iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Fall means it's time for tea! The newest addition to my favorites is this Hazelnut Honeybush from Queen Mary Tea in Seattle. Currently trying to decide on my next writing project - the WIP that needs light edits, the one that needs a heavy revision, or the spooky season one that needs a draft?

A white china tea cup with yellow roses holding dark amber tea, next to a canister that says Queen Mary Hazelnut Honeybush (red bush tea).

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The Knight & the Moth x Witch King A novice kidnapped from her magical cloister must re-live the memories of her sworn enemy to protect the girl she loves, but the secrets she discovers could destroy her order and her gods. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When a novice at a magical cloister learns a deadly immortal is hunting the girl she loves, she bargains with him to save her beloved’s life – only to find that the secrets he wants her to uncover will bring down her gods. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Revere the Ageless. Destroy the Fallen. Obey the Gods. Devout novice Liaden lives by this code but without the blessing of the magic, her best is never enough. When she uncovers her gods’ dark secret, she must decide if protecting her order is worth abandoning her faith. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Take a break from pitching to celebrate with sticky buns. Good luck to everyone participating in DVpit today!

Caramelized sticky buns on a wooden cutting board with a half cup of tea in a white china cup with roses on it.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Queer Beauty & the Beast (plus sapphic Jedi Knights) When an unblessed warrior nun is kidnapped by one of the dangerous immortals who hunt her kind, she is forced to work with him to uncover the deadly secrets being hidden by her order to protect the girl she loves. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A novice from a magical cloister is forced to transcribe memories for a darkly alluring immortal enemy to protect the girl she loves, but the secrets she uncovers make her question everything she knows of her faith and her gods. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch @dvpit.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Welcome to #DVpit 2026! Now until 8:00PM Eastern unagented marginalized creators can pitch their unpublished project in 300 characters to participating literary agents & editors! Remember ❤️ are for agents & 🔁 are for editors! Good luck! Have fun & please be respectful! More info dvpit.carrd.co

#DVpit 2026
September 30, 2026
8:00AM - 8:00PM Eastern Time
A bluesky pitch event for creators from marginalized communities
Follow Up @dvpit.bsky.social
find rules & more info at dvpit.carrd.co

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Harrow the Ninth x The Knight & the Moth When a novice at a magical cloister is kidnapped by one of the Fallen immortals who hunt her kind, she must navigate a lethal game of cat and mouse to uncover the secrets being hidden by her order to save the girl she loves. #LGBT #YA #F #ND #DVpit

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28 Days Lehner 🪦 @danlehner.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

friend told me a story about her dad’s college music class where they wrote different examples of classical compositions John Williams ripped off and John Williams showed up for a masterclass one day, saw it, went over to the blackboard and started adding more examples

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Celebrated the end of an intense revision process with a visit to Bard on the Beach to see Macbeth! It was a very enjoyable evening, not the least because I discovered I have many opinions about the staging of Macbeth. Now for a short break from this manuscript!

Entrance to Vancouver's Bard on the Beach against a clear blue sky.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

And it’s done! My very first quilt, still with chalk marks on it. Hand-pieced and hand-quilted over three seasons of Supernatural. It’s been a joyful lesson in imperfection and I love my wonky sunflowers and uneven border.

A quilt with cheerful brown and yellow sunflowers against a blue, green, and white background.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Ooo, good prompt! Pretty much everything I write spirals around identity, specifically the power in defining yourself despite external pressure. Other favored themes include resilience, transformation, and having the courage to be vulnerable. (Also plants. There are always plants.)

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Hey look, it's my book in #RevPit #10queries! I suspected this was mine when I spotted it and immediately realized I'd forgotten to state dual POV in my query - oops. Big thank you to @dcmdraper.bsky.social for the reminder and her very kind words about my first pages!

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Delighted to have been shortlisted for #revpit! Many congrats to everyone who participated and a great big thank you to this years organizers and editors. What a fun ride!

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SassyMetisChick @sassymetischick.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

I didn’t know this, did you? Amazing!

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Loved watching the Artemis II crew splash down today! The images from the whole mission are incredible - what a gift to see the moon and our beautiful earth from a new perspective. And what a joy to witness the collaboration and hard work of so many that made this feat possible.

nasa.gov

NASA Welcomes Record-Setting Artemis II Moonfarers Back to Earth - NASA

The first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century are back on Earth after a record-setting mission aboard NASA’s Artemis II test flight.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Officially joining the ranks of elder millennial women who learned about high masking and went "Wait a minute..." After a lengthy diagnostic process, my results are in and it's Autism + ADHD. Pictured is the commemorative cake (it was delicious). Happy Autism Awareness day and month!

A luscious red cake decorated with fresh fruit in a gold box. White writing on the cake reads "Congrats it's AuDHD."

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Took a trip to the Netherlands and of course I had to see the Orient Express at the Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht. Apart from visiting trains, I spent time writing poetry, revisiting an old plot idea about an interdimensional spy, and walking (lots of walking).

A darkened train stations with a gently lit old fashioned train car.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

A seal joined me today for my writing session, and it must have brought good vibes because I've FINISHED MY DRAFT! I've been working on this particular WIP for 3 years, over 7 drafts, with several long breaks where I decided it was terrible (spoiler alert: it was not.) Feels so good to be DONE!

Rocky beach with calm water and a seal poking her head up above the surface.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

There is some very cool stuff available at the Publishing for MN auction going on right now, including query critiques, manuscript critiques, AMAs, signed books, author visits for schools, and more! www.32auctions.com/publishingfo...

32auctions.com

Publishing for Minnesota

Silent auction 'Publishing for Minnesota' hosted online at 32auctions.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

I forgot to customize my produce box this week so today I learned how to make salsa with roasted tomatillos and added beets to a chocolate cake.   And I steeled myself to taste the peppers. They turned out to be jalapeños and I turned out to have zero spice tolerance AAAAAAAAA.

A wooden cutting board with green tomatillos, red peppers, and a black-handled knife.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Happy New Year! Kicked off 2026 with a very atmospheric Parkrun. Now outlining an urban fantasy featuring a library which was not in the plan for this year but will not be denied. May the new year be kind to you all!

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

After a year-long hiatus, I finally completed this quilt top! All hand-sewn because that was easier than trundling my machine out every night (special thanks to seasons 1 & 2 of Supernatural for keeping me entertained). It is imperfect and uneven and I love it.

A quilt top made up of sixteen sunflowers with blue and green backgrounds.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

This film is EXCEPTIONAL. It is such a beautiful, no-holds-barred look at modern Christianity.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

This Remembrance Day, I remember my great-aunt, Lois Gunden. In 1941, Lois traveled to France to open a home for refugee children. As the war escalated, she hid Jewish children among her charges. In 2013, Lois was on of five Americans recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations.”

A black and white photo from the 1940s of a smiling woman in a knee-length dress outside a house in France.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving! I’m celebrating by making many pies and working on three different stories. Later there will be a walk in the sun.

A small orange pumpkin on a red backdrop

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

October! I have a packed writing schedule for the next three months - one WIP for October, another WIP for November/December. It's head-down writing time.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

September! I’m enjoying the last warm days and looking forward to the coziness of fall. I have a lot of big writing plans for the next four months... August numbers: Total words written: 66,910 Projects: 3 Total hours spent writing: 42 Pastries consumed: innumerable

A cute red and white mushroom on a mossy forest floor.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Celebrating the completion of another draft! This project was a novella that I've been writing on and off for awhile. Feels great to have it done!

Photograph of a gravel path through a lush green forest in the summer.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

So I experimented with my writing process in June. And I wrote ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS. I'm still reeling. The June Numbers: Total words: 100,141 Projects: 3 personal, 1 paid, 1 academic Total writing hours: 53.47 Average words per hour: 1872 Books read: 10 Versions of The Tempest watched: 3

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Speculative Insight journal @speculativeinsight.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

I am very excited today to publish @arobertswrites.com's essay "What Lies and Threats" - looking at nationalist myth-making in Lord of the Rings, especially for Gondor and Rohan. Read it for free here: www.speculativeinsight.com/essays/what-...

Purple background, white text. "...the histories Tolkien created for the fictional kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan... resemble mythopoeic narratives created by ancient, medieval, and modern states." "What Lies and Threats" -- Abby Roberts

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Found art, artist unknown I’m trying something new this January - instead of one writing project, I’m working on two, switching between them as needed. My goals for both are flexible; I’m mostly curious if this kind of setup will work for me. We'll see how this goes!

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Happy New Year! Plans have been laid, intentions set, and cheese fondue consumed. Wishing all a safe and happy 2025!

A champagne coupe filled with a pink champagne cocktail.

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Gates Palissery @gateskp.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

This fall I was commissioned by the AI Subcommittee of Virginia's JCOTS to write a report on artificial intelligence based on my work as a COVES Fellow this summer. Happy to say that this report was submitted this week and can be found here: studies.virginiageneralassembly.gov/meetings/2009

studies.virginiageneralassembly.gov

Interim Studies

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Happy December! My November writing challenge resulted in a revised outline and several chapters, so I’m considering my goal met! Yesterday I was struck by an overwhelming desire to try my hand at a bûche de Noël. Behold my first efforts.

Chocolate bûche de Noël cake with adorable shortbread hedgehogs

Chocolate bûche de Noël cake with adorable shortbread hedgehogs (top view)

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Week two check-in for the November wring challenge! Busy week, and therefore less writing - also, I got several chapters in and realized I needed to do a bit of plotting. Going to finish up my outline, then back to writing.

Still life of a red bowl of autumn fruits (pomegranate, persimmon, pear, apple) on a wooden table against a plain background.

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

Week one check-in for the November writing challenge! This year I'm measuring time spent writing rather than word count, and it's going marvelously. And revisiting old music memories has been revelatory... [Photo by Abby Nafziger]

A shining silver flute, with a blood-red rosebud nestled beside it, atop a pile of sheet music (Bach).

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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 05/11/2024

Here's the big Harris-Walz ballot cure phone bank. Ballot curing means you're calling voters who ALREADY VOTED but have something wrong with their ballot. A fantastic, high impact phone bank that helps make every vote count. Slots all day! DO IT!

events.democrats.org

Harris-Walz Voter Protection Phone Bank · The Democratic National Committee

Call likely Democratic voters in battleground states with potential issues with their registration or ballots to ensure their votes are fairly counted! Every day, we strategize directly with state vot...

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Gates Palissery @gateskp.bsky.social · 06/11/2024

This is a must-read this morning.

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 26/10/2024

Over on Whatever, I've done what the owners of the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times would not: Endorsed Kamala Harris for President of the United States. Come read why I think she's not only the right choice, but the only choice, for president this year: whatever.scalzi.com/2024/10/26/t...

Kamala Harris, walking through the Capitol Rotunda

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Katie Bender @katiebenderbooks.bsky.social · 13/10/2024

There is something deeply satisfying about going to the library to pick up holds, not seeing them on the usual shelf, and then realizing it’s because you have so many holds that they got their own personal shelf. 📚🔥

A big stack of books spread out on a cozy red background

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