Hello, fellow tooters! I'm a first reader at Strange Horizons, formerly of Augur, and Uncanny Magazine.
I write speculative fiction inspired by Palestinian folklore. Mostly short fic, but I'm working on a novella atm.
I'll be slowly rebuilding my archive of posts about Palestinian folklore here.
Come on by and say hi!
I started a new sketchbook today. It's just for style studies. I'm pretty excited to get sketching again. I tried having an online/virtual sketchbook and it just isn't the same. I want my notes and pictures to be in one place, and portable.
I got a Moleskine, which, in my defense, the fad has seen brighter days.
racism
Hundreds of followers in, up crop the accounts openly calling for genocide against Palestinians (one referencing the Bible in their profile and calling wiping us out a "mitzva."
I blocked them, but... Yeah... incredibly sus.
racism
The profile and account seemed to really push the idea that they were a minor, and only on Twitter for fandom- in particular musicians. It was sus just *how* much this image was reinforced, like it was deliberate.
Digging into their followed account, there were a million celebrities, and then... dozens of "White and proud" ppl, fake gays and BIPOC propaganda accounts.
I think I had my first brush with Israel's troll farm on Twitter today. I can't be sure, but it's really sus.
I received a strange comment on a post I made which was a sort of art critique of a 40+ yr old Palestinian poster with some interesting elements and iconography.
On a hunch, I investigated the account and it just got more and more sus.
Anyway, prob a bot. Very strange experience, tho.
I took part in a pitch party on Twitter, and three agents showed interest in my book!
One has already replied to my query with, basically, "more." This is what they always say... Which is nice! But I struggle w/ long form writing due to my disability.
My current project, known as Bookio, is a chubby novella. I'll have to see about turning it into a novel proper.
A reading list I made of Palestinian speculative fiction and non-fiction (incl. essays, poetry, short and long form fiction) available in English:
https://soniasulaiman.com/readpalestinianspecfic-reading-list/
I have to fight the default brush to get the edges and shapes I want. The custom brush makes me think of oil painting- without all of the fancy textures, just the feeling of using a simple round brush.
I made my own Procreate brush! I think it's already making an improvement. What do you think?
mlm: the default brushes.
wlw: the new brush.
I introduced a bunch of danmei readers to the baihe novella Night Flowers Shrinking from the Light of the Sun by Li Xing. They wanted something like MDZS but sapphic, and that's exactly what this is... It's a comedy, but its CP are Wangxian if they were lesbians.
A demoness saves the life of a stony-faced, upright young cultivator who insists on repaying the life debt. No one is happy about this arrangement. Billed as "idiots to lovers."
Book Riot built a commented list of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative novels written by Latinx writers, and my Terminal 3 made the list. Would you please consider perusing the catalogue?
Amazing week.
A psw triggered a panic attack so I called the office and simply said what happened and that I didn't want her to come back again. I started changing mom tonight and the same psw calls-- the office did nothing about my report.
So I had to tell her myself, that she wasn't going to work with us anymore. She didn't take it well, and hung up on me.
Meanwhile mom is all confused and disturbed, not understanding what's happening. Urgh.
I tell Palestinian folktales.
Hugo-nominated First Reader @ Strange Horizons
Words in sundry places. Art alt:
SFWA, CSFFA, Codex
(she/her)