iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 14/08/2026

Printeded draft is on my desk, rain is pouring (again), and coffee is ready to go. Today is all about character arcs and revising scene lists for The Clockwork Coffin. How is your writing week ending? #BookSky

Vinyl record of Howl's Moving Castle soundtrack

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 12/08/2026

Your last saved meme is now your moral philosophy

Scully and Mulder from X-Files inside her house.

Scully: Mulder, Listen to me.
Mulder: No.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 09/08/2026

📚 More fun and exciting projects that are in early days. Since it is also International Cat Day, here is Willow judging me for working late again today. (Hazel is too busy snoozing on my feet for a pic. She's just happy I'm done for now.) Willow eventually forgave me:

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/07/2026

Today was very loud and full of distractions. Hazel and I were not impressed by the influx of construction and renovation vehicles on our street (again), but I finally made it out of revising the much-too-long chapter! #BookSky

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 22/07/2026

Anyway, grateful for nights like this to get me through until I can (finally) announce my vague publishing news 💖 (Also, Moonlight Peaks is delightful! As someone who struggles with Stardew Valley, I wasn't sure how I'd like this game, but it's everything I love in a cozy game.)

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 08/07/2026

Taking a break from revisions tonight to start playing Moonlight Peaks! The demo was cute. Reminds me of Goth Stardew Valley/Animal Crossing. Also, yes, I immediately decided to romance Death, because look at the shirt:

A skeletal Death wearing a flamingo shirt, holding a tropical drink and a scythe decorated woth flowers.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 04/07/2026

I'm all the tired and happy. My draft is printed out and bound (after I cussed out both my printer and my 3-hole punch.) It'll be in my editor's hands by the end of the month, but I have things to do before then. But first, a double feature from the Monsters & Curiosities box set. 💖 #BookSky

A 3-ring binder with a copy of Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin on top of it

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 28/06/2026

I had the BEST time making a friend at the West Des Moines Public Library tonight!! They hosted an after-hours Rocky Horror Picture Show crafty night. We made Frankentoys! It was amazing. 💖💖💖

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 11/06/2026

Re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland getting all the kitty snuggles before I leave for the Chicago Steampunk Expo in the morning.

A black cat laying on a blanket and getting scratches.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 10/06/2026

I thought I'd share a few bonus photos here as well, since these books were originally printed in 1894 and are incredibly fragile. (No traveling for these books!) (2/5)

A mastodon and devil fish at the 1893 World's Fair

Wrought-iron fence enclosing Germany's exhibit

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 09/06/2026

Willow kitty is very excited about the return of bedtime stories for the boys, though. (They've named Victor the Yapp-a-tron 3000 😂) (2/2)

A black cat laying next to an illustrated copy of Frankenstein

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 08/06/2026

Home for a few days after an amazing Nebula Awards Conference! Had the best time seeing several of my author friends, attending panels, and going to nerd prom! I'm home for a couple days, but will still be MIA because I leave for the Chicago Steampunk Expo later this week! 💖⚙️📚 #BookSky

Selfie of Kelsey Josephson wearing a steampunk necklace and a dress with feather details

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 03/06/2026

I'm off to the Nebula Awards Conference tomorrow, then the Chicago Steampunk Expo next week!! 🎉🎉 #BookSky

Meme of Bilbo Baggins saying "I'm going on an adventure"

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 01/06/2026

Took a break from packing for the Nebula Awards Conference to make sure my kids (and me!) are signed up for the local library reading programs. Loved the steampunk display at West Des Moines Public Library! #BookSky

Airship displayed over the counter at the West Des Moines Public Library

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 21/05/2026

Reached a milestone in my WIP tonight, so I thought I'd finally get started on my Mother's Day present. My cats had other ideas 😅😂

Two black cats getting comfy on the fuzzy blanket on my lap

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 08/05/2026

Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast Ebook: mybook.to/forsakenbeauty Print: books2read.com/forsakenbeauty 📚 Fairy tale retelling 📚 Beauty and the Beast 📚 Slow-burn romance 📚 Steampunk world 📚 "Who did this to you?" 📚 Cinnamon roll hero 📚 Strong heroine 📚 Found family #WeeknightWriters

Banner for Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson

Tropes:
📚 Fairy tale retelling
📚 Beauty and the Beast
📚 Slow-burn romance
📚 Steampunk world
📚 "Who did this to you?"
📚 Cinnamon roll hero
📚 Strong heroine
📚 Found family

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 04/05/2026

Still recovering from DemiCon! I had the best time. As usual, I didn't take enough pics, but I'll have more to post when I'm more awake. 😴 I think this dress might have to come with me to the Nebula Awards Conference next month! 💖⚙️📚 #BookSky

Kelsey Josephson wearing a space themed dress with steampunk details and red cowboy boots.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 29/04/2026

Today's soundtracks while I prep for DemiCon! 💖⚙️📚 I'm finishing up panel sides, practice lines for the BrassGears Adventure Radio Mystery, running laundry, and (hopefully) drafting this afternoon. Hazel's expression while I'm figuring out how to pronounce "Lapsang Souchong" is priceless 😂😂😂

A black cat regally sticking out her tongue.

The vinyl of Soothing Sounds of the Apocalypse

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 25/04/2026

Happy Indie Bookstore Day!! 💖⚙️📚🎉 I had a blast at Shelf Love DSM and my TBR pile has grown (again.) Can't wait to read these! You can find my book, Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, in amazing company at Shelf Love DSM! #BookSky

Iowa Romance Authors Display at Shelf Love DSM

My book haul from Shelf Love DSM, including 5 books, 2 stickers, and a sweatshirt

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/04/2026

Listening to the Legend of Zelda soundtrack while planning a long writing session this afternoon. Records force me to stand up and take a stretch break when I'm sprinting (and no ads!) What are you listening to today? #BookSky

An open record player displaying Side A of the Legend of Zelda soundtrack.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 21/04/2026

Getting so excited for DemiCon next month! In addition to having a table for my books and paneling, I get to be in the radio show again! Reading through the script for the BrassGears Adventure Radio Mystery tonight. Susan and Bradford killed it!! 😂💖 #BookSky

The script for A Death on the Falcon: A BrassGears Adventure Radio Mystery by Susan Leabhart & Bradford Fleener. In the background is a blanket and a black cat

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 19/04/2026

Had an amazing time playing D&D at Ironside Axe Club!! We played a one-shot and I loved it so much. 💖💖💖 First time in ages that I've gotten to play (and not be the DM.)

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 18/04/2026

My long-distance bestie sent me the cutest Edgar Allan Poe clutch and other fun things for my birthday! I feel seen 💖💖💖

An Edgar Allan Poe clutch, bookish stickers, Edgar Allan Poe matches, and lip balm themed around The Raven

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 17/04/2026

Post the best picture you have ever taken of your pet. Not the best, but some of my favorites. The middle is from when I brought Willow home the day after adopting her mom, Hazel. Willow was four months old and in a foster situation, hence the delay. Their reunion was so sweet

Hazel, a black cat, sitting on top of a desk and sticking her tongue out

Silhouette of kitten Willow looking at her mother, Hazel

Willow, a black cat, laying on top of a board game during the middle of play

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 11/04/2026

Writing at a coffee shop this afternoon and at first glance, thought this was a diagram of a brain when I sat down. Mildly disappointed that it's not (it would have fit the vibes of this book 😅😂) #BookSky

Artwork of not brains in charcoal. I think it's supposed to be two loaves of bread on the bottom. I think the top one is a cross section of either a tomato or a muffin. It's difficult to tell

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 10/04/2026

I don't mind sharing! It's going to be flowers weaving between gears on my hip & thigh, based off a logo for a fair in my book, Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast. I have a super crude sketch ready for my artist, but I trust that he'll do a much better job that my quick drawing 😅

Crude sketch of a gears and flowers tattoo on a hip and thigh

Screenshot of the Writing page on Kelsey Josephson's website, featuring flowers and gears

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 29/03/2026

It has been a rough week full of ridiculous things, so I'm drinking a strawberry mimosa and drafting possibly the most unhinged Gothic retelling of Bluebeard filled with feminine rage in this pretty journal. 💖 (I have so many revisions to do, but this idea won't leave me alone.) 💙📚 #BookSky

A journal covered with artwork of books and vintage characters

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 20/02/2026

Banner of Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast designed by Deranged Doctor Design. Features a Belle wearing a leather steampunk outfit. The veins on one arm are unnaturally dark. Beast resembles a white bear with deer antlers and yellow eyes.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 20/02/2026

Thank you! The notebooks have been a huge help.

Insert of one of the traveler's notebooks for a brain dump, featuring collaged stickers.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 14/02/2026

Studying while watching Friday the 13th Part 2 because I've been asked to do a thing later this year. (I'm an experienced panelist, but running a workshop is something else.) I couldn't find a bookmark when I needed one, so I'm using this Eggman card my youngest gifted me 😂 #BookSky

A holographic card of Eggman from Sonic Boom, wearing one of his alternate outfits, on top of a book.

Book title: How to design & teach workshops that work every time. The Workshop Survival Guide by Rob Fitzpatrick & Devin Hunt.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 06/02/2026

My steampunk fairy tale retelling, Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, is on sale for 99c this week through Monday! Read here: www.amazon.com/Forsaken-Bea... #WeeknightWriters

99c sale banner for Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson

Tropes list:
📚 Fairy tale retelling
📚 Beauty and the Beast
📚 Slow-burn romance
📚 Emotional scars
📚 Steampunk world
📚 "Who did this to you?"
📚 Cinnamon roll hero
📚 Strong heroine
📚 Found family

Quote:
Wait, Belle thought. The cranes move like clockwork. “Beast, how good are your eyes in the dark?”

“I can see the flecks of starlight in your eyes.”
-Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 06/02/2026

Oh, and Hazel making this face:

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 04/02/2026

💖 I’m Going Live TOMORROW! ⚙️ On Thursday, February 5th, at 5 pm Central time, I’m joining S.D. Huston live on her YouTube channel for Charmed Chats & Happily Ever After Sprints! #BookSky 🔗 Watch here: www.youtube.com/live/lqJPDkL...

Promo graphic for Kelsey Josephson on Charmed Chats & Happily Ever After Sprints

February 5th @ 5 pm Central Time

Features the cover of Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 04/02/2026

Today has been a hot mess, so here's Hazel taking her office cat duties very seriously 😂💖

A black cat sticking her tongue out while perched on top of a desk.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 02/02/2026

My steampunk fairy tale retelling, Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, is also part of the sale! Ebook: mybook.to/forsakenbeauty Print: books2read.com/forsakenbeauty

99c sale banner for Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson.

Includes a list of tropes:
📚 Fairy tale retelling
📚 Beauty and the Beast
📚 Slow-burn romance
📚 Emotional scars
📚 Steampunk world
📚 "Who did this to you?"
📚 Cinnamon roll hero
📚 Strong heroine
📚 Found family

Quote on the banner:
Wait, Belle thought. The cranes move like clockwork. “Beast, how good are your eyes in the dark?”

“I can see the flecks of starlight in your eyes.”

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/01/2026

Yay for black cats deciding to be the center of attention 😂

This is Hazel, a black cat laying on a board game

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/01/2026

I've started attending classes at the local YMCA to break up my workday. Yesterday, I learned how to use barbells in new-to-me and interesting ways. It was a revelation and I loved it! #WeeknightWriters How it looked using barbells vs how it felt:

Art of Karlach on a Magic the Gathering card using Rage

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 10/01/2026

Also, I'm obsessed with the idea of the making a suitcase or box filled with art/mixed media now after seeing this piece, along with a few others I saw at the musuem. I have a lot of art supplies + steampunk ephemera that could make for a cool personal project

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 09/01/2026

I'm at peace with his passing, but it was still comforting to be surrounded by human-made art this afternoon. Here are a few more pieces from throughout the Art Center that left an impression on me:

Leon Kroll
COMPOSITION IN THREE FIGURES 1928

Manuel Álvarez Bravo
MURALS AT THE UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE CHAMPINGO 1930s

Marcel Duchamp
THE BOX IN THE VALISE 1955-68

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 09/01/2026

My uncle passed away earlier this week, and today was his funeral. Since there was no way that I could make the trip all the way to Oklahoma on such short notice, I decided to visit the Día de los Muertos exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center after revisions this afternoon. Here are a few pieces:

Aliza Nisenbaum
OFRENDA (ALTER), DAY OF THE DEAD COMMITTEE MEMBERS, DES MOINES ART CENTER 2025

Aliza Nisenbaum
RAMO DE OTOÑO (AUTUMN BOUQUET), DÍA DE MUERTOS 2025

Aliza Nisenbaum
BUTTERFLY, CEMPASÚCHIL (MARIGOLD), AND PEGASUS IN FLIGHT, DAY OF THE DEAD COMMITTEE MEMBERS, DES MOINES ART CENTER 2025

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 24/12/2025

Quote with four of your favourite holiday movies! ❄️☃️

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/12/2025

You've been kidnapped. The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who's coming to save you? No complaints from me! 😍 (Not sure if I'll actually be safe, but it'll at least be an interesting rescue attempt 💀)

Lucy and the Ghoul from Fallout Season 2, standing face-to-face in the desert.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 23/12/2025

Had so much fun making this slightly unhinged motivational collage for my planner. 😂💖 The lighting is terrible in here, but here's the finished layout for my 2026 Word of the Year, Emerge:

A planner open to a junk journal style two page layout, featuring motivational quotes collaged with images of Stitch laughing maniacally, Godzilla, Lucy from Fallout, Mewtwo escaping Team Rocket, and Dr. Robotnik. There are florals and sparkles throughout the layout as well.

Behind the open planner is a cat laying on a fuzzy blanket.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 22/12/2025

Collecting images for my 2026 Word of the Year, Emerge, has been hilarious and therapeutic. Including Godzilla and Stitch pics brings me joy. This will be fun to finish later! 😂💖

Open planner with cut out pics of Stitch laughing maniacally, Godzilla, and a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 20/12/2025

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness.

Dr. Robotnik and Agent Stone in Sonic 2020

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 19/12/2025

This week has been a lot with nasty surprises and bad policies from sources I wouldn't have expected in this industry. Even with some of these reversed, it's not a great feeling. Time to go back to listening to my new book as I'm making revisions. Pic of my Willow for a timeline cleanse. 📚💙

A black cat, Willow, looking straight up into the camera. She was laying on my lap and when I looked down from my book, she was staring at my like this.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 16/12/2025

Did some difficult things with my manuscript today, despite, well, everything. Lots of work ahead, but keeping my phone of out my office helped tremendously this afternoon! Anyway, flipping through the art book for Alice: Madness Returns (2011) while the oven preheats has been fun 💖 #BookSky

Cover of The Art of Alice: Madness Returns (2011) with an introduction by American McGee

Two page spread of moody, Gothic concept art for Alice: Madness Returns 2011

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 16/12/2025

Right. Another heartbreak from the place I least expected it. I'm going to put my phone in another room, put a record on, and get back to revisions instead of doomscrolling. Maybe later I'll look through some of the concept art books in my collection. #Bookthreads 📚💙

A majestic black cat sitting on a roll top desk in front of a sunny window.

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 13/12/2025

I had so much fun at Speed Date a Book with @swsworlds.bsky.social today! Hazel was feeling a little pouty because my record player was off. (She loves music so much! Reminds me of the big cat in Bringing up Baby 😂) #BookSky

Selfie of Kelsey Josephson holding up a modern mic crafted to look like an old fashioned radio show microphone

A black cat sitting on a closed record player. She is pouting. Lots of children's artwork are hanging on the walls

A modern mic crafted to look like an old fashioned radio microphone in front of a bookcase with copies of Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast facing the camera

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Kelsey Josephson @kelseyjosephson.com · 12/12/2025

Guys, I broke character practicing for tomorrow's sketch because LOOK AT HAZEL'S FACE! 😂😂😂😂😂💀 This is why I rehearse my lines. 😂😂😂💖 #BookSky 💙📚

A black cat, Hazel, sticking out her tongue. She is sitting on a desk in front of window. Outside, a giant skeleton has unlit Christmas lights hanging off his ribcage.

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