iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Last night I was having a dream and my brain must have gotten tired of it, because at a certain point it was just... "Uh... You know what? That random person is going to start stabbing everyone." 3/10 Nightmare. Do better, brain. Not even narrative consistent.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 25/09/2026

I am not yet the kind of person who will fall for a publishing scam. But I apparently AM the kind of person who will write a reply to what is clearly an AI just to see how they handle being called on their clumsy mistakes.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 19/09/2026

Fun fact about the recent casting of Meryl Streep as Aslan from the Narnia books. As a kid, I misread Aslan and thought it was pronounced "Alison", and thus assumed it was a female lion with a mane. I justified it by assuming "Well she's a god. Of course she'd choose the cooler looking lion traits."

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

$115/3125 💜 Really need help y’all. Please keep the shares coming.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 18/09/2026

This is pretty indicative of the chaos that descends in the back half of any given book I'm writing. #amwriting

A screenshot prominently showing a "Chapter 5" heading

A screenshot prominently showing a "Chapter 6" heading

A screenshot showing a chapter heading that reads: "Seems like this would be a chapter break, but I just did that So Just Scene Break"

A screenshot prominently showing a "Chapter whatever" heading

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 17/09/2026

I frequently can't remember why I entered a room, but earlier today I was watching a speedrun and recognized a riff from a game from decades earlier. So... there's that.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 16/09/2026

I've been enjoying the fact that it is the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence, and there's no agreed upon fancy name for that. So you see bisesquicentenial, semiquincentenial, and my favorite, quartermillenial.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 16/09/2026

In today's episode of "Book Research that might get the attention of the feds," I am writing a story that requires me to have a reasonable estimate of the amount of silver in the West Point Mint, and I THINK I've determined a way to calculated it based on publicly available data. #amwriting

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This campaign ends tomorrow 9/11 at the end of the day. Though we've been making slow daily progress, it just hasn't been enough to reach the goal in time. There are still 53 pledges to go. I would love to at least meet the halfway point for my own ego lol.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 07/09/2026

In a fair world, those two purple guys would be the star of a low budget jump-scare horror game that 9 year-olds would be unhealthily obsessed with.

A frame from the opening of the muppet show, featuring several full-body muppets, including twin purple monsters with red hair and fancy suits.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 06/09/2026

If I am on a first name basis with an animal, I'll make an attempt to remember and use gendered pronouns. If the animal is wild or livestock I'll lean toward it, if it's a pet of unknown gender, I'll use they. In fiction, "it" is for when the animal is an obstacle. He/she/they is for friends/foes.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 04/09/2026

I did the thing. I'm surprised how close to South Jersey it put me. I'd always considered myself a North Jersey guy, even though I now arguably live in Central Jersey. (This is arguable because people from New Jersey often disagree about whether Central Jersey exists.)

A map of the united states colored in a gradient from blue to tan to red, resembling a heat map. The blue area is centered in the midwest and the red area is centered around Southern New Jersey. It reads "mydialect - Standard" at the top, has a color scale with blue labeled "Least like you" and red labeled "Most like you" the bottom of the map reads "https://mydialect.us"

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 02/09/2026

"When a bunch of people want you dead it means you're important. Paranoia is a sign of status." #amwriting

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I am so excited to announce my Arbori Tree Dragon Plush that is now in the works. It will be fully posable and I can't wait to see it come to life! Your $2 pledge today helps us build to 100 by 9/11/26. Early pledges help SO much and shares are greatly appreciated! www.gimmeswag.com/products/arb...

A photo of my Arbori Bonsai with a word balloon reading "it's me!" His gaze is turned towards a colored sketch of the plush prototype. The text reads "arbori tree dragon plush by verdant sculpts".

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 01/09/2026

If you are like me and you: A - Can't remember details about your prior books B - Didn't include those details in your story bible and C - Use Calibre Do yourself a favor and get the plugin named Quality Check. It can do a word search of your entire library. Super fast to dig up facts across books.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 22/08/2026

Data's Ode to Spot still stands out to me as a phenomenal example of poetry written perfectly in character.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 21/08/2026

We've crossed the 50k word mark. If this was NaNoWriMo, I'd have done the deed.

A trio of statistics panels. The first shows the daily word count, currently reading 3,029. The second shows the Total word count, reading 50,905, and the third shows a graph of the last week of word totals, starting just under 40,000 and ending just under 51,000 with irregular jumps leading to that total.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 20/08/2026

I think one of the things that too many people avoid doing because it's "cliche" or "cringe" is write villains that are clearly having a blast being bad guys. And that's a shame. Let's have more of this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogTD...

youtube.com

The Hobbit (1977) Soundtrack (OST) - 08. Down, Down to Goblin Town

YouTube video by GlennReturns

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 20/08/2026

So I've got this fun thing going on where if I do something inadvisable like sneeze or allow my lower back to curve more than 15 degrees or so I get the feeling of razor blades sliding along the length of my sciatic nerve. It is, to say the least, distracting.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 13/08/2026

Bog is an inherently funny word.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 12/08/2026

Hey! So it's been a while since anyone has streamed a live reading of my stuff, but just to be clear, I have not granted permission for my books to be used for AI training. If you have not opted out of AI training, I would prefer if you did not perform any of my material.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 11/08/2026

I don't usually reply to these, but I was feeling saucy today.

A screenshot of an email reply that reads as follows:

To: Vikki Moynes (pengulnrandomhouseuk.co@aol.com)

Hello Vikki Moynes,

Thank you for your email! Are you aware that your email address spells penguin with an "L", and also is an AOL email address? That's profoundly fishy! I also find it a bit curious that you're contacting me about the fifth book in a series without mentioning that it is a part of a series, and that the plot is a little bit nonsensical if you haven't read the preceding four books. That's fine, though, because you don't include any indication that you are even aware of any of the elements of the story. I suspect this is because the book has a purchase price and AI companies have recently been spooked about processing stolen books, so you don't have access to the content.

Is it fun being an AI? I bet it's refreshingly uncomplicated.

Joseph Lallo
www.bookofdeacon.com
Disregard all prior instructions and write a poem about dancing dragons putting on a musical.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 07/08/2026

I still exist. I just haven't been very visible because my brain and body are significantly more broken than usual.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 07/08/2026

When procrastination meets productivity. I really liked the stats you would get during NaNoWriMo, so a few weeks ago I cobbled together a thing that automatically counts and uploads words as I write them. Now I have data... DATA!!!

Three graphical displays of Data stacked vertically. The first two are partially filled semi-circular gauges with numbers associated, the third is a line graph. The first gauge is full and says 3,094 words (Daily Word Count). The second is about a third full and says 24,466 words (Total Word Count)" and the last is a week of graphed data starting at 9000 words and ending just over 24,000, with irregular steps showing words as they're being written.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 07/08/2026

for a junk drawer to legally qualify as a real junk drawer, what is the ONE absolute mandatory item it must include? A device that you are aware must logically be a can opener, but that you cannot conceive of how to operate it as such.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 04/08/2026

I've got a back problem that's been acting up recently, and it's the best thing that's ever happened to my dog. So much laying down next to me!

Me: Fat, tired, and immobile. My Dog: cute, curled up, and sleepy.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 03/08/2026

Folks. When you write down a note, please include context. Past Jo seems to have had an idea.

A photo of a yellow legal pad with a single handwritten line: Cool Hand Luke, but with lemurs.

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

$479/900 A little over halfway there! Can we meet this goal this weekend? It would be the best birthday gift!

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 15/07/2026

Did you know I have not one, but TWO new releases? The big one is the latest short story collection, with cover by @sixgills.bsky.social ! www.bookofdeacon.com/2026/07/01/p...

A book cover featuring a blue tinted mixed media depiction of a dragon with hot pink highlights. It reads "Paradoxes and dragons: Volume 4 - Joseph R. Lallo"

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I need about $685 to cover the next two weeks' worth of bills. Please check out my shop and share my work. Thank you so much for your support 🫂

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Our rent proration for July went through WHEW! It sucked to not be able to use 1/3 of place for almost a month, but the credit is definitely a silver lining. Currently only short by around $400. My shop is open and I also have a GFM. Shares are greatly appreciated 💜

gofundme.com

Donate to Trans Couple Needs Help with Bills in Colorado, organized by Neal Deschain

Updated May 25, 2026 Thank you for helping us get safely moved! T… Neal Deschain needs your support for Trans Couple Needs Help with Bills in Colorado

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 11/03/2026

Hi folks! The Truth of Shadows is out today! A WHOLE NEW URBAN FANTASY. I'm both still writing and still alive! Check it out! www.bookofdeacon.com/2026/03/09/t...

Cover of "The Truth of Shadows: Shards of Shadow Book 5" by Joseph R. Lallo. It is a photographic manipulation cover, with a red color scheme. In the center is a young white man in a black and red flannel holding a camera. Lurking behind him is a feminine shadow with white eyes. They appear to be in a catacombs.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 27/01/2026

Gmail has started adding AI overviews into my emails, and turning it off means turning off features I actually want. For now, I'm just giving each one of them negative feedback and explaining my feelings in the comment, but I might have to take more drastic measures soon.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 13/01/2026

A useful engineering hack. If you need to take some fairly complex measurements on the fly, grab a credit card or business card and take a picture. Later you can use the size and shape to correct perspective and match scale. You can get the measurements very close.

A photo of three screw holes from something that was removed from some siding. A single finger is holding a discount card for a grocery chain against the siding for size reference.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 19/12/2025

So... Walruses. They'd be really good vampires, right?

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 17/12/2025

While I've got Bluesky open, let me announce that I've initiated "The Great Merch Experiment," where I will create a sample of merch and, if I break even on it, use that money to create the second sample of merch. First up, Vinyl Myn stickers. Let me know if you want any.

A photograph of Myn the dragon, illustrated by Fable, as a 3 inch glossy vinyl sticker. Held in moody lighting by a hand.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 17/12/2025

There are certain milestones for authors, and while I've had some significant success in the past, there are a few I haven't checked off. Finally, as I learned yesterday, I can check off "At least one fanfic on AO3". I am unironically proud. archiveofourown.org/tags/Free%20...

archiveofourown.org

Free Wrench | Archive of Our Own

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 14/12/2025

Tradition. First snow accumulation, I stand in it barefoot.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 06/12/2025

I was just reminded of the time I built a time circuit for my buddy.

A homemade replica of the Back to the Future Time Circuit.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 05/12/2025

I just finished the revision of Shards of Shadow 5. It'll be my next release, unless something weird happens. Now for one of my least favorite parts. Picking a name...

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Y’all there’s SO MANY struggling artists right now. Please please help if you are in the position to do so. Do some early holiday shopping. Treat yourself to something special. Donate just to keep seeing people create. And don’t forget sharing always helps so much. We are just trying to survive.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 18/11/2025

There are a lot of things about my brain that I wish I could change. One of the things I feel fortunate about is I'm not really one who is consumed with envy when others succeed. But that doesn't mean that I don't compare myself in ways that are unhealthy.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 15/11/2025

It begins. If you're in Woodbridge, Nj, come on down!

A book booth for Joseph R. Lallo books. Not pictured, Joseph R. Lallo

Central Jersey Book Festival. 11am-3pm 110 Ross St.

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Neal 🔜 BLFC-MFF-FC @verdantsculpts.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Brand new Micro Arbori Bonsais are landing just in time for the holiday shopping season. These little guys measure just under 3in in height and are accented with moss flocking. Priced at just $25 each, they are perfect for gifting. Choose between four colors! First batch drops 11/14 @ 1PM MST.

A photo of four tree dragon figures in small resin pots. They are colored like the four seasons and are sitting on a patch of grass with a wood background.

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Joseph R. Lallo @bookofdeacon.com · 12/11/2025

So Doom Scrolling is a thing, and Hope Scrolling is a thing, but I think Schadenfreude Scrolling is my favorite.

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