Mixed Metaphors
@mixedmetaphors.bsky.social
reader, writer, vegan, techie, shiba inu, mixer of metaphors. He/him.
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Good morning, here’s a story by @mixedmetaphors.bsky.social to go with your coffee!
malarkeybooks.com/fiction/bean...
malarkeybooks.com/fiction/bean...
The Bean Vault—Jeff Goldberg — Malarkey
You might think me a snob, based on my profession and my attitude. And you would be, in many ways, correct. But, also, to be a snob and a connoisseur means more than a discerning palate, at least for ...
malarkeybooks.com
I'm so so so excited to have a story in Malarkey. They are a wonderful press and I've read and loved so many of their short fiction collections. (Subscribe to their book club!!!)
Please read and share my story if you are so inclined and please forgive my use of too many exclamation marks!!!
Please read and share my story if you are so inclined and please forgive my use of too many exclamation marks!!!
Apparently all this time I've been watching James Bond wrong.
James Bond’s death in No Time to Die is causing a nightmare for the next film. Writers are stuck because Bond “was blown to pieces.”
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
November 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Apparently all this time I've been watching James Bond wrong.
A non-religious photo you think of as holy.
Lots of musicians and movie stills with this prompt. But I've always thought of Falling Water as a holy site. Even a photograph takes my breath away.
Lots of musicians and movie stills with this prompt. But I've always thought of Falling Water as a holy site. Even a photograph takes my breath away.
November 11, 2025 at 1:31 AM
A non-religious photo you think of as holy.
Lots of musicians and movie stills with this prompt. But I've always thought of Falling Water as a holy site. Even a photograph takes my breath away.
Lots of musicians and movie stills with this prompt. But I've always thought of Falling Water as a holy site. Even a photograph takes my breath away.
Gotta be honest, I'm not going to watch an hour and a half YouTube video on a topic I'm mildly interested in even if you tell me it's really good.
November 9, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Gotta be honest, I'm not going to watch an hour and a half YouTube video on a topic I'm mildly interested in even if you tell me it's really good.
The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife is on sale. It's a poetry collection that should be on your shelves. Plus, it's a great opportunity to splurge for the hardback, which is gorgeous and has a comforting weight.
well, well, well... what have we here?
40% OFF ALL BOOKS (hard or soft cover!) AT UPK WHEN USING FROSTY25 AT CHECKOUT?
👁👁
hey... that includes my book!!
👁👁
& GOOD UNTIL JANUARY THE WHAT?!?!? 👀👀
www.kentuckypress.com
40% OFF ALL BOOKS (hard or soft cover!) AT UPK WHEN USING FROSTY25 AT CHECKOUT?
👁👁
hey... that includes my book!!
👁👁
& GOOD UNTIL JANUARY THE WHAT?!?!? 👀👀
www.kentuckypress.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:40 AM
The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife is on sale. It's a poetry collection that should be on your shelves. Plus, it's a great opportunity to splurge for the hardback, which is gorgeous and has a comforting weight.
The translation of my book "Puns and Idioms" is not going well.
Amazon has launched a new AI-driven translation service, Kindle Translate, for Kindle Direct Publishing authors 👇 #BookSky
Amazon launches AI translation service for indie authors
ebx.sh
November 7, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The translation of my book "Puns and Idioms" is not going well.
Reposted by Mixed Metaphors
Check it out! My poem "This Is Where We Split" was nominated for the 2026 Pushcart Prize by the wonderful people at January House Lit!!!
2026 Pushcart Prize Nominees
January House Literary Journal is thrilled to announce our nominations for the 2026 Pushcart Prize. The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, published since 1976, has become "the most honored literary project in America". Winners are expected to be announced…
January House Literary Journal is thrilled to announce our nominations for the 2026 Pushcart Prize. The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, published since 1976, has become "the most honored literary project in America". Winners are expected to be announced…
2026 Pushcart Prize Nominees
January House Literary Journal is thrilled to announce our nominations for the 2026 Pushcart Prize. The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, published since 1976, has become "the most honored literary project in America". Winners are expected to be announced around April of 2026. Congratulations and good luck to our nominees! Bindweed by M F Drummy City Specters…
januaryhouselit.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Check it out! My poem "This Is Where We Split" was nominated for the 2026 Pushcart Prize by the wonderful people at January House Lit!!!
I'm just a few pages into the new Helen DeWitt and it does NOT disappoint.
November 6, 2025 at 11:49 AM
I'm just a few pages into the new Helen DeWitt and it does NOT disappoint.
I've got a flash fiction coming out in @foofarawpress.bsky.social in January! I'm very excited! I think @foofarawpress.bsky.social is publishing some fabulous, impressive stuff and I'm proud that my possibly-humorous meditation on life/accidentally shoving old women to the ground will be part of it.
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
I've got a flash fiction coming out in @foofarawpress.bsky.social in January! I'm very excited! I think @foofarawpress.bsky.social is publishing some fabulous, impressive stuff and I'm proud that my possibly-humorous meditation on life/accidentally shoving old women to the ground will be part of it.
Reposted by Mixed Metaphors
My top books of 1859:
I'm declaring a tie between:
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/september-bo...
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
and
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, by Edward Fitzgerald
and
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/january-book...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
I'm declaring a tie between:
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/september-bo...
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
and
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, by Edward Fitzgerald
and
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/january-book...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 AM
My top books of 1859:
I'm declaring a tie between:
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/september-bo...
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
and
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, by Edward Fitzgerald
and
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/january-book...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
I'm declaring a tie between:
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/september-bo...
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
and
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, by Edward Fitzgerald
and
fromtheheartofeurope.eu/january-book...
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
Reposted by Mixed Metaphors
I've been reading some books with meta-books inside of them lately: Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot and Jason Mott's Hell of a Book. Also Percival Everett's Erasure. Plus I'm always thinking about Nabokov's Pale Fire.
I love a good book-in-a-book meta-narrative, though it's always risky.
#booksky
I love a good book-in-a-book meta-narrative, though it's always risky.
#booksky
November 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I've been reading some books with meta-books inside of them lately: Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot and Jason Mott's Hell of a Book. Also Percival Everett's Erasure. Plus I'm always thinking about Nabokov's Pale Fire.
I love a good book-in-a-book meta-narrative, though it's always risky.
#booksky
I love a good book-in-a-book meta-narrative, though it's always risky.
#booksky
One more thing about this review. My issue with saying "its aesthetic decisions seem designed to stimulate seminars rather than enjoyment" is how it takes for granted that no one, including the writer, might enjoy the kind of aesthetic decisions that stimulate seminars. Have they read any MZD book?
It sounds intriguing! I'll try it. It might not be for everyone, but that's ok. Most books aren't. Critics never complain about romance or SFF books by saying "this book is trying to appeal to fans of romance/SFF" but for some reason that's a scathing insult to academic leaning literature.
November 5, 2025 at 1:49 PM
One more thing about this review. My issue with saying "its aesthetic decisions seem designed to stimulate seminars rather than enjoyment" is how it takes for granted that no one, including the writer, might enjoy the kind of aesthetic decisions that stimulate seminars. Have they read any MZD book?
Lake of Urine was one of the most important (and funniest) (and most important) (and funniest) books of the last decade. I am very excited for The Coast of Everything.
#booksky
#booksky
The long-awaited second novel by Guillermo Stitch, coming this Bloomsday. Available now for preorder at https://thecoastofeverything.com and https://saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/the_coast_of_everything. "A timeless, extraordinary work.”—Nuala O’Connor
November 5, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Lake of Urine was one of the most important (and funniest) (and most important) (and funniest) books of the last decade. I am very excited for The Coast of Everything.
#booksky
#booksky
"In the end, Tom’s Crossing feels as though it’s been written with at least one eye on the literary immortality bestowed by academic study."
Okay? Good. That's good. We have lots of fun books. I want more like this. It's okay if occasionally a writer wants to do it the hard way.
Okay? Good. That's good. We have lots of fun books. I want more like this. It's okay if occasionally a writer wants to do it the hard way.
Marcel Theroux is annoyed by Mark Danielewski: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
"This passage is one of the shorter and less challenging sections of the novel, but there’s still something characteristically inconsiderate about the way it’s constructed."
"This passage is one of the shorter and less challenging sections of the novel, but there’s still something characteristically inconsiderate about the way it’s constructed."
Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z Danielewski – House of Leaves author returns with a 1200-page western
A quarter century after that landmark cult novel, this new epic has aspects of brilliance but seems designed for academic study rather than readerly enjoyment
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:47 PM
"In the end, Tom’s Crossing feels as though it’s been written with at least one eye on the literary immortality bestowed by academic study."
Okay? Good. That's good. We have lots of fun books. I want more like this. It's okay if occasionally a writer wants to do it the hard way.
Okay? Good. That's good. We have lots of fun books. I want more like this. It's okay if occasionally a writer wants to do it the hard way.
I'm roasting two different types of squash.
November 4, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I'm roasting two different types of squash.
There are not so many places willing to consider work in these in-between spaces, so it's always reassuring when there's a call for the oxymoronic category of long short fiction.
Our Afternoon Shorts series is returning with revamped word counts (10k-25k). ebook & print publication. Varying response time up to 60 days. #submit today. eljpublications.submittable.com/submit/27708...
ELJ Editions - Afternoon Shorts: A Long Story Short Series
"A story is a complete dramatic action..." ~ Flannery O'Connor
ELJ Editions appreciates the difficult writers have in placing longer stories. We want quality fiction that grabs us and doesn't let g...
eljpublications.submittable.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
There are not so many places willing to consider work in these in-between spaces, so it's always reassuring when there's a call for the oxymoronic category of long short fiction.
Reposted by Mixed Metaphors
I'm a little insulted that I haven't gotten any of these scam publishing emails everyone is talking about. It's like I'm not even a successful enough writer to be worth scamming 😭🥺😂
November 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM
I'm a little insulted that I haven't gotten any of these scam publishing emails everyone is talking about. It's like I'm not even a successful enough writer to be worth scamming 😭🥺😂
Reading Allison Whittenberg's "Depths" at @foofarawpress.bsky.social and it's strange and unsettling and it doesn't seem like I'm supposed to feel good after reading it yet these days there's a kind of hope in the idea of awe-inspiring terror winning out over wealth.
foofaraw.press/depths/
foofaraw.press/depths/
🌊 Depths
by Allison Whittenberg
foofaraw.press
November 4, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reading Allison Whittenberg's "Depths" at @foofarawpress.bsky.social and it's strange and unsettling and it doesn't seem like I'm supposed to feel good after reading it yet these days there's a kind of hope in the idea of awe-inspiring terror winning out over wealth.
foofaraw.press/depths/
foofaraw.press/depths/
OH NO I submitted a story to a prestigious lit journal and the story itself is a pristine work of art but I put "it's" instead of "its" in the cover letter due to an ill-advised last moment edit done directly in the online form.
I am now going to crawl in a hole forever.
#amwriting #amcrying
I am now going to crawl in a hole forever.
#amwriting #amcrying
November 3, 2025 at 3:19 PM
OH NO I submitted a story to a prestigious lit journal and the story itself is a pristine work of art but I put "it's" instead of "its" in the cover letter due to an ill-advised last moment edit done directly in the online form.
I am now going to crawl in a hole forever.
#amwriting #amcrying
I am now going to crawl in a hole forever.
#amwriting #amcrying
Every year when I'm watching news about the NYC marathon, somewhere in the coverage there's a 1-second clip of a guy juggling his way through the race and I get to say "I once attended a dinner party with that guy."
Note: he calls it "joggling."
Note: he calls it "joggling."
November 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Every year when I'm watching news about the NYC marathon, somewhere in the coverage there's a 1-second clip of a guy juggling his way through the race and I get to say "I once attended a dinner party with that guy."
Note: he calls it "joggling."
Note: he calls it "joggling."
This morning I'm drinking my coffee and reading @upfromsumdirt.bsky.social's poetry collection The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife and it is really incredible.
It is so good. Every word intertwines with every other word. It swoops effortlessly from lyrical flow to staccato spondee. To molossus even.
It is so good. Every word intertwines with every other word. It swoops effortlessly from lyrical flow to staccato spondee. To molossus even.
November 3, 2025 at 1:19 PM
This morning I'm drinking my coffee and reading @upfromsumdirt.bsky.social's poetry collection The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife and it is really incredible.
It is so good. Every word intertwines with every other word. It swoops effortlessly from lyrical flow to staccato spondee. To molossus even.
It is so good. Every word intertwines with every other word. It swoops effortlessly from lyrical flow to staccato spondee. To molossus even.
I can't believe how early it is still. Clocks are not something humans should have this much power over.
November 3, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I can't believe how early it is still. Clocks are not something humans should have this much power over.
I cut a story down from 6000 to 4000 words, then I cut it to 2900 words, and finally to 2500 words in order to fit a particular journal's limit, and what makes me mad is how each shorter iteration was clearly an improvement.
#amwriting #writingcommunity
#amwriting #writingcommunity
November 2, 2025 at 3:52 PM
I cut a story down from 6000 to 4000 words, then I cut it to 2900 words, and finally to 2500 words in order to fit a particular journal's limit, and what makes me mad is how each shorter iteration was clearly an improvement.
#amwriting #writingcommunity
#amwriting #writingcommunity
This is a gorgeous story! Gripping all the way through. You feel like it's being told directly to you: the squabbles of men, the impossibility of living in the world with others, the familiarity of a village.
(TW: harm to animals. But thematically earned, not for shock value or humor.)
(TW: harm to animals. But thematically earned, not for shock value or humor.)
"The braying seemed to be in their very bedrooms, if not inside their minds…" A Donkey’s Tale (or How the Two Renés Quarrelled) by Jude Cook @judecook.bsky.social #shortstory #fiction. Please click on the link and enjoy fictivedream.com/2025/11/02/a...
November 2, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This is a gorgeous story! Gripping all the way through. You feel like it's being told directly to you: the squabbles of men, the impossibility of living in the world with others, the familiarity of a village.
(TW: harm to animals. But thematically earned, not for shock value or humor.)
(TW: harm to animals. But thematically earned, not for shock value or humor.)