R.F. Thackston 🛸 👹 🦸
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thackston.me
R.F. Thackston 🛸 👹 🦸
@thackston.me
270 followers 360 following 230 posts
Author of Little Hero (novella) and Foreign Sky (novel). Crazy Gen-Xer. Software Developer. Entrepreneur. They/them.

If you're wondering why my name recently changed, I decided to drop the pseudonym. This is the real me!
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thackston.me
Thank God for bookstores. A safe haven when traveling.
A picture of the Science Fiction and Fantasy signs on the wall of a Barnes & Noble.
October 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
thackston.me
I received an unsolicited text "survey" on my phone from "Restoration of America" -- a right-wing, Christian advocacy group -- so I decided to have some fun.

It took less than 10 minutes to break their little texting bot. Best part of my day!

10/10 - Highly recommended!
A screenshot of an unsolicited text message from Restoration of America (conservative PAC) with the text "Hello, this is Restoration of America. In a 2028 matchup between JD Vance and AOC, who would you support? A- JD Vance B- AOC C- Not sure D- Neither STOP2END"
October 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM
thackston.me
Sold the first copy of my book Foreign Sky yesterday! Heading for the best sellers list!
A screenshot of the Amazon ranking of the book Foreign Sky by RF Thackston listed as #774,708 in the Kindle Store (down 102,467 since yesterday).
September 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM
thackston.me
Here's the new cover. With my real name!
An image of the cover for the book Little Hero, in the series Boonrise by RF Thackston, depicting a young girl in a skirt striking a pose in front of a full-length mirror. The girl's shadow is that of a full-grown woman in a superhero costume. The entire image is black and white except for the girl's tights and the shadow's cape, which are the same vivid red. The tagline reads “Not your typical origin story.”
September 15, 2025 at 1:34 AM
thackston.me
Not to brag, but I just fucking nailed my own custom gluten-free, non-dairy cinnamon roll recipe. It took a lot of effort, but this evening's batch was fucking delicious!!!!

Now I just need to make them pretty.

#glutenfree #dairyfree #cassava #baking
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls Yield: 6 rolls (muffin pan) Ingredients Dry mix 60 g cassava flour 10 g potato flakes (plain/unsalted instant mashed potato) 10 g cornstarch ½ tsp baking powder (2 g) ¼ tsp fine salt (1.5 g) ¼ tsp xanthan gum (0.7 g) 2 Tbsp sugar (25 g) ½ tsp ground cinnamon Wet mix 100–110 g unsweetened coconut milk (carton, not canned), warm (100–110°F / 38–43°C) 2 tsp instant yeast (6 g) 1 tsp sugar (5 g) — to feed yeast 10 g avocado oil 1 large egg, separated ½ tsp white wine vinegar (2–3 g) ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional, for sweetness) Filling 2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted) 3 Tbsp brown sugar (or coconut sugar) 1½ tsp ground cinnamon Optional glaze ½ cup powdered sugar (60 g) 1–2 Tbsp coconut milk ½ tsp vanilla extract Instructions Activate yeast flavor In a measuring cup, whisk warm coconut milk with 1 tsp sugar and instant yeast. Let sit 10–15 minutes until foamy. Mix dry ingredients In a medium bowl, whisk cassava flour, potato flakes, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, sugar, and cinnamon. Prepare wet base To the foamy yeast mixture, whisk in avocado oil, egg yolk (reserve white), vinegar, and vanilla (if using). Make batter Pour wet into dry and whisk until smooth. Batter should be pourable but not runny. Adjust with a splash of coconut milk if thick. Whip egg white In a clean bowl, whisk egg white to soft peaks. Gently fold into batter until mostly incorporated — do not overmix. Par-bake flatbread Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a quarter-sheet pan or 9×13" pan with parchment or silicone mat. Spread batter evenly into a rectangle, about ⅜" thick. Bake 7 minutes, just until set but still pliable (not browned). Add filling & roll While still warm, brush top with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar + cinnamon. Starting at the short edge, roll gently into a log (use parchment to help if sticky). Don’t worry if small cracks form on tight turns — they’ll fuse during the second bake. Slice & pan Cut log into 6 even spirals. Place each spiral cut-side up in a greased or paper-lined muffin tin. Second bake (set & caramelize) Bake 12–15 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until edges are lightly golden and filling is bubbling. Cool 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a rack. Optional glaze Stir powdered sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla into a pourable glaze. Drizzle over warm rolls before serving.
September 15, 2025 at 1:27 AM
thackston.me
Amusing message thread with my internet provider this weekend.
A screenshot of a conversation with my internet provider. Provider: XYZ Broadband has detected a service impairment in your area that could be affecting your internet services. Technicians have been dispatched. Reply with OUTAGE for current status. Me: OUTAGE Provider: We do not currently detect an outage in your area. To report a possible outage or to receive additional assistance, please reply CHAT Provider: The outage in your area has been resolved! If you're still experiencing service issues please power cycle your modem or contact XYZ Customer Service at 1-855-555-1212.
June 9, 2025 at 2:08 PM
thackston.me
Saw a pretty flower on my walk. Thought I'd share.
A pink flower with five, large rounded petals. The plant itself has long, thin green leaves. Several small pink buds surround the flower.
June 7, 2025 at 12:09 AM
thackston.me
Finally! I can quit my job and become an author full time! 💰

#booksky #author #books
A screenshot of the author's projected royalties on the sale of 3 books: $5.23.
June 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
thackston.me
I am so freaking frustrated and angry right now! 😡

Someone posted a link to their novel on Google Books, so I thought "Oh, I should do that too! More readers."

An hour later I get this email.

WTF is wrong with big companies?

I spent the last 18 months writing this book! IN A GOOGLE DOC!
A screenshot of an email with the text "Hello, We've disapproved the Google Play Books Partner Center account for Francis Rous in accordance with our Public Domain policies. This action will persist until the violation is resolved through this form. Multiple versions of the same book confuse our users and provide little distinguishing value. Due to widespread duplication, books containing public domain material are no longer accepted, except from select partners. As a result, we've disapproved your account and your books won't be available for sale or preview globally. Review the Publisher Content Policies for Google Play Books. This content was elevated for review by internal mechanisms. Disagree with our decision? You can submit an appeal with us here. Sincerely, The Google Play Books Team."
May 28, 2025 at 2:21 PM
thackston.me
My pepper seedlings are almost ready for the outdoors!

I harvested the seeds from a store bought sweet pepper several years ago. The last plant I grew produced for three years! 🤞🏻🌱
May 25, 2025 at 4:59 AM
thackston.me
An excerpt from the book Little Hero by Francis Rous. "They had one of Mama’s special meals—meatloaf that didn’t taste like regular meatloaf, but like kebabs from the restaurant with the blue tablecloths. The mashed potatoes were yellow and smelled like flowers—saffron, Mama said—but Tamina just thought they were magic potatoes. There was salad with tiny green and red things that popped in her mouth when she bit down, and warm, bendy bread that she used to scoop up everything else."
May 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
thackston.me
And now Little Hero is starting to show up on a whole bunch of sites! 👏 🥳 🙌 💥 🎆

books2read.com/u/492Z6p

I remembered to include the cover art this time...

#booksky #secondbook #bookdrop #newbook #fantasybsky #authorsofbluesky #yafiction #superheros #novella #bookseries
An image of the cover for the book Little Hero, in the series Boonrise by Francis Rous, depicting a young girl in a skirt striking a pose in front of a full-length mirror. The girl's shadow is that of a full-grown woman in a superhero costume. The entire image is black and white except for the girl's tights and the shadow's cape, which are the same vivid red. The tagline reads “Not your typical origin story.”
May 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
thackston.me
Forgot to include the cover art!
A book cover depicting a crimson-colored, spherical spaceship in deep space emerging from a demonic portal with a silvery protective circle dissipating.
May 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
thackston.me
Guys? Am I doing this right? I have no clue!
An image of the author's dashboard at Draft2Digital showing their two books in the process of being published to EVERYWHERE!
May 21, 2025 at 10:43 PM
thackston.me
PM me if you'd like an free, advance copy of my new novella, Little Hero. It's around 14,000 words and five chapters. I plan to have seven books total in the series.

Most avid readers could finish it in an afternoon.
An image of a book cover depicting a young girl in a skirt striking a pose in front of a full-length mirror. The girl's shadow is that of a full-grown woman in a superhero costume. The entire image is black and white except for the girl's tights and the shadow's cape, which are the same vivid red.
May 20, 2025 at 1:07 AM
thackston.me
Just finished Little Hero, my first novella (14k words), and tried to publish it with Amazon KDP. Their automated check flagged it for some reason and I had to contact support who is kicking it up to their senior review team.

Here's hoping I get a positive response. 🤞
An image of a book cover depicting a young girl in a skirt striking a pose in front of a full-length mirror. The girl's shadow is that of a full-grown woman in a superhero costume. The entire image is black and white except for the girl's tights and the shadow's cape, which are the same vivid red.
May 19, 2025 at 10:31 PM
thackston.me
March 17, 2025 at 2:26 AM
thackston.me
Oh no. What did I do?
A screenshot of my BlueSky notifications showing 13 new notifications.
February 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
thackston.me
ARC Readers Wanted!

I just finished revising the first draft and I'm interested in feedback before I go the self-publishing route. No obligations other than telling me what you thought!

#booksky #advancedreadercopy #scifantasy #arcreaderswanted
Image with the text: Starlight and Spellcraft: Book 1 - Foreign Sky For Captain Kalea Voss and the crew of the Redemption, deep space is home. They know the dangers of the void, its lawlessness, and its endless opportunities for those bold enough to navigate its less-trodden paths. Aboard their demon-piloted ship, moving across light-years with the ease of magical portals, no destination has ever felt unreachable—until now. When a routine job goes catastrophically wrong, stranding them far beyond known space, survival becomes their only mission. Their search for a way back leads them to a world that defies expectation. Earth. A planet populated by humans identical to their own species—yet utterly unaware of the vast universe beyond their skies. Here, magic exists in unimaginable abundance, yet flickers in strange and unpredictable ways. Technological progress follows an entirely alien path, and the crew’s very presence could be perceived as a global threat. As they work to resupply and chart a course home, they must navigate a world that is both impossibly familiar and deeply foreign. Trust is fragile, and secrecy is paramount—one wrong move could expose them to forces that will see them as a danger, an opportunity, or something far worse. But the longer they remain, the more tangled their fates become. Bonds are forged, relationships deepen, and the question they fear most grows harder to ignore. What if there is no way back? With each passing day, Earth becomes less of a detour and more of a crossroads. If they can’t return to the stars they once called home, they must ask themselves a new question: Is home something you find, or something you build? Book cover for Starlight and Spellcraft: Book 1 - Foreign Sky by Francis Rous depicting a spherical spacecraft adorned with crimson demonic runes and symbols emerging from a portal onto a desolate landscape. Artist's rendering of the spacecraft. Not indicative of the actual plot... of book 1.
February 13, 2025 at 2:13 AM
thackston.me
Just made the best ever gluten-free, dairy-free pizza. Recipe in the replies. 1/?

#pizza #glutenfree #dairyfree #cassavaflour #delicious #whyaminotwriting
Pizza with gluten-free homemade cassava flour crust, non-dairy cheese, yellow peppers, onions, grape tomatoes, bacon bits, and pepperoni.
February 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
thackston.me
Meme image of "I'm in this photo and I don't like it"
February 2, 2025 at 11:48 PM
thackston.me
Here's a screenshot of the recipe for easy printing.
Cassava Flour Pancakes Ingredients: 1 cup cassava flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (optional, for sweetness) 2 large eggs (or flax eggs for vegan) 1 cup almond milk (or any dairy-free milk) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil (plus extra for cooking) Instructions: Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together cassava flour, baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar. Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Combine: Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. The batter should be pourable but not too runny. Adjust with a little more almond milk if needed. Cook Pancakes: Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with coconut oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve: Serve warm with your favorite toppings—fresh fruit, maple syrup, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
February 2, 2025 at 9:43 PM
thackston.me
What I mean when I say "I'm doing shots."

(Just Gen X Things)
January 25, 2025 at 4:34 PM
thackston.me
Snow at night in the southeast U.S.

#photosky #notaphotographer
A picture of snow falling under the light of a street lamp. Snow is just beginning to stick on the ground and roadway. There are vehicles and houses in the distance.
January 22, 2025 at 12:50 AM
thackston.me
Counterpoint: Some of us are writing a book and not telling anyone we know personally. Including our family.
A meme with the words "Privacy is power. What they don't know, they can't ruin."
January 16, 2025 at 4:34 AM