iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Had it with 2026? Leave your husband, crank the volume, hit the road, we're going on tour again 🎸 @simonbooks.bsky.social #booksky mlrio.com/events

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The Believer @thebeliever.net · 27/07/2026

“Their cover of the Beatles’ ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ is better than it has any right to be and, in my opinion, a far cry better than the original (yes, I will die on this hill).” — @mlrio.bsky.social on the band behind the 1986 hit “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”

thebeliever.net

Resurrector: Open All Night - Believer Magazine

I bought the first two Georgia Satellites albums on vinyl on eBay in the summer of 2025. The guy who sold me the records threw in a vintage Open All Night tour tee because he’d “had it for years” and ...

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The Believer @thebeliever.net · 11/07/2026

“The swagger and swing give many of the tracks a groove you can actually dance to—or drive to—like a bat out of hell.” — @mlrio.bsky.social on the Georgia Satellites’ second album, “Open All Night” (1988)

thebeliever.net

Resurrector: Open All Night - Believer Magazine

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Eric Smith @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

So in August my agency is hosting an industry AMA during the Philly Bookstore Crawl at @indyhall.org, featuring some agent and editor buddies, and breakfast brought to you by @mlrio.bsky.social! Space is limited, and of course, it’s free. luma.com/book-crawl-ama

luma.com

Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl: Book Industry AMA · Luma

The Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl industry AMA returns! Join us at Indy Hall for a chat with literary agents Dana Murphy (Trellis Literary) and Shelly Romero…

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

We’re headed to another residency and we’re doing sprints in the group chat. Come join the fun! 20% off paid subs through July 1 open.substack.com/pub/mlriodis... #writing #books

open.substack.com

Write-along Flash Sale

The cheapest retreat you'll ever sign up for

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The Believer @thebeliever.net · 25/06/2026

Issue 154 is live! Open this thread for a look at the features, interviews, poems, reviews, and more inside. www.thebeliever.net/product/summ...

thebeliever.net

Summer 2026 - Believer Magazine

Subscribe to receive four new issues of The Believer, and full digital access to our twenty-year archive.

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The Backlist Book 🇨🇦 🍁 @thebacklistbook.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

@mlrio.bsky.social Damn. I'm still stewing post Hot Wax. Just finished it. This book needed to exist. ❤️

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Raven @colorful-raven.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I need everyone to read @mlrio.bsky.social so she can write and publish more books. also @sarahreesbrennan.bsky.social time of iron series which just had book 2 release!

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

New year, new book, new gear ✍️ I've got six months to get a fresh draft down on paper and I'm writing it all up in the newsletter and annual subs are cheap as hell through January 9, come getcher writing bites ✨ open.substack.com/pub/mlriodis... #booksky #writing

open.substack.com

New Year New Gear

What's in my writing arsenal for 2026

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Saw three different articles this morning about how print magazines and other physical media are making a comeback, and to this I say YES. FUCK YES. If the backlash to the tech bro bullshit is a return to analog and tangible connection I am HERE for it.

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Christmas came early and IF WE WERE VILLAINS ebooks are on sale for $2.99 across platforms -- today only! 🫖 #booksky @flatironbooks.bsky.social

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Loved doing this craft chat with The Creative Independent about sensory writing and the tricky sophomore novel thecreativeindependent.com/people/autho... #writing #booksky

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Listen. “Maybe I should go to grad school!” is a normal response to the times of crisis we’re living through as lovers of letters, but take it from a person who sacrificed a decade of her life and her physical health for a useless PhD: That’s the devil talking.

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Who's got two thumbs and no self control in a bookstore? This moi 🚬 #books #booksky

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Really love to see the team behind this cover get the credit they deserve! Thanks to @lithub.com.web.brid.gy and @simonbooks.bsky.social ❤️ Curious what goes into the cover conversation? I did a whole post about that. open.substack.com/pub/mlriodis... #booksky #coverart

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Brooklyn! Hot stuff just dropped at both Books Are Magic locations and @barnesandnoble.com Atlantic Ave 🎁 @simonbooks.bsky.social #booksky

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

New York! Came up to stuff your stockings with signed stock ✨ HOT WAX, IWWV, and GRAVEYARD, check @strandbooks.com @bnunionsqnyc.bsky.social and @mcnallyjackson.bsky.social Soho (and tomorrow some stops in Brooklyn)! #booksky #nyc @simonbooks.bsky.social

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Get lit this holiday season and support some indies, it's the gift that keeps on giving 💜 @bookshop.org @simonbooks.bsky.social bookshop.org/info/2025-gi...

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J.D. Heisler @turned-the-page.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Recovery read-a-thon book 12: If We Were Villains by @mlrio.bsky.social I'm still trying to process this one. Hit me hard on so many levels. Talk about a book hangover. Not sure I'll ever recover. #readit #ifwewerevillains

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

It's the question I get most often and I finally got around to it: where do stories come from? open.substack.com/pub/mlriodis... #booksky #writing

open.substack.com

Discovery Phase

Where stories come from

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Grateful to be featured in @electricliterature.com again this year and pleased to see them standing on their values. Why not consider donating to support continuing literacy in these very scary times? electricliterature.com/every-writer... #booksky #books

electricliterature.com

Every Writer We've Published in 2025 - Electric Literature

Stand strong with our writers by supporting us today

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

A writer at work must and will always have at least three beverages on the go at once

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Refreshed the research shelf today and work on Book 4 is well underway (where are my fellow noir nerds at) #booksky

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I recently did a high school classroom visit to talk about IWWV and by far my favorite feedback was "she has a great sense of humor and I didn't think I would find a person with a PhD in English literature to be funny." My child, nobody survives that without an appreciation for black comedy.

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Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Whoa hey now -- STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS gets a shout-out in The Atlantic courtesy of @mlrio.bsky.social -- !!

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The Staircase in the Woods, by Chuck Wendig

Some readers may dismiss horror, or other genre fiction, as cheap entertainment based on its shelving alone. Wendig has never written a book that wasn’t entertaining, but he’s never written a cheap one either. His latest novel, The Staircase in the Woods, looks squarely at the darker facets of human nature, and it never eschews the grotesque for the sake of good taste. (Birthday cake with a side of severed thumbs, anyone?) The premise intrigues from the start: Five teenagers climb the mysterious staircase of the title, and only four come out of the forest. Decades later, the survivors agree to try to find their friend—but they’re not certain about what actually happened back then, or what will happen when they return. The longer you spend in Wendig’s haunted house of a novel, the deeper you probe into the troubled minds of his characters—and this fine, freaky psychodrama will keep you up past your bedtime.

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Big thanks to @readbookpage.bsky.social for naming HOT WAX one of their best books of 2025, "a passionate novel that takes readers on a turbulent joyride while exploring both the glory and the gore of live rock ’n’ roll." www.bookpage.com/best-books/b... @simonbooks.bsky.social #books #booksky

bookpage.com

The 10 Best Mystery & Suspense Novels of 2024

Many of 2025’s best mysteries and thrillers mixed and matched genres with abandon, leading to startling hybrids.

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

One fun thing about being a writer is the life of surprising synchronicities, like this Blondie doppelganger spotted in my neighborhood. Fiction can follow you around like that for ages after the fact. (In other news, if you also like hot cars, you should read HOT WAX.)

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

A real honor to visit Trinity College Dublin today, tour the campus, receive an award named after one of my faves, wave a sword around a bit, and chat with students about art life and literature (not to mention, visiting this bust of Uncle Bill). #books #booksky

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Raven @colorful-raven.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Y'all. It's so good.

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Toody Cole of Dead Moon a little while back, and how fitting the piece goes live today, when I'm in Portland supporting HOT WAX! What a powerhouse she is. Hope you'll give it a read ⚡ www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/t... #music

thevinyldistrict.com

Toody Cole, <br>The TVD Interview - The Vinyl District

Toody Cole has the best laugh I’ve heard in a long time—big, unabashed, spontaneous. We’ve traded emails for a month or two, trying to find room for an interview between my touring schedule and hers. ...

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Headline Books @headlinebooks.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

UK & Ireland!🩷 Grab your ticket to see @mlrio.bsky.social talk about her brand new electric, rock and roll fuelled story HOT WAX 🎸 Buy now: linktr.ee/HotWaxEvents

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

LA, you hungry? Treats on me. @booksoupofficial.bsky.social tonight at 7 🍜 booksoup.com/event/2025-1... #booksky @simonbooks.bsky.social

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

UK + Ireland! Coming your way with as much swag as I can carry, only available on tour 😎 Snag your pass before the show's sold out 🎟️ @headlinebooks.bsky.social @wildfirebooks.bsky.social #booksky linktr.ee/HotWaxEvents

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Spines And Spoilers @spinesandspoilers.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

I'm housesitting right now and just getting over being extremely sick, but sitting outside with the dogs for a bit, enjoying the autumn weather, and doing a bit of reading on @mlrio.bsky.social 's newest novel has me feeling much more human 🧡🖤🧡 #booksky #autumn #reading

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Good news If you need a Scooby snack for spooky season -- digital editions of GRAVEYARD SHIFT are discounted this month in the US (Kindle) and the UK (Kindle/Apple Books) and from October 7-8 the US print edition is 66% off 🐀🐀🐀 @flatironbooks.bsky.social @headlinebooks.bsky.social #booksky

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

West Coast! Next week, come get yer freak on 🪩 mlrio.com/events/ #books #booksky @simonbooks.bsky.social

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Some hard truths about publishing in 2025 and the infernal sales track in the 'stack today mlriodiscursions.substack.com/p/hot-wax-to... #books #writing #booksky

mlriodiscursions.substack.com

HOT WAX Tour Diary, 3 October 2025

Back from somewhere

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M. L. Rio @mlrio.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Last night at @parkbooks.bsky.social was a trip! What better way to finish off this leg of the HOT WAX tour than a pop-up record shop and an absolutely bitchin' vinyl score? I know how I'm kicking back the next few days before I'm off to the West Coast 📀😎📀 @simonbooks.bsky.social #books #vinyl

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CLASH Books @clashbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

So many friends’ books have come out in the past two weeks. In my trip to Brooklyn & driving back upstate I got to buy their books at fav bookstores: @mlrio.bsky.social, @ericlarocca.bsky.social @raforall.bsky.social @rachelharrison.bsky.social, @pfracassi.bsky.social & @brianmcwriter.bsky.social

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David Gutowski @largeheartedboy.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

“I spent nearly a decade writing and re-writing this book, and in that time I racked up thousands of records and ticket stubs...” @mlrio.bsky.social shared a playlist for her novel Hot Wax largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/29/m...

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Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Lemme tell you, I adored HOT WAX by @mlrio.bsky.social. Just the character work ALONE makes that book sing.

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