iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Have you seen those flat-packed metal models in gift shops and wondered what it's like to assemble one? Well, I bought one more than 10 years ago and finally assembled it. Hear all about it and see the process in less than 10 minutes: youtu.be/yqqmytCuS38?...

youtu.be

Crafting My Procrastinations - Metal Earth Model Assembly

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

This week I found a cassette of Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic in an antique store (I know, I know, my poor Millennial heart). The fandom didn't know how many cassettes made up the book. There was only one. I risked the $2 and bought it.

A white woman's hand holds a cassette tape labeled "Scholastic Presents Dear America Voyage on the Great Titanic The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady."

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

The Smithsonian has made a digital collection of their horse art for the upcoming Year of the Horse, and it's adorable. So much horse art is just named "a horse" or "horses." www.si.edu/spotlight/lu...

si.edu

Year of the Horse | Smithsonian Institution

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Overheard in a record store today. The vibe I got was GenX dad with millennial daughter discussing younger relative. Dad:"She asked for a cd player for Christmas" Daughter:"Should we get her some cds then?" Dad, baffled:"She says she wants to listen to *my* cds." Daughter:"You do have a lot."

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Central Mass folks! I’m running a beginner needle-felting ornament workshop on Dec 19 at Melody Maker in Clinton 🎄✨ Make your own felted ornament — all materials included. Save your spot: forms.gle/4VycxyQzUjHX... Clinton Massachusetts • Worcester County

forms.gle

St*b & Sip at Melody Maker December 19th

Doors open at 6:00 PM Crafting begins at 7:00 PM Event ends at 9:00 PM Come learn the cozy and creative art of needle felting! This beginner-friendly workshop will guide you through shaping wool using...

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

That bittersweet sensation of finishing reading a print book you own only to realize it's one you definitely want to keep so your book hoard will not, in fact, decrease. #booksky

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

I just got my FIRST EVER poetry acceptance!!! This has been a goal of mine for literal years. Never give up.

Screenshot of text reading, "Congratulations! This message confirms the acceptance of your submission"

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

This week, I’m sharing how what was supposed to be a quick DIY project — turning a too-big fall dress into a skirt — became a full-blown sewing adventure. 🧵🍂 🎧 Watch here: Upcycling a Dress into a Shirred Skirt for Fall youtu.be/s7l7NffY7hc #Crafting #Sewing #DIY #Upcycling #Podcast

youtu.be

Upcycling a Dress into a Shirred Skirt for Fall

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Only 68.7% of the world's population uses the internet. *The internet.* 65.7% of the world's population uses social media. (Shout out to that 3% on the internet but not on social media). This statistic really surprised me. #BookSky 📚💙 #digitaldetox #socialmedia

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Sometimes the world feels like a firehose aimed at your face. And we’re all under pressure to add to that flood. But this fall, I’m choosing something else. One phrase that brings peace is better than a thousand words that have no use. #Koan #CreativeLiving #RecoveryPosse #FallVibes #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

I’ve been slowly replacing doomscrolling with something better: crafts. 🪡🎨 This week it was coloring + cross stitch—and the difference in my mood has been huge. #Crafting #DIY #MindfulLiving #CreativeHabits #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

👣 Bigfoot has arrived in the Tova Gallagher universe— but not in Boston. This week’s Acutely Amanda short story takes us to Leominster, MA, where cryptids walk among the pines. 🌲✨ 🎧 Watch/listen here: youtu.be/qQKKR5UDh7E #urbanfantasy #specfic #Bigfoot #BookSky 📚💙

youtu.be

Bigfoot Speaks from Leominster Urban Fantasy Short Story

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

🌱 Planted my very first tree this week — meet Buddy, my Ginkgo biloba ‘Maidenhair Tree’! 🌳✨ The process was messy, grounding, and honestly kind of magical. Here’s why I chose Buddy 👇 #gardening #treeplanting #BookSky 📚💙 youtube.com/shorts/wdUG4...

youtube.com

Ginkgo biloba ‘Buddy’ Maidenhair Tree #treeplanting #diy #bethechange

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

🦷 I have dental anxiety. Here’s how I still make sure I take care of my teeth: 1️⃣ Tell the dental care team — they can suggest adjustments & work with me. 2️⃣ Request a dentist I know & trust. (more 👇) #DentalAnxiety #SelfCare #HealthTips #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Craft aisles, paranoia, and one determined mom. 🛒🙏🔥 In this week’s short story, we step into the life of Tova Gallagher’s mother, who lives in an urban fantasy world and still manages to be considered one of the paranoid ones. 🎧 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmuZ... #BookSky 📚💙

youtube.com

A One Woman Walmart Battle (Urban Fantasy Short Story)

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

What happens when a vampire tends her garden under the moonlight? 🌕🌸🩸 Episode 3 of Acutely Amanda is here: What Happens When a Vampire Gardens at Midnight? 🎧 Watch/listen: youtu.be/k4lVjFln0qk?... #BookSky 📚💙 #UrbanFantasy #Vampires #ShortStory #Podcast

youtu.be

What Happens When a Vampire Gardens at Midnight? (Urban Fantasy Short Story)

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

I mainly use Ravelry as a way to keep a visual notebook of my completed projects. Now that I'm getting into sewing, I'd like something similar for those projects. Does anyone have a website or app or cloud service they'd recommend? #sewing #diy #crafters

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Spilling secrets ☕🐺🌕 Crushed coffee cups. Nervous glances. And one group no one really wants to talk about. “A Weekly Group for a Monthly Problem” is an urban fantasy short story in 10 minutes. 🎧 Watch it: youtu.be/op6AInq9E3g?... #BookSky 📚💙 #UrbanFantasy #ShortStory #WritingCommunity

youtu.be

A Weekly Group for a Monthly Problem (Urban Fantasy Short Story)

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

When I read, I’m a million different people… …and they all wrote meticulously detailed diaries at the most traumatic parts of their lives. Yes, I thrifted some of my old Dear America faves. ✨📚 ✋🏻 Raise your hand if these books traumatized you and you still devoured every single one.

The spines of 4 Dear America books:
So Far From Home The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill
The Great Railroad Race, The Diary of Libby West
One Eye Laughing the Other Weeping, The Diary of Julie Weiss
Color Me Dark, The Diary of Nellie Lee Love

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

📺 New on my channel: a paranormal short story from the Tova Gallagher universe! “Demon Training 101: A Short Story of Chaos on the Charles” follows a nephilim (half-human/half-demon) and his demon mentor as they cause trouble on the Charles River… 🎥 Watch here: youtu.be/gTsNb80WWDM?... #BookSky 📚💙

youtu.be

Demon Training 101: A Short Story of Chaos on the Charles

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Not every book hits for everyone. But these three hit me hard. I gave them 5 stars, even if GoodReads didn’t. #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

What do sailors, hippies, and fish-shaped keychains have in common? 🧶🐟 This week on Acutely Amanda, I dive into macramé, make a fish, and explore how a simple craft became a global movement. 🎧 Watch here: youtu.be/V7mq9I_-KXU?... #FiberArts #DIYCrafts #Macrame #CraftingHistory

youtu.be

Macraméing a Fish: How One Keychain Connects Me to Sailors and Hippies

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

I thought I was writing an empowering main character. But after I got sober, I realized I wasn’t. So I rewrote the whole book. Now it’s not just about saving yourself from zombies. It’s about saving yourself from addiction too. #BookSky 📚💙 #zombienovel #recoveryreads

A white woman with frizzy brown hair wearing a green, white, and black dress holds a book up to the camera. The cover is visible, and it reads Waiting for Daybreak in white font. There is a silhouette of a cat and a woman on the cover, along with some blood splatter.

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

✨ Need a 31-second break from reality? I assembled a tiny Kirby blind box. Which one did I get? 📦💤💖 Find out here: youtube.com/shorts/vG8HE... #BookSky 📚💙 #MiniJoy #CozyVibes #Unboxing #BlindBox

youtube.com

Sleepy Kirby is here! 💤 New Acutely Amanda episode coming next week. #kirbyfan #blindbox #shorts

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Me, 2 pages into a new queer sci-fi book: "I love life again. I've never been sad before in my life. Everything is fine. Happiness! I feel serotonin!" 📚🏳️‍🌈🛸 #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

It’s nice to have married into a family of readers. 💙 My in-laws are in town, and I gifted my mother-in-law a book. She finished it in one day and immediately asked to go to the library for the sequel. #BookSky 📚

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

I am begging lit journals etc… to stop posting “we’re hiring” when you are paying nothing!! The words you need are “seeking volunteers.”

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

New episode! 🧶✨ This week on Acutely Amanda, I’m needle felting a tiny cactus landscape—with some monstera leaves thrown in 😄 🎧 Listen: youtu.be/Lp7zx_mtALw?... #Crafting #NeedleFelting #Podcast #BookSky 💙📚

youtu.be

Stabbing Wool Into Art: My First 2D Needle Felting Project

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I’ve noticed something interesting while reading thrillers lately… Both of the last two I read created reading graphs like this 👇 (Generated using Bookly) #BookSky 💙📚

A line chart that shows dates on the x and reading time on the y. It goes up gradually then sharply dips then sharply goes up.

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I’ve felt it since I was a kid: There’s never enough time. Not enough to do everything I dream of. Not even enough to do everything I need to do. Some of that’s dreaming big. But some of it’s modern life stealing our hours in tiny, sneaky ways. #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

🧶 NEW EPISODE! 🧶 Season 2, Ep 3 of Acutely Amanda is here: 🎥 Watch now: youtu.be/ZrILafW7oXg?... This week: I crochet a donut snake, reflect on handmade gifts, and explore the surprisingly rich history of amigurumi. And just what does Kirby have to do with it anyway? Find out!

youtu.be

S2E3 Crocheting a Donut Snake, Thinking of Kirby: Why Handmade Gifts Matter

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

“Let go of your need to have all the answers and begin to live the questions.” —Amber Cantorna-Wylde, Unashamed 🧵 A few thoughts on this powerful LGBTQ+ affirming Christian self-help that would’ve meant the world to me at 20. #QueerSky #FaithSky #BookSky 📚💙

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

I’m so honored to be a guest on the Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Heavy podcast this week! Sharing my recovery story, how it shaped my life, and why I write the kinds of stories I do. youtu.be/jhSEIySaC4s?... #BookSky 💙📚 #Recovery #CreativeSky #SoberSky

youtu.be

Ep. 23 Turning the Page: Healing, Hope, and New Chapters with Amanda McNeil

YouTube video by Healing Doesn't Have to Be Heavy Podcast

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Behind the scenes of my creative life right now: It’s a mix of podcast edits, unfinished craft projects, book drafts, and quiet moments of “oh no… I might’ve put too much on my plate again.” 😅 🧵 #CreativeSky #BookSky 💙📚

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

This week on the podcast: I DIY’d a bold peel-and-stick wallpaper accent wall—and learned some wild history along the way. If you love crafts, chaos, or funky design facts, give it a listen: 🎧 youtu.be/Mjxkwm778LE #CreativeSky #BookSky 💙📚 #DIY

youtu.be

Crooked Walls, Bold Choices Trying Tempaper Wallpaper in a New England Entryway

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

“Any army of occupation is apt to be fascist in its tendencies.” —Sigrid Schultz, as quoted in The Dragon from Chicago by Pamela D. Toler It’s one of those lines that stays with you. #BookSky 💙📚

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

I’ve been reflecting this week on the stories we come back to. The ones that shaped us. The complicated feelings they bring when we meet them again, as someone older, different, maybe softer. 🧵 #BookSky 💙📚

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

I found a $3 craft kit at a thrift store and decided it was time to finally finish something. 🧵🌻 This week on Acutely Amanda, I tackle a Stitch & Zip needlepoint kit, showing the process, the pitfalls, and the surprising company history. youtu.be/z8TqXYYejdo?... #FiberArts #Crafting #Needlepoint

youtu.be

Stitch & Zip and the Joy of Finishing Something Handmade

YouTube video by Acutely Amanda

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

✨ It’s my birthday today—and the perfect time to share a behind-the-scenes check-in. Yesterday I set up my July to-do list as a creator and writer. It’s full of work that excites me. #BookSky 📚💙 #WriterSky #IndieAuthor #QueerSky #CreativeSky #BehindTheScenes #AuthorLife

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

I grew up hearing The Chronicles of Narnia read aloud at Jesus Camp. Now, as a queer, progressive Christian adult, I’m finally rereading the series—with curiosity, caution, and a very different lens. 🧵 #BookSky 📚💙 #QueerFaith #ProgressiveChristian

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

“She threw her own hands away.” – Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (p. 83) It’s the last day of Pride, and this line just stopped me in my tracks. #QueerBooks #SpecFicWithFeelings #BookSky 💙📚

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

A real milestone moment this Pride Month: My book Bloemetje was included in a public library’s Pride display. 🏳️‍🌈 #BookSky 💙📚 #IndieAuthor #QueerBooks #LibraryLove

A picture of a colorful display of books labeled Pride! with hands making a heart in rainbow. A white hand holds up a copy of the book Bloemetje in front of the display of books.

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

I’ve been thinking about how often creative work gets framed as output. As productivity. As consistency. As a content machine. But some of the most meaningful work I’ve done has come slowly. In pauses. In doubt. In quiet. #BookSky 💙📚 #CreativeLiving

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

July is Disability Pride Month 💙 Here are 3 reading recommendations - all memoirs, centering the voices of those with lived experience with disabilities. #BookSky 💙📚 #DisabilityPrideMonth

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

🦈 Just posted a new book review on the blog! Soul Surfer is a faith-filled, trauma recovery memoir by Bethany Hamilton—who survived a shark attack as a teen, then returned to pro surfing with one arm. It’s about grit, grace, and healing. #BookSky 💙📚 #Memoir #DisabilityJustice #RecoveryWriting

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Which of my books is getting a sequel this summer? 👀 Let’s review the contenders… 🧟 Zombies + recovery 🧛‍♀️ Healing half-demon 🧚‍♀️ Queer fairy tale ⬇️ (Answer in the thread) #BookSky 💙📚 #IndieAuthor #SpeculativeFiction

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Amanda McNeil (she/her) @mcneilauthor.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

🎉 Just sold another book club guide! This one’s for Bear by Marian Engel—a weird, sensual Canadian classic about a woman, isolation, and yes… a bear. If your book club likes literary fiction that sparks real conversations, I’ve got you. 🔗 ko-fi.com/s/52dd9b29bf #BookSky 💙📚 #CreativeLiving

ko-fi.com

Bear by Marian Engel (Book Club Discussion Guide Literary, Canadian classic) - Opinions of a Wolf's Ko-fi Shop

*Regularly $9.99. On sale for $4.99.* This is a PDF download of a 2-page Book Club Discussion Guide for the book Bear by Marian Engel. This is a lite...

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