iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Moving in together is exciting until it’s a Tuesday night and you’re crying about the trash. I wrote an article on the system that actually worked for us substack.com/@makennarae/... #relationships #relationshipadvice #advice #cleaning

000

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Writers and readers, I need help!! My current WIP is Howl's Moving Castle x The Witcher x Frankenstein That feels like too much. What combination of those three comps is most compelling to you?

000

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

please give me your best romance book recommendations, the books that completely consumed you. I’m doing some studying for my current WIP #books #bookrec #book #romance #romantasy

391

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

who need grammar rules when you have pizazz

000

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

how much more staring at a blank document do i need to do before the words finally come to me? would you say ten — maybe fifteen more minutes?

000

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

working on the second draft of my current WIP which means I simultaneously love my past self's mind and despise her confidence that future me would figure out the details

011

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

took a break from all socials. I was deep in the querying trenches and needed to not to be perceived for a while. you know how it goes. but im back with a new outlook on everything and looking forward to reconnecting/connecting with folks! what'd i miss??

010

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

💖 lazy girl writer check-in | week 1 hi, I'm Makenna — professional sit-arounder, fantasy writer, and personal essayist over at Lazy Girl Club on Substack. this is my weekly check-in where I show up to touch grass with other writers and collect internet friends (the best kind)

110

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

just posted this article on Substack! substack.com/@makennarae?... #substack #article #writer #author #writing

1151

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

If you love eerie prose, twisted myth vibes, and stories that linger like a bad dream… this one will crawl under your skin. ------- #thesaltgrowsheavy #bookrecommendation #darkfantasy #horrorbooks #books #readingcommunity

030

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Started the year with a cozy Beauty and the Beast reimagining: Beauty by Robin McKinley. It hits everything I want from a fairytale. --- #bluesky #reading #bookrecommendation #trending #beautiful #writingcommunity

030

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Writers, what are your tips for defeating writers block?

000

Reposted by Makenna Rae

O F SCARY @ossuary.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

I'm gonna have to decommission ole faithful for #bluepit but rest assured I'm gonna basically completely republish this

093

Reposted by Makenna Rae

🟣S.L. PrayersforPeace🙏🏼🌻 @stpolishook.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

JEWISH BLUEBEARD + FEMINIST TWIST Promised to a witch before her birth, Talia must now spend a year with the woman to pay off her parent's debt. But with demons threatening to steal her away, The "witch" might just be Talia's best hope at keeping her head. #BluePit #W #YA #F 📖

Jewish fantasy mood board featuring demons and crows

0228

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Marissa Yarrow @marissayarrow.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Where the Devil Churns 🤖 Near future dystopia 🍄 Space mushrooms 🙏🏻 Cult vibes 💊 Health and wellness 🍃 Crunchy to conservative pipeline 💀 Body horror #BluePit #BluePit📖 #Q #A #H #SF #SP

2288

Reposted by Makenna Rae

rae mariz @raemariz.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Thank you #BluePit folks for interacting with me and my work! I compiled the pitches for The Unidentified below. If you’re curious about the book, there’s more info at my site raemariz.com/the-unidenti... and buy link in my bio It’s been fun to see what everyone’s been working on!

raemariz.com

THE UNIDENTIFIED | rae mariz

173

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Artemis Quinn 🏳️‍⚧️🎨📚 undead & thriving 🦇👻😱 @vampireantihero.com · 13/01/2026

It's nearly noon here so let's do post #2. Such Sweet Sorrow is a grief horror - it focuses on loss. Loss of loved one, loss of community, loss of connection. Leaving something that you can no longer return to, no matter how much you want to. Can Rebecca persevere? #BluePit 📖 #A #PN #H #W #LGBT

A Moodboard for Such Sweet Sorrow by Artemis Quinn.

Top left - a lake covered by fog in autumn, a lonely bench on the shore.
Top middle - an ornate library and fireplace in front of a window in old baroque craftsman style
Top right - a vibrant autumn forest
Middle left - a cramped baroque style library with art on the walls
middle - an illustration of a blonde woman surrounded by ghostly hands
middle right - an old sofa in an empty hallway
bottom left - an old brick house with ivy climbing the side
bottom middle - a stairwell with mahogany paneling
bottom right - a waterfall in the forest

12915

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Courtney Corlew 💖 @courtneycorlew.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

THE POTION DILEMMA: COZY ROMANTASY ➡️ For those who love the forbidden romance in Mate by Ali Hazelwood and the spellbound twist in A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. 🖤 fated mates 🖤 unknown bound magic 🖤 morally gray mmc 🖤 kn0tting #bluepit📖 #bluepit #A #F #R #W #Q

0185

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Sage 💙👻🌞❄️🦸🏼‍♀️🦹🏼🦴✨🤖👽 @sagecollins.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

HALF LIFE x MINDWALKER Taylor’s not threatened by BOIS, androids made to be perfect BFs. The girl he 💘s, head of their BOIS' rights club, would never buy one When Taylor learns he's a BOIS-friend, he's 😡 at her hypocrisy & starts a revolution to prove he's > his programming #BluePit📖 #YA #Q #SF

03917

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Grace Eliza @gracelizaa.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

OCTOBER DAYE X WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE When a blood-drained body is found at the edge of Foggy Dell, a quirky town in Northern California, Maisie—local ghost speaker—and Stacy—biologist and supernatural skeptic—become unlikely partners, investigating the mysterious death. #BluePit 📖 #Q #PN #M

A corkboard with photos of the forest and ocean and notes pinned to it. The notes: “Vampire???”, “Time of death: midnight”, and “Tremulous Oak Sanctuary: might not be a cult (but also might be)”.

45320

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Avri @nycavri.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

THE LOVELY LONG AGO Accident, suicide or murder . . . ? The rock scene of early 90s Brighton (England) is shaken by the death of a student. A slice-of-life nostalgia trip, revolving around a legendary club. #BluePit 📖 #A #M #Q

1144

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Lucy Kagan @cottonbook.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Hi, #BluePit! I took a pause on my #comic, Low Magic, and funnily enough, that’s kind of what the comic is about! I’m back on it, hoping to start posting again in Feb, so if you'd like to read about pausing from a stressful magic job to live in the woods, check it out! #F #W lowmagic.the-comic.org

0157

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Thérésa Hedges @theresahedges.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Dominic: The Tale of an Accidental Vampire 1890s London. Dominic Ross is a gentle soul- a student doctor with a hopeful heart, a loyal friend in James, and a life full of promise. It all changes when he meets the dangerous but magnetic Sir Adam Morell. mybook.to/DominicVampire #P #A #H #R #bluepit

The tagline for the book - white writing on a black background. “Not all angels fall. Some are pushed”

A picture of a young Victorian man at a soirée.

3176

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Scarlet Mitchell is a 👻g..g..ghost!👻 @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

The only place depressed goth-girl, Helena, feels at home on the cheery campus is the dark, haunted chapel. When the stones come alive to warn her of a demon invasion, she becomes entangled in a cosmic war. And falls for a gargoyle.❤️ Don't Let the Forest In x City of Bones #BluePit 📖 #YA #F #Q #LGBT

Moodboard for Rooted in Stone, sapphic gargoyle urban fantasy. Tagline”Somewhere away from this world, indistinct, infinite, and unknowable… What was beyond that veil?”
10 very dark, moody, grayish images around the edge include the hazy spires of Notre Dame with birds lying across, the Milky Way, a crow coming in the land, a gargoyle peeking over a ledge, a shadow crouching in a corner with piercing eyes, a young woman with black hair over her eye, a crow in front of a grave, a graveyard statue of an angel, and the interior of a church with a stained glass window. In the center of all this, is a bright painting of a natual landscape done in vivid sunset colors.

36027

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Margery Bayne is querying @margerybayne.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

A feared sorceress secretly shelters those who have nowhere else to go. An old witch takes in a runaway princess. And a cursed girl makes a deal to break her family’s curse, only to find herself falling for the one person she’s supposed to hate. #BluePit #BluePit 📖 #P #A #LGBT #WF #F #R

Graphic of book cover of A Witch By Any Other Name: Queer & Enchanted Stories by Margery Bayne surrounded by book tropes. Book cover features a green cauldron. The tropes listed: Short stories, found family, quick read, cottagecore, cozy, romance, happy endings, and a pride heart. Bottom of graphic has the sales link: books2read.com/witchy

1188

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Drea Laj @drealaj.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

When vampire chef, Corrine enters a cooking competition, the last thing she expects to win is the heart of the human reporter assigned to the competition. #bluepit #w #a #pn #r

Retro style poster with a strawberry milkshake. Implied blood drop runs down the side. Text: everything changes, except me

75520

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Catherine @catandherwips.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Bettina, ex lover of Goddess, exiled herself so her absence would earn favor. The lifespan of her mortal son wanes, while as a Saint she & her daughter live forever. With the aid of an eldritch Archivist she means to make Goddess anoint her son...one way or another. #BluePit 📖 #P #A #F #LGBT

Moodboard for dark romantic queer fantasy novel GARNER FOR GOLD by Catherine Labadie

11811

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Leigh Samuels @leighsamuels.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Dear Mom and Dad, Camp sucks! Why did you send me here? My counselor hates me if I breathe the wrong way. My roommate wakes me up at 6! It feels like I can't stop messing up. And something feels off about the returning campers.... GET ME OUT OF HERE! Some Love, Hannah #BluePit #MG #amquerying #MG

1216

Reposted by Makenna Rae

🫜Prof Emily🫜 @professoremily.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

CHARAGMA In a world where all people are marked saved or damned from birth, twins Clara & Mem Blake find themselves on opposite sides of an escalating war between the chosen Elect & the oppressed Reprobates - a war ultimately for the soul of humanity. #Bluepit #Bluepit📖 #W #A #SFF

Moodboard for TERRA TENEBRAE: LAND OF THE DAMNED, featuring a beautiful young woman holding a sword, a dark ramshackle hallway, a badass demon with a flaming head and sword, a devastated burnt landscape, a massive complex of crowded apartments, a lightning bolt striking the ground from a dramatic cloud, a gray apocalyptic landscape of beautiful ruins, two young women in love happily dancing with their foreheads together under some lights

46632

Reposted by Makenna Rae

R.J.M. — Writer — DRAFT 3! 📖🎮🎥🤖✍️🦸🏻‍♂️ @abysmalauthor.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Last post for today's #BluePit event! Thought I'd round off talking about DAUGHTER OF THE SWORD by sharing the playlist I've made for Bronwyn, the main character: the songs here speak to her character in their lyrics or sound, or inspired me while writing. #BluePit📖 #YA #A #NA #F #HS #W #ND

open.spotify.com

Bronwyn

0258

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Neha Yazmin🍉Author | Reader | Dessert Person @nehayazmin.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Heartbroken by the man she loves, Amaya now has to vacate her home, too So, OF COURSE she thinks an arranged marriage will solve all her problems! When Ashraf proposes marriage minus love, it’s ideal & they tie the knot How long before their arrangement becomes inconvenient? #BluePit 📖 #A #R #W

Moodboard titled ‘A Most Inconvenient Arrangement’ with five images: London skyline, a couple embracing in a nightclub, a young woman dressed in smart office wear, a close-up of a young couple about to kiss, a young couple arguing, a man in the middle of removing his shirt.

03316

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Kristen is Querying! @kristenbalesbooks.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

THE WITCHER X CITY OF BRASS X FOXGLOVE KING ❗️warning, this package includes: 🎶 meddlesome bard 🐍 python-wielding bestie bounty hunter 🌊 hot possessed assassin 🎻 his feral cello playing brother 🔥 only one hot spring 🪄 divine bargains 💀 lovers x enemies x …? #BluePit #NA #F #Q

1235

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Tamara S. Harker @tamarasharker.com · 13/01/2026

"The Fruit of War: Stone and Flesh" is the first book in an epic fantasy series steeped in gothic themes. It follows Fîeron, an undertaker-psychopomp in a world recovering from an unprecedented war, as he is forced to flee one burden for one far greater -- and darker. #BluePit 📖 #OS #A #fruitofwar

A dark green banner split in half by a subtle gold border. The left half features a book cover with white text that reads “The Fruit of War, Book 1: Stone and Flesh”, by Tamara S Harker. It shows a man’s hand holding a purple-red fruit cut open to reveal a small skull. In the background is a shadowed orchard with fallen soldiers lying on the ground.

The right half of the image describes the book, including a tagline of "Nothing truly dies -- it merely changes." and a launch date of 1st March 2026, both in red text. A donut-shaped pie chart lists its genres as 70% epic fantasy, 20% dark fantasy, and 10% gothic horror. The blurb of the book, in pale green text, reads: "A weary young undertaker is tasked by a dead hero to find an artifact that began – and ended – a recent war. In doing so, he gathers an eclectic group of veterans and greenhorns almost by accident. Yet finding the artifact is only the beginning, and in solving the riddle of the hero’s last request, they are only met with more questions – about the war, their alleged enemy, and the very nature of their world." Finally, green text reads: "For readers who like their fantasy intelligent...immersive...and simmering with ghosts of the past...both figurative and literal."

Two quotes from a five-star Goodreads ARC review:

"...an ambitious and richly imagined fantasy..."

"...an excellent read and a superb debut. It's the kind of book that reminds you of the joys of classic fantasy, with its intricate storytelling, memorable characters, and a world that lingers in your mind long after you've turned the final page."

12610

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

A forgotten princess faces a trial designed to break her. To claim the throne from her tyrannical father, she learns that survival demands cunning, cruelty, and surrendering to the darkness that dwells within her. @bluepit.bsky.social sky.social #BluePit 📖 #A #F #Q #WF

TRIAL OF HEIRS, followed by characteristics/tropes/themes you can find in my book: an heir forged through neglect, ethical decay, survival that rewards unraveling, female friendship, madness mistaken for strength, power that erases restraint, a loyal knight, protector/protected -- reversal, the gods have returned

45724

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Grey McCallister @theblondeonewrites.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I’m late to the party (Big surprise. I just wrapped ten days of residency!) BUT I plan to participate in #BluePit tomorrow. What better way to kick off querying my MG mermaid novel than with a pitch event? I look forward to checking out all of your glorious pitches throughout the day.

1153

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Writers, how would you describe your WIP in three emojis? I think this would be mine: 🏰💔☠️ #WritingCommunity #bluesky #writers #authors #fantasy

030

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

✨ My 2025 5-Star Reads ✨ Circe Penpal On Writing Pachinko The Salt Grows Heavy Spinning Silver The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes The Game of Thrones (series) ---- #Books #BookRecommendations #CurrentlyReading #2025Reads #5StarReads

020

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

TRIAL OF HEIRS A princess endures a trial designed to break her. To claim the throne, she learns that survival demands cunning, cruelty, and surrendering to the darkness that accompanies power. 🗡️feral FMC 🖤descent into madness 🕯️ancient magic #GhostPit #A #FA #Q

Title of my book, TRIAL OF HEIRS
The background is a red sky and a gothic-looking castle

My pitch: A discarded princess endures a deadly trial to claim her tyrant father’s throne—but as her power grows and her humanity slips away, she must face the truth: to destroy the monster who made her, she may have to become one herself. With betrayal lurking in every shadow, she is forced to walk a path where survival and monstrosity are inseparable—and the crown may demand more than her heart can bear.

Photos of crying eyes and a woman walking into fire

Opening Lines: “I was a woman of import who was of no particular importance to anyone. A princess in the back of banquets, the daughter of a family who never sought her out, a person with no companions.
Perhaps it was sad, but more than anything, it was dreadfully dull.”

Reviews and comps:
“Wow! What a grim and utterly emotive tragedy! This story had me feeling everything and left me completely hollowed out by the end.” - Professional Beta Reader 1

“I have no words. This story is brilliant.” – Professional Beta Reader 2

“When I finished, I had to just sit in the dark for a while, staring at the ceiling, empty inside.” – Journalist Friend

“First book to make me cry in a while.” - Fiancé

“It’s so... violent!” – My Mom

COMPS: Far Heir by Lucia Ashta, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart, & The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

0122

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Makenna Rae @makennarae-writes.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Once a silent shadow in her father’s court, a princess is thrust into a trial designed to forge her into a ruler capable of cruelty tempered by intellect—and when ancient magic awakens in her veins, she can no longer tell whether her rise will save the kingdom or damn it. #GhostPit #A #F #Q

14014

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Argelia ☀️ @argelitamann.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

OwnVoices Nahua romantasy in precolonial 🇸🇻 Itotia’s a healer’s apprentice struggling to meet her mentor’s expectations. Metztli's a worship-hating deity. When Itotia binds them together, Metztli grapples with mortality & Itotia learns the gods aren’t as benevolent as she thought #GhostPit #RF #Q

A movie poster featuring two people kissing overlayed over the side of Teotihuacán's pyramid of the sun and foliage from a jungle in El Salvador.

Text says:

Enemies to Lovers
Non-Western Mythology
LGBTQIA+ romantasy
Tethered enemies

"A dual-POV adult romantasy steeped in Nahua (Pipil) belief, set against the lush tapestry of precolonial Central America." — Fans of Maiga Doocy's Sorcery and Small Magics

Title: TO BECOME THE MOON

Now Querying

Adult, romantasy, 90,000 words

1248

Reposted by Makenna Rae

Erin @erinaries.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Dark Matter x The Midnight Library: Phoebe thought things were bad, until she got trapped in a nightmare AND a suburban tract home. That she can't figure out which reality is worse might be her biggest flaw. #ghostpit #A #SPEC

1197