Substacks recommended by Jon Sparks | The Shattered Moon’s Substack

Recommended by Jon Sparks

About Mountains

By Ronald Turnbull

walking across them, climbing up them, writing about them

A Writer's Diary

By Toby Litt

Writing wisdom, advice and encouragement for every day of the year.

Becky’s Books

By Becky Dean

My monthly-ish newsletter with writing updates, news, book thoughts, and more, for Becky Dean YA novels and B.L. Dean sci-fi novels

See Greece Newsletter

By Mike

Information and Inspiration for your Travels in Greece from two Greece travel experts.

When they say experts, I know they really are.

- Jon Sparks

Alpenglow Journal

By Alex Roddie

Elevating human creativity and purpose through adventure. A journal of outdoor and nature writing, photography, analogue counterculture, literature and art.

Cambridge Ladies' Dining Society

By Ann Kennedy Smith

Exploring books, literary lives and Cambridge women’s history

You don’t have to have a Cambridge connection to find lots to interest you here. It’s full of fascinating insight into the lives and histories of women who have so often been overlooked.

- Jon Sparks

Ned. Roads. Words.

Writer, reader, shouter and performer of words. Sometimes about bicycles, but also about all the other things in the world.

Andy Hamilton’s New Wild Order

Life, I’m starting to understand, isn’t about picking a side but asking why there are sides in the first place - New posts every fortnight.

Unmapped Storylands with Elif Shafak

Stories, anecdotes, wise proverbs and foolish thoughts, literary musings, insights and conversations centred around my personal, unpublished notebooks

Ponderings of a Part-Time Writer

By JY Saville's Ponderings

Regular musings on what I'm writing, what I'm reading, and anything else that fires me up enough to put fingers to keyboard

Home & Place Writing

By Yasmin Chopin

A publication for professionals who want to pivot and prioritise their writing to engage with nature, home, and place.

Council Estate Media

By Ricky

Website promoting working class politics and anti-imperialism.

Laura Thompson’s Substack

By laura thompson

Writing on writers - Nancy, Agatha, various Elizabeths and more. And on other things, from classical ballet to classic murder trials. Whatever interests me, and I hope you also.

Receipt from the Bookshop

By Katie

My weekly post - Receipt from the Bookshop - is written in real time from my award-winning independent bookshop in St. Annes-on-Sea, UK. Paid subscribers also get an additional weekly essay/book review and access to my book club.

Jonathan Kennett

Guidebook writer, trail builder and event organiser (e.g. Classic NZ Cycle Trails, Makara Peak, Tour Aotearoa).

Everything Is Amazing

By Mike

A newsletter about asking better questions & a romp through science in search of a good "wow!" you can feel down to your boots.

The Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything

By Jonn Elledge

assorted nerdery from a man who should probably be doing something else

5AM StoryTalk

By Cole Haddon

A community of artists and art lovers trying to make sense of the 21st century together - through the lens of film, TV, music, novels, and fine art.

The Austen Connection

By Plain Jane

How Jane Austen's stories connect to us today, and connect us to each other.

Alina’s Newsletter

By Alina Adams

trying to revive a writing career - in my 50's

Tony Howard

Rock nomad

Chris Townsend

This Itch of Writing with Emma Darwin

All about fiction and creative non-fiction: writing it, reading it, teaching it and occasionally hating it

Literary Ladies Guide

By Nava

Literary Ladies Guide celebrates the lives and works of women writers and writer-adjacent creatives, preserving and elevating women's voices.

Damsel in the Library

By Kailani B.

The hottest, boldest, best-est reviews and essays about fiction this side of the internet. And the occasional short story from yours truly. Uncut and AI free.

You may not agree with everything she says, but Damsel in the Library a lot of interesting and thought-provoking observations on reading and writing.

- Jon Sparks

Advocating for the Ignorant

By Sarah Harkness

My biography of Daniel and Alexander Macmillan, Literature for the People, is out now. I mostly write about people, authors and history, late 19th and early 20th century. Now working on a particular group of 20th century women linked to the Labour Party

Recursive Ink

By C.K. Adams

Science fiction focused on big questions rather than big battles. Short stories, essays, book reviews, writing insights, and serialized chapters of the Gothic sci-fi novella Pinstripe Revival from indie author C.K. Adams.

Woman of Letters

By Naomi Kanakia

I write about the Great Books, classic literature, and the contemporary publishing world.

Glass Bottle Stories

By Tiffany Chu

Fiction for readers looking for emotional devastation. Literary fantasy short stories and serials exploring the darker sides of human nature.

Pen Marks

By Gareth Marks

Writing and writing about writing and writing about writing about writing and

The Eye of the Beholder

By Peter Harkness

It's not just beauty which is in the Eye of the Beholder - I write about anything which catches my attention, as I amble through the worlds of art, history, politics and anywhere else I like.

Emma Kennedy

Writing, books, LEGO and cooking.

I’m really enjoying Emma Kennedy’s read-through of s collection of vintage Penguin books. I grew up on Penguin too.

- Jon Sparks

Citizen of Nowhere

By Yasmin Ali

It’s a funny old world for a citizen of nowhere. And that is a disgrace. And if you know that the two previous sentences echo our three women Prime Ministers, this occasional newsletter might just be for you.

OWPG’s Substack

Words and pictures from the outdoors

Past the Dragon

By Clifford Stumme

We're changing lives by learning about sci-fi/fantasy literature. Come for the essays and original stories. Stay for the memes.