iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Legends & Lattes turned out to be the coziest of all cozy fantasies. 💖 I highly recommend this one. ☕✨ #booksky #books #highfantasy #cozyfantasy

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

You ever write a plot twist so good you gasp… and then immediately spiral trying to figure out how to make it make sense? Because, uh… same. #writesky #writingcommunity #booksky #books

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

I swear, I'm still writing, I'm just so hyper-focused I forgot BlueSky existed. 😅 #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #books

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

I always love these little comics, but this one is too perfect not to share. IG: @nathanwpylestrangeplanet #booksky #comic #art #books

"You appear furious"
"I am"
"I'm enraged by a being in this narrative"
"An actual being?"
"The being is fictional. My anger is real... This is how I relax"
"Ok"

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I haven’t been reading much lately, but I’ve been making real progress on my book! ✍️✨ Four characters named, a solid outline in the works, and the magic system finally makes sense. 🥳 It’s all coming together, and I’m so excited! #writingcommunity #writers #books #booksky #writesky

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

I've been chatting with #AI a lot lately. I asked for personalized book recommendations, and it suggested Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I’m really excited to check it out! Has anyone read it? Also, look at this super cute cartoon it made of me! I love it! 😍😄 #booksky #books

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

*Exhales* I finally finished 1984 by George Orwell. 👁️📕 Thought-provoking, nightmare-inducing, and unforgettable—I’m sure I’ll return to it someday. But for now... it’s time for a ✨cozy fantasy✨ to soothe my soul. ☕🥰 #booksky #bannedbooks #resist #books #highfantasy #cozyfantasy

The New York Times Bestseller, Travis Baldree, Legends & Lattes

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Reached 100 followers on both accounts today! 🎉 Just wanted to say thank you for your interest in my work, whether it's #photography, #writing, or my #bookish posts. 🥰 Short story: substack.com/@jtgates/note/c-99274867 Photography: @artfulgates.bsky.social #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity

Purple and pink sunset behind bare trees.

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

I didn’t get much reading or writing done this weekend, but I made some progress developing my protagonist’s personality and motivations—she even has a name now! ☺️ A little progress is better than none! ✨📖✨ #writesky #writingcommunity #booksky #author #wip #books #fiction #fantasy #novel

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Trying to squeeze in some reading this weekend before diving into another exhausting workweek. Here’s another 1984 excerpt for you all. #bannedbooks #dystopian #dystopia #books #resist #booksky

"If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies. The sealed world in which he lives would be broken, and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate."
(1984, 196)

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Ladies, ever see a woman so stunning you just feel like a Hobbit? #booksky #lotr #peoplewatching

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

I'm so proud of myself for writing this weekend and so grateful that people enjoyed my short story! 🥰✨ #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #resist #bannedbooks #dystopian #dystopia #books #substack

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Malaika R. Simmons @malaikarsimmons.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

🎨✍🏾🖤 Today’s edition of 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: “𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.” - Virginia Woolf 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. #resist #amwriting #writingcommunity #bannedbooks

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

This is what happens when you read 1984 before bed... A haunting nightmare led me to write a #dystopian story—of captivity, suffering, and a desperate fight for escape. 🔗 Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jtgates/p/erased-in-plain-sight #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #resist #bannedbooks

open.substack.com

Erased in Plain Sight

A short story.

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

I love when stories include animal companions—they add so much heart! ❤️ I'm thinking about how to weave a dog into my story. What are your favorite animal companions in fiction? 🐾📖 #writesky #booksky #writingcommunity #books #photography #dogsky #dogs #pets #petphotography

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Kathlin Finn @katfinn.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

It’s #InternationalWomen’sDay. Treat your lady like the queen she is. And by that I of course mean take her to Barnes & Noble. #Booksky

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Margaret A-Spelle 🎃 @margaretadelle.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Happy Amazon Boycott Week! Remember to shop for your indie ebooks on places like Itchio, Kobo, Smashwords, and B&N! #booksky

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The labor librarian @laborlibrarian.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

From “Parable of the Talents” by Octavia Butler #skybrary #skybrarians #booksky

A screenshot of a poem. The poem reads:
Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists who control the fool.
To be led by a thief
is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen.
To be led by a liar
is to ask to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant
is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Really looking forward to reading this book.

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

The perfect start to a Saturday—tea, a good book, and a slow morning. ☕📖✨ What are you reading today? I’m hoping to finish 1984 this weekend before another busy workweek begins. Sharing an excerpt below! 📚 #bannedbooks #resist #booksky #writesky #writingcommunity #quotes #books

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

This book is amazing—but I’m definitely craving a cozy fantasy read after this one! ✨🐉🌈 "In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it." 📚 (1984, 156) #bannedbooks #booksky

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Booktasters @booktasters.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

It’s not hoarding if it’s books… right? 🤭📚

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

My TBR is getting out of control! 😅 Here are a few I’m especially excited to read. What’s on your list? #BookSky #books #writingcommunity

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Starting my weekend with a good book and a warm cup of tea. ☕📖 "And yet, just for a moment, what almost frightening power had sounded in that cry from only a few hundred throats! Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered?" 📚 (1984, 70) #bannedbooks #booksky

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Kate Halena @katehalena.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

There is no ‘right’ way to write a book. There is only your way. The one that makes you excited, curious, and just a little obsessed. Follow that path. #WritingCommunity 💫

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

👋 Hi #writers! What’s the most fascinating thing you’ve ever researched for a project? 🧐📚 I’m diving into philosophy and religion for mine right now—loving it! #BookSky #books #writing #authors

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

"All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary. In no case would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place." 📚 (1984, 40) #BookSky #bannedbooks

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Hey #BookSky and fellow #writers! 👋📚 What matters most to you in a book? ⚖️ 📖 Strong characters 📖 Unique world-building 📖 Beautiful prose 📖 A gripping plot Or is it something else? Tell me below! 👀 #writingcommunity #books

media.tenor.com

a woman sitting on a couch with the words tell me everything on her face

ALT: a woman sitting on a couch with the words tell me everything on her face

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

"Suddenly they were both leaping around him, shouting 'Traitor!' and 'Thought-criminal!', the little girl imitating her brother in every movement. It was somehow slightly frightening, like the gamboling of tiger cubs which will soon grow up into man-eaters." 📚 (1984, 23) #BookSky #BannedBooks

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

OMG, #BookSky... I just reorganized my books and realized how badly I need a real bookshelf! 📚😩 I've got stacks on all my furniture. Please tell me I’m not the only one?? 😂

media.tenor.com

a stack of books with the words i want to read all the books

ALT: a stack of books with the words i want to read all the books

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

👋📚 Hey #writingcommunity! When you're writing, do you edit as you go, or power through the first draft and edit later? Me? I definitely edit as I go. Slows me down so much. 😬😅 #writer #author #creative #booksky #scifi #fantasy

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

👋📚 Hey #writingcommunity, are you a "planner" or a "pantser"? In other words, do you carefully map things out or just dive straight in? 🧐 Me first: I'm a planner to the point of total stagnation. 😅 Send help. 👩‍🏫 Thanks. #writer #author #creative #booksky #scifi #fantasy

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Anyone else write in their head while trying to sleep? 🌙✨ Ideas come by day, but words flow easiest at night... Do I write at 3 a.m. while the prose is clear, or wait until morning—when the night’s quiet fades, tearing my inspiration away with it? *sigh* 😴 #writingcommunity #booksky

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

I had a little book photoshoot today for my BlueSky banner, because why not. 🤷‍♀️ Finally sitting down with a cup of tea to read a book. ☕📖 #photographer #writingcommunity #booksky

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Artful.Gates | Photographer @artfulgates.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

This made my day! Your books helped me through a really difficult time, and I’m so grateful you decided to write The Land of Lost Things. Thank you, @jconnollybooks.bsky.social!

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

When you sit down to read for a few minutes before bed... and next thing you know, it's tomorrow! 📚✨ Oops... 😴 #booksky

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Beachbatcher 99 @beachbatcher.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Your friendly neighborhood librarian here...buy physical copies of your favorite books, especially challenged or banned books. Preferably from small local merchants. That's all; carry on. #Read #BookSky #Resist 📚

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

I respect a book that has me stopping to re-read a perfectly and beautifully constructed sentence. #BookSky

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J.T.Gates | Author-To-Be ✒️ @jtgates.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Hi #BookSky! 👋 Book dragon 🐉 & sci-fi/fantasy nerd here! 📚 Join me on my journey as I write my first novel! ✍️✨ I'll be sharing all the ups, downs, and behind-the-scenes moments along the way. #intro #writingcommunity

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Artful.Gates | Photographer @artfulgates.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

"We lived as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it." "We were the people who were not in papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. "We lived in the gaps between the stories." 📚 (The Handmaid's Tale, 56-57)

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Artful.Gates | Photographer @artfulgates.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Choose 20 #books that have stayed with you or influenced you. 📚 I'm writing a thread below and counting any series as one. 😁 1. Grimm's Fairy Tales, the Brothers Grimm 2. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen 3. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle #BookSky #BookChallenge

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