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Mara Lynn Johnstone

@marlynnofmany.bsky.social
7.7K followers 6.3K following 5.3K posts

Author of science fiction and fantasy. Exploring the multiverse, with pens, pencils and enthusiasm! She/her. Further shenanigans all over the internet and at MaraLynnJohnstone.com

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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 16h
Three cheers for Caller ID, in this era of sooooo many spam calls. Pretty sure they'll be political robocalls if I answer them. I'm not going to. In the wise words of my elders, "If they want to talk to me, they can leave a message and I'll call them back."
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It's acorn percussion season. The cat is NOT pleased about all the sudden whacks happening in the patio. Good thing that glass tabletop is sturdy.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Creature of Shadows / Creature of Stripes Happy October First! Have a black cat with hidden depths only made visible by bright sunlight (appropriate for a shadow creature).
A black cat sitting in partial shade, with her lower half lit up so faint stripes are visible
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Ha HA, take that, street sweeping truck who doesn't follow the posted schedule! I heard you coming on the wrong day and moved my car! Now you've finally swept up the leaves that have been sitting there for ages! Victory is mine! (Today is a day for small victories. Take 'em when you find 'em.)
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Three cheers for me, I did NOT hit the wrong key when typing "earshot." It was a near thing, though. Those O and I keys are much too close together. It's almost like the designer of the keyboard was hoping for accidental swear words. #FunWithTypos
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Baffling typo. My brain said "over," but my fingers went with "of there." Nice try, fingers, but ... nope. #FunWithTypos
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Still seems awfully weird that I can look at an Amazon listing on my computer, then get an ad for that exact thing during an app game on my phone. There isn't an obvious connection there. AND YET.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Me: "Hm. This story is shaping up to be awfully similar to the one I just wrote." Also Me: "But they're going to different places, so no one will know! Ha!" Me: "You have a point."
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
She's completely invisible. Nobody tell her. #LifeWithCats
Black cat having behind crumpled paper, with one eye visible
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hey, who wants a song stuck in their head? Guess what day it is. You're welcome.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Ever typo something into a version that actually makes more sense? Spelling it "bisy" is actually closer to phonetic than "busy," at least the way I say it. #FunWithTypos
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Kevin Hearne @kevinhearne.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Brace yourselves for GRATUITOUS DAHLIAS from Halifax Public Gardens, which I guess is the largest Victorian style garden in North America? Anyway there’s a section with a jillion kinds of dahlias and I just snapped a few, like maybe 10 percent of them. SNIFF THEM DIGITALLY
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thank you, Past Me, for keeping notes on the bizarre glitches that have come up with so far in book formatting. Found #3 of 4 again, and it was easy to fix. (Freakin' bizarre, but a type of bizarre I've dealt with before.)
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Me: "This alien pet needs a name. I've already used 'Fluffy' for the skunk, though this thing has long fur." Me: "Silky!" Me: "Wait, no -- do these aliens even have silk? Silkworms can't be a universal thing. Will people wonder??" Me: "I mean, I would. Small sample size, though."
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Me: *wants to write a character saying "All righty then." Me: *has seen Ace Ventura many years ago* Me: *has lost all grasp on whether that phrase sounds like a quote or not* Does anybody else actually say this out loud? I'm not TRYING to give this character a Jim Carrey inflection.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Husband: *recites terrible puns* Child: "Father, why??" Husband: "🎵 Cuz it's so easy when you're evil... 🎵"
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Delilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Anyway, my main point here is that if you are ever wondering if you should talk to a writer about their old book and what it meant to you and you're worried it will be awkward, it is intensely meaningful to US. These books did not wildly succeed, but knowing they meant something to YOU is a gift.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You know you've been using the laptop a lot when you open a paperback in a dim room and are briefly surprised that it DOESN'T glow.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I just heard that the Japanese word for fire -- the dangerous kind that burns down buildings -- is pronounced the same as a word for household chores. I hope this is true, because it's hilarious. I can get behind that kind of cleaning mood. "Time to burn down the house! Grab a mop!"
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LaurenWalshArt @laurenwalshart.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Something that’s really been gnawing at my mind for a while is how much the art community feels scattered. So I think it would be fun to do an #art share at least once a month. Let’s kick it off. Share your art, like and comment on the posts of others, and get more art in your feed!
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hit the wrong letter again. Now I'm talking about the "wubject line" of an email, sounding like the goofiest cartoon character. #FunWIthTypos
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 16/09/2026
PARTY: *collectively fails to damage the Hag* WARLOCK’S CHICKEN FAMILIAR: *damages the Hag* SWORD: You know, soon I’ll have a new party of adventurers. They’ll probably be idiots, but I’ll always remember how you taught me that things could ALWAYS be worse.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Take THAT, early autumn sunbeam that's trying to distract me by lighting up all the fingerprints on my laptop screen! I have a glasses cleaning cloth this time!
LOTR "you have no power here" meme
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
When I was in elementary school, I could imitate a whistle well enough that other kids thought it was the real end-of-recess call. Once I got permission to actually end recess with it, and half of the kids moved toward the doors automatically before double checking.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's #DnD day again! Time for the promised sneaky stealthy spy nonsense. What a perfect building to walk sideways down the walls on.
D&D miniatures on a wooden tower structure with multiple levels
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Friend: "Secret lore drop: Miss Piggy's first name is Jolene." Husband: "I thought her first name was Miss!"
Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton together
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 09/09/2026
Spindle’s End here is the opening chapter I sometimes hold up as “how to do an establishing infodump spectacularly well.”
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Me: "What are all the cashews for?" Husband: "Befriending the crows on campus, and building my crow army!" Me: "Naturally. Best of luck!" (He teaches middle school. Yes, he's the cool teacher.)
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Fun with typos: "beaming at someone" = happy smile, shining like the sun. "Beaning at someone" = throwing beans at them, I guess?? Whatever it is, that's not the imagery I was aiming for.
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Micro SF/F by O. Westin @microsff.com · 08/09/2026
"Come out and fight!" the knight called. "Very well," the dragon replied. "As the challenged party, I get to choose weapons. I choose pistols." "What? I have a lance and horse!" "I don't. Here is a matched set, pick one." "Those are cannons!" "Tomayto tomahto. Pick, or forfeit the challenge."
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Is there a version of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" that's for irritating homeowner projects? Cuz this one was stupid, and I would appreciate a book to commiserate with.
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 07/09/2026
So yay! My UFO is now an IFO.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/08/2026
macabre = “muh-KAHB” Worcestershire = “WOOSS-ter-sheer” omnipotent = “ahm-NI-puh-tunt” reticent = “RET-uh-sunt” epitome = “ih-PIT-uh-mee” myriad = "MEER-ee-ud" Never make fun of someone if they mispronounce a word. It means they learned it by reading.
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ZomBev 🧟‍♀️ @beverlyannemichel.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
[hears an interesting name] I suddenly need a character with that name. #writerproblems
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Gleafer @gleafer.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Crowlotl is about to be dragged to The Maury Povich show. “The test says, YOU ARE THE FATHER!” *audience gasps*
Crowlotl holding up a baby LOTL that is being a giant dork just like he is. Clearly the spawn are his. Khkhkhkh!
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Gleafer @gleafer.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Anthony needed to translate an occult grimoire so he forcefully obtained the help of the only fallen angel that could do it. #goodomens my name is Gleafer and I am a Slorchaholic
Slorch is glowing chains reading a grimoire while Anthony keeps the binding spell intact, telling him to READ FASTER.
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Elise (they/them)🇦🇺 🏳️‍⚧️ @eliseswords.eurosky.social · 06/09/2026
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Gareth L. Powell / G.L. Powell @garethlpowell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I listened to the Beastie Boys on the way to work, and now I want two friends to follow me around and shout the last word of every sentence I say.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
That's a really cool detail! What a nice surprise; a random update is a good thing.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I put my best sweater on the couch for the cat to lie on, since she likes it so much. I was pretty sure she'd be done with her nap before I needed it. LOL now I'm cold. Definitely should have known better.
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John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Pointing at me and exclaiming, "Book good!" is the highest compliment I can receive because I assume you're exhausted, and know I'm exhausted, and yet you had to communicate your enthusiasm. COMPLIMENT GOOD
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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rough Draft vs Final Draft
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Writing. Earthquake. Back to writing. Gotta love living on a fault line.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 02/09/2026
7. DON'T BE THIS PERSON. If you see an author you like/respect/have somehow heard of at a con (or anywhere else), don't try to rope them into business then and there; they're busy and not there for your convenience. At most, ask them (BRIEFLY) who their agent is so you can route the proposal there.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Kid 1: "This makes pencils sharp enough to kill vampires!" Me: "Dangerous to vampires AND homework." Kid 2: "I'm going to assassinate my homework!" Me: "It doesn't stand a chance."
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Delilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Every time I walk out of the grocery store clutching an insane receipt and staring up at the sun on a 96 degree day in September, I think to myself, "I want to write a book about torturing billionaires who deserve it," and then I remember that I already did.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Today's vibes-ruining typo: "sinking" has become "dinking." Nothing serious about that.
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
RIP our microwave. At least it went out with a clunk, instead of getting possessed like the one at my old workplace. (That one started microwaving as soon as you OPENED the door.) (I like to think the googly eyes gave it sentience. It was malevolent from the start.)
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Delilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
When a fish finally pounded on his door at dawn, he was ready. #WIP #reallygreattypos #letsseeyourshittyAIproducesomethingofthatcaliber
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Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Ah yes, the most productive way to work: with my comfy seat, and my laptop, and my headphones, and my cat sleeping her hardest across one arm...
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