iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Hit me with the first line of your story, published/finished or not. Always love to share the opening of #JustStabsWIP.

Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I wish I just had the heat to struggle with…

A scene with a smoke filled sky. The smoke hangs over every like a dirty cloud, and the sun glows orange from behind it.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

It's easily the fact that there was no one to help Rin when she was alone as a child, and that's left her believing that people don't look out for each other and the only person you can rely on is yourself. #amwriting #JustStabsWIP

It really was awful, wasn’t it? For money, for glory: Rin didn’t care. She didn’t want it. And the idea of doing it to help people… That had to be hopelessly naïve. Or foolhardy. Or… something. It just had to be a stupid idea. No one had helped Rin, after all.
I don’t need to help anyone.
I don’t owe anything.
It had to be stupid, because if it wasn’t, it meant Rin might not have needed to do it alone before.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

#CampRevPit Took me a while to decide what dialogue to share, because there's a lot that I like, but I decided on this. It's a little bit funny, a little bit sad, and overall very Rin. #DialogueDrop #JustStabsWIP

“You want to keep going to the Source?”
Rin reached into her jacket and pulled out a knife. She used the tip to clean out under her fingernails. “Well, I don’t think I want to, exactly. But, you know, I’m already here, so if I went home now there’d be absolutely no point to the last few days. And I still need to get back at Djarah for kidnapping me—”
“Did crashing the airship not count?”
“No, it did not. Plus, that’s a lot of money Djarah’s paying, so I’m sure I could find some use for it. And, anyway, I’m still trying to work my way into Leanora’s favor, ‘cause you’ve always gotta hope, so…” Rin lightly pressed the tip of her knife against her palm, spinning it around without looking at Rosebird.
“Well, I suppose those reasons are at least as good as Gorian’s,” Rosebird said.
“What are his reasons?”
“He wants to get really rich.”
“Fair.” Rin looked up. “Don’t go thinking this means I like you all or anything. It’s just, you know, the practicalities of coming—that’s all.”
Rosebird was examining her face. Rin quickly looked down, at the knife in her hands. She hefted it by the hilt.
“How often do you tell the truth?” Rosebird asked.
Rin shrugged. “Just enough to keep it interesting.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

#CRPnessie #CampRevPit I have yet to create a moodboard that I like for #JustStabsWIP. I have also never had a playlist, because I cannot write with music; they just don't mesh. Best I can offer is this visual I did of my opening paragraph.

Text in a white box that dissolves into the background image of a craggy, snow-capped mountain. The text reads: "Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood."

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I’ve got two, my wonderful dog, Gideon, and, like any respectable fantasy author, my own personal dragon, Audrey. I’ve also got a gajillion animals at work, because I’m a zookeeper, but they’re not pets. #RevPets

A golden retriever lying calmly on a bed with his head raised.

A bearded dragon (lizard with a wide face and spiky chin) giving a slight side eye to the camera inside her tank.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Since not even Rin knows how many knives she has on her, and considering the story already features an extended disarming scene (there's more beyond the snippet), I think it's safe to assume the what and the how much trouble, especially because Rin's world doesn't have metal detectors. #JustStabsWIP

She unsheathed the largest knife at her hip and handed that over, hilt first. Then she dropped her forearm knife into her hand and passed that along, too. Off came her bandolier of throwing knives. She pulled six knives from the lining of her coat, removed three more from her belt, dug out one from against her back, and pulled a small one out from between her boot and ankle. She awkwardly reached under her shirt to get two she kept in the lining of her corset. “Sorry,” she muttered as she handed those over. “Didn’t mean to be crude.” Last, she unstrapped the one on her thigh and added that to the pile.
The attendants looked at the assortment of blades and then at Rin. For once, their unflappable expressions looked a little perturbed. “Is that all of it?”
“I think so,” Rin said. She frowned. “Oh, wait.” She reached across her chest and inside of her sleeve, and removed one more. “There.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

#RevPitWaiting Best I can do is the map I made. It's nothing too fancy, but I'm still proud.

A black-and-white digital map of a fantasy world. The right two-thirds are large landmass, with most of it taken up by the country Candesia. There are a couple cities on the coast. A river runs from east to west, more or less cutting the country in half. The entire western border is a mountain range. The whole thing is plain, without any adornments to make it look fancy, but it is clean and sleek.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting I shared this for another chat, but it’s worth doing again.

Djarah put her hand over her heart. "You're insane."
"No, but I am angry." Rin cocked her head. "Which I suppose does make me mad, in a
sense...”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

#ChaosChat It's not hidden, but there's this. Also, like every book, I include the words "at least six" as part of an inside joke with some friends.

“Well, I never was able to get those last few supplies,” Rosebird said as she approached a horse. “Oh well. We should be able to make do. They were more supplementary, anyway.”
“Don’t you mean supply-mentary?” Rin asked.
Rosebird snorted. “That is terrible, and I approve.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Blood is a very low-nutrition food source, meaning it's easy for vampire bats to starve. As a result, they are known to regurgitate blood to other bats in their colony, making sure that everyone has the energy to stay live. #AnimalFacts

A vampire bat in flight at night, its wings partially outstretched.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting (or is it #RevPETWaiting? Ha ha ha… sorry). I got two babies: my pupper, Gideon, and my beardie, Audrey.

A golden retriever sitting on a rock, with an autumn lake behind him.

A golden retriever lying in a stream as he looks at the camera.

A bearded dragon sitting on faux wood floor, her head and tail raised in the air.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting One of my favorite lines of #JustStabsWIP is so context-dependent, and a bit of a spoiler, but this is a strong runner-up. It's a message we all need right now.

She couldn’t stop the war. She couldn’t stop suffering, pain, starvation, grief. It was too big, too intrinsic to the world. She could never fix it all.
Not being able to help everyone doesn’t mean it’s not worth it to help someone. It could never be perfect, but it could always be better.
She thought of soft kindness, a gentle intent. A second chance to learn and to grow and do better.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

I had to ask if I could post it, but here you go!

A colored pencil drawing of a green frog looking in the distance. The coloring is very neat and full, making it almost look like paint.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Rin believes other people just let you down, so thanks but no thanks to a quest to get rich and better the world. Except she's the only one who can access the magic they're seeking—stupid ancestor—so Rin and all her knives get kidnapped. Someone's getting stabbed for this. #JustStabsWIP #WSPit #A #F

A quote on a white rectangle that fades into a background of a jagged mountain. The quote is as follows: " Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood."

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

As a zookeeper who has worked with around 50 kinds of birds, I can confirm, they are Muppets.

Two African penguins standing side by side in front of a rock face. They posing like they're trying to look intimidating.

A turaco (a bird with an iridescent blue body, a big yellow beak, and a red tuft on its head), perched on a wicker basket in front of a jungle background, giving the camera a curious look.

A ground hornbill (big black bird with very large, protruding beak, a featherless face with dull blue and red skin, and large eyes with prominent eyelashes) looking straight at the camera. He is in an indoor space in front of a large animal crate.

An eastern screech-owl, red morph, on a glove outside. They are looking up at the camera with a very ferocious scowl that is not intimidating at all because they are so tiny.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Happy birthday to my most perfect dog!

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Despite having parts of their ranges overlap in the tropics, southern right whales and northern right whales never meet because their migration patterns of when they spend time in the tropics are opposite (their hemisphere's respective winter). #AnimalFacts

A right whale at the surface from the ocean, from above, with a spray of water blasting up from its blow hole.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

By the way, look at these lovely @whistberry.bsky.social prints I got! 3 for me and 1 for a Christmas gift. Now I just need the frames. Also, I’m a zookeeper and I brought the cardboard envelope they came in to work and used it to hide the porcupine’s diet. I thought that was be appreciated here.

Four prints laid out. The large one is of a narwhal with orange flowers on a vine around its tusk. The other three are all black squares with an armadillo, a saw-whet owl, and a kingfisher, mostly depicted in white spots.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

I am forever amused that because I sort my books alphabetically by author, The Drowning Empire and The Burning Kingdoms are side by side. I am not allowed to buy anything by an author who would split them up.

The books The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart (labeled as books 1 and 2 of The Drowning Empire) on a shelf next to The Jasmine Throne and The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri (labeled as books 1 and 2 of The Burning Kingdoms).

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

All the struggle was worth it because look how much space I have for more books!

Two simple 5-shelf bookshelves side by side, filled with books but still having more space for probably a couple dozen more.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Sorting my books to put on the new bookshelves with said dog present is also proving problematic.

A golden retriever sprawling on the photographer’s lap in a messy room surrounded by stacks of books.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

How my dog and my parents’ dog feel when they’re together.

A photo of two golden retrievers lying down in front of a couch. One is young, head up, looking at the camera, with what looks like a giant, dopey grin on his face. The other is older, with his head down, eyes mostly closed, as though he looks totally done with all of this.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

It's definitely not the middle, but here's from #HullWIP.

Seth let out a long, heavy breath. “We’re in a real pickle here.”
Mouse snorted. “How did you all get into such a mess while I was gone?”
“If I knew, I could have maybe fixed it before it got this bad. I don’t know, man, it feels like too much shit colliding all at the wrong time.”
Mouse frowned. “Is there a right time for shit to collide?”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Remember: You cannot startle a sloth, but a sloth can most definitely startle you.

A close up picture of a sloth’s face, upside down as a sloth should be. She is coming into frame as though she is creeping up.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

It’s one of my favorite days! It’s International Vulture Awareness Day! Vultures prevent the spread of disease by eating up dead things that would otherwise rot. Thank your local (and beautiful) vulture today! #IVAD (Also, vulture stomach acids are so strong their poop can be used as disinfectant.)

A photo of a turkey vulture sitting on a stump, giving the camera a side eye.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Today at work a little boy asked me where the panda bear was (in reference to the red panda, we don’t have a giant panda), only his annunciation made it sound like “candy bear”, and I propose that this now be used as an alternative name.

A close up of a red panda on some branches, looking at the camera with the tip of his tongue sticking out.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

I love making maps! I made these all myself, so I'd want something a little artsier when I get published, but they still look pretty good. They are for #JustStabsWIP, #TheDragoneer, #ReyaWIP, and #BrokenHero (the latter two are shelved, but still nice maps).

A digital fantasy map. There is a large continent to the east, dominated by the country Candesia. A river cuts through east to west. A mountain range runs north to south on the eastern edge.

A digital fantasy map. The main landmass is to the west, centered around the country Sancia. A large peninsula, covered by the country Lorlaine, reaches away from Sancia toward the archipelago Alhanna. The countries Darouse, Periacha, and Garza surround Sancia to the north, west, and southwest.

A digital fantasy map. It is very large and detailed, enough that many details cannot be made out at this magnification. There is a very large continent, dominated by the countries Cicandria and Jemna. Cicandria is connected to a subcontinent to the north by an isthmus, leading to Atiara. North of Jemna is the smaller continent Allowin.

A digital fantasy map. The ocean is to the east. Bordering the ocean is the country Tempes Maris, and to the west is the country Victoria. Between them is the disputed zone. The countries are bordered by mountains to the north and west, while to the south is the River Nara. North of the mountains is the Realm of Winter.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Ladies and gentlefolk… My dog.

A young golden retriever. He is lying on his back, hind legs splayed. His front half is on the grass, his back half on the sidewalk. He is holding a stick between his front paws as he chews on it.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

#LateNightWrite I don’t meme well, or know my brand, so here’s a picture of my dog. Anyway, #JustStabsWIP has humor, an MC who fully embraces never having a plan, and that wonderful trope of extended disarming scene.

A young golden retriever sitting on reddish rocks with a tall rock formation rising in the background in a fairly arid natural area. He is looking at the camera and panting, looking like he’s smiling.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Rin thinks the only person she can rely on is herself, so she pushes others away with snark and compulsive lying. Her knives are her comfort items, & she will always be distracted by a beautiful woman. She may not have much, but she's happy, because you can't lose what you don't have. #JustStabsWIP

The one in the dress—pale blue fabric down to her feet, the bodice cut in the shape of a waistcoat with white lace beneath—she was gods damned gorgeous. Rin grinned at her as they went by, twisting in her captors’ grips to keep her view. “Hey,” Rin said, jerking her chin.
The woman in the dress glanced at Rin, in her cuffs, escorted by the coppers, her boots scuffed, and made a face. Her companion rolled her eyes and led her on, muttering something about scoundrels.
Rin was brought back to her situation by a sharp tug on her arm. “Were you dropped as a baby?” the first copper asked.
“No, why, were you?”
“I wasn’t the one flirting while arrested.”
“Frankly, I don’t see why the two should be mutually exclusive.”
“Clearly.”
A ridiculous attitude. It wasn’t Rin’s fault that a gorgeous woman had passed her under these circumstances. She had to take the opportunities she had.

“Ah.” Rosebird looked at the knife, and then held out a hand. “Can I see?”
Rin hesitated, having a sudden vision of Rosebird taking her knife and then tossing it in the water, but that sort of pettiness was Rin’s purview, not Rosebird’s. She switched her grip to the blade and placed the hilt in Rosebird’s palm.
Rosebird hefted the knife and held it up for a closer look. “How many knives do you have?”
“Fifty-two,” Rin said at once.
Rosebird raised her eyebrows.
“Actually, I’m not sure. I haven’t counted in a long time. And I wouldn’t tell if I did know, because then someone would know if they’d found all the knives on me or not.”
Rosebird handed the knife back over. Rin took it and slipped it into its sheath under her coat. “I think I’ll just always assume there are more knives.”
“A solid assumption.”

Kerlin shook her head. She swayed gently with her horse. “You lie so much, I don’t want to believe you don’t want anything from the Source. But usually your bullshit is obvious, so I think you are telling the truth. Which is just more inexplicable.”
That was maybe a little insulting? Rin wasn’t entirely sure. “You think it’s remarkable when I don’t lie?”
“No, not on that. I just would have thought you’d have been the sort of person who wants everything.”
“I’m the sort of person who lost everything,” Rin replied. “I’m a little hesitant to risk that again.”

Rosebird was examining her face. Rin quickly looked down, at the knife in her hands. She hefted it by the hilt.
“How often do you tell the truth?” Rosebird asked.
Rin shrugged. “Just enough to keep it interesting.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

#ChaosChat These golden retrievers are proud of you and love you just as you are.

Three golden retrievers in a row, looking up at the camera in a room with a wooden floor.
The leftmost is still a puppy, five months old. He is sitting with a smile on his lips. The middle is older, starting to go white, sitting as he looks up intently. The rightmost is also going white, but he has a big grin as he stands there.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

For #Pride, let’s all remember that if we were just a little more like Gideon—loving strangers as friends, caring without judgment—the world would be a better place.

A photo of a young golden retriever, wearing a rainbow bandana. He is lying in a field of daisies that blurs into the distance.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

#SFFChat This is one of the first things we see Rin do, right after she claims she didn't stab the body she's standing over with a bloody knife.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Oh, the life of a State Department brat...

The meme of actor Will Poulter looking confused, with the caption, "Wait, you guys have a hometown?"

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

If you’re looking for something different, this is my lizard Audrey.

A bearded dragon (lizard with a wide face a spiky chin) posing calmly on a pride bandana.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

#LateNightWrite Many throughout #JustStabsWIP, but most prominent is our MC Rin Kel Vran, who will, without a doubt, always notice an attractive woman.

Rage coursed through Rin. She’d been set up, intentionally distracted, which wasn’t fair because Rin could never think straight around a beautiful woman.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I had a good time reading @cupiscent.bsky.social’s Notorious Sorcerer. It’s an exciting adventure with a cool magic system and a collection of unique characters.

The book Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans. It’s sitting on brick before a fireplace. A bearded dragon (lizard with a wide face and spiky chin) is positioned with her front feet on the book, a mini sword in her hand. A little candle in the shape of a heart burns in front of the book.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

#LateNightWrite There are four things you need to know about Rin: 1) She has more knives than she can count. 2) She WILL be distracted by a beautiful woman. 3) She is a compulsive liar. 4) She refuses to rely on or get close to other people. All of these things are established in the first chapter.

“I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding,” Rin said. “Nothing needs to be difficult. Can’t we work something out?”
“Absolutely,” said the first copper, lifting Rin’s hopes. “In a court of law.”
Rude. No one needed that kind of devastation. “Alright, that sounds fair, if I was responsible for this, which I’m obviously not.”
The copper looked at Rin, with the bloody knife in her hand, and then down to the corpse, which had three stab wounds in the chest. She raised her eyes to Rin again, rapier swaying lightly in her hand. “I think you’re full of shit, you know that?”
“Yeah, a lot of people say that.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

#LateNightWrite As always, I offer beta reading at a very affordable rate on Fiverr: www.fiverr.com/s/ljNp6oA?ut... Or just enjoy Gideon’s side-eye.

A golden retriever puppy lying on the carpet. He is facing the camera but looking to the side, showing off the whites of his eyes.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

When I had my parents’ doggo a couple years ago while they were on a road trip to the Arctic Circle.

A golden retriever from behind as he sits on a ridge, looking down into a mountain valley that stretches out in front of him, away from camera. He is above the treeline, but below a stream can be seen that runs down into pine forest lower in the valley. The sky is pristine blue over distant mountains.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Would anyone care for some rice?

A close up of a golden retriever puppy’s face, as he looks adoringly at the camera. The top of his nose is covered in a big white clump of rice.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

I would say the Nonfiction side looks manageable, but I read those so slowly that it honestly might take longer.

A screenshot of a spreadsheet with two columns, one titled TBR - Fiction and the other TBR - Nonfiction.
The Fiction column has the following books:
The Night Circus
The Waking Fire
City of Lies
Enemy
Deal with the Devil
The Night and its Moon
Among Thieves
Locklands
The Hexologists
Blood of Requiem
The Sea of Pearls and Leaves
The Midnight Kingdom
Notorious Sorceror
The Oleander Sword
Sunbringer
The Sin in the Steel
The Bone Shard Emperor
The Lost Metal
The Final Strife
The Last Hour Between Worlds
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
Alanna: The First Test
In the Hand of the Goddess
Lioness Rampant
Retribution Falls

The Nonfiction column has the following books:
The Reign of Wolf 21
Inside of a Dog
When Elephants Weep
Mind of the Raven
The Invention of Nature

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

#SFFChat Heyo, I'm Ellen, finally available when this is going on! I've been on revisions for #JustStabsWIP for a while now, but here's a line I recently added to my very slow edits of Chapter 6 that I enjoy.

“I’m not here to complain, darling,” Djarah said, “although some humility from you wouldn’t go amiss.”
Rin shrugged. She survived on bullshittery and bravado, and would never apologize for it.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

May your timeline be blessed with love and dirty noses.

A golden retriever puppy, sitting on the sidewalk fairly close to the camera. He is looking at it soulfully with dirt all over the end of his snout.

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