iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lastly, the bittersweet thing: our foster cats of 2+ years are getting adopted this week. Who'd have thought? Not me. Things at work are bleak, and having to let them go just now feels a bit much. But doesn't creating space for more cats that need it make up for it? Oh shit, I might cry again.

My favourite picture of Poppy, taken this summer when Partner bought a new pair of shoes. "Surely she won't fit in the box", he said. "Have you even ever had a cat?" I said.

Goodbye, you wonderful most symmetrical tabby cat in the universe. We all know you secretly are a criminal mastermind capable of holding the entire world in your tiny paw, and your move to a leafy suburban town with a quiet old lady is just a stint undercover.

My favourite picture of Lena, portrayed here as she tries to sign our remortgage papers.

Goodbye, silly feisty calico lady - I used to think you'd never stop hissing at us, and I'm so proud of how much at home you came to feel here.

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"Polyester Bride" • Liz Phair (by Federica Silvi)

Writing news part 3: my latest, in @major7mag.bsky.social. Years ago, I wrote this story in a @kathyfish.bsky.social class. Not too long after, I heard Liz Phair's "Polyester Bride" for the first time. It felt like the kind of song my main character could swear was made for her - so here we are.

major7mag.com

Between one lost creature and another, it makes no difference.

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The girl who bullied you in middle school dies at seventeen - Identity Theory

More writing news: I'm so, so proud that this one made it into @identitytheory.bsky.social. Sometimes I feel I'm writing for an audience of one: a teenager with not many friends in her hometown and a folder full of unfinished drafts. This is fiction, but there's a bit of her (of us) in it.

identitytheory.com

just like in that drunk driving awareness ad that used to play on TV when you were little.

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Published in Temple in a City literary journal

Writing news: a good time to remember I had 3 stories published this year, mostly because I can't believe it myself. First: a subtly creepy micro in @templeinacity.bsky.social, born of a branded car that used to haunt my hometown in the '00s, and a wacky Christmas display in an old neighbourhood.

templeinacity.com

Micro fiction Hanging, still hanging, gone by author and translator Federica Silvi. Published in Temple in a City literary journal.

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Bookish things: top 5 of the past months - Notebook (@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social) - Spanish Beauty (Esther Garcia Llovet) - If You Can't Take The Heat (@everywhereist.bsky.social) - London Falling (@praddenkeefe.bsky.social) - The Forgotten Girls (@monicapotts.bsky.social) More in the alt text.

Big round up of books read since April (I'm on Storygraph, same handle), plus my top 5:

- Notebook by Tom Cox: the book teenage / early 20s me would have loved to buy, and adult me found an absolute delight. Made me want to start writing down my random thoughts again, like I used to in a past life. And I did, for a few weeks in June, until our summer became a series of unfortunate medical events. But that's a story for another time. Read Notebook!

- Spanish Beauty by Esther Garcia Llovet: a gift from me to me, straight from an English-language bookshop in Barcelona. I read most of it in one sitting, while sipping an iced cappuccino on a terrace in Greece - but the sense of place is so strong, I might as well have been drinking the night away in a neon-lit coastal Spanish town. I couldn't put this book down.

- If You Can't Take The Heat by Geraldine DeRuiter: the infamous essay about the Bros restaurant in Lecce isn't even my favourite piece here (and I'll have you know my friends and I still talk about that one to this day). I wish I was half as funny, articulate and eloquent a writer as Geraldine is - we're ten years or so apart in age, and grew up in different countries, but I saw myself in her words in more ways than I can describe. Also, I too have a dad whom I've sometimes suspected of being a spy. Universe, are you listening? I'd love to translate this book into Italian.

- London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: every bit as gripping as everything else I've read by him. It's true crime, and it's a family saga, and it left me stewing about how the rich and powerful always get away with everything.

- The Forgotten Girls by Monica Potts: as a country girl trying to write a novel about kids desperate to escape a small town, I felt this one deeply. There's a line about putting every fiber of your being into leaving that will stay with me a long time. And the social commentary is spot on: you don't have to be American to seethe at the inequality it exposes.

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Emotional things: I went to Rilo Kiley's reunion gig at the Roundhouse. On Tube Strike day, of all days - wouldn't have missed it for the world (nearly did, though, as at one point I got on a Thameslink that didn't stop until St Albans). I cried twice, which is twice more than I usually cry at gigs.

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Delicious things: I've been cooking and eating plenty, photographing almost nothing. I'm sure I'll regret that next time I want to show off. My favourite thing that I baked were these tortine della nonna, which were an accident, because I ended up with a lot less custard than needed for a full pie.

What do you do when you crave torta della nonna and screw up the custard recipe spectacularly? You use the little custard you're left with for mini tortine della nonna. They came out unexpectedly beautiful and tasted just right. Also, they proved that mother knows best, because we followed Partner's mum's recipe, and couldn't work out how she always gets the filling right given that the procedure is a bit all over the place (perfect pastry recipe though, I'm telling you, 10/10).

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Nice things: I've been to Greece in June, and won't you look at the colour of the water I swam in. Nevermind that it. I'm a water creature. Get me to the sea and all troubles will melt away.

Antisamos Beach in Kefalonia, Greece. No picture can do justice to the colours of this place. You're standing on the beach, with your back to the water and all you see in front of you is an expanse of green mountains too big to take in. Also, June is low season there, so we snagged a fancy umbrella and sunbeds for just the price of a drink. Completely made up for the drive from Sami, which is everything dodgy you've heard about Greek roads, and more.

Xi beach in Kefalonia, Greece, and its stunning red sand. We visited it with a boat trip that gave us moussaka for lunch, unlimited frappes, and an entire day of people-watching. If I ever finish my novel (lol), remind me to tell you about the passenger who unknowingly gave me the idea for the epilogue.

Portokalopita and freddo cappuccino: the breakfast of champions. I'm hopelessly in love with the orange cake, and already looked up recipes; sadly, it seems to be just the amount of fiddly that will put me off making it at home. I got really good at homemade Greek iced coffees this summer, though. It's not like I'd been trying for years (pro tip: get a handheld milk frother, the ones that look like a kettle aren't quite right for the job).

Right place, right time. This stunning long-haired tortoiseshell cat happened to stroll by the waterfront in Agia Effimia just as we approached to watch the sunset. She got an entire photoshoot from me, this is my favourite shot.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Well hello, it's been a minute, hasn't it? I didn't plan to go quiet this long. It just happened. I'm not good at social media, I always knew it, and it felt nice to lean into it. So, since I don't know when I'll next feel like posting, here's a thread of things I thought of sharing and forgot to.

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You can visit the Accademia as walk-in too. There will be a queue, so go first thing in the morning. And definitely pre-book the train to Rome if you're using Frecciarossa or Italo. No need to pre-book the slow regional trains, seats on those are first come first serve on the day.

F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Books I read in March: switching genres like it's nobody's business. Special thanks to @404ink.bsky.social (the reflections on bilingualism in Speak Still will stay with me a long time), and to @orendabooks.bsky.social, because In Thin Air has to be the best thriller I've read in many months.

Books I finished in March 2026:

1) "Into Thin Air" by Orjan Karlsson: I had a hard time putting this thriller down. The short chapters all drive the plot forward in a satisfying way, and make it easy to blitz through the story. And I really warmed up to the investigation team, so it's great news that there are more books in this series.
2) "Speak Still" by Wing Lam Tong: One of those books that make me wish the author was my friend - we'd have so much to talk about. Speak Still is about bilingualism, translation, colonialism, and much more. Even though it's quite short, I enjoyed going through it slowly, considering every word with care.
3) "Rinsed" by Geoff White: because if you don't know me by now, fraud and scams are one of my rabbit holes. Watching my colleagues' jaws drop as I told them "I'm reading a book about crypto money laundering" at the company retreat was priceless. Jokes aside, though: credit to this book for making the subject matter accessible (I cannot overstate just how little I "get" crypto, but could follow along just fine), and for painting a clear (if frightening) picture of the magnitude and scale of the crimes tech money laundering facilitates.
4) "Karla's Choice" by Nick Harkaway: would you believe I never read a George Smiley novel in English? I shall be righting that wrong. Starting from the end, i.e. the most recent novel written by John Le Carré's son. It's everything I'd expect from a spy story from the original series, down to the tone of voice and '60s setting. Highly recommended for the spy novel fans out there.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

In a parallel universe, the third photo is a certain house on my street, which was really up for auction some time ago. I looked it up online expecting a listing just like that, but nope - they chose to focus on the business opportunity of acquiring a house with all tenants already inside.

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My #1 favourite is still there, luckily, though that's for breakfast pastries (all the same, it they ever close, I'll riot). We're also very close to the only authentic Italian small pastry shop I've seen in London - I say I should visit more, but the one thing that's not authentic is the prices.

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And so this is goodbye to the best custard buns I had in my life of eating pastry (which is in fact my entire life). Don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened, and all that. No, but seriously, what's their secret for making custard this good? It'll live rent-free in my head for the years to come.

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Haha yes, spoiler, they did have enough custard buns in the end. They are the best custard buns I've ever had, so there's no doubt I'll be missing them. But I'm also lucky that I stumbled upon the notice that they were closing just the other day, otherwise I might have found out too late.

If you land on something practical that doesn't cost an eye, I'd love to know what you choose - I might be needing exactly that sort of gift next month.

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Now what do we think is in this bag? What might it be? 👀

Yes, it's the custard buns I've been almost throwing a tantrum about today.

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Max 2 of each item per person, and if my eyes are not receiving me, I'm now spotting 8 custard buns. We can do this. We can do this. They are sold out of their very famous bread, but that was always a side quest.

They should be taking all of my multitasking as a gift, because who can really expect to be productive while stressing out about custard buns?

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The two women in front of me are now talking about how much they like custard buns, and the fact I'm only seeing one on the counter does not bode well, my friends, not at all (still 10 people in front of me and I've been here half an hour now, wtf).

Yes, quite! As far as first world problems go, London bakery queues stress me out like few others. Also this place always had the weirdest opening hours, which means I could never go as often as I wanted (if my employer reads this, it's all good, I'm fielding Slack chats).

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I'm live-texting the queue to my partner (about halfway through now), and the woman who just walked out with four overflowing paper bags will be getting side-eye emoji-ed for the next five minutes.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

One of my two favourite local bakeries is closing tomorrow, I'm in a huge queue (before they're even open) to score one last custard bun I may not get, and despite the nice things I know I have in this world, I'm in full "why can't we ever have nice things in this world" mood right now. Send cats.

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Just out! New micro! By me! There are faint echoes of long-forgotten people and events here. Teenage Me dug out the memories, Present Me merged them into fiction. Damn, I might get emotional about this one. Thank you @identitytheory.bsky.social & @vicnogaywrites.bsky.social for giving it a chance.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Hi Tom, is one still available and is choosing a specific bookmark / postcard an option? There are two designs I particularly love, and I'm happy to wait if they're already taken but might be remade.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Thank you so, so much for reading my work. It's not often I have anything to put out there, out of being slow or too self conscious, or going through very expected strings of rejections. Your words made my day.

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Reposted by F.

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

every time i look at instagram, i feel like im the only adult who doesn't know how to make money

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Thank you again, it was such an interesting book I wouldn't have found otherwise. I wasn't totally on board with the way Veronica is written, but the criminal case was compelling enough that I'd read number 2.

F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

February reads on @thestorygraph.com: Scams! Haunting Argentinian mysteries! Young women going through mental health breakdowns! I'm all about the joyous reads, you see. Little Bosses Everywhere is a 10/10 recommendation, if you're into MLM deep dives or getting angry about the state of the world.

Books I read in February:

1) "Little Bosses Everywhere" by Bridget Read. One of the slow-burners I started in January. An in-depth coverage of MLM culture and its ties with conservative (and eve far-right) ideology, which are, frankly, frightening. Highly recommended.
2) "The Fragility of Bodies" by Sergio Olguín. Picked up from a recommendation on Bluesky, it reminded me how much I love the subtle, eerie darkness of South-American mysteries. Not a perfect book (the protagonist is very clearly a woman written by a man, if you catch my drift), but the criminal case at the heart of it is haunting and well-developed.
3) "We Could Be Rats" by Emily Austin. I've seen few authors portray mental issues as realistically as Austin, which is absolutely a credit to her. This book was a little too disjointed in terms of narration and point of view for my taste - "Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead" was far superior in terms of craft.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Happy birthday! Glad to hear it's without that particular worry. Hope plenty of very nice things have been coming your way today.

I can hardly believe this, but I submitted 5 pictures with 5 minutes to spare!

Bonus fun fact: had to take a detour to reach the cafe because the nearest park exit was blocked by a filming crew, and rumour has it they're shooting Mobland season 2. If true, once it's out I'll have seen 3 TV series with scenes filmed in my area. Almost feels like getting my own 15 mins of fame!

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I'm sitting outside my favourite neighbourhood cafe with a flat white and an ebook, and the lady behind me in the queue had a gorgeous gorgeous dog, and for the first time today, I feel I'm onto something that might ease the knot of anxiety I've had in my stomach over something silly I think I did.

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Yes! You are submitting! And whatever the outcome, I'd love to see your choices. I'm tempted to look through my folders too, now, though the theme sounds challenging for someone who hardly ever photographs people.

F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Thank you, Kathy, so kind of you to share! I still remember the feedback the piece got on your forum, and it was a big part of what encouraged me to keep submitting this over the years.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Sharp and beautiful? Well, that just made my day. Thank you so much for publishing my work - that in fact has made my month.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

That's exactly how my job hunt is going. Options: take a big pay cut crossing my fingers for better environment, or hold on to a salary that pays my mortgage until I'm laid off. The roles that match what I make demand AI-wrangling skills I just don't believe companies put any thought into defining.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Hi! Happy Saturday! Have some microfiction by yours truly, courtesy of @templeinacity.bsky.social. I started this a lifetime ago in a @kathyfish.bsky.social Flash Fiction Extravaganza - so pleased it's found a home. Will share a photo of the OTT Christmas lights that inspired it if you ask nicely.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

What really got me is that the stripes look so fake I had to wonder whether they were added in post-production via MS Paint!

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

I feel I know people who'd actually go for the in-home climbing wall, but the Austin Powers bedroom takes the cake on this one, excellent choice, it'll be seared in my brain for the rest of the day.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

In Italy we have Fat Tuesday rather than Pancake Day, and I always really miss the typical sweet treats, which are very difficult to make at home. But you couldn't pay me to spend February in the North-East of Italy! This month's miserable UK weather is nothing compared to the norm where I grew up.

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F. @edgwareviabank.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

We're having pancakes on Saturday because the house's designated Pancake Chef wasn't keen on making them for breakfast on a working day. Lent? What is that? Oh no, no way!