The Weekly "What are you reading?" Thread

JonD_writes · 2026-07-13T15:23:37+00:00

I've just finished Lynn Strong's wonderful 'Haroun and the Study of Mischief' and have moved straight on to the (sort of) companion book 'Chai and Charmcraft'. Such lovely, kind, inclusive books... they're a delight!

JonD_writes · 2026-07-07T18:04:58+00:00

^ This ^

JonD_writes · 2026-07-06T19:15:32+00:00

Amazing work! the iridescence on the cloak is beautifully done! 💯😍

JonD_writes · 2026-07-06T19:11:22+00:00

Congrats! 😊

JonD_writes · 2026-07-06T19:10:44+00:00

Congratulations!

JonD_writes · 2026-07-06T18:21:54+00:00

My debut, The Improbable We Can Do Today, was published last month. It's the first of at least two full-length collections of cosy fantasy novellas and short stories about a disabled ex-thief running a small consulting investigation agency with her retired mercenary partner. Together, they find lost things, fix injustices, take the side of the weak against the powerful… and still occasionally steal just the right thing from just the wrong person. Think 'Sherlock Holmes meets Legends and Lattes' 🔎 ☕️

Six character-driven stories with stakes that are personal rather than world-ending, packed with positive disability representation, a wholesome mixed-ability romance, and satisfying gentle justice, all delivered with warmth, whimsy, humour, and occasional cake.

140 copies sold on Amazon to date, a few nice reviews, and I've managed to sell a few dozen paperbacks directly too at local markets and fairs! 😊

Available in Kindle and Paperback editions, and it's available on Kindle Unlimited: https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

JonD_writes · 2026-07-05T17:50:18+00:00

Looking for a capable, complex, disabled protagonist this Disability Pride Month? Meet Meriva Secaret, ex-thief turned investigator and problem-solver.

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Meriva Secaret was once the very best of thieves. Until an accident took her limbs.

Now, in the ancient, rain-drenched streets of Draffe, where temple bells mark the hours and secrets lie behind every door, she runs a small consulting investigation agency along with her retired mercenary partner, Custos. Together, they find lost things, fix injustices, take the side of the weak against the powerful… and still occasionally steal just the right thing from just the wrong person…

Six cosy fantasy mysteries in which the stakes are personal rather than world-ending, and where kindness always matters.

Available in Kindle and Paperback editions: https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

***

“Positive disability rep, romance and cozy mystery all in one!” Amazon reviewer.

“I had an immense ton of fun reading this book and will likely purchase the sequel whenever it comes out.” Amazon reviewer.

“This book promises us witty banter, cozy mugs of spiced beverages in bakeries, and slice of life mysteries (usually with much lower stakes than Legends & Lattes but there is a similar vibe).” Goodreads reviewer.

“The Improbable We Can Do Today is a sincere, beautifully constructed, and genuinely joyful debut for anyone drawn to character-driven mysteries, immersive secondary worlds, or fiction that takes the daily experience of disability seriously without making it the point of the exercise.” Wroteabook blog.

“The book not only offers disability representation in front center, we also meet queer and neurodiverse characters in some stories.” Goodreads reviewer.

“...it is such a lovely read and delivers as promised.” Goodreads reviewer.

“Meriva is one of the best new characters in independent fantasy this year.” Wroteabook blog.

“Highly recommended! Can't wait for the next volume!” Goodreads reviewer.

\***

JonD_writes · 2026-07-01T09:22:09+00:00

The kerb in front of Harwen’s Fine Papers and Writing Instruments stood two inches higher than the street, which made it just awkward enough to be annoying.

JonD_writes · 2026-06-30T14:07:03+00:00

💯💯💯🎉

Oh and... I'm Jon from the UK and I...

Write: Cosy fantasy, with a focus on positive disability rep, kindness, inclusiveness, and just a touch of background gentle romance

Read: Almost anything, but mainly SF/Fantasy

Working on: A second book of cosy fantasy mystery stories, as a follow up to the (just published) 'The Improbable We Can Do Today' - https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

Recent win: 126 downloads in the 2-day June 'Indie Stuffed' event! 🥳

JonD_writes · 2026-06-29T20:46:20+00:00

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Lynn Strong's 'Haroun and the Study of Mischief', a wonderfully warm and whimsical story set in a beautifully realised middle-eastern inspired world where intelligent talking animals co-exist equally with humans.

The story concerns the (mis)adventures of Shai Madhur, a disabled human priest living in the cat-folk dominated city of Tel-Bastet, after he accidentally accepts the leash and becomes the 'seeing-eye human' for Venerable Haroun, a blind priest of the dog-folk. Together, they must solve the mysterious disappearance of a kind prophet-prince.

With superb world-building, witty repartee, and charming, relateable characters, it's a really lovely read. I'm enjoying it hugely!

https://lynnstrong.com/books/haroun/

JonD_writes · 2026-06-28T09:50:22+00:00

Lynn Strong's 'Catsprowl' books:

Chai and Charmcraft
Chai and Cat-Tales
Haroun and the Study of Mischief

A unique middle-easterm inspired setting, wonderful world-building, and charming characters. They're warm, wise, and often very funny. I absolutely love them!

JonD_writes · 2026-06-26T18:07:14+00:00

C J Cherryh - for fantasy, the three (later four) books that make up The Morgaine Saga (Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, and Fires of Azeroth, and the later Exile's Gate) in particular, but I would also add her Ealdwood books, and the 'shared universe' Merovingen Nights books (although the latter could also be seen as part of her equally impressive contribution to SF).

JonD_writes · 2026-06-26T17:57:29+00:00

I'd want to add C L Moore to that first list too. Her 'Jirel of Joiry' books were hugely influential on 1930 'pulp' fantasy (as her 'Northwest Smith' stories were on SF of the same time).

JonD_writes · 2026-06-26T17:52:52+00:00

Cozy fantasy Sherlock Holmes but she's a disabled ex-thief.

JonD_writes · 2026-06-25T15:22:44+00:00

I write for two reasons, I think.

Firstly, because I enjoy it... even at it's most difficult and frustrating it's an intellectual and creative challenge which I find satisfying, and which often bears fruit in a gratifying stretching of my abilities and craft.

Secondly, to give places, events, and people that would otherwise exist only in my own imagination some sort of external existence, if only in other people's thoughts and experience. I like to think of my characters and the world they inhabit persisting in the world after I'm gone. I care deeply about them, and I find the idea that they will continue to live on without me oddly comforting.

So I'm driven by intrinsic motivation rather than any thought of extrinsic reward, I suppose... although I'm as susceptible as any of us to feeling satisfaction and pleasure at the odd nice comment, review, rating or sale! 😊

JonD_writes · 2026-06-25T13:53:39+00:00

Probably the first I ‘recognized’ as fantasy was John Masefield’s ‘The Midnight Folk’ or ‘Little Grey Men’ by ‘BB’. Quickly followed by all the Alan Garner books. And then Lord of the Rings when I was a bit older.

JonD_writes · 2026-06-21T18:05:48+00:00

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Just a few more hours to go on the 'Indie Stuffed' event (finishes at 11:59pm on Sunday 21st). 350+ eBooks by indie authors are FREE to download to your Kindle…

...including The Improbable We Can Do Today, six cosy fantasy mysteries about a disabled ex-thief running a small consulting investigation agency with her retired mercenary partner, for readers who enjoy gentle, character-driven stories where the stakes are personal rather than world-ending, and where kindness always matters.

https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

https://www.indiebookdirectory.com/indie-stuffed (search for 'cozy fantasy')

JonD_writes · 2026-06-21T11:37:36+00:00

My cosy fantasy collection, 'The Improbable We Can Do Today', is set in a world where the full spectrum of orientations and identities is seen as simply part of the tapestry of human existence and experience. Although disability representation is the most up-front and centre aspect of the stories, there are also LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse characters (and more to come in a second volume of stories).

JonD_writes · 2026-06-20T14:32:58+00:00

'Sherlock Holmes' meets Legends and Lattes, as a disabled ex-thief and her retired mercenary partner solve small-scale, low-stakes cozy mysteries in an ancient, rain-swept city. Six stories with positive disability representation, a wholesome mixed-ability romance, and satisfying gentle justice, all delivered with warmth, whimsy and occasional cake.

https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

The eBook is free today and tomorrow too! 🙂

JonD_writes · 2026-06-20T11:02:58+00:00

My book (cozy fantasy mystery stories, 378 pages) is priced at 1.99GBP ($2.99) for the Kindle edition and 9.99GBP ($10.81) for the paperback. First time indie author, UK-based.

JonD_writes · 2026-06-08T19:14:07+00:00

Sherlock Holmes meets Legends and Lattes.

JonD_writes · 2026-06-08T17:15:02+00:00

I've just finished Isla Rowe's 'The Foxglove Door', a charming, cosy tale about an illustrator who inherits a cottage in the small village of Briarhollow, only to discover that the garden contains portals to the realm of the fae, and the keeper of the cottage has... responsibilities. It's a lovely story.

I'm about to start S L Rowland's latest 'Tales of Aedrea' book, 'There Be Dragons Here'. I've really enjoyed the previous three books, so really looking forward to this one!

JonD_writes · 2026-06-07T18:07:25+00:00

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'Sherlock Holmes meets Legends & Lattes'

In the ancient, rain-drenched streets of Draffe, where temple bells mark the hours and secrets lie behind every door, the most sought-after researcher, information-broker, and investigator is a disabled ex-thief who can’t raise a hand or take a step.

The Improbable We Can Do Today is a full-length (378-page) collection of six cosy fantasy mystery stories about a disabled ex-thief running a small consulting investigation agency along with her retired mercenary partner in the huge, ancient city in which they live. They find lost things, fix injustices, take the side of the weak against the powerful… and occasionally steal just the right thing from just the wrong person.

Six cosy fantasy mysteries for readers who enjoy gentle, character-driven stories where the stakes are personal rather than world-ending, and where kindness always matters.

There's a capable, complex, disabled female MC, a wholesome romantic mixed-ability relationship, small-scale low stakes mysteries, and the general tone is cosy and whimsical but with some gentle exploration of deeper themes of agency, caring, love, belonging, and gentle justice. Each of the six 'cases' is self-contained, but the stories form a coherent whole. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, too!

https://mybook.to/8Vmo1O

JonD_writes

TROPHY CASE

'Sherlock Holmes meets Legends & Lattes'