British Fantasy Awards 2026 Shortlist - British Fantasy Society Blog

See any friends on this list?

Next stop for Panzer was the British Fantasy Society's site.

 

There he found the thirteen category list of nominees shortlist for the British Fantasy Awards.

 

 Panzer says, "There are categories for fiction, nonfiction, audio, just about everything."

 

Note: With thirteen categories this is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin to snack on.

 

To read the list tootle over to British Fantasy Society 

Carla Hayden to Receive 2026 Biblio Award from BIO - Biographers International Organization

It's a nice award.

Panzer stopped in at the Biographers International Organization site.

 

With no digging in the posts there, he found an announcement that the 2026 Biblio Award is going to Carla Hayden.

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) to snack on.

To read the post tootle over to Biblio Award 

Welcome to the Public Domain in 2026 - Internet Archive Blog

There's a lot of fun stuff to listen to, look at, and read.

Today, Panzer made a quick stop at the Internet Archive Blog. There our inquisitive kitty boy found a post about the public domain release on January 1.

 

Sterling Dudley's post lists many of the 1930 materials that lose copyright protection and go into the public domain in the U.S. 

 

 Panzer says, "There are links to movies, music, books, and more."

 

Note: This is a long post. You decide what to bring to snack on. 

 

To read the post tootle over to Public Domain 2026 

What Does a Writer Actually Do? - BookBub Partners Blog

 

Panzer made a stop at the BookBub Partners blog.

 

There he found a post by Audrey Derobert about all the different 'jobs' writers need to do. The post covers everything from marketing to administration. There are charts and graphs based on the information supplied by over 500 writers.

 

Panzer says, "They just figured out that there's more to being a writer than just writing?"

 

 Note: This is a humongous post. You better plan to bring your lunch and a sleeping bag for a nap.

 

To read the post tootle over to  What a writer does

New! Create and sell your digital products directly in MailerLite - Blog

We're having a heatwave here.

Here's a new feature Panzer found to sell ebooks on the MailerLite site.

 

The MailerLite blog post by Magle Navickaile explains how to set up your dashboard so you can sell your epub books through MailerLite. There's also a Youtube video with more information.

 

Panzer says, "Setup looks a little complicated to this little kitty."

 

Note: This is a very long post. You'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read the post and watch the video.

 

To read the post tootle over to Mailerlite

Free Trace Evidence Blog Post: Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense - Distinctly Delicious

This is a long post, but you'll want to read it.

Here's a new post Paanzer found on the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine blog Trace Evidence.

Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense - Distinctly Delicious is written by author Joslyn Chase. In the post she examines the differences among the three genres.

Make a cup of tea and have fun reading the post.

To read the post tootle over to Trace Evidence

Internet Archive suffers data breach and DDoS

Have fun trick or treating.

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to the Malwarebytes blog. There our inquisitive kitty found a post about the Internet Archive.

The post by Pieter Arntz explains a data breach at the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine site. In addition to information about the breach the post also has links to helpful sites to find out about how to check on and protect your information on the internet.

 

Panzer says, "The Wayback Machine is not the part of the Internet Archive which lost the copyright infringement court case."

 

Note: This is a long post with links to other sites. You'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink while you read the selection.

To read the post tootle over to Internet Archive

Free Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Blog Post:Old Loves That Keep Us Up: Revisiting Robert B. Parker

This writer's view on another writer's work is interesting.

For all you mystery and crime fiction lovers Panzer found this blog post at the Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (EQMM) blog.

The Something Is Going to Happen blog post Old Loves that Keep Us Up: Revisiting Robert B. Parker is written by Tom Andes. It's a long post.

Make a cup of tea, grab two muffins, and find a comfortable place to read this post.

To read the post tootle over to Revisiting Robert B. Parker

Six Email (and Snail Mail) Web Scams to Avoid - Nate Hoffelder Blog

My work is finished for today.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere before he started home, when he decided to stop at Nate Hoffelder's blog. With no digging at all in the posts he found one about scams you need to be aware of.

In his post Nate Hoffelder lists six scams with samples. He explains the scams and how they work.

Panzer says, "This little kitty knew about most of these, but there were a couple he hadn't seen before."

Note: This is a longish post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin to snack on while you read.

To read the post tootle over to Six Scams to Avoid

Everand Is New Home for Books at Scribd - Draft2Digital

Everand what? A day? A week?

Today, Panzer made a stop at the Draft2Digital site. There our traveling kitty pilot found a post about Scribd.

 

According to the blog post, Scribd is making changes to the different reading materials locations. Ebooks, and audiobooks etc. are being moved to the Everand platform. This separates them from the manuals, etc. which will remain on the Scribd platform. With the separation the company feels it will be easier for readers to find the materials they want.

 

Panzer says, "This little kitty wonders who picked that name Everand?"

Note: This is a short post. Bring a small cup of cocoa to drink while you read. 

To read the post tootle over to Everand

Free Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine Trace Evidence Blog Post: Mystery Writer Robert Lopresti

See you tomorrow.

For those of you who prefer to read rather than listen to mystery authors, Panzer found a post at the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine's Trace Evidence blog.

 

In his post How Is a Writer Like a Window Washer? mystery writer Robert Lopresti explains his writing process. He discusses his and other mystery authors' uses of first and third person narrators,

 

To read the post tootle over to Robert Lopresti  

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine:Trace Evidence - Writing Your Past

Interesting information.

Earlier Panzer took you to the Mysteryrat's Podcast site. Now, for those of you who prefer reading to listening, he's taking you to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine's blog Trace Element site.

 

There you can read the post, Writing Your Past, by writer Jeffrey Marks. In the post he explains how to use experiences from your life in your fiction.

As always, the post is free to read.

 

To read the post tootle over to Jeffrey Marks

Free Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine blog post: Out of One, Many - by Mike McHone

My work is finished for the day.

Earlier today, Panzer posted an Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine's Fiction Podcast episode for you.

 

Now, for those of you who would rather read about mystery than hear it, here's a blog post from the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine's Something Is Going To Happen blog.

 

In the post crime writer Mike McHone explains his writing process for the creation of the main character in his short story in the March/April issue of the magazine.

 

To read the blog post tootle over to Mike Mchone 

Announcing Restricted Book Delivery - BookFunnel Blog

Today, when Panzer was tootling around the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at the BookFunnel Blog. There our intrepid kitty traveler found a post about BookFunnel's new Restricted Book Delivery feature for authors.

 

I don't want anybody watching me.

The blog post explains how the new Restricted Book Delivery feature works. Authors now have the option to not allow readers to download the book files when they "download" a book. This means the author controls whether the reader gets the book files or reads the book in BookFunnel's cloud. The post covers more than the Restricted Book Delivery feature. Authors also have the option to track if a reader does read the book, how many pages they read and can then delete a reader, if they don't read the book or don't finish reading it.

 

Panzer says, "Hmm ... So will authors tell readers what they're doing?"

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a big glass of tea, two chocolate chip cookies and a brownie for today's reading.

 

To read the post tootle over to Book Funnel Restricted Delivery

 

 

 

 

*  A tip of the kitty fedora to Nate Hoffelder for the information

It's Miy Blogiversary! How to Survive 13 Years of Blogging - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

Today, when Panzer was sweeping out the Panzermobile, our fastidious kitty found a wadded up post under the floor mat. Flattening it out, he discovered it was a post about author blogging from the Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris site.

 

That's a long time.

According to the post, Anne R. Allen has been blogging for thirteen years. The post is her thirteen "rules" for authors who blog. She also includes some interesting things that have happened to her because of her blog.

 

To read the post tootle over to Anne R. Allen Blog

50 Flash Markets - Eric Scot Tryon Blog

 Today Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he made a stop at the Eric Scot Tryon Blog site.

Flash. Short and to the point.

There our traveling kitty boy discovered a post with a list of 50 flash fiction markets for writers of that short form. Some of the markets are closed to submission now, but most are open.

 

 Panzer says, "Be sure to read the markets guidelines before you submit, because there are different definitions of the length of flash fiction."

 

To read the post tootle over to 50 Flash Markets

The Six Online Bios Every Author Needs - Anne R. Allen's Blog

 Today Panzer decided to make a stop at Anne R. Allen's Blog. With a little digging in the posts our traveling kitty boy found one about the online bios authors need.

 

According to the post by Nate Hoffelder, an author needs six online bios. In the post he describes each of the six as Twitter, Facebook, Podcast/Speaker, Amazon/Goodreads, and Memberships. He dissects and rewrites his own bios as examples of what to do with your author bios.

 

I'm on Amazon/Goodreads & Twitter.

Panzer says, "How does he find the time for all those places?"

Note: This is a long, long post. Bring a thermos of cocoa, two muffins, two brownies and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit).

 

To read the post tootle over to online bios

Drawn Out and Delightful - The Rap Sheet

As Panzer was taking his morning nap, he was shaken from his kitty bed by laughing and guffawing coming from the Catosphere. Hopping in the Panzermobile, he followed all the jocularity to The Rap Sheet site. There he found a post about the Winners and Dishonorable Mentions in the 2019 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.

Who was that guy?

According to site owner J. Kingston Pierce, the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has announced the 2019 winners and dishonorable mentions. The contest is in honor of the Edward Bulwer-Lytton who wrote the infamous line, "It was a dark and stormy night." Each participant tries to write the worst single sentence he or she can. There's a grand prize winner and one winner in each of twelve categories. Depending on the entries, there are also several dishonorable mentions as well. The post includes several of the contest's dishonorable mentions and winners. There is also a link to the contest winners' site included in the post.

Panzer says, "Humans are always funny to cats."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin. If you plan to follow the link to winners site, bring a quart of tea and half a dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to contest

2020 Publishing Predictions: House of Indie on Fire - Smashwords Blog

Today Panzer decided to make a quick trip to the Smashwords Blog site. Every year Smashwords founder Mark Coker begins the new year with a blog post of his publishing predictions for the coming year.

It's a new year. Are you ready?

This year's predictions for 2020 post by Mark Coker begins with a look back at what's been happening with indie authors in 2019. According to the post, a lot of indie authors saw their ebook sales and therefore their royalties decrease. Some authors income has even plummeted so low they have given up writing. The second section of the post details the predictions. These include government sanctions against Amazon, audio book sales, author mailing lists, and ebook pre-orders.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... The beginning of the predictions post doesn't look very good for indie authors."

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a quart of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to  2020 Predictions:

Introducing Smashwords Presales - Smashwords Blog

Today as Panzer was taking his afternoon nap, he was shaken from his kitty bed by yelling and cheering coming from the Catosphere. Following all the hubbub took our kitty boy to the Smashwords Blog. There with no digging at all he found a post about Smashwords new presales software feature.

That's interesting news.

According to the post, Smashwords has added a new feature for authors to offer their readers. Readers who purchase through the presales feature have immediate access to the ebook they just bought and this is before general purchasers have access to the ebook. This is also different than a pre-order which is a sale before the book is available to anyone. The post is divided into five sections covering how presales work, why authors should participate in the presales program, an explanation of the patent pending software, information about the licensing of the software to other retailers. and a short wrap up about the future.  By far the largest section is the one explaining the new patent pending software.

Panzer says, "MeWOW! This looks like a major step forward for Smashwords!"

Note: This is a h-u-m-o-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring a half gallon of tea and a half gallon of cocoa and six muffins and six sugar cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Smashwords presales