Nicola Alter
@nicolaalter.bsky.social
Fantasy, sci-fi and romance writer and blogger. Australian expat living in Germany 🇪🇺 Book nerd. Greenie. Hoarder of tea ☕️ I love languages, books, science, train travel and history. Repped by Nicky Lovick at WGM Atlantic.
thoughtsonfantasy.com
thoughtsonfantasy.com
Surely spotting a crooked street lamp is good luck?
November 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Surely spotting a crooked street lamp is good luck?
It might seem strange to go up a tower on a cloudy day when there’s no “view” but I really enjoy the moody winter vibes and being surrounded by a constantly shifting sea of white - and this one was at times almost blindingly bright!
November 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
It might seem strange to go up a tower on a cloudy day when there’s no “view” but I really enjoy the moody winter vibes and being surrounded by a constantly shifting sea of white - and this one was at times almost blindingly bright!
Sleet on the upstairs window making for a moody autumnal backdrop to the afternoon’s writing session ❄️🖋️
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Sleet on the upstairs window making for a moody autumnal backdrop to the afternoon’s writing session ❄️🖋️
My haul from Bristolcon & World Fantasy Con 😀📚 Lots of books I’m looking forward to reading, plus an unseen hoard of good memories: great chats, panels, author meetings and bookstore crawls (I can confirm I’m a sucker for spredges…) plus chances to catch up with old friends and meet new ones ☺️
November 7, 2025 at 4:47 PM
My haul from Bristolcon & World Fantasy Con 😀📚 Lots of books I’m looking forward to reading, plus an unseen hoard of good memories: great chats, panels, author meetings and bookstore crawls (I can confirm I’m a sucker for spredges…) plus chances to catch up with old friends and meet new ones ☺️
Stumbled into a unique exhibit at the Truro Cathedral - a spinning model of Mars created using NASA imagery. Quite moving to marvel at a “heavenly body” in a space designed to magnify that feeling of awe, and of the kind where humans have contemplated things greater than themselves for centuries.
October 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Stumbled into a unique exhibit at the Truro Cathedral - a spinning model of Mars created using NASA imagery. Quite moving to marvel at a “heavenly body” in a space designed to magnify that feeling of awe, and of the kind where humans have contemplated things greater than themselves for centuries.
I thought I had all my priorities for the day in order, but it seems there’s something mind blowing 140 yards ahead that is going to make me reconsider everything…
October 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I thought I had all my priorities for the day in order, but it seems there’s something mind blowing 140 yards ahead that is going to make me reconsider everything…
English seaside racing by ☺️⚓️🚂
October 15, 2025 at 11:38 AM
English seaside racing by ☺️⚓️🚂
To continue the theme of beautiful libraries - a few snaps of the Long Library at Blenheim Palace. Seems the books here are also valuable enough to be caged.
October 13, 2025 at 8:53 PM
To continue the theme of beautiful libraries - a few snaps of the Long Library at Blenheim Palace. Seems the books here are also valuable enough to be caged.
I’m not entirely sure I agree with Churchill on this one - I feel like when you hit a difficult period, it’s more like having someone you feel obliged to spend time with perpetually making you feel guilty and inadequate… 😅 but in a good period, sure!
#blenheimpalace #churchillexhibit #writingquotes
#blenheimpalace #churchillexhibit #writingquotes
October 12, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I’m not entirely sure I agree with Churchill on this one - I feel like when you hit a difficult period, it’s more like having someone you feel obliged to spend time with perpetually making you feel guilty and inadequate… 😅 but in a good period, sure!
#blenheimpalace #churchillexhibit #writingquotes
#blenheimpalace #churchillexhibit #writingquotes
The French countryside zooming by at 300km an hour on the TGV this morning… England, here I come! #tgv #trains #trainlovers #traintravel #france
October 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
The French countryside zooming by at 300km an hour on the TGV this morning… England, here I come! #tgv #trains #trainlovers #traintravel #france
An accidentally existential sign I spotted at a garden show today “this way leads to nowhere”
October 3, 2025 at 2:50 PM
An accidentally existential sign I spotted at a garden show today “this way leads to nowhere”
I looked up an unfamiliar German word today, “verrecken”, and was not only a bit shocked to learn the meaning, but also amused that once again 1 German word = 5 English ones 😂
September 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I looked up an unfamiliar German word today, “verrecken”, and was not only a bit shocked to learn the meaning, but also amused that once again 1 German word = 5 English ones 😂
I came across this on Pinterest and found it amusing. AI tries and fails to solve the corner cupboard dilemma...
September 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I came across this on Pinterest and found it amusing. AI tries and fails to solve the corner cupboard dilemma...
Not the first time I’m seeing something this but it still amuses me that Europe has enough roman ruins to cover a few with car parks 😅
September 20, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Not the first time I’m seeing something this but it still amuses me that Europe has enough roman ruins to cover a few with car parks 😅
A small selection of the way-too-many photos I took at the Abbey Library in St Gallen 🤩📚
It’s one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world and has a large collection of hand-written medieval manuscripts.
#libraries #librarylovers #booksky #stgallen #stiftsbibliothekstgallen #switzerland
It’s one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world and has a large collection of hand-written medieval manuscripts.
#libraries #librarylovers #booksky #stgallen #stiftsbibliothekstgallen #switzerland
September 17, 2025 at 12:14 PM
A small selection of the way-too-many photos I took at the Abbey Library in St Gallen 🤩📚
It’s one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world and has a large collection of hand-written medieval manuscripts.
#libraries #librarylovers #booksky #stgallen #stiftsbibliothekstgallen #switzerland
It’s one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world and has a large collection of hand-written medieval manuscripts.
#libraries #librarylovers #booksky #stgallen #stiftsbibliothekstgallen #switzerland
Sunday’s lunar eclipse ✨ I didn’t manage to get any decent photos myself since I was travelling, but my Dad got these shots through his telescope that I thought were worth sharing!
#astronomy #astrophotography #lunareclipse #bloodmoon #moon
#astronomy #astrophotography #lunareclipse #bloodmoon #moon
September 10, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Sunday’s lunar eclipse ✨ I didn’t manage to get any decent photos myself since I was travelling, but my Dad got these shots through his telescope that I thought were worth sharing!
#astronomy #astrophotography #lunareclipse #bloodmoon #moon
#astronomy #astrophotography #lunareclipse #bloodmoon #moon
Never realised how much smaller modern blimps are compared with the airships of old. This exhibit shows the scale of the Hindenburg zeppelin compared to an Airbus A380… insane!!
#zeppelinmuseum #zeppelinmuseumfriedrichshafen #history #a380 #zeppelin #airships #historylovers #interestingfacts
#zeppelinmuseum #zeppelinmuseumfriedrichshafen #history #a380 #zeppelin #airships #historylovers #interestingfacts
September 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Never realised how much smaller modern blimps are compared with the airships of old. This exhibit shows the scale of the Hindenburg zeppelin compared to an Airbus A380… insane!!
#zeppelinmuseum #zeppelinmuseumfriedrichshafen #history #a380 #zeppelin #airships #historylovers #interestingfacts
#zeppelinmuseum #zeppelinmuseumfriedrichshafen #history #a380 #zeppelin #airships #historylovers #interestingfacts
The sky was doing some pretty nice things yesterday evening with the crescent moon and clouds. I took these two pics with my phone, one with the added benefit of a telescope in front of the lens 🙂🌛
#moon #astronomy #astronomylover #astrophotography #sunset
#moon #astronomy #astronomylover #astrophotography #sunset
July 1, 2025 at 6:03 AM
The sky was doing some pretty nice things yesterday evening with the crescent moon and clouds. I took these two pics with my phone, one with the added benefit of a telescope in front of the lens 🙂🌛
#moon #astronomy #astronomylover #astrophotography #sunset
#moon #astronomy #astronomylover #astrophotography #sunset
I finished the third draft of my latest manuscript last week and sent it off to my agent 🎉🥂 Just in time to celebrate on a long weekend trip to Lake Constance.
I owe a big thank you to my beta readers - the changes took a while, but it’s a much better book because of them!
I owe a big thank you to my beta readers - the changes took a while, but it’s a much better book because of them!
June 23, 2025 at 7:34 AM
I finished the third draft of my latest manuscript last week and sent it off to my agent 🎉🥂 Just in time to celebrate on a long weekend trip to Lake Constance.
I owe a big thank you to my beta readers - the changes took a while, but it’s a much better book because of them!
I owe a big thank you to my beta readers - the changes took a while, but it’s a much better book because of them!
I’ve been getting frustrated with constantly getting my adjective endings wrong in German so I decided to write out some notes to try to remind myself of the rules. Just a nice reminder of how complicated German grammar is 😂😭
#languages #german #languagelearning #germangrammar
#languages #german #languagelearning #germangrammar
May 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
I’ve been getting frustrated with constantly getting my adjective endings wrong in German so I decided to write out some notes to try to remind myself of the rules. Just a nice reminder of how complicated German grammar is 😂😭
#languages #german #languagelearning #germangrammar
#languages #german #languagelearning #germangrammar
Not a bad spot for a bench - decided to park myself on this one for a while to work through some plot points in my notebook
#blackforest #spring #amwri̇ti̇ng #amwritingfantasy
#blackforest #spring #amwri̇ti̇ng #amwritingfantasy
May 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Not a bad spot for a bench - decided to park myself on this one for a while to work through some plot points in my notebook
#blackforest #spring #amwri̇ti̇ng #amwritingfantasy
#blackforest #spring #amwri̇ti̇ng #amwritingfantasy
The nice weather beckoned so I decided to spend the afternoon journaling on a bench in the park - assisted by a cinnamon scroll and a mint tea from the kiosk ☺️
May 10, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The nice weather beckoned so I decided to spend the afternoon journaling on a bench in the park - assisted by a cinnamon scroll and a mint tea from the kiosk ☺️
March 1, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Icicles everywhere! ❄️ (On a weekend hike along the ‘Dahner Felsenpfad’ trail in the Rhineland Palatinate, Germany)
#icicles #winter #winterhiking #hiking #hikingtrails #dahn #dahnerfelsenland #dahnerfelsenpfad #pfalz #rheinlandpfalz #placestovisit #beautifulplaces
#icicles #winter #winterhiking #hiking #hikingtrails #dahn #dahnerfelsenland #dahnerfelsenpfad #pfalz #rheinlandpfalz #placestovisit #beautifulplaces
February 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Icicles everywhere! ❄️ (On a weekend hike along the ‘Dahner Felsenpfad’ trail in the Rhineland Palatinate, Germany)
#icicles #winter #winterhiking #hiking #hikingtrails #dahn #dahnerfelsenland #dahnerfelsenpfad #pfalz #rheinlandpfalz #placestovisit #beautifulplaces
#icicles #winter #winterhiking #hiking #hikingtrails #dahn #dahnerfelsenland #dahnerfelsenpfad #pfalz #rheinlandpfalz #placestovisit #beautifulplaces