Thomas Howard Riley
@thomashowardriley.bsky.social
author of rated-R fantasy sagas | cat whisperer | father of 2 tiny superheroes | history nerd | guitarist | swordfighter | evil wizard | lover of chonky books | notorious car radio singalong extraordinaire
thomashowardriley.com
thomashowardriley.com
What inspired me to choose a brutal desert as the setting for The Light Of Kasaban you ask?
Because I live in a desert & it’s fucking hot as hell & I decided you all needed to hear about it😂
But also because it perfectly mirrors the oppressive vibe of the characters’ situation
Because I live in a desert & it’s fucking hot as hell & I decided you all needed to hear about it😂
But also because it perfectly mirrors the oppressive vibe of the characters’ situation
November 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
What inspired me to choose a brutal desert as the setting for The Light Of Kasaban you ask?
Because I live in a desert & it’s fucking hot as hell & I decided you all needed to hear about it😂
But also because it perfectly mirrors the oppressive vibe of the characters’ situation
Because I live in a desert & it’s fucking hot as hell & I decided you all needed to hear about it😂
But also because it perfectly mirrors the oppressive vibe of the characters’ situation
I have ADHD and my social media profile pics needing to be updated to all match each other is one of my doom piles
November 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I have ADHD and my social media profile pics needing to be updated to all match each other is one of my doom piles
Editing fun:
“She held on to those precious mamories as hard as she could, but the more she sought to retain them the harder the creature fought to take them.”
Oh…ohhhhh dear.
“She held on to those precious mamories as hard as she could, but the more she sought to retain them the harder the creature fought to take them.”
Oh…ohhhhh dear.
November 12, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Editing fun:
“She held on to those precious mamories as hard as she could, but the more she sought to retain them the harder the creature fought to take them.”
Oh…ohhhhh dear.
“She held on to those precious mamories as hard as she could, but the more she sought to retain them the harder the creature fought to take them.”
Oh…ohhhhh dear.
I wish we could write books made up of all the cool lines we swore we wouldn’t need to write down because we’d never forget them and then promptly forgot them
November 12, 2025 at 3:56 PM
I wish we could write books made up of all the cool lines we swore we wouldn’t need to write down because we’d never forget them and then promptly forgot them
tbh if my readers are swearing their heads off at me by the end of one of my books I will consider it a great success
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
tbh if my readers are swearing their heads off at me by the end of one of my books I will consider it a great success
Being able to thrill readers with what you create is just top tier awesome
November 10, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Being able to thrill readers with what you create is just top tier awesome
I don’t know what kind of cyberpunk wifi-delivered drugs they’re lacing this Kpop Demonhunters movie with but my kids never sat through a full animated movie in their lives without getting bored & wandering off, yet are obsessed with this
They call it CakePop Demonhunters though
They call it CakePop Demonhunters though
November 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I don’t know what kind of cyberpunk wifi-delivered drugs they’re lacing this Kpop Demonhunters movie with but my kids never sat through a full animated movie in their lives without getting bored & wandering off, yet are obsessed with this
They call it CakePop Demonhunters though
They call it CakePop Demonhunters though
I stumble across all manner of delightful things while researching horrific stuff for my books
Today I leaned about “the Swedish Drink”
Fucking diabolical
I mean, it’s definitely going in one of my books…..but diabolical
Today I leaned about “the Swedish Drink”
Fucking diabolical
I mean, it’s definitely going in one of my books…..but diabolical
November 7, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I stumble across all manner of delightful things while researching horrific stuff for my books
Today I leaned about “the Swedish Drink”
Fucking diabolical
I mean, it’s definitely going in one of my books…..but diabolical
Today I leaned about “the Swedish Drink”
Fucking diabolical
I mean, it’s definitely going in one of my books…..but diabolical
Penelope is supposed to be writing my next book and acting as my publicist but instead she is sleeping the day away at the spa.
November 6, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Penelope is supposed to be writing my next book and acting as my publicist but instead she is sleeping the day away at the spa.
destroying the one ring ⚖️ trying to get my children to put their fucking shoes on in the morning
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
destroying the one ring ⚖️ trying to get my children to put their fucking shoes on in the morning
How do you know you’re an author?
When you think of a great quote that is definitely going to go in the book you’re writing after the book that is after the book that is after the book that you’re writing now.
When you think of a great quote that is definitely going to go in the book you’re writing after the book that is after the book that is after the book that you’re writing now.
November 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
How do you know you’re an author?
When you think of a great quote that is definitely going to go in the book you’re writing after the book that is after the book that is after the book that you’re writing now.
When you think of a great quote that is definitely going to go in the book you’re writing after the book that is after the book that is after the book that you’re writing now.
When you’re trying to write a book but you get sidetracked wondering why H isn’t pronounced ‘hay’, and W isn’t pronounced ‘wee’, or at the very least ‘wubbleyew’
November 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
When you’re trying to write a book but you get sidetracked wondering why H isn’t pronounced ‘hay’, and W isn’t pronounced ‘wee’, or at the very least ‘wubbleyew’
I introduced my children to fried bologna sandwiches for the first time and my son immediately asked me to put peanut butter on it and now I don’t know what to think
November 2, 2025 at 1:42 AM
I introduced my children to fried bologna sandwiches for the first time and my son immediately asked me to put peanut butter on it and now I don’t know what to think
Whenever you are thinking about giving up just remember that some random famous person once considered giving up but then didn’t and it all worked out great for them.
October 31, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Whenever you are thinking about giving up just remember that some random famous person once considered giving up but then didn’t and it all worked out great for them.
Urge to start new book ⚖️ Urge to tinker with previous book
fuuuuuuuuck
fuuuuuuuuck
October 31, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Urge to start new book ⚖️ Urge to tinker with previous book
fuuuuuuuuck
fuuuuuuuuck
souvenir,
definition: belonging to a category of words that I must look up the spelling for every single time because my brain only wants to spell it the wrong way
definition: belonging to a category of words that I must look up the spelling for every single time because my brain only wants to spell it the wrong way
October 31, 2025 at 12:19 AM
souvenir,
definition: belonging to a category of words that I must look up the spelling for every single time because my brain only wants to spell it the wrong way
definition: belonging to a category of words that I must look up the spelling for every single time because my brain only wants to spell it the wrong way
Doing the thing you love; perfection
Doing the thing you love while saying fuck you to your naysayers; an even more perfecter perfection
Doing the thing you love while saying fuck you to your naysayers; an even more perfecter perfection
October 30, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Doing the thing you love; perfection
Doing the thing you love while saying fuck you to your naysayers; an even more perfecter perfection
Doing the thing you love while saying fuck you to your naysayers; an even more perfecter perfection
me as an author: at some point you have to decide you’ve done enough revising & declare your book is finished & accept it the way it is because you have to move on to the next project
also me: damn it I forgot to mention what color that guy’s shirt was in Ch 12 i have to go back
also me: damn it I forgot to mention what color that guy’s shirt was in Ch 12 i have to go back
October 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
me as an author: at some point you have to decide you’ve done enough revising & declare your book is finished & accept it the way it is because you have to move on to the next project
also me: damn it I forgot to mention what color that guy’s shirt was in Ch 12 i have to go back
also me: damn it I forgot to mention what color that guy’s shirt was in Ch 12 i have to go back
If you drop a SFF book & it shatters your foot but at the hospital you meet the love of your life get married & have a child but your child ends up hating SFF books but then they drop the same book on their foot & you laugh in shadenfreude how many stars should you rate the book?
October 28, 2025 at 7:31 PM
If you drop a SFF book & it shatters your foot but at the hospital you meet the love of your life get married & have a child but your child ends up hating SFF books but then they drop the same book on their foot & you laugh in shadenfreude how many stars should you rate the book?
I tried to write a book & ended up with a 300K word monolith
I tried to write a novella & ended up with a 110K word book
I tried to write a short story & ended up with an 11K word novelette
I tried to write a 300K word sequel & ended up with 800K words broken up into 3-4 books
I tried to write a novella & ended up with a 110K word book
I tried to write a short story & ended up with an 11K word novelette
I tried to write a 300K word sequel & ended up with 800K words broken up into 3-4 books
a man in armor says that 's exactly who i am while another man stands behind him
ALT: a man in armor says that 's exactly who i am while another man stands behind him
media.tenor.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I tried to write a book & ended up with a 300K word monolith
I tried to write a novella & ended up with a 110K word book
I tried to write a short story & ended up with an 11K word novelette
I tried to write a 300K word sequel & ended up with 800K words broken up into 3-4 books
I tried to write a novella & ended up with a 110K word book
I tried to write a short story & ended up with an 11K word novelette
I tried to write a 300K word sequel & ended up with 800K words broken up into 3-4 books
Just once I’d like to finish writing a book and not know what to do with myself because I don’t already have 27 other projects that all need to be written asap.
October 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Just once I’d like to finish writing a book and not know what to do with myself because I don’t already have 27 other projects that all need to be written asap.
I always struggle with how many named side characters to have around the mains
On the one hand I want to keep name clutter to a minimum
But I also want to the world to feel lived in & knowing peoples names is a part of that
I definitely err on the side over-naming though
On the one hand I want to keep name clutter to a minimum
But I also want to the world to feel lived in & knowing peoples names is a part of that
I definitely err on the side over-naming though
October 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I always struggle with how many named side characters to have around the mains
On the one hand I want to keep name clutter to a minimum
But I also want to the world to feel lived in & knowing peoples names is a part of that
I definitely err on the side over-naming though
On the one hand I want to keep name clutter to a minimum
But I also want to the world to feel lived in & knowing peoples names is a part of that
I definitely err on the side over-naming though
Some insist that “Shh” is the correct spelling but I know in my heart that it should be “Shhh” and I shall act accordingly.
October 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Some insist that “Shh” is the correct spelling but I know in my heart that it should be “Shhh” and I shall act accordingly.
I scream inside my head so normal people don’t have to hear it and somehow it comes out as books.
October 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I scream inside my head so normal people don’t have to hear it and somehow it comes out as books.
Everyone else’s signatures:
LITERAL WORKS OF ART THAT ARE BOTH CLASSY AND COOL
my signature:
JUST A BUNCH OF SQUIGGLES
LITERAL WORKS OF ART THAT ARE BOTH CLASSY AND COOL
my signature:
JUST A BUNCH OF SQUIGGLES
October 20, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Everyone else’s signatures:
LITERAL WORKS OF ART THAT ARE BOTH CLASSY AND COOL
my signature:
JUST A BUNCH OF SQUIGGLES
LITERAL WORKS OF ART THAT ARE BOTH CLASSY AND COOL
my signature:
JUST A BUNCH OF SQUIGGLES