, at the very least, call it Zwarte Vrijdag.
Kind regards,
Mevrouw Bee
xx
Just a reminder that you're Dutch. Not American.
Stop with the stupid emails. Or, at the very least, call it Zwarte Vrijdag.
Kind regards,
Mevrouw Bee
xx
All of Jackie's books are lovely, uplifting, and beautifully done.
This makes me sad, so here are 10 US Kindle copies of @jackielaubooks.bsky.social's A Match Made for Thanksgiving (Holidays with the Wongs Book 1), just to try to help the author's mood. I hope it helps her day.
#KindleBookGiveaway
#KindleBookGiveaway
I do mention my own books, but I don't talk about publishing much on social media anymore because it just feels too depressing, I guess?
November 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
All of Jackie's books are lovely, uplifting, and beautifully done.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
This makes me sad, so here are 10 US Kindle copies of @jackielaubooks.bsky.social's A Match Made for Thanksgiving (Holidays with the Wongs Book 1), just to try to help the author's mood. I hope it helps her day.
#KindleBookGiveaway
#KindleBookGiveaway
I do mention my own books, but I don't talk about publishing much on social media anymore because it just feels too depressing, I guess?
November 20, 2025 at 11:54 PM
This makes me sad, so here are 10 US Kindle copies of @jackielaubooks.bsky.social's A Match Made for Thanksgiving (Holidays with the Wongs Book 1), just to try to help the author's mood. I hope it helps her day.
#KindleBookGiveaway
#KindleBookGiveaway
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
okay, seeing the headlines pop up in news feeds, apparently it's time for various companies to insist we believe there is an AI actress named "Tilly Norwood"
there is no AI actress, there is a computer graphics program that makes an animated character
Scooby-Doo was not an actor, either
there is no AI actress, there is a computer graphics program that makes an animated character
Scooby-Doo was not an actor, either
November 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM
okay, seeing the headlines pop up in news feeds, apparently it's time for various companies to insist we believe there is an AI actress named "Tilly Norwood"
there is no AI actress, there is a computer graphics program that makes an animated character
Scooby-Doo was not an actor, either
there is no AI actress, there is a computer graphics program that makes an animated character
Scooby-Doo was not an actor, either
Just unsubscribed from a Substack I 100% never subscribed to.
Be careful out there.
Be careful out there.
November 20, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Just unsubscribed from a Substack I 100% never subscribed to.
Be careful out there.
Be careful out there.
One of the many things I adore about gamers is I can be having a Fucking Day, but there will always be someone around to post a glamour shot of an Oh Deer Diner thermos from my favorite game. ❤️
November 20, 2025 at 3:47 PM
One of the many things I adore about gamers is I can be having a Fucking Day, but there will always be someone around to post a glamour shot of an Oh Deer Diner thermos from my favorite game. ❤️
First thing I do every time my Mac updates is make sure Apple “Intelligence” is still shut off.
At some point, of course, it won’t be an option. But for now? Crush that noise.
At some point, of course, it won’t be an option. But for now? Crush that noise.
Unlike most apps these days, Scrivener does not use AI in any way. However, if you’re on a Mac, you may see an AI prompt.
.
Here’s why, and what you can do if you want to remove this: buff.ly/MlAq0rL
.
Here’s why, and what you can do if you want to remove this: buff.ly/MlAq0rL
November 20, 2025 at 3:37 PM
First thing I do every time my Mac updates is make sure Apple “Intelligence” is still shut off.
At some point, of course, it won’t be an option. But for now? Crush that noise.
At some point, of course, it won’t be an option. But for now? Crush that noise.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Actually the question that occurs to me is "will you nominate him anyway even after years of people telling you they won't vote for him if you do, and then when you lose as you were warned you would, will you blame not yourselves but the people who warned you."
If he ends up being the Democrat on the presidential ticket in 2028, you would rather vote republican or not vote at all because of this issue?? That’s the million dollar question. Not the hill I would die on and def not worth losing an election over!
November 20, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Actually the question that occurs to me is "will you nominate him anyway even after years of people telling you they won't vote for him if you do, and then when you lose as you were warned you would, will you blame not yourselves but the people who warned you."
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
No lawmaker in Congress should be able to buy, own, and sell individual stocks. Period. Let's make Congressional stock trading illegal.
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
No lawmaker in Congress should be able to buy, own, and sell individual stocks. Period. Let's make Congressional stock trading illegal.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
Higher taxes to build schools, roads, feed kids and the elderly, and have universal Healthcare would be something I'd gladly do in general, but also, it'd be a lot easier to swallow if we stopped capitalist shitheads from charging you prices so they reap 6000% profit.
November 19, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Higher taxes to build schools, roads, feed kids and the elderly, and have universal Healthcare would be something I'd gladly do in general, but also, it'd be a lot easier to swallow if we stopped capitalist shitheads from charging you prices so they reap 6000% profit.
Reposted by Elizabeth (H.) Bonesteel (she/her)
I think it's amazing that we didn't manage to work out how to make sure everyone has a warm home in winter before we decided to use unlimited energy for server farms.
Or enough food to eat, say, when there's apparently endless money.
Or enough food to eat, say, when there's apparently endless money.
November 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I think it's amazing that we didn't manage to work out how to make sure everyone has a warm home in winter before we decided to use unlimited energy for server farms.
Or enough food to eat, say, when there's apparently endless money.
Or enough food to eat, say, when there's apparently endless money.