iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 31m

Finished my first round of proofing for Scorpions! Tomorrow's task is making second pages. Right on track.

Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 4h

#LGBTQWriteAThon D7: I suppose they're both wearing masks in a few senses. For example, Honore is an angel and Al is a demon, both of them trying to get along in a society where the existence of the supernatural is largely a secret.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 4h

Back to morning writing sessions! Added another 2k words to the WIP.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 19h

Skipped my morning writing session again today in favor of more rest to fight this cold. Caught up this afternoon with another 2k words though! The WIP is now at 20k words, or about 1/5 of the way to the goal.

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 06/10/2026

Anti-Prime Day starts…NOW! 🥳 Today through midnight on 10/7, enjoy free shipping site-wide, all while supporting local, independent bookstores.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 23h

Three weeks until Book 7 in the Flirting with the Zodiac series drops! Here's Joss and Nikare's first kiss. Preorders here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKK2KXG1

A white square is superimposed over a photograph of deep space, with stars and purple-pink nebulae visible. The text on top of the square reads:

"Joss landed his hands on the emperor's cheeks. 'If we're going to dïe anyway,' he said, then closed the distance between them, mashing his mouth to Nikare's, like that was explanation enough."

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K.A. Doore @kadoore.com · 06/10/2026

Bookshop dot org is doing free shipping today and tomorrow! In case you're in need of fresh books (and who isn't?), I duplicated my Queer SFF Books lists over there for your browsing convenience.

bookshop.org

Queer Adult SFF! Bookshop

All the queer adult science fiction and fantasy that I can find!Hi, I'm K.A. Doore and I write and read and adore queer adult SFF. I've been curating a queer SFF list since 2019 and sharing it on my b...

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

#LGBTQWriteAThon D6: The MC's anxieties drive the plot! In Book 3, Al is worried that Honore is bored and going to dump him, effectively. He's also aware of an unequal power dynamic, which puts him ill at ease. He doesn't deal with this in the best way (gets mixed up in a cult, oops).

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Okay! I managed to proof 50 pages, clean the floors, and write 2k words, so now I am going to go rest for a bit before LO arrives home.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thank you! Yeah, I really need an unsubscribe button (although I suspect the viruses would ignore that anyway).

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

QOTD: Canadian Thanksgiving is soon, so I'm prepping for the weekend. (I'm in charge of dessert.) Since it's on my mind, what are you thankful for? AOTD: A lot!. It's been a challenging year in many ways, but I'm thankful for my family, the community I find here, and, of course, good books.

The text "Giving thanks?" appears in purple font above a stylized illustration of a stack of books with blue, red, brown, and orange covers. The background is black.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

No morning writing session today. I have some sort of cold (again), so I decided to prioritize rest. Hoping to catch up on the words later today, but we'll see how the day plays out!

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#LGBTQWriteAThon goals: -get over new cold (I forgot about my subscription to "virus of the month," courtesy of daycare) -write Murder Polycule 3 -proof Scorpions -take old man chinchilla to the vet for x-rays -hopefully see a play on Wednesday (depending on the cold situation) -make pumpkin pie!

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

#LGBTQWriteAThon D4: line share! Ha, I do have "foreboding" in here: "Al paid him no heed, still contemplating the house. There was something ... foreboding about it."

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Morning writing session: 5,300 words. The WIP is up to nearly 16k!

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Ian Rennie @theangelremiel.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Another name for a "synthetic AI focus group" is "not a focus group"

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The next book in the Flirting with the Zodiac series is coming Oct. 27! Why not go back to the beginning and check out Book 1: HOOK, LINE & SINKER? books2read.com/u/baDB8v

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We Need Diverse Books @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

🚨 Applications for WNDB’s Walter Dean Myers Grants are officially open! 💻 bit.ly/2026WalterGrants 📅 Applications close at 11:59 PM on October 31st, 2026

Red graphic titled “Walter Grants: Applications Now Open”. A subtitle beneath that says, “$2000 grant opportunity for diverse, unpublished writers and illustrators.” In the lower left hand corner is an illustration of a writer sitting at a table and typing on their laptop. In the lower right hand corner is a light blue starburst that says, “Accepting Applications Through October 31st”.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#LGBTQWriteAThon D3: check-in day! It was a climb, but I got most of my to-do list done! Revisions are done, Scorpions is typeset, I made ARCs, and I'm halfway through the first proofread. I even got some marketing stuff done. Plus: I wrote 10k words in my new WIP for October!

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Morning writing session is all wrapped up, with another 5k words in the WIP! That's 10k on the whole.

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Zipper Wayland (they/it) @zipperwayland.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerPrompts i loooove queer historical, will definitely be combing for recs!

[image: graphic labeled "Queer Historicals" with six book covers: Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles, I Shall Never Fall In Love by Hari Conner, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod, Heartlines: a Love Story by Sarah Waisvisz, Band Sinister by KJ Charles.]

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E.M. Anderson | author & schism enthusiast too hot for Bluesky @elizmanderson.com · 03/10/2026

in which an old man cursed with immortality tells himself he Wants Nothing bc he'll lose it anyway, only to end up in an Ohio town where everyone whoops! makes him Want Things Very Much hardcover / ebook / audiobook / paperback to come! bookshop.org/p/books/the-... #QueerWritersChat

bookshop.org

The Keeper of Lonely Spirits

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2025 BY LIBRARY JOURNAL AND REACTOR "Anderson writes a curmudgeonly immortal protagonist and a (literally) haunting story full of heart; a delightful novel." --Library Journal sta...

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Alex Larkspur 💛📚🌻 @applesncinnamon.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat Q5 Thank you for the chat!! If you yearn for a spooky little novella to kick off your October, check out The Witch of the Wood! It comes out on Tuesday! Uni: books2read.com/u/bw6gwP Itch: applesncinnamon.itch.io/the-witch-of...

The cover of The Witch of the Wood by Alex Larkspur. It features two men in a dark and gloomy forest. Milo stands in front, a man with tan skin and short, dark hair. He’s dressed in a cream tunic and a green cloak around his shoulders. He has a bow and arrows. He is clearly afraid as he stares at his left hand. His fingers are blackened due a curse that is spreading across his hand. Another man, Cam, is turned the other way and holding Milo’s right hand. He’s looking over his shoulder and looking at Milo with concern. His clothes are bright, colorful, and patchwork. The gloom of the forest mutes their color. The trees seem to close in around them.

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🎃🕸J.M. Weaver 🕷👻 @jmweaverauthor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat T'was a fun chat, friends. :3 Hope you all have a very lovely night. I'm gonna eat dinner and watch a bad movie. 😅 If you wanna buy Savage as You or are interested in Vitrified, follow me on Itch! Vitrified is out October 20th. jmweaverauthor.itch.io

jmweaverauthor.itch.io

J.M. Weaver

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Sadie Hepworth @sadiehepworth.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Boy, do I have two books packed with yearning for you! 12 years ago, Cole and Ezra were ripped apart by fate. Now they've been reunited — and they're trying no strings attached??? a.co/d/0awtLcH5 Sam loves Max. Max loves Sam. Unfortunately, they're both idiots a.co/d/054idTaR #QueerWritersChat

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Talli 🎃 Shattered City OUT NOW @tallimorgan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat Promo time! If you like yearning, you'd LOVE my vampire romance series! SILVER BLOOD is currently on sale: books2read.com/silverblood and its sequel, SHATTERED CITY, comes out on Tuesday! books2read.com/cos-shattered-city

City of Silver: duology with companion novellas:
- m/m vampire romance
- mystery/intrigue
- slow burn
- reluctant allies to lovers
- forbidden romance

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat A5: Thanks for the chat, folks! Glad to see we're all here for characters pining. Two Scorpions in a Bottle probably has the most yearning I've written in a bit: a former spy doing "one last job" with his ex and wishing things could be different. www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKK2KXG1

amazon.com

Two Scorpions in a Bottle (Flirting with the Zodiac Book 7)

Two Scorpions in a Bottle (Flirting with the Zodiac Book 7) - Kindle edition by Pickett, Cherry. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat A4: I'll say yes, because I'm a romance reader, and I do love some good old-fashioned pining. (I cannot write a slow burn to save my life, so my characters tend not to pine for each other.)

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat A3: I think so? Sometimes, at least. I find it most when I'm describing settings; things like sunsets and vistas evoke a lot of wistfulness for me, so I try to capture that on the page.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#QueerWritersChat A2: Hm. As much as I'm writing romance, the yearning here is centered on wanting to live in a world where they could openly be in relationships with each other. They make it work anyway.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Hello, #QueerWritersChat! I'm Cherry (she/her). Current project: getting the little one to bed! (I'll be hopping in and out until this is done.) Writing-wise, I'm working on the third book in my historical omegaverse romance / murder mystery series (aka Murder Polycule).

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#LGBTQWriteAThon D2: I'm working on a few things this month, but my major focus is Murder Polycule! It's an omegaverse murder mystery/romance series with angels and demons, set in the 1920s. I'm drafting Book 3, and Editor is sending back Book 1, so I'm on track to start sharing by end of Oct.!

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Okay. -I am halfway through first round proofing for Scorpions -I made ARCs -I put the next Coyote Creek book up for preorder! I'm looking forward to just writing over the weekend, not worrying about all the OTHER book stuff that has to happen.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The next book in the Coyote Creek series is dropping Nov. 24! Stay tuned for the cover reveal here on Oct. 9 -- or sign up for my newsletter and see it early. mailchi.mp/dd615ff92728...

Two pieces of ripped paper strategically reveal the title "THE COYOTE'S ATHLETE ALPHA" against a red background. Text at the top of the image announces a cover reveal is coming on Oct. 9, 2026.

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Arden Powell @ardenpowell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

If you think an artist's style looks like AI but you can scroll back through their portfolio and see them doing the same work before 2020, congrats, you're not looking at an AI grifter. You're looking at one of the original victims whose entire style AI stole.

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Alex Larkspur 💛📚🌻 @applesncinnamon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#QueerPrompts Oct 2 Here's a few historical queer books that I really enjoyed!

A graphic with six historical queer books:
- The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi
- All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles
- All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny
- The Safekeep by Van Der Wouden
- The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
- A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Morning writing session is in the books! 3.5k words into the WIP, meaning I've crossed the 5k mark.

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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 01/10/2026

Today, in the UK, begins Black History Month. Pictured is a photo of the British Black Panthers, c1970. Learn more about Black working-class struggles in Britain in the 20th-century in this book: shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/the...

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Felicia Davin @feliciadavin.com · 01/10/2026

impressed by the number of romance authors, reviewers, and readers interviewed in this article! my own view is that this is a fun thing to chat about, but there will never be a useful scale because what people find hot is so personal. you're just gonna have to use words to describe it

thecut.com

‘Someone’s Five Is Someone Else’s One’

Decoding spicy romance’s popular — and divisive — chile-pepper scale.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

With National Banned Books week coming up, I decided to take a look at what book bans mean for readers -- and why you don't ever find them on the "right" side of history. www.cherrypickett.com/2026/09/29/w...

The words "New Blog Post!" appear in a white frame layered on top of a yellow-orange gradient background.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

In a month! It's a stretch to do, but I've pulled it off before. I probably won't make it this month, but it will be fun to see how close I can get to that mark.

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veronicascottauthor @veronicascott.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The week's new LGBTQ+ releases in scifi/fantasy/paranormal romance which I reported within the larger New Releases blog post. #booksky

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hello #LGBTQWriteAThon! I'm Cherry. I mainly write spicy m/m omegaverse romance these days. I have a few book goals for the month, but my writing goal is to knock out a first draft of the final book in a trilogy (around 100k words or so). But I'll yap about the story tomorrow.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Back to morning writing sessions. Knocking off the rust with 2k words this morning.

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Okay, whew. I have first pages for the next Zodiac book now!

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Cherry Pickett @cherrypickett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Honoré really does fit the "dumb blond" stereotype. He keeps forgetting he's being held against his will. (Maybe Al's just that bad at this whole "kidnapping" thing.) . . . . #WIPWednesday #mmromancebooks #omegaversebooks

A full moon is partially obscured by cloud cover, illuminating it. The following text has been superimposed in white font:

"'You can call me Al,' the alpha said huffily, 'if you have to call me anything at all.'

'Al,' Honoré said, rolling out the ell. 'Al what? Half the city's called Al--short for Alain or Allan or Albert, or I don't know, Alvin--'

'Alvin?' The man sounded insulted.

Honoré shrugged. 'My point being, that's a clever lie if you don't really want me to know who you are.'

Those red eyes narrowed at him. 'Why would I want you to know that? In case you've forgotten, you've been kidnapped.'"

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