iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Writing update—The pace is picking up ever so slowly. Book Three, The Spheres (working title) I have officially started the first rough draft of the manuscript! I don’t regret the time invested in outlining, even though it didn’t come easily to me. But when I sat down to write, panic sat in ...

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Last week's accountability update: Holiday at the Sunshine Coast: running, swimming, good food, soaking up the sun, and gazing at the clouds. Read heaps and wrote a little bit. #amwriting #WIP #workinprogress #BookIllustration #MinuFreitag

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Well … I guess that is what midweek accountability check-ins are for: sometimes you have to admit defeat! —Book Three: No writing has been done whatsoever (ó...ò｡) —Part title illustrations for Book Two: number three turned into a nightmare

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

#JustCheckingIn*—let’s see … what was up in August? Restarting international shipping against the odds, being in love with my new studio set-up, stopped wallowing and got on with my writing projects, and the August shop update. Not too bad \(^-^)/.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Midweek accountability check-in … tiny steps somewhere —The outline for Book three is at 90%. I feel this is in a good place, and some writing has been done \(^_^)/ —Part title illustrations for Book Two—two done, three more to go. This still feels way too hard ...

Text scribbles on a notebook page. Text reads: "The outline for Book three is at 90%. I feel this is in a good place, and some writing has been done. Part title illustrations for Book Two—two done, three more to go. Still feel I am failing... . Star rating showing three gold stars out of five possible ones.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Slow, ever so slow progress on the part title illustrations. Part 2, Artefacts*—drawing a crystal dodecahedron proved to be a nightmare even with references. In the end, I built the cristella in SketchUp—with some help from YouTube—exported it to Photoshop where the rest of the magic happens. ...

Book illustration-the drawing of a crystal dodecahedron on a dark grungy background. The text read Part Two, Artefacts.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

#amreading Lives of Bitter Rain, The Tyrant Philosophers 2.5 by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Loving it so far \(^-^)/ I have become a big fan of novellas in the last few years, so I was glad when this popped up on my feed. I am becoming somewhat of an Adrian Tchaikovsky fangirl.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Mid-week accountability update! \(^_^)/ 1- More loose ends tied back into the outline for Book three. Writing to commence very, very soon! 2- Part title illustrations for Book Two—one done, two getting there. Existential crisis quietened (not completely gone). ...

Open notebook page. Under the headline #amwriting, the checklist style text reads: "More loose ends tied back into the outline for Book three. Writing to commence very, very soon! Part title illustrations for Book Two—one done, two getting there.Existential crisis quietened (not completely gone)."

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

One part title page illustration (for the Local Edition of the House) down, four to go. I tend to do a little mock-up of how they'll look printed. #bookillustration

Mock-up of an open book showing the "Part One: Shadows" title page for The House. A black-and-white illustration of a raven perched on a wooden gate fills the page, set against a brick wall lit by a diagonal shaft of light and shadow. The left-hand page shows a fragment of body text from the previous chapter.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

After all the wallowing in June, the August update is up—how 40-minute writing and illustrating sprints helped me get back on track; Book Three has a complete scene skeleton and backstory ... #JustCheckingIn #AmWriting #amoutlining #MinuFreitag #BookIllustration

"Writing Update" graphic with hand-lettered white text over a photo of a woman with long grey hair and glasses, resting her chin on her hand and smiling slightly at the camera. She's wearing a black jumper, seated at a laptop, with a blurred studio background of pinned-up sketches and reference images. Text reads "Writing Update" and "#AmWriting."

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Andrea H. @lifeinaotearoa.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I stumbled across this NZ indie author a while ago. Finished the second book of "The Spheres Trilogy" and loved it just as much as I did the first one. Now I'll have to practice myself in patience as the third one is still in the making. #nzauthor #indieauthor #booksky

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Back on track? Not so much (ó﹏ò｡). The July writing update is up: the struggle not to let non-existent sales or reviews define how I feel about writing, a spreadsheet with six sheets and counting for Book Three ...

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The first part of my studio make over is completed: the floor stopped wobbling, one wall went black, and a whole shelf system appeared out of one single sheet of plywood \(^-^)/ … well, and some metal rails and brackets.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

June Writing Update—Running in circles with flailing arms... but also: eBooks on Bookshop.org, The House paperback is out, and the audiobook drops July 12. Book Three? We'll see how I go \(^-^)/ now at minu.co.nz/writing-upda... #AmWriting #IndieAuthor #TheSpheres #Audiobook

A portrait of Minu Freitag wearing glasses and resting her chin on her hand, looking thoughtfully at a laptop screen, seated in front of a bookshelf. White handwritten-style text overlaid on the image reads "Writing Update" and "#AmWriting."

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Hi peeps in New Zealand. Don't forget that the Conservation Amendment Bill has passed its initial reading and is currently before the Environment Committee for public feedback. You can still make a submission; public feedback closes at 11:59 pm on Thursday, 2 July 2026. Mine is in \(^-^)/.

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Reposted by Minu Freitag

Gareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Grimdark: Everything is fucked Dying Earth: the world is fucked New Weird: A city is fucked Folk horror: A village is fucked Gothic: A castle or mansion is fucked but so are families 'Elevated' A24 horror: families are fucked Body Horror: You are fucked Vampires: vampires

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

World building 1—The abandoned Bathhouse In “The House”, Mitt and Eass take refuge in the remains of a public bathhouse in an abandoned quartier. Almost all my locations are inspired by places I have visited, either in my hometown or in places I discovered while travelling or settings in movies ...

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

A late May check-in! Calmer waters So… I decided to actually give this a go—I’ll concentrate on my artwork and writing until my money runs out or I come up with a plan B that doesn’t involve going back to working in IT or anywhere near the job market in Wellington...

A photo of Minu Freitag sitting at her desk in her studio, hand resting against her cheek with a small smile. Behind her is a shelf filled with art supplies, sculptures, and creative odds and ends. Overlaid on the image is hand-drawn text reading "May Check" at the top, and a tangled scribble diagram with arrows pointing outward to the words "Life," "Art," "Writing," and "Update."

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

I always try something new for each release. This time I dabbled in a cover animation. No AI; just Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve. Not sure it will get much attention, but I learned a new skill \(^-^)/! 📚📘👀

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Happy dance! The final files for The House paperback edition are all uploaded to KDP with just a few minutes to spare. \(^-^)/

A notebook page illustration titled "The Secret Chamber" in handwritten capitals. A pencil sketch of a long gothic corridor with pointed arches recedes into darkness on the left. On the right stands a mysterious figure with a pale, dot-marked face, wearing a flowing hooded cloak and holding a tall staff, with ribbon-like tendrils trailing from her outfit and bird-like feet. Handwritten notes surround the image: "Why is Niuen so interested in the chamber? What does she want?", "The paintings are faded, but this is how it could have looked…", and at the bottom, "I saw her painted face in the tunnels. Is she following me? And if so WHY?" The notebook paper has an aged, textured look.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Hmmm … it’s been one of those days. Hard not to get discouraged by the amount of copy edits from both the audiobook production and the paperback edition … Ah well … Onwards and upwards, I guess … P.S. How do you like my colour-coded editing system? #speculativefiction #amwriting #amrevising

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Hmmm has anybody any experience with reddit? I can see the potential for readers and writers—there is actually some interesting self-published material on there ... but I stick to the rules and still just get one shadow ban / spam filter after another ... #Reddit

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The first KDP proof arrived from Australia! Still a few kinks to iron out. First, the bathhouse map doesn't sit well next to the House maps. So this is a different approach—Eass' notebook page with her evac plan. \(^-^)/ 📚📘👀 #mapmaking #speculativefiction #nzauthor #bookillustrations

A pencil-drawn floor plan of a building called The Bathhouse, presented as a page from a character's notebook. The plan shows several rooms including a circular pool room with a bench and fountain, a swimming pool, a boiler room with three large cylinders, showers, a laundry, a walk-in cupboard, and a bricked-up entrance accessed by an archway. A rail line with a spurline, grating, charger, and loading dock runs along the top of the building. Five numbered exits are labelled: a window by the shower, a laundry window, a basement trapdoor, a basement access hatch, and a back door to the loading dock. Two handwritten annotations read: "Why does Niuen want us to stay here of all places???" and "Who was the man in the SES uniform? How does Mitt know him?"

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Things are finally coming together \(^-^)/! The House paperback files are all set up at KDP, the first proof is ordered, and the release date is set. I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come. #bookcover #speculativefiction #fantasybooklist #nzauthor #paperback #bookdesign

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

#BadHaiku On my desk coffee The brittle taste of nuts The day approaches #Haiku #morninghaiku #badpoetry

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

#BadHaiku Warm bed on a winter's day What was I thinking getting up? Coffee in hand, the day before me #Haiku #morninghaiku #badpoetry

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

April Check-in \(^-^)/. March and April brought storms, floods, anxiety, money to be earned, poor decisions being made, contract work that drives me insane—a vicious circle of indecision keeping me stuck in place. A master of self-sabotage at work. ... #artistinthestudio #artstudio #lifeupdate

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Here it is! The archives map, all set and ready to go. I’ll be adding more notebook sketches soon—one for the chandelier and another for how Tayl curves the passage in a spiral around the auditorium during the finale. But for now, the map is done. #fantasymap #worldbuilding #mapmaking #amwriting

A black and white architectural floor plan of a large oval-shaped building called The Archives. The building has a symmetrical layout centred on a circular Auditorium and Echowell, surrounded by radiating Public Stacks, Historic Stacks, and Restricted Stacks. A Lobby sits at the top, with a Reading Room and Issue Desk to the left of centre. Two large Atrium spaces flank the building on either side — one Park-Side and one Garden-Side — each containing curving rows of shelving. Additional rooms include Workshops, an Infirmary, a Glass Tower, Staff Quarters, Apartments, and Cooling Rooms. Outside the building, trees are visible to the upper corners, and Gardens and Glasshouses are noted to the lower right.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Last map! The archives and the auditorium. I swear I had much better sketches somewhere ... but this is what I found, so this is what I'll be working with. More, as always, on my blog … 📚📘👀 minu.co.nz/release-update #paperbookinteriors #fantasymaps #mapmaking #nzauthor

Several loose pencil sketches spread across a dark surface, overlapping each other. The drawings include architectural layouts and top-down views of domed or circular structures, with handwritten labels and annotations. One sketch on lined notebook paper shows what appears to be an interior space with hanging globe lights. The style is loose and exploratory — clearly working sketches rather than finished artwork.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Well, this wasn't exactly fun, but it looks almost convincing. And in case you are wondering why on earth I have been drawing a floor plan for an Art Deco-style bathhouse … minu.co.nz/writing-update #fantasymap #worldbuilding #mapdrawing #mapmaking #amwriting #speculativefiction 📚📘👀

A detailed architectural floor plan of a public bathhouse, labelled "Public Bath House, 23rd Quartier." The plan shows a swimming pool, hot pool, steam bath, showers, changing rooms, cooling rooms, hot rooms, and service areas. The image has a worn, aged appearance with a dark border, giving it the feel of a historical document. Text along the bottom reads "Half House Archives."

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Writing sprint \(^-^)/. One hour to work on the Book Three outline! #amwriting

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Amidst all the art chaos—some writing got done \(^-^)/. Trying to make progress on the maps and illustrations for The House while working on Book Three and the audiobook edition for The Fragments sounds like a terrible idea—and it looks even worse ... [continue on blog] minu.co.nz/writing-upda...

minu.co.nz

Writing Update, March 2026 #AmWriting

Amidst all the art chaos — some writing got done. Trying to make progress on the maps and illustrations for The House while working on Book Three and the audiobook edition for The Fragments sounds lik...

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Got stuck on the map for the abandoned bathhouse and ended up finishing the paperback cover jacket. Spent way too long on the wolf that nobody will see. Side quests included: ordering the ISBN and finally removing the last traces of TikTok and Twitter. ✨ \(^-^)/ #bookcover #paperback #bookdesign

Book cover jacket for The House by Minu Freitag — The Spheres, Book Two. A dark atmospheric design featuring a gothic tower silhouette against a moody blue sky, with constellation-like dotted lines and a small wolf on the spine. A raven flies on the back cover. Published by Freitag Books.

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Progress—Founders Square, the Archives, Lacier House, Rath's Hall… it's starting to look like somewhere you could actually get lost in. Still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with where this is heading. 🗺️ #fantasymap #worldbuilding #mapdrawing #mapmaking #amwriting 📚📘👀

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I have been avoiding the maps and illustrations for 'The House' paperback edition for months… but now is the time. I've got this. Probably … I guess. 📚📘👀 #fantasymap #worldbuilding #bookillustration #mapdrawing #amwriting

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I am still picking up all the loose threads I dropped to get ready for the Wellington Art Show, so this is a very late February check-in :). Everything not-art had to take a back... [continue on my blog] minu.co.nz/justchecking... #studiovisit #artistlife #artistinthestudio #artstudio #lifeupdate

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Wishing you all a fantastic 2026! I hope you all have an amazing year, defined as whatever you want it to be! 📚💙 #booksky #newyearnewme #twentytwentysix #writinglife

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

December 18, 2025—Release Day ✨ The House is officially out in the world! You can grab your eBook from my website, Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, and more. There were countless days where I wanted to quit. That I made it this far feels more than amazing. 📚💙 Continued → minu.co.nz/writing-update

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I wonder if I should print these on postcards and hand them out when people ask me "So what do you write" \(^-^)/ minu.co.nz/writing 📚💙 or #booksky

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Okay ... KDP cut-off time for the last changes is here .. so I am done ... if I want to or not \(^-^)/! minu.co.nz/writing-update — It’s happening. The House, The Spheres Book Two December 18, 2025

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

One Week Out: The Final Push (；o_o) Seven days until The House launches, and I’m at the famous stage between “almost done” and “wait, there’s still SO much to do.” The eBook compile is finished. Reading The House in an eReader is a completely different... [continue at minu.co.nz/writing-update ] 📚💙

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

“So, what’s your book about?” I completely freeze when people ask me that question. I’m not a fan of elevator pitches—“it’s like this but without x and with y but not z”—but just gibbering won’t help. So, I’m making a few slides to show people what’s inside my book. Do you like this one? #books 📚💙

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

14 days to release! Parts 1 to 4 are with the ARC team. I know one person who started reading ... she is volunteered family (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡ more on minu.co.nz/writing-update P.S. You can still get free review copies! Comment or email 📚💙 #bookrelease #arcreview #amwriting #writingupdate

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

I just zapped all my gremlins in #scrivener... 😈 ... little invisible pests ... ... Edit > Text Tidying > Zap Gremlins ... just in case I forget again 🤦‍♀️

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

So … I think this guy could be my perfect reader. What do you think? I actually don’t know him. I borrowed him from Nonsap Visuals on Unsplash who kindly makes his amazing work available for free and I am a starving writer so… 📚💙 #booksky #releaseupdate #bookrelease

Portrait of a person with a dark beard looking at the camera with a slight smile. White handwritten text overlays the image asking 'Are you my perfect reader?' with characteristics listed around the face: enjoys unraveling complex plots, loves dystopian and post-apocalyptic tales, enjoys science fiction mixed with magic, gets into friendly arguments about plot holes, has strong opinions about book-to-movie adaptations, 'the end is nigh', and has a nice smile.

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Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Want to keep #LocusMag thriving? It can be as easy as following us on YouTube or join our Patreon! Your support helps us bring amazing SFF content to readers everywhere: linktr.ee/locusmagazine

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

ARC copies are ready!!! Let me know if you want to get involved 🎈🚪... Info is here: minu.co.nz/call-for-arc... #amwriting #amediting #amrevising 📚💙 #booksky

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Minu Freitag @minufreitag.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

The best thing I can say about exporting/compiling ARC copies in #scrivener is ... ... at least this time, I am not crying ... yet ... 📚💙 #booksky #amwritting

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