iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

PigeonWIP has all your favorite tropes: - morally grey (and literally grey) MC - Flockmates to lovers - Only one nest Okay, maybe not those exact tropes…. Can’t wait to share more about this unhinged take on the “birds aren’t real” conspiracy soon! @writerpit.bsky.social #WIP #Specfic #Agented

Quote that reads "This country has not gone 'to the birds'. If it had, we'd be better for it. The birds are the best of us, i'm afraid."
Images of police cars, surveillance cameras, birds flying, a pigeon, fields of flowers, NYC skyline, and a sign that says "Big Data is Watching You".

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

The Magic of Now: the story of a 62 year old farmer, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new-age cult that might be behind it 🐐 Aimee Bender X Eternal Sunshine X Catherine House #PosterPit #ag #spf

The magic of now
Woman led cult
Goat tension
Humor and tears
Best supporting goat

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Happy almost Valentine’s Day from my novel-in-progress! Because even though birds aren’t real, my excitement about the second draft of this book absolutely is 😎 #writing #writercommunity #valentines #wip #capitalismsucks #birdsarentreal

Roses are red, Hydrangeas are teal, capitalism sucks and birds aren't real

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Kicking off 2026 with a re-intro! I’m Cailin, a writer focused on grounded spec fic. Current projects: 🐐The Magic of Now, about a woman reincarnated as a goat, and the cult her sister infiltrates to figure out why, and 🐦Pigeon WIP, an unhinged exploration of the Birds Aren’t Real conspiracy

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

My rough drafts are, indeed, very rough. I leave tons of notes like these for “future Cailin" to fix. Very soon, "future Cailin" will become "present Cailin" on this project… but let’s not think about that yet 🫣

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Guide to THE MAGIC OF NOW The story of a 62-year-old farmer, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it Feat: 🐐women-led cult 🐐explorations of grief 🐐sister relationship 🐐neuroscience 🐐offbeat humor 🐐surrealism x light sci fi #Questpit #AG #A #S

The Magic of Now

The story of a 62-year-old farmer,
the goat her sister may be reincarnated into,
and the new age cult that could be behind it.
Guide to
By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack
Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency

Gyla, 62-year old in mourning, encounters a mysterious goat on her farm that she suspects contains the consciousness of her recently deceased sister, Tina. Her quest for answers eventually leads to ReNewAll, a reclusive new-age community fixated on death and grieving– and with a goat on their brochures.
In addition to nonsensical classes like Stargazing with Your Eyes Closed and Untangling the Truth through Macrame, ReNewAll and its neuroscientist leader teach The Magic of Now, a practice that allows members to vividly revisit memories of their deceased loved ones.
As Gyla grows from skeptic and unlikely cult infiltrator to a willing member of ReNewAll’s inner circle, she must ultimately choose between immersing herself in an illusion of the past where Tina is still alive (and human), or dedicating herself to the imperfect (but tangible) version of her sister that is trapped inside the body of a goat.
The Pitch

The Comps
cult comps
Teal
Swan
Mother
God
Elizabeth Holmes
quirky humor and warmly acerbic wit
surrealism that highlights life’s bittersweet beauty
speculative exploration of insular communities
themes of memory and identity
Eternal Sunshine
Catherine House
Aimee Bender
How to Age Disgracefully

A Snippet
The Milky Way painted across the bowl of sky is technicolor and dizzying. The stars seem close enough that if she were to reach out and run her hands across the pricks of them, they’d snag splinters in her fingertips.

The wind grows louder. Gyla walks towards her pond, the forest pressing into the shore on three sides. Later in the spring, the pond's surface will be laced with pale green algae, but this early in the season the water is smooth glass, reflecting the night sky and also—the goat.

Gyla sees its reflection first, then draws her eyes up to where it stands motionless across the water. It’s hard to make out every detail in the muted blues of night, but she can tell who it is the moment she sees it.

“Tina?” Gyla whispers. The goat cocks its head to one side in response.

Gyla is not sure why she says her sister’s name aloud. It’s a physical knowing, the same way she senses weather changes in the marrow of her right knee. When she sees the goat, she feels her sister with her for the first time in months.

The goat approaches her cautiously. Its ear is pierced where an identification tag had been, but the tag is gone, and Gyla can see the stars reflecting on the surface of the pond through the small empty window in the cartilage.

Gyla knows she should be wondering if her mind is playing tricks on her. But she doesn’t waver in her conviction. Somehow, she can tell–this is her sister.

It’s Tina.

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

When Gyla discovers her deceased sister’s soul is trapped in a goat's body, she will do anything to figure out why–including joining a cult. AIMEE BENDER X ETERNAL SUNSHINE X CATHERINE HOUSE #Questpit #AG #S

The Magic of Now
The story of a 62 year old farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it.
Unique manifestations of grief
woman led cult
offbeat humor
central sister relationship
neuroscience meets "woo" psyeudoscience
Older female protagonist
by cailin barrett bressack
rep: alex land, MWLA
Images of goat, field, meditation, brain scan, farms.

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

A New York City snippet from my WIP to remind everyone to please get out and vote for @zohrankmamdani today❤️ We deserve a little hope, don’t you think?

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

AIMEE BENDER X ETERNAL SUNSHINE Based on beta reader reviews, you'll come to THE MAGIC OF NOW for cults & Goat Tension™️ but stay for the existentialism & sobbing! #A #Spec about a 62-year-old farmer, the 🐐 her sister is reincarnated into & the new age cult that could be behind it #UnhingedPit #AG

The Magic of Now
Beta Reader Comments for
By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack
Rep: Alex Land, MWLA
I sat down after work today intending to read another fifty pages and ended up reading the whole ding-dang book.
Holy shit this is such a good twist
was not ready for this
what i love most about this book is how it challenges your perceptions about existentialism and what it means to be human. Who knew hearing a goat's perception could make you think so deeply?
i would die for these nuns
this feels like her azula moment
ok yas girlboss except
goat tension

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Aimee Bender X Eternal Sunshine (+ humor and goats 🐐) THE MAGIC OF NOW is the story of: ✨a 62-year-old farmer, ✨the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, ✨and the new age cult that could be behind it. #PosterPit #AG #SPF

A novel by Cailin Barrett-Bressack
The Magic of Now
woman-led Cult
Goat Tension™
explorations of grief
neuroscience
Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency
The story of a 62-year-old woman, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that might be behind it.
“It’s like a new life-lens is forming for me as I read it.”
“I sat down intending to read fifty pages and ended up reading the whole ding-dang book.”
“I’m not crying, you’re crying”
Best supporting Goat 2025

Meet the dream cast of The Magic of Now
Frances McDormand As Gyla Skeptical farmer, will do anything for answers about her sister Tina–including join a cult
Kathy Bates as Tina Deceased, but maybe reincarnated as a goat (?)
Kathryn Hahn as Karana Neuroscientist turned new-age cult leader

Guest Featuring: A Goat as The goat

Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency
A novel
by Cailin Barrett-Bressack

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Gyla's sister's soul has returned as a goat, and her only lead to why is a new-age cult that vividly relives memories. As Gyla goes from skeptic to inner circle, she must choose: an illusion of the past where her sister is alive (and human), or acceptance of her sister's new form 🐐 #questpit #AG #A

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

If you like grounded, speculative novels featuring woman-led cults, unique depictions of grief, off-beat humor, sister relationships, and neuroscience, then BOY do I have the book for you! 🐐 #Questpit #AG #A #S

Guide to: The Magic of Now
The story of a 62-year-old farmer, the goat her sister may be reincarnated into, and the new age cult that could be behind it.
By: Cailin Barrett-Bressack
Rep: Alex Land, Mad Woman Literary Agency

The Pitch
Gyla, 62-year old in mourning, encounters a mysterious goat on her farm that she suspects contains the consciousness of her recently deceased sister, Tina. Her quest for answers eventually leads to ReNewAll, a reclusive new-age community fixated on death and grieving– and with a goat on their brochures.
In addition to nonsensical classes like Stargazing with Your Eyes Closed and Untangling the Truth through Macrame, ReNewAll and its neuroscientist leader teach The Magic of Now, a practice that allows members to vividly revisit memories of their deceased loved ones.
As Gyla grows from skeptic and unlikely cult infiltrator to a willing member of ReNewAll’s inner circle, she must ultimately choose between immersing herself in an illusion of the past where Tina is still alive (and human), or dedicating herself to the imperfect (but tangible) version of her sister that is trapped inside the body of a goat.

The Comps
How to Age Disgracefully: quirky humor and warmly acerbic wit
Aimee Bender: surrealism used to highlight life’s bittersweet beauty
Catherine House: speculative exploration of insular communities
Eternal Sunshine: themes of memory and identity
comp cults: Teal Swan, Mother God, Elizabeth Holmes

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

THE MAGIC OF NOW The Main Character // The Setting // The Goat 🐐 An upmarket speculative novel featuring everyone’s favorite three things to read about: grief, cults, and goats! #WritingCommunity

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Feeling so proud of my city after yesterday's primary that I'm sharing a snippet from my NYC-based WIP for the first time to celebrate 🐦❤️🌆

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Answering questions on my book and WIP over on Insta, it's been fun 😂 @CailinWrites

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Here's a snippet of The Magic of Now, in a scene where Gyla tries to trigger a memory response from the goat she's convinced contains the consciousness of her deceased sister, Tina (who, as a human, loved to smoke cigarettes). 🐐 🚬

Gyla stares at the Yahoo search bar, wondering how to phrase her question. Ultimately, she slowly types in Google how to make someone act like themselves when sometimes they can’t remember who they are?
This brings up pages of materials on Alzheimer’s and dementia, brain injuries and dissociative states and midlife crises. She tries a few different wordings before landing on a search for how to trigger memories, which gives her some ideas to work with.
She collects items from around the house and lays them in a neat row on the kitchen counter: a pack of cigarettes. A Slim Jim. A bag of cool ranch Doritos. A stack of Otis Redding CDs. A pair of Tina’s favorite jeans. The half-read mystery book from her bedside table. A tube of Bengay.
Once the sun comes up, she brings the goat to the kitchen with raisins as bait, then lights the cigarette. She holds it between her fingers and whirls it around in the air. She stubs it out in the sink, waits for the smoke to dissipate, and wafts the smell over to the goat. She doesn’t want to give it secondhand smokers’ lung; she only needs enough scent to trigger a response.
“Remember these?” She asks, “Marlboro Lights?”
The goat blinks its goat eyes blankly.
“Okay, so maybe you’re not a smoker as a goat.”

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Spent last weekend with the NYC-area contingent of my writing group on a writing retreat by a lake. 6000 words written (and many articles on pigeon racing read) later, I’m exhausted, excited, and already can’t wait to sift through everything I dumped onto the page!

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

If you're an editor who likes grounded, speculative novels featuring women-led cults, unique depictions of grief, humor, sister relationships, and neuroscience, this is the book for you! 🐐 Aimee Bender X Catherine House X Eternal Sunshine #PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

When Gyla discovers her deceased sister’s soul is trapped in a goat's body, she will do anything to figure out why–including joining a cult. Feat: 🐐women-led cult 🐐explorations of grief 🐐central sister relationship 🐐neuroscience 🐐an offbeat sense of humor #PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

THE MAGIC OF NOW The speculative, upmarket story about a 62-year-old woman, the goat her sister is reincarnated into, and the new age cult that might be behind it. Aimee Bender X Eternal Sunshine X Catherine House #PopUpPitE #LuckyPit #PopUpPit

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Lots of new friends on here, and wanted to officially introduce myself 👋

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Cailin Barrett-Bressack @cailinwrites.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Thinking I’ll just keep this as-is when the time comes

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