iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Picked up Universal Harvester under the impression it’s kind of a weird one à la Annihilation and … I have been tricked into reading lit Fic about how sad it is that moms die 😭 #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Two wolves live inside me: one buys books. The other reads books. Guess which one is winning #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Survived nearly 50 hours in airports in five days and remind me why people think travel is cool?? Bright spot: rage-bought The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan and it is charming and reminded me of Beware of Chicken (which I also loved) #booksky #readinginairports

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It occurred to me today that I could make my granola bars A) chocolate orange flavored and B) apple spice flavored and both of these are excellent decisions

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I love my friends so much! I can’t even explain how much it means to me that they traveled from all over to see me for my 40th birthday party. Not to mention they all came armed to talk about books 📚

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I love having preorders show up but I also don’t like how it throws my reading list into chaos because I never remember they’re coming but oh yay! New book! 🤩

A hand holding a hardcover copy of Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Lowkey one of the funniest, coziest, most enjoyable surprises of the year. Is the man the main character? Or is the chicken? Great for those who loved Legends and Lattes! Or who want the level-up mechanics of DCC but w/ low stakes and good vibes #booksky

A hand holding a paperback copy of Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer, art by Tsuu

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Low stakes hot take: the best reading I do is procrastinating some other reading (my library book is due back in two days). Perfect time to pick up Ornamental Women, first novel by a cohost of @badbooksbadppl.bsky.social who should be so proud of that cover #booksky

A hand holding a paperback copy of Ornamental Women by Jack Shear

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Literally six years after starting to watch keyboard sound tests (a soothing Covid-era activity for me) I got my first mechanical keyboard to write my books with! #writing #clickyclack

A 75% size mechanical keyboard with rainbow light flashing behind the keys

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I started this one but think I’m going to back up and read the first two so I can really revel in the leviathan vibes. I read the first two multiple times last year! #booksky

A hand holding a hardcover copy of A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Funny how a Murderbot can become comfort reading. Interesting to watch how Wells starts to insert evidence of its emotional healing through this book #booksky

A hand holding a hardcover of Platform Decay by Martha Wells

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I am making the most of my insomnia by p laying Stardew Valley and drinking Nutella hot chocolate.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

You know, 2025 is the first year I remember preordering books. It feels so luxurious. I can’t explain it but I feels like something rich people get to do.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I read this. Then the author’s note. Now I want to know: what’s a cozy, anyway? All the stakes in this book are emotional, about friendship and purpose. Sure, swords too, and some battle. And it’s not predictable. But to me it’s still cozy rather than high fantasy. #booksky

A hand holding a paperback copy of “Brigands and Breadknives” by Travis Baldree

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

You know what they say about Monday mornings: overcaffeinate and underprepare and everything will be fine.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

My son just announced we’re looking through the Pokémon dictionary to determine “who has done leg day.” 😂

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Other appeal factors include: j’accuse scene, amateur detective, fast pacing, wry tone, closed circle puzzle mystery #booksky 3/2

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

By academic writing, I mean that the whole thing is awash with references to classic literature and old mystery authors. It feels like the author NEEDS to show off how well versed they are in the OGs. #booksky 2/2

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Finishing up this mystery novel and here’s who I think would love it: people who love Christie, puzzle mysteries, and academic writing. That last takes some explaining. #booksky 1/2

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Picked this series up after listening to All About Agatha (a chronological examination of Christie’s books). Book one: what if a ghostwriter helped Hillary Clinton solve a murder? Book two: what if ghostwriter is now trapped on a cruise ship where murders happen? #booksky #librarylife

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

My hold came in at the library, and when I stopped by I had to browse the bookshop. (My library puts weeded books and donations out for sale) I snagged this one for $2! Dimaline is on my list of “I want to read everything you’ve ever written” authors #librarylife #booksky

Cover of “empire of wild” by Cherie dimaline. Cover art is tall tree trunks crowded close together with starry sky behind.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

On loan from a friend. Perhaps the perfect palate cleanser from Dungeon Crawler Carl? I know nothing except the author also wrote Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries #booksky

Cover of “Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter” by Heather Fawcett.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Born to sleep in and eat bagels in bed. Forced to take the kids to early dental appointments.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I remain flabbergasted that this series isn’t taking the romantasy world by storm. Or the cozy fantasy world. Appeal factors include: yearning; light-hearted prose; protagonists who are midlife; mundane jobs in fantastical worlds; a berserker paladin who knits socks for his bros; cleric = lawyer

Paladin’s Grace book cover. Black background with purple and green swirls which hide little mice and potion bottles. A sword floats in the center.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I finished DCC 8 and… WTF Matt Dinniman (complimentary)! #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Low stakes hot take: I just don’t want to read outside my four preferred genres. My attention span is maxed out in the rest of my life and I just want to read what I want for funsies. Read harder challenges? I could never 😂 #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Reading DCC #8 and the Garden of Deliverance is taking me out (complimentary) 😭 #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I just realized that a tender can tender tender tenders and it’s grammatically correct

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

This iteration of the dungeon (DCC 8) is making me SO ANXIOUS (clinically anxious all the time tbh). I’m worried I won’t be able to finish it. Someone who’s already finished it tell me if it’s worth it. 🙈 #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

And now back to our regularly scheduled dungeon. (Am reading Dungeon Crawler Carl book 8 and they’re all chonkers). #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Appeal factors include hot-shot pilots, mysteriously powerful unnamed people pulling strings, and alien relics. #booksky 2/2

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

About 25% through and so far I would pitch this book to you as, “first contact with alien artifacts told through interviews.” The format makes it kind of slow-paced though the plot line is a thriller. I think the doorway is plotline, maaaaybe setting as a secondary. #booksky

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Reposted by Mackenzie

Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I just saw a meme that said “get in losers, we’re reclaiming the emdash”. People. PEOPLE. Where are your STANDARDS? It CLEARLY should be “get in, losers — we’re reclaiming the em dash.”

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Loot drop after defeating me: - three sets of earbuds - an old-fashioned checkbook - a TBR with 719 great suggestions on it

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

It turns out I am really glad I went back to ch 1 to recenter my plot and tone. I actually really love ch 1-3! I like them! I wrote an OK thing! #booksky

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Being intentional and reflective about my work is sometimes so annoying 😂

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This IS the reason I can’t join a book club though. I got an English degree and still read a lot, but assign me a group reading task?? 🔪

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Questions to get unstuck: not “what is most logical from what I’ve written before,” but “what hat would be the most funny/huge/wild thing to happen next?”

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Is the drug lexapro? Please sign me up. 😂

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

After a truly stressful day, at least I can say I’m not in the dungeon. Yet.

Cover of Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman. Depicts Carl riding on the roof of a fast food truck driven by Princess Donut.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I’m not just a mom (sneaking protein and fiber into my children’s diet by way of delicious smoothies) I’m a fun mom (once in a blue moon I put whipped cream on top)

Photo of a tropical fruit smoothie with whipped cream on top

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Reposted by Mackenzie

Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · 15/07/2026

listen I know v little about football & its attendant lores all I know is that the sight of men dressed up as knights templar looking v sad brings me joy at an ancestral level

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Reposted by Mackenzie

Earl GreyGory (he/him) @earlgreygory.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

While working on the background color I found I had a delightful color palette. One nice evening I sat outside and painted an ornamental Japanese Maple. #nature #maple #sketchbook #pleinair

A gouache painting of a Japanese maple bush.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Now I’m wondering: why does weird horror so often use the biggest words? Does it help distance us from the real world? (Are they all trying to scare us into using the dictionary more often? )

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I haven’t seen anyone in my circles talk about this book so let me pitch you! Sapphic, Lovecraftian, the real horror is Wall Street and the patriarchy. This prose is dense, visual and full of $10 words (Mieville but no grapeyness)

Book cover of The Dead Take the A Train. Black background with the main image a Statue of Liberty bisected by a screaming head whose mouth is full of tentacles and rows of tiny needle-like teeth.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I will follow the Oxford comma to the ends of the earth and back.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Writing while employed full-time while parenting while managing ongoing health issues is really a wild ride. In an “I’m too old for roller-coasters” kind of way.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Writing desk reminders: because it is fun, I worry that it doesn’t matter. Write anyway. #writingreminders #firstdraft #amwriting #writersofbluesky

An index card rests on a sketchbook. The sketchbook has a sticker that depicts an upset goose and says “all of my systems are nervous.” The index card says: writing desk reminders. Because it is fun, I worry that it doesn’t matter. Write anyway.

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Mackenzie @mackenziewrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Writing Desk Reminders: bad art still matters. It makes the world better because EVERYONE should be allowed to embrace their creativity. Also, it’s just a first draft. #amwriting #writersofbluesky #writing

A post-it note that says Writing Desk Reminders: bad art still matters. It makes the world better because EVERYONE should be allowed to embrace their creativity. Also, it’s just a first draft.

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