iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 18h

Apparently about 3/4 of us registered to vote in the 2024 election and 2/3 of us voted. I think we can do better than that. Registering can be done online. It's easy. Midterms are Nov. 3.

It's "Ask your US friends if they're registered to vote week"

010

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I have SO much to say about the new restrictions the Alabama Public Library Service is imposing on public libraries in my state. This is far from my only problem with the rules, but it's the first one that made it through my storm of apoplectic fury. #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #bannedbooks

0142

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's always really suspicious to me when a pilot says "we made up time in the air." Like, I'm happy we landed sooner than I expected, but... How? Did you find a shortcut?

130

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Looking forward to lots of chances to meet readers this next week! @bookmarksnc.bsky.social @hmcpl.org & Rocket City Lit Con :)

020

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

And I forgot to mention - check your polling place while you're at it! My usual one closed earlier this year and I've heard a lot of others have too. I still had one (and so do you) it's just different. #vote #usa

010

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Fantasy chess set is finally playable! A suggestion from a TikTok follower encouraged me to consider sculpting the bases. I was skeptical of my ability to make something even and regular, but I think it turned out pretty alright! #art #miniatures #chess

051

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Doing a little Ask Me Anything & Giveaway over on Fantasy Reddit today! Drop by, ask me some questions to keep me busy and out of trouble, maybe win some free stuff?

072

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Yoooo... what up Saturn? Why you so extra? Not just the bling rings and the hexagon storm at the north pole, you're bringing the decagon storm at the south pole. Such #planetgoals science.nasa.gov/image-articl...

science.nasa.gov

APOD: 2026 September 8 - Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn's South Pole - NASA Science

020

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Yeaaaah Valheim release day! Time for yet another family playthrough. One child named themselves after a Norse deity, another named themselves John Viking, and a third named themselves after a side character from Chrysalis

150

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Tor Books is giving away 25 copies of Apocalypse Parenting: Time to Play via Goodreads! Enter now through September 16. www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

063

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

2026 Micro-reviews: Cyber Dreams by MC Gallup/Plum Parrot Lower-class welder illegally ends up in possession of a high-end intelligence as her personal assistant, which decides it will make the welder as strong as it can so it can’t be taken away #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: cyborg adventures in somewhat-ethical crime
Avoid if: you want a protagonist who makes purely logical decisions
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press

180

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

USA TODAY BESTSELLER! I... I can't believe it. To everyone who has reviewed my book, recommended it to others, or bought a copy, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Places 101 & 102 of the USA today bestseller list, featuring the dungeon crawler carl graphic novel and Erin Ampersand's Time to Play

4183

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Rest in peace, Dolly. You made the world a better place. #books #dolly #dollyparton

060

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

God bless the !important tag in CSS. That's all.

250

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Absolutely floored by this amazing gift from my friend Becca! Taking ideas on special things to do with them. :) #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #art

080

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

After a lovely signing at Court Street Books last night, we stopped by the Florence Books-A-Million on the way home and I found my books in the wild and got to randomly sign them! The workers at the store were super nice and lent me a marker to sign with (I'd forgotten mine). #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff

erin in front of the sci-fi-and-fantasy shelf holding three copies of Time to Play

copies of the books now nestled amidst DCC and D&D swag

0220

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Excited to find my book at Blue Apple Books on release day! I'll be at Snail on the Wall tonight! I checked out the big bookstores in the area, but couldn't find it on shelves anywhere! Barnes and Noble confirmed that they had copies but had already sold out! 🎉 #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg

erin ampersand standing in blue apple books in one of her fanciest dresses with an obnoxiously large smile on her face, gesturing to a bin displaying copies of Time to Play

2205

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

www.royalroad.com/fiction/1863... Oh, one more post for my friend - this is her art of her main character. Creepy eldritch beings, hapless MC urban fantasy, being posted serially. Give her a chance if you like the sound. #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff

bruised up guy with a unicorn laying its head in his lap

030

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

One of my longtime besties has started posting a fiction on Royal Road. It's a slow-paced dark urban fantasy with really weird elder beings tormenting a hapless guy named Presley. If that sounds like your jam it would mean the world to them if you checked it out. www.royalroad.com/fiction/1863...

royalroad.com

The Unicorn Hex

“Do you trust me?” There are three people: Dr. Omar Carter, Miss Soleil Carter, and Theodore Presley. There’s one hex, pouring the universe’s pain into Presley’s body with a click. There are two outco...

000

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

2026 Micro-reviews: Dungeon Crawler Carl by @mattdinniman.bsky.social Cat and her human do war crimes because alien society is even more messed up than ours is. #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: Surprising plot twists and fun character moments from a diverse cast
Avoid if: you can’t handle crude humor or gory details
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Game Changer

1160

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

2026 Micro-reviews: Judicator Jane by Brian Rouleau Girl ends up on a gamelike world and manipulates the system to get an unfair amount of luck. Unfortunately, being personally lucky doesn’t solve all the problems she faces #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: a really interesting take on the Luck stat
Avoid if: you want the MC to be in mortal danger
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press, Politics & Intrigue

090

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Definitely not reposting all the stuff I put on TikTok, but I was proud of this one.

140

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Experimenting with TikTok a lil bit! Decided to cross-post this first video, dunno if I'll do that with all of them. You can find me on TikTok here: www.tiktok.com/@erinampersand

030

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

2026 Micro-review: We Are Legion, We Are Bob by @dennisetaylor.bsky.social Science tries to digitize scans of human brains acquired in a liquidation. One guy comes out sane-ish and they make him a self-replicating Von Neuman probe #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: fun look at a possible future for space exploration & digital life
Avoid if: You don’t want an MC who goes with the flow
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press, The Afterlife, Older Protagonist, Explorers & Rangers, First Contact (from bk 2 on)

1150

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

This article is from 2024, but it came as a shock to me. If a "prisoner" is considered acceptable for work at McDonald's, they should probably be let out of jail, not temporarily released to work for garnished wages. www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-ne...

business-humanrights.org

000

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Been playing Grounded with Middlest. It's a blast, but unfortunately it is really, really easy to yeet your tools. After 40 hours of playtime, lost my axe again, swore, and Youngest commented, "Huh, it's too bad you can't rebind the throw key." ...you absolutely can. I am very smart.

140

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

2026 Micro-review: Hell of a Witch by @rachel-aaron.bsky.social Young witch – the only man in a coven of women – strikes out on his own and hires demon mercenaries to help. "Heaven" objects to all of this. Re-post because I finished reading the series! #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for Aaron's usual blend of epic plot and family issues. Avoid if: Don't avoid, Rachel Aaron's the best, r/Fantasy Bingo squares: Self-pub, unusual transport, the afterlife

1123

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Playing Scattergories with kids and was impressed when the 8yo came up with "Simply Saline" as a thing at the airport. Sure! People *would* travel with that, and double S words: boss move. Became both less and more impressed when said child explained: "I think it's a perfume or something."

Imagine of Scattergories list with "things in an airport" category

150

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

2026 Micro-reviews: Quest Academy by Brian J. Nordon @mythcrafter.bsky.social Civilization is trying to find its way back after monsters nearly wiped it out. Kid of salespeople has a potent superpower, but none of the preparation needed to be a hero. #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: Crafting-heavy story of a superstar finding his way
Avoid if: A shaky start is a dealbreaker. The first book is heavy on school drama and way too many possible love interests.
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press/Self-Published

1130

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Hey, want to win a copy of Time to Play and over a dozen other books from Tor? They're doing a giveaway to celebrate the San Diego Comic Con, but you don't have to be physically present at the con to win. :) Just visit this link and fill out the form! read.macmillan.com/promo/tpgsdc...

032

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I hate when I gotta put on my "respectable member of society" cosplay.

130

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

So excited to share the Tor paperback cover for book 2!

081

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Playing Minecraft with my kids. We've got a mod on that, among other things, makes you drop a hat version of your head on death. Some kid quote highlights from our playthrough: "Give me that head!" "I'm opening a head shop!" "Should we bed the Ender Dragon?" None of them know what they're saying

040

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Pretty unreal to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of my own book from Tor! I can't wait for August 18! #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg

Erin Ampersand holding a ARC of Time to Play with a black and white simplified cover

2241

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

This is a steel bollard. It *may* stop an oncoming car. A bullet will not stop an oncoming car. Ever. Killing the driver doesn't make them hit the brake. Regardless of any other details, cops shooting supposedly "oncoming drivers" are doing something dangerous and wrong.

steel bollard knocked askew, disturbing the surrounding concrete, image taken from Reliance Foundry's article on bollard crashes

https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/bollard-crashes

000

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

2026 Micro-reviews: Stumbling Up by Reck Well A very fun adventure story focused on a small party of friends and the challenges the world gives them… and they give each other. #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: Interesting combat and platonic relationship dynamics
Avoid if: You want the MC to be the strongest character present
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press/Self-Published, Cat Squasher

180

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Using one marginalized group as a weapon against another is low in the extreme. The White House should have immediately denounced such prejudice. Every black woman and trans person in America must feel less safe today. Also, going after Michelle Obama? *Really?* That lady is pure class.

030

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

As disappointed as I was with a number of the results of the Alabama primaries, it's still very important that we all vote in the runoff today.

010

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Super sad to hear this news. She was one of my favorites when I was younger. I loved Wizard's Hall, and I still have the Pit Dragon books on my shelf at home. Thank you, Jane Yolen, for all you gave to so many.

120

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

So nice to have a rainbow over the White House in honor of pride month! (I like my version and I'm sticking to it.)

000

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Listening to a podcast with middlest child and paused to explain that the signals in our nerves are actually tiny bits of electricity, and yes, you can just put electricity straight into a muscle to signal it to move. Immediately, no hesitation: Middlest: "Whoa. So we really COULD make zombies?"

160

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

2026 Micro-reviews Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher @tkingfisher.com Paladin to a dead god and perfumer who can’t get licensed solve mystery and fall in love #booksky 🪐📚💙📚👀 #sff #litrpg #&microreviews

Read for: Weird cozy. Cozy for people who would snuggle a manticore.
Avoid if: Themes of overcoming grief or abuse are dealbreakers
R/Fantasy Bingo squares: Small Press/Self-Published, Politics and Court Intrigue

418826

Erin Ampersand, Author @erinampersand.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

TIL that fresh cilantro is almost indistinguishable visually from fresh Italian parsley, despite the wildly different tastes

230