#ashley mackenzie

[ashmackenzie]

The Werewolf 🌕

[travalicious]

cradle: ascension by ashley mackenzie

[judging-by-its-cover]

Iron Widow, Heavenly Tyrant, by Xiran Jay Zhao. Book covers (official)

Artist: Ashley Mackenzie

《 If artist found / any info needs correction, please let me know! 》

[walrusmagazine]

Why William Gibson Is a Literary Genius

Forty years after his breakout story, “Johnny Mnemonic,” the father of cyberpunk remains one of the best writers around

The world Gibson was building was a wormhole away from most science fiction—from space-opera optimism and the sort of intergalactic intrigue that’s settled by laser sword. Gibson’s heroes were hustlers, their turf the congested city. They used substances, skirted the law, and self-edited via surgery. He provided more detail, the following year, in the story “Burning Chrome,” which coined the term cyberspace: a boundless 3-D grid, “an abstract representation of the relationships between data systems”—a kind of web.

Read more at thewalrus.ca.

Illustration by Ashley Mackenzie (ashmackenzie.com)

[curatorofthisdigitalmorass]

William Gibson - Art by Ashley Mackenzie

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Impossible Creatures

When I was a kid, my cousins and I watched the ABC mini-series The 10th Kingdom on repeat because we loved it so much. A woman's father is kidnapped by trolls and she has to travel to a land full of all of the fairytale characters we know and love to save him? Sign me up. That's probably why "portal fantasies", where a character goes through a portal into another world more fantastical and magical than our own, often become instant and lifelong favorites of mine. Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson, In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. The list goes on and on. And the newest addition to this engaging subgenre? Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, with gorgeous illustrations throughout by Ashley Mackenzie.

A girl with a flying coat from a world full of magical creatures. A boy with a penchant for animals from our own less obviously magical world. Mal and Christopher both feel the stifling weight of overprotection, a list of things they can't do instead of can: stay in the garden and away from the forest, no birthday candles or potato peelers so they can't hurt themselves. But curious children can't obey all of the rules. So when Christopher goes to the top of the hill he isn't supposed to be on while visiting his eccentric grandfather, he's both shocked and pleased to find a stampede of creatures that shouldn't exist, as well as Mal, a girl who climbed over a wall she shouldn't have climbed. What ensues is the adventure of a lifetime. In a bid to save the magic that is slowly leeching away from Mal's world, they leave on a quest looking for answers, picking up a Berserker, a marine scientist, and a ratatoska (a green, squirrel-like creature) along the way. Sailing through the island nation, encountering magical creatures both helpful and dangerous, a murderer comes ever closer and the urgency rises. 

The first book in a new middle grade series, Impossible Creatures is sure to enchant young and old alike. It will be on our shelves this coming Tuesday, September 10. The first printing has sprayed edges and foiling on the cover, and we have several copies that are signed by the author! We can't wait to share this new book by a longtime favorite author with you all. I, for one, cannot wait for the next book and to travel back to the magical land of The Archipelago.

-- Becca

[virtuouslibertines69]

"One could argue that most of the trouble in the world is caused by introspection." — Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down

Art by Ashley Mackenzie

[akiraeffect]

[slobbered]

Art: Cracked by Ashley Mackenzie

“These are not battle scars. These are not proof of survival. My riddled body is not so poetic. The fact that they exist proves I was very sad and very sick. The fact that they are scar tissued proves I am progressing. This was never supposed to be poetry. There is no romance in pain.”

— Michelle K., Truth About Scars.  (via harukimuracallme)

[ecnmatic]

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) dir. Bill Condon.

[nofatclips-home]

Skim by Torres

[ashmackenzie]

The Vampire 🩸

[malec-damie-robsten]

Creaciones INCREÍBLES 💯 alguien sabe cómo hacerlo?

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Can you share your favorite thing about any (or all) of your ocs? I absolutely love when you talk about them and I want to know more about them so bad!

Hi! This ask is two weeks old I'm so sorry. (The depression gets ahold of me sometimes.) Also I still can't believe anyone cares about my characters. Like I'm over the moon but it's also so weird to actually have people ask about them. TwT

I'd love to share some random stuff about them for you. :)

None of these are necessarily my favorite things about them, just a few Fun Facts I guess?

♥ Rayne is left-handed and was home schooled until he was a teenager. He immediately became a theatre kid. ♥ Elliot has chronic back pain from working on his family's farm. He fell out of the roof of the barn while hanging tobacco and never got to see a doctor about it. He just keeps ibuprofen handy at all times. He's fine. ♥ Laurent enjoys soap operas. He is very easily sucked into the drama. His favorites involve ridiculous plots and complicated romances. ♥ Leander is terrified of the dark (because his father used to lock him in a closet) and always keeps a light on in his room at night. ♥ Jace lives in a neighborhood that's hidden from non-wolves via a magical barrier. The barrier also acts as a ward against vampires.

I have approximately a million ocs y'all haven't 'met' yet, so I'm gonna share shit about some of the other bastards (affectionate) just because I can!

supernatural polycule babes: ♠ Isa (werewolf) is supposed to be the calm one but he's constantly about to snap. He can't let anyone know that though. ♠ Ashley (witch) has scars on his arms from being burned with cigarettes as a kid. ♠ Aaron (uh... one of a kind?) let Rayne choose their new name when they came out. "You're my father! You have every right to give me a name. And I want you to."

angel/demon babes: ♠ Skylar (angel) doesn't exactly understand how a google search works. "Am I... Is this praying to a machine?" ♠ Mackenzie (demon) has two guitars and a keyboard in his room, but he can play zero instruments. He wanted to learn but never quite got around to it. He lets Skylar play them though.

[walrusmagazine]

Why Are There so Few Female Conductors?

For women, the symphony is not so different from the boardroom

It’s one thing for a woman to be playing second oboe or viola, a neat figure in black wedged in the orchestra pit. It is another for her to be the head of that tuxedoed flock, commanding them with a wave of a baton. The politics of the symphony may be obscure, but the prejudices women face as they vie for the podium exist across the entire spectrum of professional achievement.

Read more at thewalrus.ca.

Illustration by Ashley Mackenzie (ashmackenzie.com)

[stuff-diary]

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Movies watched in 2024

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023, USA)

Director: Francis Lawrence

Writers: Michael Lesslie & Michael Arndt (based on the novel by Suzanne Collins)

Mini-review:

I can't believe I waited so long to watch this one, considering The Hunger Games was such a big part of my life and I loved this prequel book. And after finally watching it, I'm so happy with the result. It does a great job as an adaptation, although some of Corilanus' complexity gets lost in translation without the book's internal narration. But most importantly, it's a pretty damn good movie in its own right. It sends a strong message that feels as important as ever in our current political and social landscape, and it does that without ever getting boring. It certainly helps that all the members of this incredible cast give striking performances. On top of that, the soundtrack is entirely unforgettable, with Rachel Zegler serving some serious vocals, as expected. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes proves this franchise has enough fuel to keep going for a long time, and I'm already excited to read/watch the next prequel.