iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Received my pre-ordered Spanish edition of @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder, my fave book of 2024. A friend tells me the translation is very well done - my own Spanish comprehension extends to reading menus, a vocab in which Asunder is sadly lacking. Buying all the Asunders until I get my sequel.

Cover of Esquirlas (Asunder) by Kerstin Hall. A girl in patched clothing stands in front of a railing, with a cityscape behind.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Hey publishers, please bring me a sequel to @kerstinhall.bsky.social's ASUNDER. In the meantime I prettied up my new French edition. Bhatuma vs. Ephrite. My French "Nuliere edition", green like the sea. My English "Sabaster edition", red like blood.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Oh, hello! My @litpinsandco.bsky.social special edition of @emilytesh.net's The Incandescent has arrived. Ordered it last year when it was announced so I'd totally forgotten about it, but it's lovely, the artwork is fabulous. Still a great read too.

LitPins special edition of The Incandescent. A woman holds an open book, standing in front of a large bookcase.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Goddammit @scottlynch78.bsky.social you know I’m weak, you were supposed to keep my credit card locked behind the bar. It’s a lovely thing tho…

Scott’s limited edition of Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent. It has a green cloth quarter binding and marbled paper with green and yellow tones and a little gold

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I'm ridiculously fond of ASUNDER. It made @kerstinhall.bsky.social an instant pre-order for me for whatever she writes next. Thanks @solarisbooks.bsky.social for bringing out a UK paperback edition, hope many more people pick up this book which was so deserving of its Nebula and Locus nominations.

Cover of the Solaris paperback edition of Asunder by Kerstin Hall

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

My two favourite novels of 2025: WORKS OF VERMIN by @hironennes.bsky.social and STARVING SAINTS by @caitlinstarling.com These were the kind of books I wanted to slow down reading so I could enjoy them longer.

Covers for Works of Vermin (and Leech) on left and Starving Saints on right, held in hand in front of orchid

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

@hironennes.bsky.social's Works of Vermin is easily one of the best books I've read in 2025. Weird, dark, artful, and rich with drippingly gorgeous prose. Felt like the first time I read Perdido Street Station - simply transported and enveloped.

A copy of Works of Vermin and prior novel Leech

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

My copy of @thomasha.bsky.social’s Uncertain Sons arrived in the UK and it’s every bit as good as Premee said.

Uncertain Sons and other stories, by Thomas Ha

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Made sourdough bagels. Left the levain starter overnight. Mixed a little seeded flour into the dough for extra flavour. Boiled 30 seconds per side, then seeded (poppy and sesame) and baked 12 minutes. Pretty good chew, excellent flavour. #baking #breadsky

A dozen bagels cooling on two metal cooking sheets

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

This turned out great. Kibbled malted wheat and malted barley flours diluted in plain strong white flour. Sprayed with water and applied poppy seeds. Baked with water in tray for extra steam and firmer crust. #baking #breadsky

Oval (or slightly kidney) shaped loaf cooling on wooden peel

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Saw the Royal Shakespeare Company production of My Neighbour Totoro last night and it was so good. People just straight up gasped at how good some of the set design and puppetry was.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

Not enough apples for crumble, so made apple cinnamon rolls. Matchsticked pink lady apple into the cinnamon. Glazed with apricot jam after baking. Made cream cheese icing with half the usual sugar to keep it runny. Cut a comically large hole in a plastic bag to pipe the icing. #baking #breadsky

Rolls in a silicone cake pan after baking and glazing

An embarrassing amount of cream cheese icing on a roll on a plate

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

My signed edition of @caitlinstarling.com's Starving Saints has arrived in the UK, along with the book launch enamel pin by @missdaisydee.bsky.social and I'm in the best mood. Can't stop smiling. I really loved this book. Also, every book should come with a pin.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Happy 1st book anniversary to @kerstinhall.bsky.social’s ASUNDER. This book sunk its teeth in me one year ago and hasn’t entirely let go. Of all the dangling narrative threads, I think I love Rasko most. Untied threads can be better than a finished edge. A mystery can be better than an answer.

Two copies of Asunder on a table with a lit candle stuck in a muffin in front

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Baked muffins and bread and it’s not even 10:30 💪 Sunflour, poppy and chia seed in malted wheat and barley flours, about 80% strong white flour. Poppy seeds on top. I actually like the slight jelly bean shape. #baking #breadsky

Oval loaf cooling on a metal baking tray

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Made a quiche. Shortbread dough rolled and blind baked. Quiche recipe is from Chef John but I subbed a light aged cheddar for Gruyère because it’s what I had on hand. #baking

Quiche cooling on the stove, in a blue stoneware pie dish. Top is browned, crust edge is pinched.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Pre-ordered a copy of @ldlewiswrites.com’s Year of the Mer as a gift to my future self

Book cover for Year of the Mer, it has sprayed edges and an aquatic theme (trident, tentacles, tail)

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Really happy with this one. Three malt grain flours cut with plain strong white to lighten it. Toasted sunflower seeds on top with an egg wash. The nuttiness of the sunflower with the slight sweetness of the malt is a great balance. Dough rose well and was easy to shape. #breadsky #baking

Oval bread loaf cooling on a metal baking tray. Three venting slashes on the top.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Kind of embarrassed with this one, lame wasn’t sharp and the top is not so much scored as butchered. Poppy seed on crust, Wessex Mill six seed flour. Tastes better than it looks. #breadsky #baking

Oval bread loaf cooling on a metal baking tray. Top is slashed with rough cross hatch.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Made bagels. Boiled 30 seconds per side. Ran out of sesame seeds so ended up with three quarters poppy seed, no bad thing. This batch turned out really well. #breadsky #baking

A dozen baked bagels cooling on two metal baking sheets

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Hey @kerstinhall.bsky.social‬, I look forward to your newsletters. They're interesting, informative, open, and enjoyable (even when sometimes the subject is not uplifting). Enjoying that at least with its current audience you feel free to be less guarded, long may it continue. The best one I receive

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

On the hottest day of this heatwave I baked bear-shaped bread. Why? Because it’s bear-shaped bread! #breadsky #baking

Bear shaped metal tin form and cooling bread loafs

Slices of bear head shaped bread on cutting board

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

How is it that The Witch Roads is the first book I've read by @kateelliottsff.bsky.social‬? Better late than never I guess. Absolutely tore through this, and happily the follow-up is coming quick on its heels. Just a pleasure from cover to cover.

Book cover of The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott. A procession into spired castle flanked by giant statues.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Nigella Lawson’s Guinness chocolate cake recipe is the closest to perfect I’ve ever tasted. Rich, moist, light, deep chocolate with a perfect mouth feel - if consumed on the day of baking. #baking

A dozen chocolate cupcakes in papers in a silicon tray

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Made another oval loaf today, took the time to shape it better. Shipton Mill three malt flour, topped it with sunflower seeds which toasted up nicely, and a light egg wash over the crust in part to help keep the seeds in place. #baking #BreadSky

Oval loaf cooling on a metal baking tray, three diagonal slits on the top of the loaf

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Baked a large loaf - Wessex Mill Cobber flour, dusted with poppy seed, light egg wash on the crust. Hot day so I couldn’t be bothered spending any time on better shaping only for it to start sagging by the time it went in the oven. #baking #BreadSky

Oval bread loaf with crossed cut pattern and poppy seed on top, cooling on a metal cooking sheet

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

This was my favourite fantasy novel of 2024, and definitely in want of a sequel. The best things about it are subtle, like the cultural and political dynamics created by "gods" that are merely manifest representatives of their source power, and inconsistently involved. Couldn't love this book more.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Made an apple pie and a quiche. Not the most attractive cosmetically (I slightly underestimated the quantity of dough to reserve for the lattice and had to roll it too thin, and butchered the crimping in the process) but delicious. #baking

Lattice top apple pie with an uneven lattice and wonky crust edge beside a more respectable quiche. Both in stoneware pie dishes, sitting on a stove.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Love my Sabriel print by @tommyarnoldart.com, the print on cotton paper is gorgeous in a way I just can't capture with a photo - something in the texture. Seeing the process for creating this image described at www.muddycolors.com/2022/03/illu... only makes it more special ❤️

Girl in blue pantaloons faces away from the viewer toward a vortex in the sky with arms dropped to both sides, sword in right hand. A white cat looks behind on the lower left.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Hi @aimeeogdenwrites.com, not sure if this is a question for you or Psychopomp but if I pre-order Starstruck in the UK will the paperback be print-on-demand? I hate that this is rarely made clear, but understand that's on publishers not authors. If it's going to be POD I would just get the ebook.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

@garethlpowell.bsky.social's excellent Future's Edge is currently £1.99 on Kindle (UK), I have the hardcover but couldn't resist getting a second copy on ebook

Cover of book, a silhouette figure overlooks a devastated urban landscape

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Defo a fave of 2025 so far. Enjoyed @emilytesh.net's Incandescent on so many levels. A window to something obviously personal, yet relatable. Fun to read, story is cracking. Exploration of class, cliques, culture and callings. Also wonderfully written. Goldsboro signed limited edition is sweet.

Cover of The Incandescent in the UK pink colourway with spectral sprayed side

Book without cover has a magical sigil embossed on the front

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

An unexpectedly long wait but worth it. The limited hard cover edition of @garethlpowell.bsky.social’s Future’s Edge from Broken Binding.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Great to hear from @emilytesh.net on a panel in London with @sylviecathrall.bsky.social and Antonia Hodgson discussing Academia in Fantasy, each approaching it from a distinct direction and background. Always a treat. I feel grounded for reading The Incandescent, which I've been looking forward to.

On the left a photo of the event with the three panellists. On the right the cover of the (upcoming) novel The Incandescent by Emily Tesh.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

I can’t even eat them while I’m training, but I baked bread just because I missed the aroma in my kitchen. A friend is coming for dinner this evening and will take them away, my loss is her gain. Dough skin was very tight which deformed a bit baking. Good crust from added steam. #baking #breadsky

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

My personal faves @kerstinhall.bsky.social’s ASUNDER and @vajra.me’s RAKESFALL once again, recognised amongst worthy company. Get in!

Covers of Asunder and Rakesfall together

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

@robertjbennett.bsky.social's Drop of Corruption is a fantastic follow-up to (now Hugo nominated) Tainted Cup. It's witty, intelligent, wonderfully written, and... highly satisfying (which I mean in the most complementary way, as a sequel that needs to expand/conclude narrative threads). Bravo!

Cover and signed title page for A Drop of Corruption

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Hey @emilytesh.net, you’re the answer to one of today’s NYT Crossword clues! Can’t wait for my copy of The Incandescent to arrive in a couple weeks.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Made an Easter rabbit bread boule. This was actually the second attempt, the first the boule was too large and looked freakish. #breadsky #baking

Bread boule in the shape of a rabbit. The head is shaped by tying with string around the “neck”

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Can I confess half the reason I bought @premeemohamed.com‬'s RICH MAN'S WIFE was the cover? Because it's true, and I say that with respect as a devoted Premee fan. @carlydraws.bsky.social that's some outrageously beautiful work. What book were you fortunate to take a chance on because of the cover?

The book cover has a colour city scape of tall modern buildings in overlapping orthogonal view, and central is a horse rider under an archway with perhaps an Arabian aesthetic

The cover fully opened shows more of the cityscape on the back cover. A horse rider is a silhouette on the cliff to the far side overlooking.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Slowly getting back to form

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Last pie for a while sadly, I have to start cutting to race weight. So of course I made two, a large apple pie and small blueberry pie, both with lattice shortbread crusts. #baking

Small lattice crust blueberry pie alongside a half eaten full size apple pie, both in dishes on a baking sheet

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Somehow highly appropriate that the East India Company in London Mayfair is closed for unpaid taxes

East India Company storefront with papered over doors

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Made a loaf with Shipton Mills 3 malt and sunflower flour. Left the dough in the fridge for two days to rise for lack of time to bake it and suspected it would be over risen. Turned out the best I’ve made with this flour in ages, springy and soft with a crisp crust and delicious. #breadsky #baking

Loaf of bread cooling on a wire rack, still in the tin

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Had a couple DMs about my custom made "special edition" of @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder. Here's a short thread about the process and some things I learned. Maybe you'll find it interesting even if you're not planning to attempt something similar yourself. I knew nothing before attempting. 🧵

The book is standing open at an angle. The front cover has a gold variation of the original book cover. The new red marble endpapers are visible. The top surface of the page ends are gold.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Hey, I seem to have come down with a bad case of the @premeemohamed.com reading bugge. Is it contagious? Can anyone tell me what other symptoms to expect?

Holding copies of The Butcher of the Forest, The Siege of Burning Grass, and No one will come back for us, in front of a camellia bush

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Finished my love letter to @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder, my custom made "special edition". This was my first attempt at book re-binding (and probably last, I don't need more hobbies) but I'm happy with the result. I felt this book was quite special, and wanted to do something special with it.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Made a lattice crust apple pie. Bramley and braeburn apples. Used the pie crust technique where you freeze the butter so it stays granular when working the dough, and apple cider vinegar to break down the glutton. Works great for a super tender crust. #baking

A baked apple pie with a lattice crust in a pie dish cooling on a stove top

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Malted loaf with poppy seeds. Structure is good, nice crumb and crust. Wessex Mill six seed bread flour is excellent every time. #baking #breadsky

Bread loaf with cut face, topped with poppy seeds, angled slits on top crust. On a black bread board.

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Flamebait @flame-bait.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

My two favourite novels of 2024 (@kerstinhall.bsky.social’s Asunder and @vajra.me’s Rakesfall) both on the finalist list for the Nebula Award? FUCKING YES! nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2...

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