Steven Hoefer
@steventalkingbooks.bsky.social
Author of speculative fiction and other things with heart, humor, and action.
🚫 No generative AI ever.
🏳️⚧️ Trans rights are human rights.
🤷 They/Them
📖 My fiction writing https://readsteven.com
🚫 No generative AI ever.
🏳️⚧️ Trans rights are human rights.
🤷 They/Them
📖 My fiction writing https://readsteven.com
Pinned
Do folks around here do #Introduction posts?
After a long life of programing computers, I have retired because it's impossible to make a living at it while being able to sleep at night. Longtime writer of speculative fiction. Not a fan of the apocalypse. Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
After a long life of programing computers, I have retired because it's impossible to make a living at it while being able to sleep at night. Longtime writer of speculative fiction. Not a fan of the apocalypse. Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
#ScribesAndMakers September 22: "Promotion day. Self or someone else. Or both."
My Embassy book series is what happens when a junior diplomat has to deal with a lot of weird aliens. It has heart, humor, and action. Book 4 will be out around the end of the year.
My Embassy book series is what happens when a junior diplomat has to deal with a lot of weird aliens. It has heart, humor, and action. Book 4 will be out around the end of the year.
Read What I've Written
A selection of things I've written, ordered by length. Novels And Novellas Longer stuff that you really want to find a comfy place to sit because it will take at least a couple of hours to read. The Embassy Series My ongoing series of novels about the 48 extraterrestrial intelligences that suddenly came to Earth, and the guy who has to stay on top of them who is in over his head. Book 1:
readsteven.com
September 22, 2026 at 1:21 PM
#ScribesAndMakers September 22: "Promotion day. Self or someone else. Or both."
My Embassy book series is what happens when a junior diplomat has to deal with a lot of weird aliens. It has heart, humor, and action. Book 4 will be out around the end of the year.
My Embassy book series is what happens when a junior diplomat has to deal with a lot of weird aliens. It has heart, humor, and action. Book 4 will be out around the end of the year.
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
If you weren't able to attend the Pixel Project's "Holding Out for A Hero" live event, it's loaded to Youtube now, good for writers, readers, and anyone interested in presenting positive representations of masculine heroes, particularly over the strident howls of manly manospherism.
R4P 2026 (Fall Ed.): The Role of Heroes & Healthy Masculinities in Combatting VAW in Spec Fic
YouTube video by The Pixel Project
www.youtube.com
September 22, 2026 at 12:55 AM
If you weren't able to attend the Pixel Project's "Holding Out for A Hero" live event, it's loaded to Youtube now, good for writers, readers, and anyone interested in presenting positive representations of masculine heroes, particularly over the strident howls of manly manospherism.
"This was not the first official meeting I’d attended in my underpants, and someone needed to find out how that kept happening. But not today."
— Benjamin Taylor, The Embassy, Book 4.
#amWriting #amEditing #bookquote #TheEmbassyBooks
— Benjamin Taylor, The Embassy, Book 4.
#amWriting #amEditing #bookquote #TheEmbassyBooks
September 21, 2026 at 11:40 PM
"This was not the first official meeting I’d attended in my underpants, and someone needed to find out how that kept happening. But not today."
— Benjamin Taylor, The Embassy, Book 4.
#amWriting #amEditing #bookquote #TheEmbassyBooks
— Benjamin Taylor, The Embassy, Book 4.
#amWriting #amEditing #bookquote #TheEmbassyBooks
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
Character sheet commission! Myrna, a shy bard at the very start of her adventure.
#CharacterSheet #DnDart #BG3OC
#CharacterSheet #DnDart #BG3OC
September 7, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Character sheet commission! Myrna, a shy bard at the very start of her adventure.
#CharacterSheet #DnDart #BG3OC
#CharacterSheet #DnDart #BG3OC
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
Happy birthday to Star Trek, as it happens I have a very obvious reason I'm glad that universe exists; without it, at the very least, one of my novels would have a very different title. Even without that connection, however, this universe has given me a lot of joy. Live long and prosper, Star Trek!
September 8, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Happy birthday to Star Trek, as it happens I have a very obvious reason I'm glad that universe exists; without it, at the very least, one of my novels would have a very different title. Even without that connection, however, this universe has given me a lot of joy. Live long and prosper, Star Trek!
It is Labor Day here in the US.
Celebrate by reading about how an overworked, underappreciated junior ambassador to extraterrestrials gets through the day of planet saving.
DRM-free and name-your-price from some resellers.
Previews available and all that jazz.
readsteven.com/buy/
Celebrate by reading about how an overworked, underappreciated junior ambassador to extraterrestrials gets through the day of planet saving.
DRM-free and name-your-price from some resellers.
Previews available and all that jazz.
readsteven.com/buy/
Buy Some Books by Steven Hoefer
The Embassy Series My ongoing series of novels about the 48 extraterrestrial intelligences that suddenly came to Earth, and the junior employee who has to keep them from destroying Earth. Note: New...
readsteven.com
September 7, 2026 at 4:47 PM
It is Labor Day here in the US.
Celebrate by reading about how an overworked, underappreciated junior ambassador to extraterrestrials gets through the day of planet saving.
DRM-free and name-your-price from some resellers.
Previews available and all that jazz.
readsteven.com/buy/
Celebrate by reading about how an overworked, underappreciated junior ambassador to extraterrestrials gets through the day of planet saving.
DRM-free and name-your-price from some resellers.
Previews available and all that jazz.
readsteven.com/buy/
September 6, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Oh hey, it's Bandcamp Friday!
Go put some of your paycheck to the good stuff from a musician. All of the purchases on Bandcamp today go directly to the musicians.
I'll be replacing some Robyn Hitchcock CDs that were damaged in a move.
#Bandcamp #BandcampFriday #Music
Go put some of your paycheck to the good stuff from a musician. All of the purchases on Bandcamp today go directly to the musicians.
I'll be replacing some Robyn Hitchcock CDs that were damaged in a move.
#Bandcamp #BandcampFriday #Music
September 4, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Oh hey, it's Bandcamp Friday!
Go put some of your paycheck to the good stuff from a musician. All of the purchases on Bandcamp today go directly to the musicians.
I'll be replacing some Robyn Hitchcock CDs that were damaged in a move.
#Bandcamp #BandcampFriday #Music
Go put some of your paycheck to the good stuff from a musician. All of the purchases on Bandcamp today go directly to the musicians.
I'll be replacing some Robyn Hitchcock CDs that were damaged in a move.
#Bandcamp #BandcampFriday #Music
Bsky really tries to push the outrage into my timeline. I don't have time or energy for that.
It's not that I'm not outraged, I am. But outrage is a purely negative emotion that takes away energy we use to take action.
It's not that I'm not outraged, I am. But outrage is a purely negative emotion that takes away energy we use to take action.
September 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Bsky really tries to push the outrage into my timeline. I don't have time or energy for that.
It's not that I'm not outraged, I am. But outrage is a purely negative emotion that takes away energy we use to take action.
It's not that I'm not outraged, I am. But outrage is a purely negative emotion that takes away energy we use to take action.
A lot of fascinating info in this report. Two that struck me:
- The top 10 texts taught in class have not changed a lot since the 1960s.
- Man of the "banned" texts are also taught texts.
ncte.org/literature-u... (You need to give up your email address for the full report 🫤) #Teaching #English
- The top 10 texts taught in class have not changed a lot since the 1960s.
- Man of the "banned" texts are also taught texts.
ncte.org/literature-u... (You need to give up your email address for the full report 🫤) #Teaching #English
The State of Literature Use in US Secondary English Classrooms
A new report detailing the use of literature in public secondary schools nationwide.
ncte.org
September 4, 2026 at 1:51 PM
A lot of fascinating info in this report. Two that struck me:
- The top 10 texts taught in class have not changed a lot since the 1960s.
- Man of the "banned" texts are also taught texts.
ncte.org/literature-u... (You need to give up your email address for the full report 🫤) #Teaching #English
- The top 10 texts taught in class have not changed a lot since the 1960s.
- Man of the "banned" texts are also taught texts.
ncte.org/literature-u... (You need to give up your email address for the full report 🫤) #Teaching #English
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
A gem at the county fair art show. 🎨
September 3, 2026 at 12:18 AM
A gem at the county fair art show. 🎨
Verifying you're human by pressing buttons is a thing that damns with faint praise.
September 3, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Verifying you're human by pressing buttons is a thing that damns with faint praise.
At a previous city council meeting people said some things the mayor didn't like, so the mayor tried to eliminate the public comment period for the next meeting. That didn't go over well *at all* so at this meeting they had to sit and take *all* of the feedback on that too.
Small towns. 😝
#Local
Small towns. 😝
#Local
September 2, 2026 at 1:28 PM
At a previous city council meeting people said some things the mayor didn't like, so the mayor tried to eliminate the public comment period for the next meeting. That didn't go over well *at all* so at this meeting they had to sit and take *all* of the feedback on that too.
Small towns. 😝
#Local
Small towns. 😝
#Local
An Extreme Heat Warning sounds awesome, but it turn out it's the other meaning of awesome.
September 2, 2026 at 1:16 PM
An Extreme Heat Warning sounds awesome, but it turn out it's the other meaning of awesome.
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
September 1, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
When the manager opens their mouth to get you to participate in something inane in that meeting, you look em resolutely in the eye as you say the magic words, "Fool, this isn't even my final form."
Corporatemaxx it. 24/7.
Corporatemaxx it. 24/7.
September 1, 2026 at 11:44 AM
When the manager opens their mouth to get you to participate in something inane in that meeting, you look em resolutely in the eye as you say the magic words, "Fool, this isn't even my final form."
Corporatemaxx it. 24/7.
Corporatemaxx it. 24/7.
Booped a dog today
I booped him right on the nose
Never saw it coming
I booped him right on the nose
Never saw it coming
September 1, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Booped a dog today
I booped him right on the nose
Never saw it coming
I booped him right on the nose
Never saw it coming
#NowListening to Nightfall, Keep it Up. I remember getting this from a tiny but amazing CD shop in Aoyama, Tokyo that only sold compilation discs. It was such a good place to discover music.
This one puts the capital D in disco.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_y...
This one puts the capital D in disco.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_y...
Nightfall - Keep It Up (12" version)
YouTube video by bbemusic
www.youtube.com
September 1, 2026 at 12:05 AM
#NowListening to Nightfall, Keep it Up. I remember getting this from a tiny but amazing CD shop in Aoyama, Tokyo that only sold compilation discs. It was such a good place to discover music.
This one puts the capital D in disco.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_y...
This one puts the capital D in disco.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW_y...
"Using AI was a no-brainer"
YES. THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM.
YES. THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM.
August 31, 2026 at 11:55 PM
"Using AI was a no-brainer"
YES. THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM.
YES. THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM.
Just when I think I know of all the "other" services libraries offer, I discovered a library system that offers free tutoring, in person or remote, for any age and any subject, college on down, from 8 am to midnight every day.
#Libraries do so much high-impact stuff. ❤️
#Libraries do so much high-impact stuff. ❤️
August 31, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Just when I think I know of all the "other" services libraries offer, I discovered a library system that offers free tutoring, in person or remote, for any age and any subject, college on down, from 8 am to midnight every day.
#Libraries do so much high-impact stuff. ❤️
#Libraries do so much high-impact stuff. ❤️
Remember: It's not Monday's fault.
It's the oligarchy.
It's the oligarchy.
August 31, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Remember: It's not Monday's fault.
It's the oligarchy.
It's the oligarchy.
The biggest problem with using a monospace font for writing is telling the difference between a minus sign, a hyphen, an en-dash and an em-dash.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WritingLife
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WritingLife
August 30, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The biggest problem with using a monospace font for writing is telling the difference between a minus sign, a hyphen, an en-dash and an em-dash.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WritingLife
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WritingLife
Reposted by Steven Hoefer
When BREATH WARMTH & DREAM came out a few years back, the outstanding Anna Tambour had me on her blog for Q&A. Now that we're a month out from the new Kickstarter, KHUMALO TALES, ending this witchly fantasy, this morning's a good time for a how it started...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/obs...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/obs...
Why Witches: an interview with Zig Zag Claybourne
Talking about his newest novel, Breath, Warmth, and Dream , Book One of the Mother Khumalo trilogy But first, the blogger's privilege of in...
medlarcomfits.blogspot.com
August 30, 2026 at 1:28 PM
When BREATH WARMTH & DREAM came out a few years back, the outstanding Anna Tambour had me on her blog for Q&A. Now that we're a month out from the new Kickstarter, KHUMALO TALES, ending this witchly fantasy, this morning's a good time for a how it started...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/obs...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/obs...