Ann Darlington

@gradientcat.bsky.social

545 Followers 395 Following

I am a Canadian engineer who writes sci-fi & fantasy novels. I enjoy photography, hiking, gardening and cats. 🇨🇦

Writing snippet: Odelle let out a sigh. “Kylie, whatever Gavin may have suggested, it's conjecture. I understand you're distressed about the fate of the Westriver route and this fantasy would save it, but nothing is simple. Traders have to work to be successful. Prince Julian and Farthington need you. Don't abandon him to go on a foolish fancy.”
Close-up of a crochet blanket. Hexagon motifs, assorted colours in the middle of the motifs with a cream coloured background.
“It’s fine, I’ve been desperate to tell someone about how I’m going to pack my wagon with goods.” Kylie swirled around her drink. It had a heavy flavour and she realized that it was full-strength rum, not the non-alcoholic box rum that she’d ordered. “Go ahead, I like puzzles.” Kylie laughed. She’d expected a look of dismay from Julian, not for him to play along. “If I said that I wanted to discuss the number of buttons on your jacket would you be amenable to that too?” “Hmm.” He glanced down. “Four and they’re a little tight to fasten. Next year, I’m going to break them in a little before the ball.”
Digital drawing of a tree in the grass on a starry moonlit night.
Photo collage with a medium blue background. Top Photos: 1. Landscape view of a volcano surrounded by greenery with a cloudy blue sky above. 2. Inside a cave with a sandy floor, looking outwards to the blue sky. Middle Photos: 3. A wall of blue ice. 4. A red heart made of flames. 5. Landscape of a large iceberg, with water in front of it and blue sky Bottom Photos. 6. Landscape of a waterfall flowing into a pool, with trees next to the falls. 7. Close up of blue & teal dragon scales. 8. Close up of a woman and a man lying in the grass, looking lovingly at each other. Woman in a red dress. Man in a black t-shirt.
Writing snippet: “I hope you aren’t leaving already,” Julian said from behind her. “Yes… maybe… I don’t know...” Staying at the ball wasn’t appealing and there wasn’t much point in persuading Julian to go on the quest anymore. “You were right when we talked at the market, it’s uncomfortably hot in the ballroom. I was hoping for some fresh air. Were you looking for me?” Julian took a sip from a goblet and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s a pleasant surprise, but after dancing, I needed some air myself. Since the weather isn’t cooperating, I can show you somewhere else that might suit you.”
Photo of a string of beads in shades of blue, with gold. At the end of the string is a small crochet hook and the start of a crocheted rope tube.
Photo collage with a medium blue background. Top Photos: 1. Landscape view of a volcano surrounded by greenery with a cloudy blue sky above. 2. Inside a cave with a sandy floor, looking outwards to the blue sky. Middle Photos: 3. A wall of blue ice. 4. A red heart made of flames. 5. Landscape of a large iceberg, with water in front of it and blue sky Bottom Photos. 6. Landscape of a waterfall flowing into a pool, with trees next to the falls. 7. Close up of blue & teal dragon scales. 8. Close up of a woman and a man lying in the grass, looking lovingly at each other. Woman in a red dress. Man in a black t-shirt.
Pen sketch of a starfish on a rock.
Pen sketch of a whale's tale sticking out of the water, with islands in the distance.
Pale pink tote bag with outline of pink tie-dye heart and dots.
Tie dye craft. Fabric is twisted and held with elastics. Purple, pink and red dyes.
Jigsaw puzzle of colourful umbrellas. The outer border has been completed. The puzzle box is sitting in the middle of the frame.
Stick drawing. A mech with a person inside. There is a ladder leaning against the mech with a person climbing up. Next to the mech is a giant door that says 'Airlock do not open'.
Writting snippet: The door opened with a creak and someone made a slight coughing noise to get her attention. Definitely not her grandmother. Kylie let out a gasp at the sight of Winthrop standing in the doorway. He was wearing a black leather jacket monogramed with a scripted “B” and it was unbuttoned, revealing a black vest underneath. The lack of boots almost made her smile as he stood there in his socks.
Patch of blue forget-me-not flowers, on a bed of beige mulch.
Crochet scrap blanket. Three strips in a chevron pattern - multi-coloured with blue, orange, yellow, white, pink, red, purple.
Snippet:“New rule. No tracking me with tech. Eyes only. Unless I give you permission.” Paige glared at Remi. “You haven’t told me what else you put a tracker on.” “Your bike, of course. Your tool bag, your luggage bag… The hair elastic was a lark, the main one was in your shoe.” Remi didn’t look remorseful at all. It was his job to protect the team and their assets. She wasn’t entirely convinced he considered her the former.
Crochet, corner-to-corner style, with multi-coloured diagonal stripes.
Aesthetic collage in cool blue tones. Central photo is the back view of a woman with blue hair. Surrounding photos include: closeup of a robotic hand, closeup of gears, view of glass buildings, closeup of cockpit controls, a glowing blue door, a view of a planet in space with a ship flying nearby, a tool box and a keyboard.
Crochet swatch, corner-to-corner style. The first part of the piece is medium blue, then the colour changes to white.
Snippet on a light blue background: He shifted lower to allow her to climb onto his back. “Elladora used a harness whenever she rode with me. It chaffed, so if it becomes a problem for you, figure out another way to stay on.” The scales behind his neck suited Adalyn, but there was always the chance she could lose her grip and slip off. She wrinkled her nose. Fire magic would hardly solve this problem. “I'll be fine. Just warn me if you plan on doing any loops.”
#FridayKiss snippet on a background of a starscape: “I’m glad you decided to sleep in. I thought after everything that’s happened, you might want to talk.” Kestrel’s fingers stopped drumming. “Why is your shower still on? Did you hook up with someone from the party?” Brina drew in a measured breath. “You could say that.” “I've also never known you to bring a stranger onto the ship for a fling,” he persisted. “What can I say? It's been quite the week. I've pretty much tossed out the rule book since I got to Pulsar Station.”
Photo of a partially completed needle point. Two cats are sitting on a stack of books, in front of a bookcase. The cat on the left has long black and white fur. The cat on the right is an orange tabby. There is a shaded lamp behind the black and white cat.