iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd

Matthew Siadak @backwardsknight.com · 11h

Are you hankering for some new books to read? The Backwards Knight is a perfect fall read, a classic fantasy adventure rife with eldritch horror undertones The Dark Side of Super is an interconnected collection of dark, gritty, realistic takes on superpowers. Also in audio! #Booksky #BookTok

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 1h

Just recorded myself reading Path's prologue. Rather half-assed, but it's a trial run to decide whether I can stand the sound of my own voice long enough to make a more earnest trial run of an ebook I would be willing to let other people hear... to then find out if anyone wants to listen to it 🥴

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 1h

😭 May you soon have cool breezes to accompany your yard skellies and porch pumpkins

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 1h

Well it would have made a lovely walk as well!

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 1h

Ah dang yeah I forgot you were in FL

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

Thank you! I hope the SADD is treating you kindly this week

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

😓 Here's hoping autumn weather finds you while you still have fallen leaves to kick through

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

This has more of a ring to it than smell-distance

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

Oh I'm so sorry. 😭 We had a very unwelcome summer relapse over the weekend, but it only lasted a few days. Hopefully your skies cloud over soon

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

Thank you! His imagination is constantly running away from him, it's delightful to get to be a little silly

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 2h

Oh my guys. It is in the low 60s(F), heavily overcast, breezy, fallen leaves everywhere and Halloween decorations finally going up in earnest. I just had the loveliest run

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 3h

I'm going to think of a dead bird every time I see a book lying open on its face from here on out

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 4h

I feel like I hated similes too... maybe we were taught what they are using really crummy examples and that's why it felt ham-handed? Anyway, well done!

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Mike Bithell @mikebithell.bsky.social · 9h

The question is not whether I should kick the puppy. The puppy is innevitably getting kicked. The question is whether I can kick the puppy in a sustainable, inclusive and empowered way. How can people be supported in kicking puppies for good? Let’s stop the puppy kick gatekeeping already.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 4h

I'd never thought about that before, but yeah similes do usually get to take up a lot less space, presumably bc the longer you talk the harder it gets to keep finding fresh, apt similarities. Well done!

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 4h

My sales there have always been minimal, like a couple a year.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 4h

#WIPSnips 'territory' Not my idea of a good time, but to each their own from A Mirror with an Edge, The Tipping World vol 4

He had yet to decide whether he was more shocked or delighted that their secter had left without them, deserting them neck-deep in hostile territory neither of them were familiar with, without supplies of any kind. He’d been dreaming about having an adventure with Dameth since he was fourteen, and it seemed as if today, life was granting all his wishes.
“They’re in for a nasty surprise if they dare to track us.”
His eyes swung back onto his companion. “Two nasty surprises.”
“Two mean bastards,” Dameth agreed. “We can steal what we need and leave IOU’s behind, directing people to the Anyimari secter for repayment.”
He laughed as they turned away, moving downslope and northward. As they left the rocky crest of the bluff, they passed beneath the forest canopy. A forest that covered this country as perfectly as a quilt draped a bed, more freshly-budded deciduous trees than conifers. It smelled exotic to Boden’s desert nose, like wet dirt and mildew and greenness. If they must run for their lives yet again, this seemed like a fine place to do it. It would be interesting to see more of this strange and foreign land, Anyimar of the great forests and perpetual rain. They would have plenty of opportunity: they were going to have to cross a significant stretch of the country to quit it.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

It's a cool take that you wrote it from the position of the staff bc all the examples that come to mind, the cast are visitors. Hospitality must be an absolutely wild industry to work in.

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Ronove (aka S. Jean) @earlronove.bsky.social · 9h

It gets dark so soon now, it's really putting me in the mood for my dark fantasy novel, BORN OF SCOURGE. A world that's been taken over by darkness and the fallen star responsible for bringing light back, but might just end the world instead. ☄️ books.earlronove.com/bornofscourge

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

this because we do not believe art has value that can't be reduced to a dollar sign and this would all be so much neater and cheaper** if we didn't have to deal with artists, who should kindly fuck off' **[citation needed]

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

dogshit fake garbage in their videogames, in movie or TV. It got a toehold in books bc scammers can take advantage of volume: it's easier to trick people. This is not the same thing as demand. So, now, when someone says 'this is inevitable,' when they say 'adapt or perish,' what I hear is 'we WANT

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

I don't suppose there's any point saying it since these people clearly aren't listening to anyone other than each other, but bruh. 6 or 8 months ago, I would have argued with you over the 'AI is inevitable' mindset. Now? I don't need to. Consumers have made it clear they don't want this

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

The Inn is one of my favorite places in fantasy ❤️‍🔥

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 6h

Ooo, that is some upsetting ideation, well done!

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Indie Book Spotlight @bookspotlight.bsky.social · 7h

We're 35% of the way to our goal and sales have kind of tapered off this past week! Please consider picking up this fantastic bundle of October books! You get 93 (!!!!) books for just $69! Less than a dollar a book!!! itch.io/b/3904/chill... [ #booksky ]

Graphic for the Chills, Thrills & Kills October Itchio Sale. 93 books for $69. A VERY BIG AND SPOOKY BUNDLE of creepy and cosy reads perfect for this year’s Hallowe’en Season! Hosted by Indie Book Spotlight.

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Reposted by Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd

Cheyenne Brammah | Science Fantasy Author @akairondragon.ca · 7h

Explore Children of Wrath for a science fantasy journey sweeping through alien civilizations, ancient grievances, faith, and the vast political tensions of interstellar space. This dark, adult space opera follows Senmatu, whose mission of vengeance becomes far more complicated than she expected.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

🤣 As if it wasn't enough that they steal control of their own narratives

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

Ty! I love this character bc his internal monologue is always so over-the-top

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Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 9h

It is really chilling to see how quickly Black, Caribbean, and African writers and academics have become the global face of AI use and accusations of plagiarism. For such a serious charge, @vauhinivara.bsky.social's article rests on...a Pangram scan. www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/1...

theatlantic.com

Yet Another Literary Prizewinner Seems to Be AI

The prestigious Caine Prize, announced last week, went to a story with many red flags.

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KJ Charles @kjcharleswriter.com · 9h

FYI people watching from abroad, the Society of Authors statement was also signed by Australian Society of Authors The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc The Writers’ Union of Canada The Association of Illustrators

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

I'm awed and appalled that you usually go without, I would be adrift

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

I think it's rather brilliant, honestly. Is that a curse in general usage in your world or does it come from a particular character?

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Verati @verati404.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Ooh, almost forgot that I was part of this, oops! For the next two days, Echo Sight's ebook is 81% off! If you're looking for a time to get it before the holiday season, now's the time! #💙📚 #📚🪐#🩸📚#🌈📚 itch.io/s/204510/que...

itch.io

Echo Sight | Queer Indie Book Promo by Cian Verati

A sale by Cian Verati, 81% off Echo Sight

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

they imagine real, and if that's not done properly, they can LITERALLY make what they imagine real, to disastrous but sometimes comical effect. So, here, I went for a metaphor-fail (from A Path of Endless Crossroads)

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

I can't fail to talk Tipping World for metaphor bc it's ubiquitous. Mages have a 6th sense that perceives other people's feelings, physical and emotional, but they can only describe *what that's like* via metaphor. Moods feel like colors, motion, weather, etc. Metaphor is also how they make what

She went for the rope first, since it was the first idea he mentioned. An imaginary rope pulling her ball… Even as she tried to picture this, she was grimacing, aware it wouldn’t work. She was already asking herself: wouldn’t the stupid thing get tangled in the string if it was rolling into it? If it worked for other mages, good for them, but the image was too messy and illogical to be any use to her. Sure enough, her ball just went on sitting there, not doing anything.
What about a net? That at least would get the direction right because the net would scoop the object in and tow it, but it seemed more fruitful in the context of moving multiple things at once. Anyway why would you want to accomplish something by picturing a big sloppy old barnacle-coated net? She knew exactly what that would look like; one of her favorite paintings in her parents’ house had depicted sailors hauling nets on the icy Sea of Iswar, hands chapped from the cold. You could even smell the fishy smell and feel the frigid air beneath that leaden sky, and it was an awful lot of effort to bring a net into play when a nice big gust of wind could—
Several startling things happened at once. A heavy, sodden object fell upon their class, flooding the classroom with freezing saltwater and slippery fish, and a gale-force wind tore through the contained space, driving all of them hard against the wall. They were pressed there for the length of a second, crushed against one another, breath stolen from their lips by the force of the wind. Then it was gone, and they fell in a heap upon the floor, still tangled in the net and wet and getting slapped by flopping fish.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

Simile from Erosion. Pherul is so fun to write bc he has an incredibly vivid imagination. **I highlighted the relevant passages in blue if anyone doesn't want context. (he also describes the sound as 'a titan sucking a leviathan's bone marrow out with a straw')

It happened again, and he twisted on his seat, eyes darting. No one leapt to explain: his friends were trading smirks, delighted they had shocked him. This probably meant they weren’t about to get eaten by a universe-sized demon, but he wasn’t ready to stake money on it. It kind of sounded like a semi on a distant interstate downshifting, if the cargo were a thousand doomed souls condemned to wander the galactic highways forevermore.
He was startled anew when he turned around and cast his gaze behind him because he found himself looking, not at more farms and pastures, but the ocean: the city lay on the coast. It was small compared to its cousins, without much elevation in its boundaries, but the coastline it lay on was remarkable. In stark contrast to the gentle swells of land on its other side, the ocean was a deathtrap; he found himself hoping no one attempted to go fishing here, at least not upon a boat, at the mercy of these savage waters.
It seethed across the jagged teeth of rocks so spiky and ubiquitous this coast might have been designed by a jealous deep-sea god to convince the folks on land not to even dream of getting in its water. In the distance, the swells were a dark, slate-hued blue, but in the foreground, it was more often white, churned to froth as it tumbled across an expanse of black rocks that stretched in either direction out of sight.
He jumped when the noise repeated, but this time, eyes on the water, he noticed the appalling roar had watery embellishments. Hisses and gargles like the cosmos was a nasty clog passing through a pipe without room for it. He twisted, head on a swivel, trying to spot the sea monster.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 7h

#LitHodgepodge Fun!! I'm hitting personification first bc I'm actually being brief! Do not expect this to happen again any time soon 😂 Anyway, I line I always liked from We (We Alter). These people live in a hostile environment and subscribe to a toxic patriarchy, so the imagery clicks

The storm came in on a howling wind, punching the walls of their tents with angry fists.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 8h

I'm not the only one who picks up occasional verbal quirks from their characters, right? I swear I never used to go 'gracious!' until Mairid put it in my head

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 8h

This line gives me pause. My brain goes 'gracious!' Knowing the context, the gruesome imagery is wonderfully on-the-nose (also like a fist, I suppose 😂).

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Daniel Kibblesmith @kibblesmith.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Every movie, song, and book that you love was made without the technology that people who don’t make art are now insisting is necessary for making art.

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Susanne Schmidt @sharkiatwrites.bsky.social · 9h

COVER REVEAL: The Necromancer's Return by @bevtwomey.bsky.social I'm always excited for spooky middle grade books, and I loved the prequel: the Necromancer's Apprentice. So, of course I had to help with this cover reveal. The book releases March 30th. BUT, if you need to get into the series now,

Cover Reveal the Necromancer's return by Beverly Twomey
Cover Design by Luisa Galstyan. (https://www.instagram.com/luisa_galstyan.illustrations/ website:www.behance.net/luisartist1)

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 9h

This made me lol. It's a funny image and I second you on the irreverence

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