Jon Sparks

Had a long career as a photographer & writer about the outdoors, but now much more focused on fiction, especially SF. Author website is https://www.jonsparksauthor.com.
Lots of photos and quite a lot of words at https://jonsparks.zenfolio.com.
Still very much into the #outdoors, especially #cycling #gravelbikes (I’ve written about that too).
AI-free (and I mean free).

Public Key

npub1qaa9qyeyp8vgvugkl5wxrdkaquse4jx7lxtasuaqpqafmt8jw2lqeughkh

NIP-05 Address

jonsparks_at_writing.exchange@momostr.pink

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nprofile1qqsqw7jszvjqnkyxwyt068rpkmwswgv6er00n97cwwsqsw5a4ne890spz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsaujthl

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1qaa9qyeyp8vgvugkl5wxrdkaquse4jx7lxtasuaqpqafmt8jw2lqeughkh

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Last Notes

2026-10-30 13:28:28 UTC

My Favourite Science Fiction Films
https://theshatteredmoon.substack.com/p/favourite-science-fiction-films

2026-09-25 06:42:37 UTC

#WordWeavers 25/9: Do illicit drugs or alcohol play a role in your story?
Nothing illicit. And alcohol is the only drug of note, but lots of significant conversations take place in pubs, with an occasional acknowledgment to the delight of good beer.
In this respect, it’s a lot like my own life.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-24 07:13:03 UTC

#WordWeavers 24/9: If your MC made a grand entrance, what fitting song would accompany them?
Having reached a position (in fact more than one) of eminence, Jerya tries very hard not to appear grand and to remain approachable. The last thing she wants is a fanfare or anything equivalent to it.
Besides, no song that we know exists in her world.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-23 06:17:27 UTC

#WordWeavers 23/9: Have your characters' journeys affected your own life? If so, how?
First response is that it’s mostly the other way around, but I guess thinking about the experiences and choices they face must have had some impact on me.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-22 06:23:45 UTC

#WordWeavers 22/9: If you wrote a memoir on your writing journey so far, what would it be called?
Back to the Future.
Good title isn’t it? I’m amazed no one’s thought of it bef—sorry, what did you say?
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-20 06:22:28 UTC

#WordWeavers 20/9: How do your characters access water or whatever they need to drink?
Population centres exist where there’s a reliable water supply, be it well, spring, or stream. It’s widely known that water from streams needs to be purified, and using it to make small-beer is a favoured method. Better-off homes have running water, sometimes even hot.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-17 12:23:10 UTC

A Study in Starlight—Chapter Forty-two
Continuing this serialised novel, in which Holmes and Watson find themselves very far indeed from Victorian London
https://theshatteredmoon.substack.com/p/a-study-in-starlightchapter-forty-64e
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/117/286/356/380/702/049/original/5e95494859321108.jpg

2026-09-17 06:01:02 UTC

#WordWeavers for 17/9: By the end of your story, how many injuries has your MC had?
By the very end (Book 9, WIP), Jerya is 70, so a few aches and pains are to be expected, as well as stretch marks and so on. But she’s generally escaped major physical trauma; she’s much more concerned with loss and the consequent grief.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-15 05:57:51 UTC

#WordWeavers 15/9: Your characters get one completely ordinary day with no villains, quests, murders, wars, prophecies, romantic disasters, or impending apocalypses. How do they spend it?
Sounds remarkably like most other days. There are no murders in any of the 8-soon-to-be-9 books of The Shattered Moon, nor prophecies. The only apocalypse is centuries in the past. Outright villains are scarce. Romantic disasters can never be ruled out, though, because people.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-14 06:46:30 UTC

#WordWeavers 14/9: Your MC is offered exactly what they've always wanted-but accepting it will cost them something they love. What do they choose?
In a way this is the choice Jerya faces in Three Kinds of North. In the College of the Dawnsingers, she’s found an environment, and people, she loves, but then realises it also requires her to accept things she revolts against. And to say how she responds is too big a spoiler.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-14 06:46:30 UTC

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But I’ve also explored how it might have panned out differently through three novellas free to read on Substack.
https://theshatteredmoon.substack.com/p/three-kinds-of-now

2026-09-13 05:57:57 UTC

#WordWeavers 13/9: Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
Wandell to Torvyn: “I hope there’s no harm in paying a few gentlemanly compliments to a pretty girl."
Not so innocent because:
1: he’s been attentive to Tarivel (the girl in question) mainly to make Torvyn jealous;
2: Tari isn’t exactly what she seems.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-12 06:10:48 UTC

#WordWeavers 12/9: If you removed one supporting character, whose absence would change the story the most? (I don’t write ‘plots’).
Hmmm… I’m thinking of Gafeira, who’s a supporting character in Book 8… but am I cheating? Because, as you’ll see soon, she’s grown into a significant figure six years later in Book 9, as an MC/POV.
But if she hadn’t been a side character in 8, she wouldn’t be there in 9.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-11 06:04:39 UTC

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My partner told me yesterday about a student, in late stages of a PhD, who still doesn’t know how to use Paragraph Styles.
PhD theses are complicated documents, as long as a novel, with multiple levels of headings and subheadings. I can’t help wondering how much time this student could have saved by investing 10 minutes in learning how to use Paragraph Styles. (10 minutes is a generous allowance.)

2026-09-11 05:53:54 UTC

#WordWeavers 11/9: What does your MC believe about themself at the beginning of the story that turns out to be completely wrong?
Going right back to the beginning of Book 1, Jerya has no idea that her future could lie anywhere beyond the small, remote, village of Delven.
In the Epilogue to Book 9 she’ll look back and reflect on how wrong she was.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-09 08:13:45 UTC

#WordWeavers 9/9: What secret would cause the most damage if it were revealed in your story right now?
Nothing springs to mind in the present WIP. There are some big reveals in Book 5 (there’s a hint in the title), and in Book 8 we learned that Tari is not quite what she seems on the surface. She’s still very careful who she tells.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-09 08:09:41 UTC

#WritersCoffeeClub 9/9. What's your standard operating font, size, format? Or do you not have a standard?
For drafting, which is personal, the font is Cambria 11pt, on A4, 123% zoom on my laptop.
But because I use Paragraph Styles, it takes 30 seconds to change according to requirements. And for book formatting in Atticus it’s down to their font choices.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-07 06:13:15 UTC

#WordWeavers 7/9: Describe a moment when one of your characters realises they’ve made a terrible mistake.
In the current WIP, Book 9 (and final) of The Shattered Moon, Wandell (you haven’t met him before; his father made a brief but significant appearance in Bk 3) makes a series of blunders, notably faking an attraction to Torvyn and then realising he has real feelings for her.
He’ll learn…
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-07 06:07:45 UTC

#WritersCoffeeClub 7/9: What's something you thought would help your workflow, but didn't work out?
Any ‘plotting assistance’ stuff, whether software or text based. Because I’ve done a lot of outlining in my non-fiction career, I thought it might help to try it in fiction too, but it was worse than useless.
Fiction is different, and I’ve learned to embrace being a pantser.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-05 06:21:54 UTC

#WordWeavers 5/9: If your antagonist could justify their actions in one sentence, what would they say?
If Perriad was still around, she’d say, ‘everything I did was for the good of the Guild of Dawnsingers.’
Cue widespread scepticism, increasing as time went on.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-04 05:26:03 UTC

#WordWeavers 4/9: What seemingly insignificant object in your story carries a lot of emotional weight?
Maybe Torvyn’s painting overalls, “so smeared and spattered she sometimes imagined exhibiting them as a work of art in their own right.”
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-03 06:13:33 UTC

#WordWeavers 3/9: Share a line from your WIP that reveals more than the speaker intended.
—She looked at him a moment, head a little to one side, considering. “Are you any good with flatpack furniture?”—
Sounds innocuous, but it’s the start of everything.
(Not from The Shattered Moon series, but the next thing.)
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-02 05:47:35 UTC

#WordWeavers 2/9: What would your MC notice first upon entering a crowded room?
Considering the highly solitary nature of Jerya’s early years, she’s got pretty good at dealing with crowds, and even ‘working the room’ if the occasion really demands it; but in general she’ll look for known, friendly, faces rather than seeking interaction with strangers.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-09-01 05:52:51 UTC

#WordWeavers 1/9: What is something your MC desperately wants but would never admit to wanting?
Of the four POV characters in current WIP, Wandell is the one who best fits this question. What he needs is to finally rid himself of the obsession that plagued both his late father and his mother, that the inheritance of Skilthorn was somehow ‘stolen’ from him. He’ll spend the whole book grappling with this.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-31 04:55:51 UTC

#WordWeavers 31/8: What's one thing you hope readers remember long after they finish your story?
I don’t want them to remember ‘one thing’ like a set piece moment or (god forbid) a ‘moral’. I’d hope readers remember that they enjoyed the story as a whole. That’s enough. If they felt a real engagement with the characters, if they maybe want to read the next one, even better.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-30 05:36:28 UTC

#WordWeavers 30/8: "If you could interview one of your characters over coffee, what would be the first question you asked?"
“What should I order here if I want what we call an Americano back in our world? Or a Long Black?”
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-29 06:41:42 UTC

#WordWeavers 29/8: What writing accomplishment are you quietly proud of?
This question literally invites us to be less quiet… So, here goes.
I’m proud of all my books (>70, though some are almost entirely pictures), but have a special soft spot for my most recent non-fiction book, which I see as a co-production with my partner.
I’m also proud of my hundreds of articles…
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-28 05:56:33 UTC

#WordWeavers 28/8: What's one question you're still trying to answer about your story?
I’m tempted to say, ‘how can I promote it more effectively?’, but I’m afraid it might lead to a flood of messages from ‘book promotion experts’.
Or should I say, even more of a flood.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-27 05:30:24 UTC

#WordWeavers 27/8:Which character would win a trivia contest?
The concept of a trivia contest is unknown in the world of The Shattered Moon, and makes me question why we evolved this variant on the general knowledge quiz in the first place.
So who’d shine in a ‘University Challenge’ equivalent? I’d want Hedric on my team. A man who maintained that precious quality of curiosity throughout his life.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-08-26 12:30:26 UTC

#WordWeavers 26/8: What weather best matches your current work in progress?
Typical Lancashire summer, so a pretty mixed bag. I’m not sure yet if I’ll be including any heatwaves or wildfires, but maybe that’s the 'new normal'.
#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

2026-08-26 12:23:56 UTC

2026-08-08 09:11:16 UTC

It’s official publication day today!
Conversations and Crevasses, Book Eight of The Shattered Moon, is available to order from all the usual outlets, or direct from my website.
One day, two encounters, three young people. For Kerriel, Ysutèni, and Tarivel, their lives will never be quite the same.
And that’s not all… today is a double whammy. Keep watching this space.
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/117/059/108/973/620/046/original/c2b7f5a6291cbf7e.jpeg

2026-06-03 06:44:40 UTC

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/6: Conversely, which sense is the most difficult for you to write?
I think it might be sound, because everyday vocabulary is less precise. Taste and smell are easier because I watch MasterChef and read craft beer tasting notes regularly.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2026-02-19 07:12:30 UTC

#WritersCoffeeClub 19/2: What’s your biggest challenge when crafting a satisfying ending?
Knowing when to stop. Life goes on, the characters go on, but books have to end somewhere.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2025-12-26 07:46:38 UTC

Writers’ Coffee Club 26/12: Who (or what) serves as your rubber duck?
I haven’t a clue what this question means. Anyway, I’ve never owned a rubber duck in my life.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2025-11-04 06:48:28 UTC

#WordWeavers 4/11: Are you working on one or several projects? What’s your preference?
Right now, Book 7 is in the hands of my partner so I’m not touching it and instead l’m 100% focused on Book 8. But that’s a bit unusual. Although they’re also in a wider sense part of the same project anyway.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2025-08-22 06:40:51 UTC

#WordWeavers 22/8: If money wasn’t an issue, where would you arrange a WordWeavers writing retreat?
Somewhere in Scotland… how about Galloway, setting for Dorothy L Sayers’s Five Red Herrings? Quiet, relatively accessible, with both mountains and coast. With optional outings to lovely Kirkcudbright and of course Wigtown, Scotland’s Book Town.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2025-06-21 11:11:10 UTC

Latest on Substack: a few thoughts on photography, and the importance of the right tools for the right job.
#photography #cameras #nikon #canon
https://open.substack.com/pub/theshatteredmoon/p/why-i-bought-a-new-camera?r=jh5v5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

2025-05-06 11:26:42 UTC

#WritersCoffeeClub 6/5: What does your usual workspace look like? Share a picture.
This is pretty much it. Notebook and pen lurking nearby.
I had 30 years writing at a desk. That’s enough for me, thanks very much.
#books #writing #writersofmastodon

2025-04-05 06:54:08 UTC

Continuing to share favourite images from my 30+ year photographic career, this is the summit of South Barrule on the Isle of Man. Not posed, and grabbed very quickly with a Mamiya 7, it became a good earner via IoM Tourism.
#photography #SouthBarrule #IsleofMan #hill #summit #walking #island
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/284/037/219/711/074/original/0624eeb0071f1359.jpeg

2025-03-20 08:28:20 UTC

Continuing to share favourite images from my 30+ year photographic career. Focus for the next few days, my love of the greatest mode of transport ever invented, the bicycle. Here’s another from Scotland, in fact the same day as yesterday’s pic, descending back to Torridon. One of the best days I’ve ever had on a bike.
#photography #landscape #bike #cycling #mountains #mountainbike #scotland
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/193/810/200/690/014/original/980d16e9b97ad6e6.jpeg

2025-03-13 07:46:52 UTC

Continuing to share favourite images from my 30+ year photographic career. Now featuring Finland.
Back on the mainland, this is sunset from the fell above Ruka, in the season called ruska.
#photography #landscape #Finland #rock #tree #sunset #ruska
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/154/011/793/353/491/original/5734c1b601be1d7a.jpeg

2025-02-20 08:10:12 UTC

Continuing to share favourite images from my 30+ year photographic career, and currently looking at a favourite project; ‘The Magic of the Scottish Islands’, 2000 and 2001. This is the summit ridge of the Sgùrr of Eigg, looking across the Sound of Rùm to the Cuillin of Rùm.
#photography #landscape #scotland #island #eigg #rum #mountains
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/114/035/188/688/006/127/original/b8ab3f41871e1d3e.jpeg

2025-02-03 19:30:18 UTC

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Becky Chambers is so good…