iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

So, today I set about fixing 'one small plot-hole' I'd discovered in a section of my book I've spent a week editing. Turns out, that one small plot-hole is in fact ten, and the section is more sieve than plot at this point. I am so done with today, and it's not even lunch yet.

static.klipy.com

Nzxt Stupid Laptop: Man Closes Apple

Alt: Gif: Man closes laptop calmly. Cut scene: Laptop flies out of the window. Actual footage of me realising every plot-hole I fix opens up ten more.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

And they’re off! Productivity here I come. Think of all the chapters I’m going to get edited… right after mine and the husband’s annual back to school brunch, of course.

Obligatory first day of school in front of the front door picture of my three kids.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Had the whole house to myself for 24 hours with the kids at the grandparents and my husband at a festival. The place is tidy, I got three chapters edited, and I slept uninterrupted for 8+ hours for the first time in years. I still desperately want them home, but I'm not going to lie, this was nice.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I have this weird quirk where I read aloud as I write, especially with dialogue. All my characters have distinctive voices, accents, cadences etc. I actually think it helps capture distinct voices on the page, but it is ever so slightly mortifying when people overhear me.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Spotted in Cornwall. My kind of ice cream parlour.

Game of cones, an ice cream parlour with an ASOIAF theme to the ice creams and waffle cones.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Littlest just asked why I stay up so late after they've gone to bed, and I was explaining it's my favourite time of the day, when all is calm and I can write. Cue Middle chipping in with, "not hanging out with your beloved children or watching us grow up, you reclusive bat" 😂 Never been prouder.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The mysteries of editing mindset. Spent a week editing one chapter, then edited three in one day yesterday. And when I read them all back, I can't understand why the first one took so long and the others raced along. There's no substantial difference in tone or content. Anyone else experience this?

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

London's been dry for weeks. The grass is yellow, the plants sad, and everything is covered in dust. Today, it rained for 1 minute, and the instant smell of petrichor was so overwhelming, my kids came running into the garden to enjoy it. Never smelled it so strongly. Glorious. Now come back rain!

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Very hard to focus on editing this week, but I managed to get another chapter finished today. Loving being back in Malta. Hoping to get another chapter edited before I get home.

My laptop on a garden table in Gozo (Malta) with a pool in the background.

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🫜Prof Emily🫜 @professoremily.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Hi Bluesky, I haven't been around as much lately as I like to. Life has been kicking my butt, and the wonderful @khonri.com has decided to help me out with the tip jar 🥹🫶😭 Please don't feel obligated if you are also struggling financially, but I'd be so grateful for any little bit of help ❤️❤️❤️

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Not been around much lately. Enjoying taking a break from SM. I'm making steady progress on my 2nd draft and enjoying the summer. Hope all my writing friends are well!

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Tomorrow my daughter is having a “Space Day” at school to celebrate their topic. We had a crazy idea. We executed said crazy idea. And it turned out… well, pretty crazy unsurprisingly—but also awesome, and we love it, and my hands are now covered in acrylic paint and super glue, but it was worth it.

We made a solar system headpiece for my daughter with polystyrene balls painted to resemble the planets, suspended on wires, fixed to a hat made from elastic. She’s also wearing a mask that resembles the sun. And she’s wearing black clothes with diamanté stars ironed on.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Summer goal: Finish final draft of ‘We Always Come Back’ It’s a big job. I’ve only just started the 2nd draft, and I’ll need at least 3. I’m so eager to send this book to my agent. I’ve got big hopes for it. I plan to edit 1 chapter per day. Welcome, fancy new tracker. Now keep me accountable.

A tracker I made from wood and leather to keep track of how many chapters I’ve edited in my book ‘We Always Coke Back’

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Made a stand for my meagre collection of fountain pens today with Illustrator and my Glowforge. It's been on my to do list for a while, and I'm really happy with how it turned out—though I definitely spent way too much time on the design. No excuse not to buy more pens and fill it up.

A vertical pen stand made from walnut veneered basswood. The vertical sections show cut out simplistic pictures meant to represent my books, a mixture of clip-art style vectors and others that I made myself.

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Ki Agency @kiagency.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome @jenbrownwrites.bsky.social and her necromantic sapphics to the Ki Agency. Jen will be represented by @knifewitch.bsky.social

ki-agency.co.uk

Jen Brown joins Ki | Ki Agency

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Finished the 1st Draft of 'We Always Come Back' yesterday. Some stats: Started: 27/01 Finished: 20/05 Word count: 185,720 Words that will need to be jettisoned into space during editing: >55k Writing days: 53 Max words in a day: 10,121 Times my chapter titles made me laugh at myself: Yes

My trackbear bar chart showing writing progress. Dates along the x axis, number of words along the y axis.

Word cloud showing word frequency in the book

The Scrivener binder showing chapter titles from my book.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Wrote another 10k today. My subconscious knew I was near the end, even though my skeleton plan included an extra act. I realised mid-MC’s emotional breakdown that THAT was the book’s true climax. The rest can wait for Book 2. I’m going to finish this book tomorrow, and I couldn’t be happier.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Headed to the British Library yesterday for the first time. Amazing place. Almost felt too grand to sit and write my irreverent space opera WIP. Hit the shop on the way out and couldn’t resist a few items. It’s only a 20 min train ride from my corner of London, so I will definitely be going back.

The King’s Library at the British Museum. Holds 65000 books and manuscripts. It’s six storeys tall. 24m wide. Double sided. Utterly vast!! Photo does not do it justice.

My laptop in the humanities reading room. You can get free entry to the reading rooms with a reader pass (free to pick up with ID and proof of address).

A pair of socks with rainbow writing. Book on one sock. Nerd on the other.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Controversial take...? Looking at shortlisted SFF books in the Nibbies, I wonder if it should be split into separate categories. Only 1 in 6 is SF; the rest fantasy. I love both genres, but I do feel SF always plays second fiddle to its more popular cousin. I went looking for SF recs. Only got 1.

thebookseller.com

Science Fiction & Fantasy Winner & Shortlist 2026 | The British Book Awards

Check out the 2026 winner and shortlist for the Science Fiction & Fantasy Book of the Year category at The British Book Awards (aka ’The Nibbies)

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

My kids are at the grandparents tonight, and I managed to get 10k written on WACB. Sat at my desk from 4pm until 2am. I’m seeing double, my forearms hurt from the edge of the desk, and my sore bones are letting me know sitting still for so long at 41 is asking for trouble—BUT I am wildly pleased.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Hi, I’m Charlotte and I’m not a big deal but I’m just not going anywhere with my life and I’m just trying not too hard. (Oh my god, predictive text! I feel so seen!) For real: I write SFF stories about unresolved wounds disguised with layers of found family, bantery ensembles, and lots of healing.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

April review: - 40k written in We Always Come Back - finally finished reading a book that has been weighing me down but I could not DNF (I’m finally free!) May goals: - Finish WACB 1st draft - if there’s time, start outlining a rewrite of Fractured (Book 1 of epic science-fantasy series)

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I am so excited about this release. Every snippet I've read of this book has left me eager for more! Emily has created something truly special with these characters, this mythology, this world. I'm so happy I have it in my hands at last!

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A glorious, albeit windy, day here in Londontown, and I'm sitting in my favourite spot of the house to write. The trees are roaring outside, the house is peaceful, and I have a couple of hours to lose myself in my manuscript. Bliss.

My laptop open on my dining table, with the garden doors open into a sunny green garden. Because of the frankly bizarre angles of my 'built into the bend of a road' house, you can also see a view through the kitchen to the living room. It's my favourite place to sit in the house.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Breached 100k in my experimental POV WIP today. I've had two great writing days in a row, completing a chapter apiece. Yesterday's 3700 word combined with today's 6700 tipped me over the 100k milestone. Still having lots of fun with this WIP—and still dreading the eventual cuts I'll need to make!

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Lizzie Blackwood @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

✨🌟✨COVER REVEAL TIME✨🌟✨ I present to you all the front cover of The Stars Will Be Our Ocean, projected for release in July! (I'll confirm the date when I announce pre-orders/ARCs soon). The art is by the incomparable @aowna.bsky.social! There's a full wrap-around version too (reveal TBD 👀).

Book cover for The Stars Will Be Our Ocean:
The title texts floats among a starry background mingling with nebulous blue gasses with the author name “Lizzie Blackwood” at the bottom. Two figures float together at the center, holding hands as though dancing and smiling at each other. The figure on the left is a sharklike humanoid with a finlike crest off the back of his head wearing complex but form-fitting armor. The figure on the right is a human woman with pale skin and short black hair wearing a back jacket, shirt, pants, and boots.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

No writing in the draft today, but I did outline the next 5 chapters (around 4000 words) in between a much-needed spring clean of my kids' toys and clothes. I am so excited to write these next few chapters. 90k words in, and I'm approaching the end of Act 2. This novel is so much fun.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Me: *Drafting in the sunshine* Him: Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Me: The doors are all open, buddy. Just come on down. Him: Hey! Hey! Hey! Me: You are aware you have legs? Him: Heeeeey! Me: And they do, in fact, work? Him: *sad eyes* Me: *trudge all the way upstairs* Him: *runs away*

Picture taken from the garden, looking up at the bathroom window on the first floor of my house. The window’s open, and my nincompoop of a tabby cat is in the open window staring imperiously down at me, his paws planted o the sill.

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Ki Agency @kiagency.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Very exciting news! A new timely-wimey Claire North is coming in October (and it’s brilliant so shoo, go preorder it). Published by Orbit UK and US

ki-agency.co.uk

Deal Announcement: As We Fall Through Time by Claire North | Ki Agency

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

When you're writing a space opera and you fall down a four-hour quantum mechanics rabbit hole to come up with a flimsy theory for why your symbiotic plant-animal priestess can burst into blinding light and irradiate a couple of bounty hunters into a pair of puddles on the landing pad.

media.tenor.com

a man is carrying a suitcase through a living room .

Alt: Gif of George Michael from Arrested Development exhaustedly face planting the carpet at the model home in slow motion.

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Ange | Author A. M. Shilling @gunsmile.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Tomorrow, my debut novel goes out into the world. Follow along with Jason and Ayana as they investigate an occult conspiracy in this action-packed, high-stakes, cosmic horror thriller about the monsters we choose. Preorder your copy today! amshilling.com/books #WritingCommunity #Booksky 💙📚🩸

1 DAY UNTIL LAUNCH
PREORDER TODAY

THE DEVOURING
A. M. SHILLING

Throughout their marriage, Jason and Ayana’s lives always ran parallel but never entwined. It’s the perfect arrangement. He’s free to pursue his dangerous yet lucrative career as an elite assassin, and she can focus on conducting autopsies for the city’s forensic center.

But after Jason spares a witness to his latest murder, he becomes the prime suspect in his own brother’s homicide. While he hunts for the real killer, Ayana discovers an impossible illness in one of her cadavers. The couple quickly identify an unsettling connection between the two events—one steeped in religious fanaticism and occult conspiracy.

Jason and Ayana must learn to work together, using their wits, lies, and criminal connections to uncover the truth behind a mysterious cult and exact revenge. But human enemies are the least of their concern. Beyond the boundary of their world exists a cosmic threat of apocalyptic proportions, and it is trying to break through.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Can't wait to watch this after kiddos are in bed. Very excited for this release, and I'm eager to hear all about the nuts and bolts that went into making it.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Just got back from a fun-filled, booze-soaked, action-packed week in the Alps with family & friends. Managed to get the tiniest amount of writing done. Had the best time, but I am excited to detox and get back to my WIP. Setting myself the lofty goal to get the first draft done in a month. Let’s go!

Me, my husband, and our two daughters in ski gear up on the piste with the obligatory snowy alps backdrop.

My laptop, open on scrivener (blurred out because if the first draft blurgh of it all) on a table in the hotel lounge with a cappuccino next to it. Through the window behind you can see a piste and the hotel terrace.

Me and my son and daughters on our hotel room terrace with snowy mountains in the background.

Me and my husband on the same hotel room terrace but it’s just after sunset, and the sky framing the mountains is a beautiful mix of orange and blue

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Just pre-ordered my copy. 😊 Can't wait to read it!

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

WACB update: Work continues in bursts, but I'm making good progress. 63k-ish atm. I've realised I have to split this into a duology (no surprises there). Currently nearing the mid-point of Book 1. It's pretty bloated with narratorly hijinks right now. My plan: cut heavily, aim for 120k eventually.

My trackbear progress chart. It's a jagged line, increasing in bursts of productivity with gaps in between spanning several days. Currently at 63k.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Whoop!!!! I cannot wait for this one!! Every snippet I've ever read of this has hooked my attention and never let go, and just look at that art work! Divine. (Pun intended)

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Nearly 7500 words today. A beast of a writing day. Felt great. Slight segue into the most stressful hour of the year this afternoon, but it resolved, and thankfully I was able to get the flow back. Left the last scene unfinished in an attempt to pick up the same momentum tomorrow.

Beautiful magnolia blooms against the blue sky during a break in the clouds today. Nothing to do with writing, but it makes me happy.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Well, this is glorious. One of my favourite places to write in the house, and today it’s just about warm enough to have the garden doors open. The sun’s shining, there’s a woodpecker in the ash tree behind our house, and our neighbour’s magnolia is starting to bloom.

View from my laptop. Sitting at our dining table, looking out through the open doors into the garden on one side and my tidy (for once) kitchen on the other side.

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James Bennett | Pre-order "Mother of Night" @jamesbennett.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Never give up! I mean it. I wrote the book 5 years ago and it's been through several iterations since while I kept trying to place it. I can barely absorb the fact that it's going to be a thing! But I also know it wouldn't be the thing it is without that journey. Nothing wasted. Keep writing. 📚💙🏳️‍🌈

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Back home in the London rain. Wish I was still at the beach with a G&T. Post holiday blues. On the upside though, kids are off to the grandparents tomorrow for the night, and I intend to get my write on.

Me at the beach, wrapped up warm with a tinny of G&T (yes, very classy).

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Ki Agency @kiagency.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Happy book birthday to Olivia Jackson and HUNTER’S TREASURE! Out now from One More Chapter. This thrilling adventure rom-com is now available from your preferred seller of books. A desert island read if I’ve ever seen one… 🌴🌴🌴

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

At the beach for a few days. Beautiful sunshine, freezing cold, scaffolding up around the flat, but still delightfully happy to get away from the London rain. Hoping to get a lot of writing done.

My husband and older daughter playing at the beach

My three kids at the living room window in the beach flat, staring out the window

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Sam Vimes 🫜 @reaper-man.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 14 The most terrifying thing about the magic that permeates my world is its unpredictability. One small mistake, and everyone ends up as cinders. Or flamingos. Or soup tureens. Occasionally, all at once.

The universe at large was extremely fond of rules. It hoarded a vast collection of them that applied nearly everywhere. Gravity kept things together. Motion kept things going. Causality made things happen. All sorts of rules, clasping their hands in quiet concert and holding reality in place.

One of the absolute classics stated that anything left alone long enough would eventually collapse into chaos. The world of Ephinel—whose waist bore Shorespine like a particularly pugnacious carbuncle—was, of course, no exception.

Magic on Ephinel also followed a very definite set of rules.

The problem was no one knew what they were.

Early witches and wizards approached magic in the same manner as the first adventurous souls to discover which mushrooms were safe to eat. There was only one way to find out. Some varieties would show you dazzling images of gods and the afterlife. Others would send you to them expeditiously, sometimes lightly sautéed.

People didn’t trust magic. And magic, which had always been a little bit alive, wisely didn’t trust people either.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Is it ever going to stop raining? Like, seriously, the Atlantic must be empty at this point.

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Charlotte Francis @cfranciswrites.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Seriously, Pantsers, how do you do it? I have tried and failed to pants my latest book. I started out with a rough roadmap. It started out fine. But by the second chapter, I was already mapping out the scenes before I got started on each one. And now, I've completely derailed.

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