iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

October started out with a bang (!) so I had to delay this month’s newsletter. Still in burnout recovery. Making progress in the writing department. Find out how I filled the well, and what I’m watching and reading! melaniemarttila.substack.com/p/alchemy-in...

melaniemarttila.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: September 2026

Things get worse before they get better

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

My review of Brit Griffin's The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien, published by Latitude 46 Publishing is out in today's The Seaboard Review of Books! www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-haunti...

theseaboardreview.ca

Brit Griffin’s The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien is a Savagely Good Read

A Review by Melanie Marttila

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I’ll be on two panels at Can-Con 2026! Oct 16, 2026 @ 5:30 pm – Toxic Writing Relationships w/ Melanie Marttila, Lance Marwood, & Faye Gabriel, Avi Silver (m). Oct 17, 2026 @ 4:00 pm – Killing/Saving Your Darlings w/ E.L. Chen, Ada Hoffmann, & Melanie Marttila, Y.M. Pang (m). www.can-con.org

can-con.org

Can*Con

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Giving myself permission to rest and really experiencing what burnout has done to my body/brain for the first time. More reviews and an interview! Plus the usual watching and reading recommendations. Take care of yourselves, people! melaniemarttila.substack.com/p/alchemy-in...

melaniemarttila.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: August 2026

From stunned incoherence to the first steps of recovery

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I did an interview with Emily Andrews for her CKLU radio show back in April. Now, it's out on her YouTube channel. It's fabulous (despite all my ums and ahs!). www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxpt...

youtube.com

Interview with Melanie Martilla

YouTube video by Garbage Words with Garbagelady

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

My review of Bex Hogan’s Owl King is out in today’s edition of @theseaboardreview.ca ! If you have a fondness for fairy tales, give this one a read! open.substack.com/pub/theseabo...

open.substack.com

Owl King by Bex Hogan

A Review by Melanie Marttila

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I’m starting to unwind and beginning to lean into the new life I’m designing for myself post-work! Plus, lots of lovely moon pictures, a tiny writing update, how I’m filling the well, and what I’m watching and reading. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: July 2026

Unwinding and leaning in

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Things are getting sorted and I feel I can breathe again. A very brief writerly update, the last (ever? you tell me) Of interest on the interwebz, what I’m doing to get write with myself, and watching and reading recommendations. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: June 2026

Getting things sorted and designing the life I want to live

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

It took me a while to find my way into Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi's The Book of Interruptions, but once I did, I wanted to dive deeper. My review, out today in @theseaboardreview.ca . www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-book-o...

theseaboardreview.ca

The Book of Interruptions by Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi

Reviewed by Melanie Marttila

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

My "Sustainability Before Ambition" interview with @aliennextdoor.bsky.social is up on Reality Skimming Press today! Many thanks to Nina for the thought-provoking questions and Lynda Williams for hosting us on her virtual space. www.realityskimming.com/post/melanie...

realityskimming.com

Melanie Marttila on sustainability.

Nina Munteanu interview on sustainability with Canadian SF author Melanie Marttila.

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

At long last, our overly long winter yields to spring, and I finally get some news at work. Plus, all the usual writerly things, links, and viewing and reading recommendations. melaniemarttila.substack.com/p/alchemy-in...

melaniemarttila.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: May 2026

News! And I finally swing into action … gently.

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

This week's Throwback Thursday on The Seaboard Review of Books is my review of J. A. McLachlan 's The Sorrow Stone. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-sorrow...

theseaboardreview.ca

The Sorrow Stone by J.A. McLachlan

Reviewed by Melanie Marttila

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Reposted by Melanie Marttila (she/her)

The Seaboard Review of Books 🇨🇦 📚 @theseaboardreview.ca · 28/05/2026

The Sorrow Stone was winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award for Historical Fiction. A #throwbackthursday review by @melaniemarttila.bsky.social www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/the-sorrow...

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Having made my decision regarding the voluntary departure program last month, I’ve been waiting for the next steps in the process. Meanwhile, the rest of the world waits for the outcome regarding the Strait of Hormuz. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: April 2026

The waiting game and existing in uncertainty.

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

My review of A.L. Jensen's Hygge and Homicide is out in today's The Seaboard Review of Books! www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/getting-co...

theseaboardreview.ca

Getting Cozy with A.L Jensen’s Hygge and Homicide

A Hygge House Cozy Mystery

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

And I thought January was a year of a month! March was … Can I just say, YIKES! But there was light in the darkness. SuperCanucks was launched! I wrote and submitted two short stories! I’m getting out in the literary world again! Read on, my friends. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: March 2026

An anthology launches! A decision is made! Next up: waiting for the fallout …

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

It's almost here! SuperCanucks: An anthology of Canadian Small-town Superheroes is launching March 21, 2026! You can get it at your favourite bookstore, or request a copy through your local public library.

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Two of my reviews were published in The Maple Tree Literary Supplement back in January. A Thousand Tiny Awakenings edited by Connor Lafortune and Lindsay Mayhew and Palpitations by Thomas Leduc Both published by Latitude 46 Publishing in 2025! www.mtls.ca/issue28/mela...

mtls.ca

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Trying to stay afloat as the hits keep coming. Being gentle with myself as I get back into the writing groove. It’s a process. As is the ongoing uncertainty at work, an autistic fave, let me tell you … It’s the usual mixed bag. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: February 2026

Thawing out and waking up

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

If you haven't yet read Shani Mootoo's Starry Starry Night, please do! It's a powerhouse of immersive point of view and is by turns touching, horrifying, and lyrical. Thanks to The Seaboard Review of Books for publishing my review! www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/starry-sta...

theseaboardreview.ca

Starry Starry Night by Shani Mootoo

An Immersive Coming-of-age Story Set in 1960s Trinidad

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

In just under a month, on March 21st from 1 to 3 pm, SuperCanucks will be having its Sudbury Launch at the main branch of the Greater Sudbury Public Library. If you’re in the area, come on out and support us! melaniemarttila.substack.com/p/supercanuc...

melaniemarttila.substack.com

SuperCanucks Book Launch

I'll be reading from my story, "Old Crow," you can bet on that!

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Year's Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction (in which my poem, Vasilisa, appears alongside a whole passel of excellence!) is on the Locus Magazine recommended reading list! All that to say, read the list, and vote if you can. locusmag.com/2026/02/2025...

locusmag.com

2025 Recommended Reading List

Welcome to the Locus Recommended Reading List… We saw some fabulous books come out last year and are so pleased to let you know about them! Our recommendations are compiled annually by the Locus re…

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

It's been a year of a month, folks. Love and light to everyone, and strength to those who need it. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: January 2026

A new year, zero resolutions, and striving for balance

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Here's a press release from Heidi Ulrichsen for Sudbury.com about Super Canucks coming out March 21, 2026 from Latitude 46 Publishing! My story, "Old Crow," is in there! www.sudbury.com/local-news/s...

sudbury.com

Sudbury publisher’s new anthology imagines Canadian superheroes

Latitude 46 releasing ‘Super Canucks’ anthology in March with four of the 11 stories therein written by Nickel City authors

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

In this month's Alchemy Ink: I return to work, sprain a finger (!), review the month — and year — in writing, and offer my usual watching and reading recommendations. 2025 was ... a year. Here's to a more balanced 2026! open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: December 2025

Hi-ho, hi-ho …

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Reposted by Melanie Marttila (she/her)

Casey Lawrence @myexplodingpen.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Stories by yours truly @myexplodingpen.bsky.social, @premeemohamed.com, @pbarmby.bsky.social, @melaniemarttila.bsky.social, @harkback.bsky.social, @niallspain.bsky.social, Jim Robb, Chris O’Halloran, & Dwain Campbell. SuperCanucks will be flying off the shelves in March 2026! Preorder now!

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

This month's Alchemy Ink features a new format. You can read what you want and ignore the rest. Let me know what you think. Seriously. There's a poll at the end 🙂 open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: November 2025

Rebooting …

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Ah! My heart! The fabulous Frances Boyle has reviewed The Art of Floating for ARC Poetry. It's a gift and a poem of its own. I expected nothing less from a sister word witch 💜💜💜 arcpoetry.ca/editorials/m...

arcpoetry.ca

Changing with the tide: Melanie Marttila’s The Art of Floating

Nature is intertwined with family lore and love in Melanie Marttila's debut poetry book, and with myth, ancient magic and feminism to summon mystery.

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

I am super excited to reveal the cover and table of contents for the forthcoming SuperCanucks: An anthology of Canadian small-town superheroes, edited by Andy Taylor and Matthew Del Papa, to be published March 21, 2026, by Latitude 46 Publishing! open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

My review of Mona Awad’s We Love You, Bunny was released into the wild by The Seaboard Review of Books today! It’s hilarious and horrific and weirdly touching by turns and will take you down so many rabbit holes (pun intended). www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/we-love-yo...

theseaboardreview.ca

A Surreal Love Letter to Dark Academia: We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad

Reviewed by Melanie Marttila

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Reposted by Melanie Marttila (she/her)

The Seaboard Review of Books 🇨🇦 📚 @theseaboardreview.ca · 16/11/2025

“Like Water for Weary Souls is both a compulsive mystery and an immersive experience of Sudbury’s history," says reviewer @melaniemarttila.bsky.social. www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/like-water...

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Reposted by Melanie Marttila (she/her)

StoryBundle @storybundle.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

The Leading Ladies Fantasy Bundle: You know how it goes. There's one female character in the book, and she's a love interest. She's given little to do and less to wear. She has no good lines, and nothing to contribute save her helplessness. These are not those stories. storybundle.com/fantasy

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

October’s Alchemy Ink was delayed because October was hectic, though mostly awesome, and the time change always discombobulates me for a couple of weeks. Better late than never? Also, this post is even longer than my usual epic scrawl. You have been warned. open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Alchemy Ink: October 2025

My continuing adventures in caregiving. And buckle up, folks, this post is a loooong one!

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

My review of Liisa Kovala's Like Water for Weary Souls is out in today's The Seaboard Review of Books! If you enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, or women's fiction, you should really check it out. It's fabulous! www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/like-water...

theseaboardreview.ca

Like Water for Weary Souls by Liisa Kovala

Reviewed by Melanie Marttila

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

On the last weekend of October, I went to Writing on the Rocks, a Wild Ground Writing retreat. Highly recommend any WGW retreat. I've been to 2 now, and they were both fabulous! open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Writing on the Rocks

A Wild Ground Writing Retreat

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

The last 2 weeks of October were busy, and then the return to Standard time messed me up. So, this post-con report was delayed. But I had fun, did 2 panels, attended 2 launches, and got some awesome pub news! open.substack.com/pub/melaniem...

open.substack.com

Can-Con, October 17 to 19, 2025

A post-con report

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Reposted by Melanie Marttila (she/her)

Andy W. Taylor @sooguy68.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Super Canucks features stories by @premeemohamed.com, @melaniemarttila.bsky.social, @harkback.bsky.social @myexplodingpen.bsky.social @niallspain.bsky.social @pbarmby.bsky.social, Jim Robb, Chris O’Halloran,and Dwain Campbell. Coming March 2026. 2/2

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Melanie Marttila (she/her) @melaniemarttila.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Can-Con is 1 week away! I’ll be on two panels at this year's Can-Con! The first will be “The Art of Rest” at 8 pm on Friday, October 17, and the second is “The Taste of Sadness: Writing Emotional Dysregulation” at 2:30 pm on Sunday, October 19. www.can-con.org/schedule

can-con.org

Schedule — Can*Con

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