iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/10/2026

My September 2026 reading wrap-up from StoryGraph #Booksky💙📚

My September 2026 reading wrap-up from The StoryGraph. It shows that I read 16 books in September, totaling 3,869 pages. The first book was ONCE UPON A PUNK SHOW by Katelyn Forrest, the middle book was BOUND BY THE SALT by John Togher, and the last book was THE RED SACRAMENT by Sara Hinkley. Average book length was 242 pages, and the average time to finish a book was 4 days.

Graphs at the bottom show that I read: 88% fiction, 13% nonfiction, 75% digital, and 25% print. The dominant genres were horror, fantasy, literary, romance, and LGBTQIA+.

A grid display of the covers of the books I read in September 2026. They are:
ONCE UPON A PUNK SHOW by Katelyn Forrest
THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE by Cassandra Khaw
THE LURKER by Rosemary Victus
WHAT PAINTING IS by James Elkins
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam
A HARVEST OF HEARTS by Andrea Eames
LEECH by Hiron Ennes
BOUND BY THE SALT by John Togher
WYLDING HALL by Elizabeth Hand
THE BODDICKER LETTERS by A.C. Cross
SEED by Ania Ahlborn
THE BEES by Laline Paull
MONSTROUS by Bryan Smith
THE TOMMY by T.C. Parker
ON WRITING SERIES by Peter M. Ball
THE RED SACRAMENT by Sara Hinkley

Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 27/09/2026

This poor sweet baby will hopefully be able to be rid of her watermelon after tomorrow's vet visit. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, this is her current status

A closeup of a Golden Retriever fast asleep. She's wearing an inflatable e-collar that looks like a watermelon, and the tip of her tongue is poking out of her mouth.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 18/09/2026

Penelope is doing great, by the way. Her incision is healing nicely and she's entirely her energetic self, even though we have to try to keep her calm. I feel so bad for her; I know she wants to play the way she normally does! Hopefully the healing period will go by quickly for her

A Golden Retriever lying on the floor, wearing a big inflatable collar that looks like a watermelon to prevent her from reaching a surgical incision. She's resting her head on the watermelon like a pillow and looks very unamused.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 15/09/2026

My poor girl having to tolerate wearing her watermelon

A Golden Retriever lying on a couch that has a fabric cover on it. S
Due to recovering from surgery, she's wearing an inflatable protective collar that looks like a watermelon. She looks very cute, if a bit forlorn.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 15/09/2026

"Is this real life?" She's very sleepy from the anesthesia and is now napping next to me on the couch, using her ever so fashionable watermelon ring as a pillow. Sweet girl ❤️

A Golden Retriever lying on a couch with an inflatable ring around her neck that looks like a watermelon. She's looking groggy from anesthesia.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 10/09/2026

Received my gorgeous limited edition hardcover of @oleandercraw.bsky.social's incredible novel, DEVOURING FORTUNE. Ahhh it's so pretty!

A top-down photo of the limited edition hardcover of DEVOURING FORTUNE, featuring two of the characters on the cover in a beautiful painterly illustration. Surrounding the book are a few extras like postcards and bookmarks featuring illustrations of the characters.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 04/09/2026

Well, I do live in California! But I've previously lived in six other states in different regions of the country.

A map from mydialect.us showing a map of the United States, with yellow, blue, and red colors indicating the distribution of my manner of speaking relative to different regions. It shows that my dialect is the most similar to California, and the least similar to the Southeast.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 03/09/2026

Believe it or not, she's even sweeter than she looks

A Golden Retriever sitting and looking at the camera. She has silky, pale yellow fur and a gentle look about her.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 02/09/2026

Someone is worn out after daycare yesterday

A closeup of a Golden Retriever asleep on a couch, her paw curled up next to her head.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/09/2026

My August 2026 reading wrap-up from StoryGraph #Booksky💙📚

My August 2026 reading wrap-up from The StoryGraph. It shows that I read 12 books in August, totaling 2,686 pages. The first book was FERVOR by Meg Smitherman, the middle book was THE GRIEF OF STONES by Katherine Addison, and the last book was THE YEARS SHALL RUN LIKE RABBITS by Ben Berman Ghan. Average book length was 223 pages, and the average time to finish a book was 3 days.

Graphs at the bottom show that I read 100% fiction, most of which was in a digital format. The dominant genres were horror, fantasy, romance, science fiction, and literary.

A grid display of the covers of the books I read in August 2026. They are:
FERVOR by Meg Smitherman
SOUR CHERRY by Natalia Theodoridou
A TRADE OF BLOOD by Robert Jackson Bennett
THE WETWORKS MIRACLE by Caleb Sierra
THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD by Katherine Addison
THE GRIEF OF STONES by Katherine Addison
THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison
OUTDATED by Paisley Rose
THE HALLS OF THE DEAD by S.M. Hallow
THE EXTRA by Annie Neugebauer
THE OTHER by Annie Neugebauer
THE YEARS SHALL RUN LIKE RABBITS by Ben Berman Ghan

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 31/08/2026

Mondays are the one day a week my dog goes to daycare. It's mostly for her benefit, so she can socialize with other dogs in a safe environment. Meanwhile, I wander my home feeling lost and umoored, longing for this sweet little face to return to me

A Golden Retriever sitting and looking up at the person behind the camera with a big "smile" on her face.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 23/08/2026

My criminally cute baby when I asked her if she wanted to go get her ball

A Golden Retriever tilting her head at a dramatic angle as she listens to her person ask her if she wants to go get her ball.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 22/08/2026

Sitting on the couch next to my sweet girl as she looks out the open window. I'm just enjoying my morning coffee and beta reading while she watches the world and quietly grunts with contentment.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 17/08/2026

Some friends were talking about the visualization techniques they use when working on their novels, which reminded me I never shared this on here. This is how I work on a novel's structure between drafts, i.e. developmental self-editing. (Don't worry, the manuscript will also go through an editor.)

A grid of lined index cards with handwritten text on them, too small/blurry to read, because the author is very secretive about these things. Each card also has one or more dot stickers on it, in various colors. Each color represents a story element so that I can easily visualize the entire manuscript.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 11/08/2026

My husband managed to grab a photo of Penelope "smiling" when we picked her up from daycare. She's made this face her whole life, since she was just a wee thing. Always accompanied by extra enthusiastic wags!

A Golden Retriever standing on her hind legs with her front feet propped up on a gate. She's showing her teeth in a greeting smile.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 09/08/2026

Penelope came to show me her towel

A Golden Retriever dog holding an orange towel in her mouth. She looks very sweet.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 04/08/2026

No cheating, post your lock screen! Of course mine is the princess.

A mobile phone lock screen, featuring a photo of a Golden Retriever looking up at the camera with an open-mouthed happy face.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 02/08/2026

Even though I've posted them before, I'll reshare the two beautiful pieces of art I've commissioned from @8thcreation.bsky.social: Grisira with the Sovereign, and Grisira and Deleyora. (4/4)

A silver, bipedal dragon woman stands with her eyes closed, hands clasped in supplication. She has a head crest with a turquoise sheen and matching frills on the sides of her head that resemble a fish's fins. Black horns sweep back on either side of her crest, covered in the gold filigree that marks her as a magic user. Her long tail curls around her body to rest on the ground. She wears a blue gown with glittering gold accents and a translucent cape. Behind her looms a tall entity wearing a hooded yellow robe and a crown of bone. Its face is a pallid mask, and its white hands hover above her as if attempting to puppeteer her.

Art of the central couple in my fantasy novel, illustrated by 8th Creation. Two non-human characters dance in front of a pale blue, starry background: Deleyora, a tall man with dark grey skin and a head similar to an octopus; and Grisira, a silver dragon-like woman. From the front of Deleyora's face emerge six tentacles that curl around his beloved, and his intense amber eyes gaze down at her face. He is dressed in a long, black coat with gold embroidery. Grisira's long tail curls around her body to touch one of Deleyora's tentacles, and she gazes back up at him with her icy blue eyes. She has a head crest with a turquoise sheen and matching frills on the sides of her head that resemble a fish's fins. Black horns sweep back on either side of her crest, covered in the gold filigree that marks her as a magic user. Her sapphire gown glitters with the light of stars.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/08/2026

My monthly StoryGraph wrap-up for July 2026. There were a lot of great ones! Including several from talented Bluesky mutuals.

My StoryGraph wrap-up graphic for July 2026. It shows the following:
The first book I read was STRANGE PICTURES by Uketsu, the middle book was THE STARS WILL BE OUR OCEAN by Lizzie Blackwood, and the last book was A MOURNING COAT by Alex Jeffers. I read 19 books totaling 4,521 pages. The average book length was 250 pages, and the average time to finish was two days. My reading consisted 95% fiction and 5% nonfiction. There's a bar graph showing the top genres, which were horror, science fiction, romance, LGBTQIA+, and contemporary.

A collage of the covers of the books I read in June 2026. They were:
STRANGE PICTURES by Uketsu
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite
ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS by Adrian Tchaikovsky
THE FEYWILD JOB by C.L. Polk
YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY by Akwaeke Emezi
AT YOUR PACE by Hope Engel
ALICIA IS IN THE BASEMENT by Santiago Eximeno
THE DEATH OF MOUNTAINS by Jordan Kurella
WRITING YOUR STORY'S THEME by K.M. Weiland
THE STARS WILL BE OUR OCEAN by Lizzie Blackwood
AMUSEMENT PARK ARCANA by Jennifer R. Donohue
NO GHOSTS by Max Lury
ELECTRIC SHAMANS AT THE FESTIVAL OF THE SUN by Mónica Ojeda
DEVOURING FORTUNE by Oleander Craw
INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by Josh Malerman
SUBCUTANEAN by Aaron A. Reed
PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir
ATTACK OF THE HA by VJ Pumpdabeat
A MOURNING COAT by Alex Jeffers

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 30/07/2026

My husband managed to capture a photo of one of Penelope's "smiles." I've been trying to get a shot of this for years! It's the cutest thing and she's done it since she was tiny. It usually happens when she's greeting someone, but sometimes she'll do it when playing or otherwise excited.

A semi-blurry closeup of a Golden Retriever. Her muzzle is scrunched up in what we refer to as a smile.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 29/07/2026

76/60. I set my goal a little low (for what my reading habits are) due to drafting my book. I assumed I wouldn't have as much time to read. Guess I was wrong!

A screenshot of my reading progress for 2026 from StoryGraph. It shows that I've read 76 out of my goal of 60, meaning I'm at 127% for the year.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 28/07/2026

Beautiful Penelope watching the neighborhood. She always lets me know when something interesting shows up; the other day we watched a hawk perched on the building next door for a solid ten minutes. She reminds me to savor simple things.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 23/07/2026

It takes all of my self-control not to poke the tooth

A fluffy Golden Retriever lying upside down, relaxed and content. Some of her teeth are visible, with her canine tooth especially prominent.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 20/07/2026

New VIGIL FOR THE DAWN CHORUS art: main character Grisira with the primary antagonist, "the Sovereign," aka the King in Yellow. Another gorgeous piece by @8thcreation.bsky.social

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 18/07/2026

I'm pretty secretive about my behind-the-scenes notes and extremely ugly reference map of the continent in my book (I will hire an artist to make a nice one sometime!), but here's a screenshot of a small part of my VIGIL FOR THE DAWN CHORUS Pinterest board.

A grid of differently-sized images from Pinterest. It includes abstract images in gold tones to represent divine magic, flying sea life, a massive dragon to represent one of the gods, The King in Yellow and other eldritch imagery, a rainforest, mushrooms and mycelium, a tide pool, and a few quotes:
"In the crooks of your body, I find my religion"
"How does your divinity feel?"
"Blessed be the places we have lost."
"this is you, this is how I see you," over an image of the sun.
"and I, at the door between worlds"
And Cassilda's Song from The King in Yellow:
"Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind* the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa."

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 15/07/2026

I've known for a long time that Khetris (and their entire species) is agender and uses they/them pronouns. They don't show up in the story until Act 2 of the first book, but they're a major character from that point forward. I'm hoping to write a prequel novella from their perspective, eventually.

A shoulders-up painted portrait of an individual who looks like an elf but is not an elf. They have brown skin, pointed ears, and bright turquoise eyes. Their long, straight hair falls down to their collarbone. They're wearing a light-colored outfit and a serene smile. Painted by Danil Luzin.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 10/07/2026

Been feeling rather Stressed Miyazaki today while trying to plan out my Draft 2 revisions for VFTDC. I know it's a "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time" situation but right now all I can see is the size of the meal and it's just

Hayao Miyazaki with his eyes closed, glasses in hand, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, looking like he's about to disintegrate from stress.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 08/07/2026

My kitchen supervisor while I make brunch

A Golden Retriever sitting and gazing up at the person behind the camera with a big "smile."

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 04/07/2026

This was a very brief pause in a very long session of head scratching. I just love this sweet girl so much.

A Golden Retriever resting her chin on her human's leg. Her eyes are looking up and to her left as she meets her human's gaze.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/07/2026

I had to search the internet because I don't have the photos anymore, but I found one!

A chainmaille bracelet featuring pansexual pride colors.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/07/2026

I had to search the internet because I don't have the photos anymore, but I found one!

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 01/07/2026

Time for my June 2026 reading wrap-up from StoryGraph. A great reading month--I loved all of these books!

My StoryGraph wrap-up graphic for June 2026. It shows the following:
The first book I read was When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory, the middle book was About a Place in the Kinki Region by Sesuji, and the last book was The Shape of Monsters by Tessa Gratton. I read nine books totaling 3,168 pages. The average book length was 352 pages, and the average time to finish was four days. My reading consisted entirely of fiction. There's a bar graph showing the types of fiction, which were LGBTQIA+, romance, fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

A collage of the covers of the books I read in June 2026. They are:
When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
The Consort and I by Aud Connelly
The Scandalous Letters of V and J by Felicia Davin
A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper
About a Place in the Kinki Region by Sesuji
Level Up by Paisley Rose
Roll Play by Paisley Rose
Side Quest by Paisley Rose
The Shape of Monsters by Tessa Gratton

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 28/06/2026

Good thing I have two hands: one to turn to the next page and one to pet the angel.

A Golden Retriever leaning against the legs of the person behind the camera while tipping her head back to look at her. There's an out-of-focus ereader resting on the person's folded leg.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 27/06/2026

How I found Penelope in the bathroom. It took all my self-control not to poke the blep.

A closeup of a Golden Retriever's face. She's lying on her side on the floor with the tip of her tongue poking out in a "blep."

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 25/06/2026

Now how on Earth am I meant to do anything at all other than shower this perfect creature with adoration when she gazes at me like this?

A Golden Retriever lying down with her head resting on someone's leg. She's gazing at the person behind the camera.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 23/06/2026

Penelope cuddles while reading earlier

A Golden Retriever lying with her head resting on a human's denim-covered legs.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 21/06/2026

Penelope looking extra floofy.

A Golden Retriever lying down and looking straight at the camera. The fur on her chest is so fluffy that she almost looks like she doesn't have a neck.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 12/06/2026

The look I get when I stop scratching her head So guess what I'm still doing

A Golden Retriever lying down, body facing away from the camera. She's tipping her head back over her left shoulder to look at the person behind the camera.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 08/06/2026

We don't usually see each others headers. Here's mine. Quote post with yours (if you feel like it)!

The header for my Bluesky account. The banner features art of the central couple in my fantasy novel, illustrated by 8th Creation. Two non-human characters dance in front of a pale blue, starry background: Deleyora, a tall, cephalopod-like man with dark grey skin and a head similar to an octopus; and Grisira, a silver dragon-like woman. From the front of Deleyora's face emerge six tentacles, and he's dressed in a black coat with gold embroidery. Grisira has a head crest with a turquoise sheen and matching frills on the sides of her head that resemble a fish's fins. Black horns sweep back on either side of her crest, covered in the gold filigree that marks her as a magic user. She wears a sapphire gown.

The pfp is a painterly portrait of my face based on a photo: a white-passing mixed-race Japanese-American woman with wavy auburn hair and glasses.

Below that is my name, Jae Koyanagi, and the header text reads as follows:

Author, Otherwise Award Honor List, repped by Russ Galen. Writing non-human romantic fantasy. 🐙 she/her, autistic, queer, D&D player, dog mom. Pfp: @starace.bsky.social. Banner: @8thcreation.bsky.social

🚫Anti-genAI🚫

jaekoyanagi.carrd.co

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 07/06/2026

Snapped a photo of Penelope yesterday when she heard someone talking on their phone in our neighborhood. Took it just before she ran to the open window to look. She loves people so much! Doesn't matter whether she's met them before or not. You are automatically Friend.

A Golden Retriever turning to look over her right shoulder, face bright with curiosity.

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 05/06/2026

Khetris is entirely aromantic. They have never and will never have even the faintest interest in romance (or sex) for themself, and they do not experience romantic (or sexual) attraction. They aren't repulsed by other people's romances, though. Beautiful art by @danilluzin.com

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Jae Koyanagi @jaekoyanagi.com · 04/06/2026

Penelope remains obsessed with her giant stuffed Golden