iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 15h

In case you're low on nightmare fuel

Cat toy - small, hot pink, furry mouse missing eyes, a nose, and patches of fur

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Linda M. Bayley @lmbayley.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A story about a potato has no right to be this sad. Or this human. Amazing #FlashInTheFeed by @rachelmhollis.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social today.

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Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 14/09/2026

A mysterious phone caller, an old flame, and the possibility of an escape into an alternate reality. Story by Chris Vanjonack, recommended by Weston Morrow. buff.ly/aHFOGWC

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

So good! "'You can hide anything you want in plain sight,' Jack said to me once as he added the words 'a fucking lie' to his self-portrait, . . . . 'You’ve just got to give people somewhere else to focus. Something they want to see.'”

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"I’m not sure how the skunk got in. But as soon as it saw me, it charged, scuttling across the ground like a furry crab. I let out a yelp . . . ; then . . . , retreated to the one room in the house that doesn’t have windows." www.unchartedmag.com/stories/live...

unchartedmag.com

Live Trap - Uncharted

The skunk will not leave my home. This has created a situation similar to the siege of Carthage, where I am barricaded in my bathroom, unable to slip past my assaulting foe. Except, instead of shelter...

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This weather calls for finally bringing out the good socks. 🌧️💨

Magenta crew socks with yellow stripes and toe tips that say I LIKE BOOKS MORE THAN PEOPLE

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Darker Times @darkertimes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

One of the best Disney Channel Original Movies to ever air, Don't Look Under the Bed means a lot to us here at Darker Times. Aigner Loren Wilson writes about her experience viewing the film, reflecting on its impact, the idea of disbelief, and more. Read it here: www.darkertimes.com/dont-look-un...

darkertimes.com

Don’t Look Under the Bed (1999) & The Monster of Disbelief

How a Disney Channel original movie kept my weirdness alive.

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Darker Times @darkertimes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Backrooms, Walter Benjamin, AND Freud?! @emilyhughes.bsky.social covers the magic of liminality, memory, and capitalism in her latest piece, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Hallucination: www.darkertimes.com/walter-benja...

darkertimes.com

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Hallucination

Or, why I stopped worrying and learned to love Walter Benjamin in the Backrooms.

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Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 25/09/2026

Next week is #LitMagWeek and Electric Lit has a lineup of exciting content to share. Check back here daily September 28–October 2 and celebrate lit mags with us!

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Great tips! This is why I love flash.

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Eric Raglin @ericraglin1992.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

New horror writers: Applications for my Cursed Classroom are open! This affordable, month-long class will meet each Tuesday in November. You'll learn how to write more effective horror and how to submit to short fiction markets. Interested? See details here: ericraglin.com/classes-and-...

ericraglin.com

Classes and Editorial Services

Cursed Classroom: Open for applicants through October 31st, 2026 What is Cursed Classroom? This month-long horror-writing bootcamp is aimed at writers on a budget. The ideal participant for this co…

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

You always take a gamble when you buy a book you haven't read or heard much about. I'm a little over 100 pages in and am not sure I want to finish. I don't like to post about DNF reads, but I keep thinking about how this story needs more editing and revision. It's taking me out of it.

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I occasionally use tarot and oracle cards for self-reflection and guidance, but I haven't used them for story inspiration and planning. Maybe THE SNAIL ORACLE will fix that. 🐌🔮 Shout out to Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland! I also own SNAIL WORLD, SNAIL WORLD 2, and the "Slime Shop" puzzle.

THE SNAIL ORACLE oracle deck: cover of the deck box (a garden snail looking into a mirror), the deck guidebook (a garden snail at a table with cards, a crystal ball, candles, and tea), and a drawn card (an image of a garden snail on a swan boat, going into a "tunnel of love"—the word DEVOTION at the bottom of the card)

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I cringed so hard through most of this. But don't worry; it's not all cringe. Great read!

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Brought me right into the time. Great micro!

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Don't sleep on this one! I can't wait!

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Looking forward to this one! It was recommended to me by another horror writer, and it just so happens to be this month's horror book club pick at my local independent bookstore. ☺️ I'm ready to get disturbed.

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Carly Bryant Black 🏳️‍🌈🧠 @carlybwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The safety's in the ordinary stuff, a porch, a news beat, string lights. A man keeping every light on for the people he lost sounds sweet, until you learn why the house never goes dark. #horrorwriterschat

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Amber Hathaway, Little White Flowers author @amber-hathaway.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

David stares at me with his scratched plastic eyes, his mouthless face a mask of silent reproach. And then I hear the rattle. If you shake him, it's supposed to sound like he's purring. But this is no purr. It's the ball of a rattler. That's when David launches at me. #HorrorWritersChat

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I open the drawer, & there he is, misshapen plastic eyes peeking through loose packs & ointments. Normally, my old Bear makes me smile, but all I can think of is shutting the drawer. He doesn't belong here. But I still need scissors. I hope I'm wrong about where I'll find them. #HorrorWritersChat

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I don't like to read or write anything where everything goes as planned or remains status quo. Where's a story without conflict? Horror makes anything comfortable suspicious. The more you give a character, the more they can lose. #HorrorWritersChat

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Hey, #HorrorWritersChat, I write horror that draws from childhood fears. This chat is right up my alley! My favorite childhood toy was a teddy bear named Bear. If he became evil, it would devastate me. I had a nightmare as a kid that he exploded slime, and I'm still creeped out remembering it. 🧸

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"Something in her eyes catches me off guard. There’s the oak-barrel whiskey of grief and cheddar terror so sharp it cuts the tongue. But there’s a hint of something complex, neither sour nor salty, but oddly bittersweet. "It tastes like relief." www.unchartedmag.com/stories/the-...

unchartedmag.com

The Taste of a Name - Uncharted

Some dreams taste like cotton candy. Nostalgic moments, remembered imperfectly with their spun-sugar veneers. Others are dark chocolate, writhing with intertwined limbs, playing out carnal fantasies. ...

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"While today we think of Toy Story as children’s media, the it-narrative originated as a decidedly adult genre. Because object narrators tend to be things that circulate across layers of society, the it-narrative offered a ready platform for social satire." lithub.com/long-before-...

lithub.com

Long Before Toy Story, It-Narratives Imagined the Inner Lives of Objects

It’s nighttime in the playroom and the toys have gathered for a conference. For modern audiences, this scene likely evokes the imaginative world of Toy Story, the long-running film franchise about …

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Petra Vanfossen @petranova.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I left the #glove in your office on purpose. Smelling of amber, of warm woods and train rides stood too close together. Of the seconds spent watching the underside of your jaw as the wind blew my hair out like a flag. I hope it strangles you without moving. #vss365

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

A new thought for me—all the OTHER interests & skills I have that can support other writers. "...spaces where my skills, curiosity, and love of stories intersected. ... [make] my ideal writing life more sustainable, more connected, and more expansive..." writersinthestormblog.com/2026/08/buil...

writersinthestormblog.com

Building a Writing Ecosystem | Writers In The Storm

As writers, we’ve been conditioned to think of our entire future as dependent upon the success of our books. What a nasty little trap.

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I've used monsters to show giving up hope and embracing despair, as physical manifestation of ugly inner transformation, and as a tangible representation of fear. I don't see monsters as evil, necessarily, but they are something "other" that we have to understand to overcome. #HorrorWritersChat

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Sorry I missed #HorrorWritersChat today! I still want to share a few things because I LOVE today's topic. I'm J. D. Hellen. I write spec fic, mostly horror, AND I love writing monsters. The monster that scares me most is the monster we can't see, the monster that is worst in our minds.

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Cursed Morsels @cursedmorsels.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

👁️WEIRD HORROR EBOOK GIVEAWAY!👁️ In Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces, characters twist in the grip of forces beyond their understanding. To enter this giveaway, simply reply with your personal favorite force beyond your understanding.

The cover for Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces by D. Matthew Urban. A grotesque fleshy monster sits at a kitchen table in the dark with a cup of coffee.

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Will McKinley @willmckinley.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

"It's given a lot of people permission to be themselves, to not dream it, be it, which is the motto of the movie, really. I would like to be remembered for that." Farewell to Tim Curry (1946-2026) #RIP

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Dr. Cara Berg Powers @clbergpowers.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Things you could do this week to honor the impact Dolly has had: *Donate to the Imagination Library or a local kids reading initiative *Read with a kid you care about *Support and protect LGBTQIA kids *Support a Black owned business *Schedule your vaccine appointments *Show up authentically as you

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Jack Feerick @jackfeerick.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

What Dolly taught us is that it is in fact possible to be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams of avarice but still be a fundamentally good person with a strong moral compass, and the only reason more rich people aren't like that is because they don't want to be.

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

"...[H]e’s a salesman, not a psychic. But, honestly, he doesn’t see much difference between the two. He ... knows exactly what they want to hear. And that old woman wanted to hear about her son. ... All Roman did was give her what she wanted—what she paid for."

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Aeryn Rudel @aerynrudel.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Hey, everybody, I had a #flashfiction story published yesterday with @foofarawpress.bsky.social. It’s called “Never Quit Your Post”, and it might be the weirdest story I’ve sold to date. Check it out. #writingcommunity foofaraw.press/never-quit-y...

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Sundays are for coffee and short stories. ☕

Foreground: a Kindle Paperwhite with a screensaver image; background: a white mug that says, "SCROLL LESS READ MORE"

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I let out an audible gasp reading this one. @rebecca-turkewitz.bsky.social does not disappoint!

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Picked up some new reading material and met some great people at the Bucks County Zine Fest today!

A spread of zines and lit mags of different colors and sizes, including BOOKWORMS, KRYPTA, WAXEN, and MOURNING PAPERS. Stickers, pins, and bookmarks are arranged on top of the spread. Pins include Squidward's "Bold and Brash", and stickers include "The owls are not what they seem."

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MrBullBull @mrbullbull.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

"He’s only on page forty & he’s had enough. He grips the pen in his fist. He can use a gun. Writes that. He knows how to get one. Writes that too. He would love to pull a trigger again, see men go down. That’ll give the bastards something to think about." -Lindy Newns mrbullbull.com/newbull/flas...

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

So many lit mag stories to catch up on this weekend! I'm also going to a zine fest . . . where I'll likely pick up even more to read. 🙂

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

If you've never read this story (or even if you have), please give this a listen. I think about this one a lot.

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Chill Subs @chillsubs.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

love taking your sweet time developing fiction worlds? then save this evergreen list of 150 magazines that pay, don’t charge fees, and are always open for fiction submissions.

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I can no longer gaze away from the truth. This is OUR house. Legally, of course it's ours. But the crooked floors, the shrinking halls—it's years of the ugly secrets we thought no one heard, now too heavy to hold back. And it's too late to play nice. This is what we asked for. #HorrorWritersChat

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Artemis Quinn 🏳️‍⚧️🎨📚 @vampireantihero.com · 19/08/2026

#HorrorWritersChat I can no longer gaze away from the truth. Pale skin, lengthened fangs, glowing eyes. I have descended into a body made of sin and stone, not flesh and blood. Borrowed. The thirst clicks in the back of my throat and tears well in my eyes. The mirror reflects blood my bloody tears.

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Bradley Ramsey @imagine2create.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I can no longer gaze away from the truth. That other me, that other life, those unspeakable sins, have followed me here. I see his face in my dreams, and once more when I wake. A face, growing from the flesh of my shoulder. And all it does is laugh. #HorrorWritersChat

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

#HorrorWritersChat I use ideas because they outlive everything. They're sneaky, too, able to hide and travel through so many people and things. I'm writing one short story that plays with this. 😵 I'll spoil it for you that the MC is not going to like how these ideas come together.

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Hey, #HorrorWritersChat! I'm J. D., and I write speculative fiction that leans toward horror—usually amplifying the everyday things that terrify us. I'm interested in physical places holding onto and passing on the consequences of negative actions and emotions, like a haunted house. 🏚️

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J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Hey there, fellow speculative fiction writers! There's a FREE virtual conference going on through August 22! You can watch the workshops live or access them for up to 24 hours after the recording is posted. A lot of great stuff here I'm loving! worldshift2026.manyworldswriting.com?sc=GOP5X4mR&...

worldshift2026.manyworldswriting.com

Worldshift 2026: The Speculative Fiction Writers' Conference

Speculative Fiction Writers' Summit

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Rod Serling Memorial Foundation @rodserlingmemfndtn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Sunday comic straight out of the Twilight Zone 😁 www.rodserling.com

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