Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 16hThree 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." 1181
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026It'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. 170
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Creature 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). 080
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Ha 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.) 0121
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Three 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 040
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Baffling typo. My brain said "over," but my fingers went with "of there." Nice try, fingers, but ... nope. #FunWithTypos 011
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Still 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. 460
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Me: "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." 0131
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 23/09/2026She's completely invisible. Nobody tell her. #LifeWithCats 0162
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Hey, who wants a song stuck in their head? Guess what day it is. You're welcome. 083
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Ever 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 151
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneKevin Hearne @kevinhearne.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Brace 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 5819
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Thank 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.) 170
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Me: "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." 240
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Me: *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. 690
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Husband: *recites terrible puns* Child: "Father, why??" Husband: "🎵 Cuz it's so easy when you're evil... 🎵" 120
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneDelilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Anyway, 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. 1434
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026You 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. 1171
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 17/09/2026I 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!" 1120
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneLaurenWalshArt @laurenwalshart.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Something 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! 1441196336
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Hit the wrong letter again. Now I'm talking about the "wubject line" of an email, sounding like the goofiest cartoon character. #FunWIthTypos 180
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneKingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 16/09/2026PARTY: *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. 42598
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Take 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! 0101
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 15/09/2026When 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. 060
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 12/09/2026It's #DnD day again! Time for the promised sneaky stealthy spy nonsense. What a perfect building to walk sideways down the walls on. 3402
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Friend: "Secret lore drop: Miss Piggy's first name is Jolene." Husband: "I thought her first name was Miss!" 090
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneKingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 09/09/2026Spindle’s End here is the opening chapter I sometimes hold up as “how to do an establishing infodump spectacularly well.” 2571499
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Me: "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.) 0201
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Fun 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. 280
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneMicro 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." 634482
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Is 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. 270
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneKingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 07/09/2026So yay! My UFO is now an IFO. 115814
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneMerriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/08/2026macabre = “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. 795166583672
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneZomBev 🧟♀️ @beverlyannemichel.bsky.social · 05/01/2026[hears an interesting name] I suddenly need a character with that name. #writerproblems 2232
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneGleafer @gleafer.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Crowlotl is about to be dragged to The Maury Povich show. “The test says, YOU ARE THE FATHER!” *audience gasps* 713833
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneGleafer @gleafer.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Anthony 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 715238
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneElise (they/them)🇦🇺 🏳️⚧️ @eliseswords.eurosky.social · 06/09/2026 221
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneGareth L. Powell / G.L. Powell @garethlpowell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026I 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. 191156
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 05/09/2026That's a really cool detail! What a nice surprise; a random update is a good thing. 240
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 04/09/2026I 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. 181
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneJohn Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Pointing 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 423632
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneElle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Rough Draft vs Final Draft 253116743316
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Writing. Earthquake. Back to writing. Gotta love living on a fault line. 2140
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneJohn Scalzi @scalzi.com · 02/09/20267. 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. 6135541
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Kid 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." 071
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneDelilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Every 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. 927120
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Today's vibes-ruining typo: "sinking" has become "dinking." Nothing serious about that. 090
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 31/08/2026RIP 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.) 1180
Reposted by Mara Lynn JohnstoneDelilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026When a fish finally pounded on his door at dawn, he was ready. #WIP #reallygreattypos #letsseeyourshittyAIproducesomethingofthatcaliber 1225
Mara Lynn Johnstone @marlynnofmany.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Ah 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... 050