Thank god I was born too late to be an Excellent Woman - the single women who manage everything (unpaid, of course) in Pym’s 1952 novel, from parish jumble sales to soothing the marital troubles of more glamorous neighbours. Brilliant comic writing from Barbara Pym ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So excited for this PAINT JAM with Whitney Freya on June 21. 24 hours, 12 feminine archetypes. I’ll be exploring the CREATRIX with Whitney as we create ❤️ Join us!
www.24hourpaintjam.com/optin-2025

I’m glad these ladies survived! I saw them this week at the Ashmolean Museum along with this gorgeous pomegranate pot found in a house in Jerusalem, possibly abandoned after the Babylonian invasion.

#ancientsky #museumsky #historysky #lilith

These are 2 of hundreds of 8th-7th BC terracotta goddess figures - likely Asherah, once consort of Yahweh - found from Ancient Israel and Judah. She is usually depicted with milk-heavy breasts and was probably kept in a household shrine.

My girl #Lilith on the new fiction table this morning. Thank you for stocking, @waterstones.bsky.social Amersham 🙌
#ancientbluesky #booksky

Celebrating the UK paperback launch with 4000 years of LILITH. Which is your favourite?! 🐍
#booksky #ancientbluesky

Shalmaneser III, by the way, to whom Jehu is bringing tribute, was the father-in-law of Shammuramat, the Assyrian queen and likely inspiration for mythical Semiramis. A reminder of the links and interplay of biblical stories with the myths and histories of neighbouring peoples.

He’s the good guy in the biblical story, believe it or not. But very much a bad guy in mine. Jezebel’s downfall is one of the stories of biblical women told in LILITH, UK paperback out next week! #LILITH #booksky #ancientsky

This guy kneeling in a panel of the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III at the British Museum is Jehu, the 9th c BC king of Israel who murdered Queen Jezebel (and most of her family, including 70 children whose heads he cut off and left by the city gates).

Gob, the world’s first narrator tells the story of the first word. For he was there 35,000 years ago, when man first spoke (the women had been speaking for a while, “mouthing off” their own private ancient sounds the men could never grasp 🤣)

I love boats. No coincidence they feature so prominently in my books… I’m strangely drawn to them. Though I’d rather not sail in them with either Drake or Noah 🫣 #booksky #onwilderseas #lilith

Newman’s homage to 1984 through the eyes of Julia, Winston’s lover, adds so much to the original. We see the extra brutality the women experience: the sexual exploitation of young girls; the extraction of women’s reproductive labour; the way the Inner Party wives all seem to disappear after 30.

I’m with the authors and @societyofauthors.bsky.social protesting today about Meta’s illegal grab of millions of pirated books, including mine, to train AI. I’m asking my MP @sarahgreenld.bsky.social to ask the govt to hold Meta execs to account and enforce copyright law. It’s theft!

This is the full fresco. I love how they are depicted of equal standing. Adam is feeding himself - unlike later Western iconography which usually shows Eve offering him the fruit, laying all blame on her shoulders. Obvs I also love the 🐍

This is my favourite image of Adam & Eve. It’s 1000 years old, from Tebtunis in Egypt and is now at the #Coptic Museum in Cairo which I visited for #Lilith research. I like Eve’s face. No shame - too right! She showed Adam Wisdom - and he refused it!
#booksky #mythsky

Waiting to find out if he has been a good boy this year ❤️

This is the Persian Sibyl, by Domenichino, one of my favourite paintings ❤️ The Sibylline Oracles say the Persian (or Hebrew) Sibyl was a daughter-in-law of Noah called Sambethe. She appears in #LILITH in her pre-prophetic phase, aboard the Ark and in the post-deluge world as the wife of Shem.

Hoorah for @lizfremantle.bsky.social winning the HWA Gold Crown last night for the brilliant DISOBEDIENT 🥳 A joyful night as always with the HWA crew and historical author friends old and new 🤗 PLUS I met this gorgeous dog/bear on the train home so an excellent night all round 🙌
#booksky #dogsky

Introducing my books through the lazy medium of comparing them to great films 😀 HERETIC and LILITH both feature protagonists who preach the One True Religion. But Mr Reed’s, like most religions conceived by men, does NOT end well for women 😳