iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 22h

If I end up with having a say about Starfall's cover (or if I go down indie, in which case, I would have the only say), as much as I wish I could have space elves on there, I recognize elves don't sell, SO. Swords in space! And if it reminds you of OTHER space opera properties...feature, not bug.

Image of a very rough sketch of a hand holding an Italian-style rapier aloft. Faintly, the title "Starfall" is visible at the top and "R. J. Howell" at the bottom.

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John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

and that raft was called "the last page of your WIP"

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

So for the past 3 months, I have had a new hobby: fencing! Specifically, Italian-style rapier fencing. There's a guild in Chicago that teaches rapier and longsword (Forteza) and i just finished my first 12 week course. I'm already signed up for the next session. I'm not very good (yet) but it's fun!

My left hand holding an Italian style rapier.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

125k! Earthshine has about four more chapters after I finish this scene then END! You get to enjoy what a friend calls my "madlib drafting" with my placeholder underscores. That's going to be a name. Once I decide on said name. On course for finishing two books in one year. Onward!

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 125,000 words.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

And cinnamon rolls! There's a cream cheese frosting that goes with, but I decided to keep it separate so people can put it on themselves (or not). I didn't have high hopes for this one. I hand-kneaded it instead of lugging out the stand mixer, and my apt. is VERY warm and that's butter-based dough.

Photo of homemade cinnamon rolls dusted with powdered sugar.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Loaves #4 and #5! Crumb is better, muuuch less dense, though they are are desperate need of salt. Though I admit, I do have a tendency to undersalt bread. Thus, butter!

Photo of two loaves of homemade sourdough bread.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I have made a slight tactical error with this sourdough starter. It was smelling boozy, but a little close to the top of the small container on the right. So I split it between jars and fed it. With the kitchen at a toasty 75F. THREE HOURS LATER...it exploded. I am going to be baking so much bread.

Photo of two jars of very active sourdough starter.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Momentum has slowed just a tad, but I've been a bit distracted this past week. Big end-game showdown, though! (The knife in question is a parrying dagger.)

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 115,115 words.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Sourdough #3! I was a little more artsy with my vent slices on this one and tried to do a more influencer-esque staging to the photo. No idea what the crumb looks like; it's still cooling.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I'm on a slight sourdough kick. This is Loaf #2. Loaf #1 came out all right, but very dense. I think it's cuz my starter is young, so this time around, I left it out to get bubbly longer and changed how I was doing the proof. Onward, to Loaf #3! I also make a mean sourdough scone and crumpets?

Photo of a freshly baked sourdough round loaf.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Secretly, I both wish to be asked about my writing and deeply dread it. If I can't follow a neat little script, I start free associating and it turns into a confusing muddle. I swear! Things make more sense! In writing! When I can edit and refine! There's a reason I write, not do improv!

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Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"Seneschal of Shattered Tor" is a postcolonial high fantasy about a society trying to Be Better* and the leaders dragging them into the future. I hope you enjoy it! * T&C apply

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Y'know, it's beyond demoralizing to be invited to send my next book the last time I was querying, only to discover the agent put severe word count caps on submissions between then and now. Like, I was looking forward to sharing this with you.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

We have crossed the 100k barrier! It is officially *chonk*! Also, end game is right about to lock in completely at the end of this chapter, which is a nice spot for it, pacing-wise. Miiiiight end up as 150k, but hey, edits.

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 100,000 words.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Fountain pen #3, AKA Starfall's Frankenpen. This is Starfall's *official* fountain pen. I didn't initially like the body that came with the Yumeyoi, it being translucent, so I did some aftermarket tweaks with a Shikiori Vega. Color isn't a *perfect* match, but it's close!

Photo of a frankenpen fountain pen made up of a Sailor Yumeyoi and a Sailor Shikiori Vega. The body is dark blue with silver glitter and the cap is translucent purple-blue with falling silver stars.

Photo of an uncapped frankenpen fountain pen made up of a Sailor Yumeyoi and a Sailor Shikiori Vega. The body is dark blue with silver glitter and the cap is translucent purple-blue with falling silver stars. The nib is silver and has a tapir with falling stars etched into it.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Fountain pen #2! This one isn't for a novel but for my MFA through Stonecoast. I didn't originally intend for this one to be for that, but the colors are almost exactly USM's and it is such a pretty pen, I couldn't bear hiding it away until I finished a snow-themed book. Thus, rededicated!

Photo of a Sailor fountain pen. The base is deep royal blue and it is covered in gold, white, and pale blue snowflakes, with gold accents.

Photo of a Sailor fountain pen, uncapped. It is dark, royal blue with gold, white, and light blue snowflakes. The nib has a tiny snowflake etched into it.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

New fountain pen showcase! This one is a Cross for a novel I completed back in 2022 with the semi-placeholder title of "Witness." It's a spinoff from the Prophecy books, so this pen was chosen partly to match the others (Cross Wanderlust) and partly because it was released around the same year.

Photo of a Cross fountain pen. It is white and covered in henna-reminiscent designs in purple, orange, green, and gold.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

70k, wee! And the halfway mark! Well, all right, maybe 72k will be the *official* halfway point in the story, but pretty close! Will I--*gasp*--hit that goal of two books in one year? Possibly, possibly. I admittedly REALLY want the fountain pen I've picked out for this one.

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 70,000 words. All I ever seem to do is screenshots of works in progress.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I started learning Italian-style rapier fencing and am officially ~OBSESSED~. I'm not particularly good, but honestly, the goal isn't to be competition worthy, the goal is to be active and do something athletic that I enjoy. If I remain a novice forever but am still having fun, fine by me!

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Because I like nice, round numbers, and I've caught the 50k screenshot for three different books, so I might as well catch a fourth, eh? Eren is being overly dramatic. And unwisely chucking very sharp daggers at tables on a starship. The artificial gravity is *probably* fine, but...

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 50,000 words.

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Jess Nevins @jessnevins.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Re: kids making noise in libraries. Sure, it can be annoying. But that is one of the prices you pay for having working libraries with employed librarians and kids who grow up to love reading and love libraries. A library as quiet as a fly on a feather duster is a dead library.

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C.M. Sullivan 🍉 is querying @cmsullivan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

AMINA AL-SIRAFI x QUEEN'S THIEF A dying thief switches fates with a man prophesied to end the worldwide flood. What's worse than death? Oh, consigning the guy you love to it. 🐉 sea-dragons 🏛️ floating libraries 🌊 flooded world ⛵ high seas adventures 🔥 slow burn romance #questpit #A #F #W #Q

A graphic depicts the text "THIEF OF THE VASTBORN" by C.M. Sullivan. The graphic shows a dragon statue; a marble column with an ocean view; a red-haired man with a blue eye gazing skyward; a grotto filled with seawater; part of a scarred man's face; a mosaic sun insignia; the statue of a half-veiled woman; a ship-rope and the open sea; and Greco-Roman style columns with an orange tree.

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Gus Ryer @gusryer.com · 24/07/2026

HORIZON 0 Dawn 🤝 ARCHIVE UNDYING When a machine god severs the world from ancient nanotech, two engineer priests, a blademaster, and her warrior-poet twin must hunt it for a cure—and revenge. Failure will doom the world to divine wrath. But success? That will be deadly. #QuestPit #A #SF #F #Q

A giant spaceship hovers over a dusty, walled fantasy cityscape. In the foreground, two figures stand in shadow looking out over the scene. The words "An Agent's Guide to CASCADE, by Gus Ryer" is along the top. His website, gusryer.com, is below.

A slide with metadata and story elements for CASCADE:

Genre: Science Fiction with Fantasy Elements
Wordcount: +-130,000

It shows the book covers for the following:
ASHES OF THE SUN, Django Wexler
THE ARCHIVE UNDYING, Emma Mieko Candon
ELDER RACE, Adrian Tchaikovsky
NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE, Claire North
Ps5's Horizon Zero Dawn

Below that are the following phrases:
Found family
Failed terraforming
A vast, hidden history
Nanotech magic system
Epic fantasy quest in a sci-fi world
Ancient mechanical gods
Arachnid mammals & guard drones
Sword (1) vs. Railguns (lots)

$A warrior woman with a winged helmet, armor, cape, and spear is along the right side of the image, fractured into triangles. Part of the following pitch is along the left: Lendi never asked to be a God Keeper—one of the engineer-priests who command ancient nanotech. Abandoned on their temple doorstep and raised under their strict thumb, she longs to escape. She almost gets her chance when an ancient machine god crashes to the planet in a blaze of fire. But, instead, Lendi is dispatched far away—alongside her devout friend—to investigate the disappearance of a remote village’s Keeper. And she’ll be tracked. In that village, Sedna has no patience for their Keeper’s rules or mysticism, especially since the fool vanished. She’s more concerned with defending her people with her warrior-poet twin. But, when a flood of malfunctioning nanites devours her town, Sedna and her brother are left with nothing but each other—and vengeance. As the four converge...$

Chapter 1

THE RUSH IS ON! This Tuesday, Planetfall, Inc. announced it would join the rash of megacorps racing to deploy terraforming infrastructure through the newly stabilized Taurine Strait. Previously dominated by New World Corporation, the franchised development of pseudoterra worlds is slated to be the hot market sector of the twenty-fifth century.
-Excerpt from InvestSyder: Stellar Ed., June 15, 2398

The streets of Mahyan never fully slept. Night’s darkness, not yet broken by either the sun’s rise or the blinding, baleful Eye of Toros, wrapped Lendi more completely than her robes. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her. She wanted nothing more than to run.
An eager vendor barred her way with his stringy arm. “A fine morning calls for a fine meal, miss.” He smiled and fanned out a selection of skewered mutton and whalemeat wrapped in sea grass. Pungent, spiced oil dripped onto the dusty street.
Lendi glared at him, her legs practically vibrating with the..

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C.M. Sullivan 🍉 is querying @cmsullivan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Get to know my main guys for #questpit! From THIEF OF THE VASTBORN: 🐉 Zev: Impostor. Sailor. Accidental thief. Ocelot wrangler. Perpetual loner. 👑 Dimitrios: Prophecied Divine. People’s prince. Book nerd. Chastity vow. Perpetual loner. Maybe they fall in l*ve?! 👀 #F #A #RF #Q #W #LGBTQ

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Camille Singer @camillesinger.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

✨AMITY COVE 🎠 🎡Haunted Carnival 🌊Abandoned Wharf 📿Missing Sister 🎭Suspicious Friends 🎩Family Secrets 🎇Enemy Love Interest 🖤Romance and Horror💀 Elements (original artwork by me) #QuestPit #Q #YA #MY #T #R #H

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Josephine Payment @josephine-erin.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Star Wars x Arthuriana Prince Tristan has always believed in three things – honor, loyalty, and his king, but when a quest across a haunted asteroid belt, and the charms of an enemy knight shake his convictions, he must defy the narratives that bind him, before its too late #questpit #A #Q #SFF

Title slide describing the metadata of a novel titled 'a horizon perilous', now querying, an adult space fantasy complete at 109,000 words

Comp titles - The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gilig, The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow, Dark Rise by C S Pacat, The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, The Second Death of Locke by V L Bovalino, and Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Art of the 3 main characters of A Horizon Perilous. Prince Tristan, heir to Karnos, a man with curly dark hair. Sir Lancelot, Tristan’s estwhile enemy, a man with long black hair, and Princess Isolde, a dubious ally with plans of her own, a young dark skinned woman with braids. All characters have their eyes covered because against a shape-shifting foe, keeping eyes hidden is the only way to preserve one's identity

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cjwrites477.bsky.social @cjwrites477.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Sigrun stood behind her uncle’s throne, chin held high. Her hands longed to wring her skirt, but she forced them into obedience. When the time came to play her part, she must be poised. THE MAIDEN AND THE ENDLESS DARKNESS historical romantasy 9th century Scandinavia. #questpit #Q #A #RF #HF #F

Sigrun’s people are under attack. Desperate for protection, Sigrun’s uncle, the king, seeks the aid of a dragon. When the king fails to raise the dragon’s tribute and the negotiations crumble around them, Sigrun steps in with her own offer – she will serve as the dragon’s storyteller in exchange for her people’s protection.
The beautiful yet terrifying Lord of the Endless Darkness gives Sigrun one month to prove she’s worth more than gold. At night, the primordial beast hangs on her words, claiming there’s magic in her tongue. By day, she tends to his village, watched over by Audun, the dragon’s second-in-command. Audun is as fascinating as he is arrogant and Sigrun can’t suppress her growing hope that his attention is more than evaluating her on the dragon’s behalf.
But those burgeoning hopes come crashing down when...
Complete at 93,000 words, THE MAIDEN AND THE ENDLESS DARKNESS is a historical romantasy set in the Norse world of the 9th century
standalone novel but has series potential following other characters
Slow-burn romance featuring a competent heroine and respectful love interest
Will appeal to readers of The Road of Bones by Demi Winters and The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec.

Comp Titles- would sit on the shelf next to: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, Road of Bones by Demi Winters, The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec.
Norse setting, Rune magic, Independent maidens who want more...
The twists that set this book apart: No fated destiny - Sigrun marks her own path; A gold-hoarding dragon modeled on Norse mythology; Interwoven Scandinavian folktales; Medieval Norse and Christian culture
Inspiration Titles: Norwegian Folktales by Absjornsen & Moe- Sigrun is a Norse Scheherezade; The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson- Historical Norse community; Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede- The dragon isn’t the monster and the damsel doesn’t need saving.

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Stephanie Winter @wintersleep85.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

NAUSICAÄ X FF7 Hana is sure she’s the chosen one, even if her magic is resisting her and the previous chosen one insists she isn’t. But if it isn’t her destiny, then no one can save the world from poisonous dark magic, endless wars, and powerful demons. #Questpit #A #F #Q

Dark forest. An agent's guide to The Blessing Returned. Adult fantasy. 98,000 words.

Dark forest. Pitch. Idealistic Hana Hahl lives in a world that is slowly dying after a failed quest to bring back magic. The only ones left with power are self-serving royals and dark mages, while desperation has given rise to an anti-magic order. Caught up in a mystical event, Hana is blessed with an immense power that could restore nature to the world. As Hana struggles to control the overwhelming force, Lady Kalyn Nossi, the only known survivor of the disastrous quest, directs her to the one person who can help her. Matthias Azel, the failed chosen one, reluctantly agrees to teach Hana while concealing his past from her. Accompanied by Kalyn and a charismatic prince with a dangerous secret, they journey to seek answers about Hana’s destiny. They fend off demonic threats and the anti-magic forces as Hana struggles with magic that seems to resist her and a growing fear that the world isn’t meant to be saved.

A dark forest. Snippet. She took a cautious step forward, unaware she was in a spectral form. Little drops of shimmering light followed her path, dissolving into the ground. “But this has to be a sign?” Grass grew where the light fell, delicate bits of nature that should be impossible. “Maybe it’s returning!”
The young woman spoke with such bright reverence as if life was a fairy tale and magic was all they needed for a happy ending. It was as if she couldn’t see the shadows approaching her. The inevitable death.
“Magic should never return.”
After speaking those words, he sprang forward and shoved her away from the shadows. Pain rocked him as soon as he touched her. The scorching mystical agony tore a scream out of him, but it kept her away from the unearthly menace, and the shock did what he intended.
Sent him back to his body.

A dark forest. Comps. Nausicaä. One Dark Window. The Starless Crown. Godkiller. Final Fantasy VII Remake. Tropes. Chosen One (s)? Ecofantasy. Dieselpunk. Grumpy/Sunshine. 1930s vibes. Love triangle. LGBTQIA+ rep. Cynical mentor. Dying world. Found family.

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PJ (he/him) is querying... @pjwrites.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

THE EVERWINTER KING Desperate to find his missing sun god, a former holy king returns home to compete in trials meant to bring his god back and stop the onslaught of an endless winter. 🏳️‍🌈 Queer norm world ☀️ Light-based magic 🏳️‍⚧️ Trans love interest 👑 Hidden royalty #QuestPit #Q #A #F #LGBT

Title page for an agent's guide to THE EVERWINTER KING. The title is placed over a moodboard featuring a Mediterranean inspired setting and royalty imagery. In addition to the title the page reads "Adult Fantasy Standalone. Queer normative world. MM romance subplot. 99,000 words."

THE EVERWINTER KING's pitch.

PITCH
A former holy king does the one thing he swore he’d never do in search of his missing god. He goes home.

Malachi was born with God’s voice in his head. When God vanishes in the midst of a decade-long winter, Mal breaks the oath he made to himself and returns to the home he abandoned—the city where he was raised to be king. There, he’s marked to compete in trials meant to select God’s new emissary. His replacement.

After succeeding in the first trial, Mal demands entry to the royal temple, where he learns the skies are empty. God has stopped speaking to his priests and Mal alike. With no other avenue for answers, Mal must win the competition for God’s favor and assume the throne he never wanted, or risk losing his oldest friend for good and damning the world to a worsening everwinter.

An excerpt from THE EVERWINTER KING. Next to the excerpt is character art of the main character. He has light bright skin, dark brown hair, facial hair, and a simple jerkin over white shirt. His eye is glowing like the sun.

EXCERPT STARTS BELOW

“My head hurts,” Malachi mumbled into his drink.

“They say King Ridaris’ eye glowed like this.”

Did they? Malachi shuffled through his memories for any mention of that from his mothers, or the history books, and found nothing.

“I think it means God knows who you are.” Sen lowered her voice, eyes shifting toward the surrounding priests. Kinder to pretend she did it out of concern for his headache. “You need to be careful.”

“Aye.”

“It hasn’t stopped glowing. Everyone else’s did.”

He raised a hand to cover his eye, pausing to marvel at the light pouring over his fingers and palm. It spilled into every crack, crevice, and scar his hand had to offer, like liquid pooled against his skin. Malachi closed his fist around the cold light and pressed it to his face. “Hurts.”

“Close your eyes,” Samara offered. “Rest. We’ll handle it from here.”

For once, he did just that.

A page listing comp titles.

Comp titles for THE EVERWINTER KING include: "The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson, "The Raven Tower" by Ann Leckie, "WITCH KING" by Martha Wells, and "The Red Winter" by Cameron Sullivan.

Similarities include: godly shenanigans, political trials, queer-norm worlds, queer male leads, messy homecomings, and a second chance subplot.

Bonus comp! Dragon Age 2.

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Emmaline Evans-Querying Author & Illustator @talesfromknotwood.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

🍼QuestPit Submission CURSE THESE SKINNY WITCHES 75k Cozy Fantasy x New Motherhood x Wellness Satire Think WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, but it’s about two postpartum witches counting curses instead of kicks. 🌿 Plant Magic ✨Fantasy Ozempic 📚Witch HOA from hell #questpit #A #F #S #CozyFantasy

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Lia Lao @thelialao.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

wrapping up edits so here's an updated agent's guide for #questpit! :)) [BREAKING NEWS]: BROKE PHD STUDENT FAKES DEATH AND STEALS IDENTITY OF BILLIONAIRE TECH HEIRESS. TOO BAD HER GENIUS RIVAL IS ONTO HER & IS OBSESSED WITH EXPOSING HER NEW SKIN #A #Litfic #SF #LGBT #OV #Q

slide that reads "an agent's guide to FACELESS". line under reads "literary speculative fiction / 95,000 words @thelialao)

background is a blurry photo of an asian woman with a blue tint

Pitch

[BREAKING NEWS]: BROKE PHD STUDENT FAKES DEATH AND STEALS IDENTITY OF BILLIONAIRE TECH HEIRESS. TOO BAD HER GENIUS RIVAL IS ONTO HER & IS OBSESSED WITH EXPOSING HER NEW SKIN

the opulence of CRAZY RICH ASIANS
x
the futuristic atmosphere of LOCAL HEAVENS & THE BOOK OF RECORDS
x
the socio-satirical tone of THE IMMORTAL KING RAO

set in a floating city owned by tech conglomerates, in a world ravaged by climate change

inspired by Silicon Valley & East/Southeast Asia

@thelialao

Background picture is a black robot in a glass box

First Page

It’s a beautiful night to die.

From the balcony, Fay Soon stares down at the celebration: the silken gowns, the crystal chalices, the laughter resounding like shattered glass. It’s the end of semester which means yet another overpriced soirée for Chang’E National University’s elite. After seven years here, the scene is hardly unfamiliar. She studies the expanse of the university gardens.

There’s a cyclical nature to it. Young and eager minds unfurling: the undergraduates, loquacious in their attempts to impress one another, each conversation, each gesture, carefully selected like the finest blossoms in a greenhouse.

There are those on the other end of the cycle too. Senescence. The doctoral candidates wilting in the shadows. Hoping for their ideas to be transfigured by wind or water or even the sorghum wine they’re cradling in their hands.

But no matter how many times Fay experiences it, she doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to the spectacle.

No one in the outer circle speaks like that, not in those sprawling, unmanicured streets. It’s opulent; it’s hypnotizing. It’s—

—a complete and utter waste of funds.

@thelialao

Background is a chandelier in dim lighting

Epigraph

As every flower fades and as all youth
Departs, so life at every stage,
So every virtue, so our grasp of truth,
Blooms in its day and may not last forever

…

We must prepare for parting and leave-taking
Or else remain the slaves of permanence.

– Hermann Hesse, The Glass Bead Game

@thelialao

Background is a white wall with the shadows of leaves

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Starfall: a queer space opera heavy on the intimate-stakes character drama, elfy science-fantasy, and swashbuckling starship adventure about a telepathic space elf who joins off-brand Starfleet. He's a stabby cinnamon roll who doesn't want any friends! (This is a lie.) #Questpit #Q #A #SF #SFF

Title slide that reads "Starfall, Queer Space Opera Adventure, 139,000 words, R. J. Howell."

Slide that reads: "Pitch: Erendesirel was raised for two things: political marriage and political skirmishes. Sadly, the galaxy doesn’t have much call for a well-trained ornamental husband or sword-wielding duelist. Banished from his technologically-hostile homeworld, unskilled, and entirely broke, he applies to the Galactic Survey and Security Fleet,
a company of space-faring scientific contractors.

He just has to somehow pass a basic competency exam he is woefully unprepared for. And agree to a 10-year debt contract to pay for his tuition. And avoid being driven insane by the thoughts and feelings of a crew of a hundred and twenty souls serving on a very small starship. And navigate all the well-meaning people trying to be his friend.

Oh, and not get kidnapped by pirates." There is another section below it that reads "Comps" and show the covers of Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Slow Gods by Claire North, and Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. There is also an illustration of a space elf named Eren.

This slide reads: "Excerpt: Erendesirel—the nameless, the houseless, the planetless—had tracked his quarry down to a victuals shop on the outskirts of the space station’s medical district. From his hunter’s hide on a public bench opposite the establishment, he glowered at the incongruously-wooden door, breathed in the smell of roasted nuttiness and sticky sugar wafting out through the open bay window, and fought for equanimity.

His hand tightened on the hilt of his family sword, the blade pressed against his leg to accommodate the rather unfriendly design of the bench. Galactic architecture was, as always, crafted for comfort and unobtrusiveness but singularly failed to take into account a full-length sword at one’s hip. It didn’t matter that of all the peoples of the galaxy, there was only one that insisted on carrying true steel swords instead of some technological marvel that, oh, made the sword shrink or disappear or be constructed entirely out of light.

He would never stoop to touch such a thing. No, the sword and dagger set of his clan would serve him for this purpose just fine.

No matter that they were considered contraband. By both his people and station security, if for rather different reasons."

This slide reads "The Trope Nebula" and contains a series of trope-related terms: All the feels, found family, to boldly go (but contractually), swords but space, touch-adverse telepathic space elves, starships!, stabby cinnamon roll, disaster bisexuals, qu3eer, student debt?, lesbians with laser canons, and friendship! (whether you want it or not).

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C.M. Sullivan 🍉 is querying @cmsullivan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Excited to finally share my novel, THIEF OF THE VASTBORN, for #questpit!! THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI x THE SONG OF ACHILLES: Fate swap. Drowned world. Queer M/M romance. Enemies to lovers. Sea-dragons?! And more! Read the agent’s guide below. Querying soon! #F #A #RF #Q #W

An agent's guide to Thief of the Vastborn by C.M. Sullivan, adult fantasy + romance, ~112,000 words. The graphic shows a dragon and a sailboat with charts and maps as the background vector.

TEXT: Pitch: In a flooded world survived by waterborne cities, young Zev is given a prophecy that he will die by the same illness that killed his mother. A decade later, when a dying Zev decides to take fate into his own hands, he accidentally swaps fates with the Prophecied Divine, a handsome and sheltered man destined to end the worldwide flood. The graphic shows a sailboat and more charts.

TEXT: Tropes: Queer M/M romance, fate swap, drowned world, sea-dragons, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, animal companion, prophecies, pirates, cults. The graphic shows a leaf, an hourglass, and more charts and maps.

TEXT: Comps: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, high seas adventures; The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller for mythical doomed yaoi; The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon for dragons; The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart for drowned world. The graphic shows columns and charts.

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Reposted by Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 22/07/2026

Does Not Rhyme -through -cough -though -rough -bough Does Rhyme -pony -bologna

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Reposted by Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell

Courtney Floyd @courtney-floyd.com · 17/07/2026

Apropos of too many things lately, here's a spite poem I wrote a few weeks ago **makes unflinching eye contact while jamming more em dashes in** full disrespect to anyone writing with AI and also to the idea that we should change our voices and styles because the plagiarism machine is copying us

I will not cede my em dashes
I gathered them over countless afternoons in the languorous haze of foxing pages––breathing in the must of bygone times.

I unearthed them in a hundred many-branching conversations––no eye contact, just enthusiasm and did you know that rabbit trailing bliss.

I knelt at Emily Dickinson’s feet, and Emily Brontë’s, felt the press of punctuation against each shoulder––a knighting. A charge.

I will not cede them. I am oath-bound, sworn in fealty to complexity, to the broken, never-ending word. I must wield––.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

17k words in ten days feels quite nice, I have to say. Is it wise to write a sequel to an unpublished book that I'm currently querying? Probably not, but the way I figure it, I'm having fun so even if it goes nowhere, I'll have that. Also, two books in a year would be QUITE fine. Onward!

Screenshot of a novel in progress at 37,000 words.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

*gasp* What is this? Is that...20k of yet another new book? Why yes it is! June was absolutely appalling for writing (conferences, conventions, and dental surgery, oh my), but I tentatively declare that I'm back on track. May the words commence! (I wanna say I wrote two books in a year, damn it!)

Screenshot of a new book! And at 20,000 words to boot!

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

ALA haul! Okay, these weren't *all* the books, but they were the ones I claimed as mine. The rest of the trunkful will be claimed by coworkers or given as free giveaways at my work, mostly for summer reading program participation prizes (read a book? Get an arc!). You get sooooo many books at ALA.

Photograph of a stack of 10 books I received at the American Library Association conference last weekend. They are a mix of hard covers and advanced reader copies.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Conventions are hard when you have an undiagnosed and untreated jaw infection. Urgent care is a wonderful thing, and I am very grateful it exists. Antibiotics are absolute magic. Nebulas and Scintillation, complete. Next up: 4th Street! Really, who decided to put everything in June?

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

WIP sketch of Eren and Kel sparring with hologram swords. In truth, Eren should be nowhere near Kel. That two handed sword has a hell of a reach and can be swung *quick*. In an actual bout, Eren would chuck the dagger at Kel then subsequently be holo-murdered. But hey, artistic liberties.

WIP sketch of two elf men sparring with swords, one with a sword and dagger and the other with a two handed greatsword.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Though I'd been fighting it for years, it turned out that one of my wisdom teeth was impacted and badly infected, so Wednesday, I caved and had the four of them removed. I am now on a pureed diet of squishy foods for the next few days. I also learned I accidentally HALF-dosed myself with pain meds.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Ah, the curse of revisions. I don't cut word count, I just shuffle it around.

Meme of Gru from Despicable Me in front of a sign. The sign reads "Revise and tidy up draft for beta readers!" "Remove 100s of words in edits!" "Add 100s of other words, also in edits." Gru looks very disapointed at that last.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Last of the doodles! (For now) Jumping ahead a little in the timeline for this one, since Kel isn't introduced in Starfall, but *eventually* Eren gets a telepathic elf friend, and they end up in a deep queerplatonic, ride-or-die relationship. And I REALLY want to write that book... SFW version.

Doodle/sketch of Eren and Kel, two telepathic elf dudes, sitting back-to-back, almost touching but not quite, and posing with various sharp cutlery (Kel is holding a sheathed sword, Eren has a bare dagger near his feet.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Eren looking aggressive with his hologram sword (and he got his hands on another emitter, so also has a dagger). Again, probably the most engaged his facial muscles ever are, just in general. He's trained to maintain a look of haughty aloofness at all times. Except maybe when swinging a sword.

Eren in a combat-stance, swinging his hologram sword and looking very intense. He's wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and his feet are bare.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Eren is given a hologram emitter and is able to summon a dueling sword made of light. This is probably the closest he'll get to expressing wonder with his actual facial muscles.

A rather elfy looking Eren holding a transparent sword. There is a floating dialogue box sprouting from the sword, since it's a hologram, not actually real. Eren is dressed in a t-shirt with his hair tied back.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

More doodles, this one of Eren and Lae in exercise gear for Security boot camp. Eren is very uncomfortable with all the exposed knees in public, though it's the embarrassment on behalf of someone else entirely ignorant that they *should* be embarrassed. At least, by his standards.

Doodle/sketch of Eren and Lae standing next to each other dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Eren is staring at the camera looking embarrassed and blushing. Lae is smirking at him, completely misreading the source of his embarrassment.

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Reposted by Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell

Gibster @gibsterific.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Curse of the Golden Tattoo Thankfully, it’s not every unkind word said to Gemma that’s stiched into her skin—only from loved ones. Her family curse passes from mother to daughter. To avoid passing it down when she becomes pregnant, she must find magic of her own. #QuestPit #A #F #U #Q

Curse of the Golden Tattoo.
Shows a squiggle of ink and a tattoo gun from the letter G.
Golden text and a red and orange threaded carpet.

Pitch
Thankfully, it’s not every unkind word said to Gemma that’s stiched into her skin—only from loved ones.
Her family curse passes from mother to daughter.
To avoid passing it down when she becomes pregnant, she must find magic of her own.

Golden text and a red and orange threaded carpet.

First Lines
My mother gave me my first tattoo when I was six months old—by accident. I believe that story. Accidents happen. Words slipped out.
All the other tattoos were on purpose.
Golden text and a red and orange threaded carpet.

Comps
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Ten Thousand Doors of January.

Golden text and a red and orange threaded carpet.

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Reposted by Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell

Rio Lombana @riolombana.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

#QuestPit #W #A #F #RF Howl's Moving Castle x The Wizard of Oz An autistic demi-girl nun and her golden retriever boyfriend track down God to demand They explain the invisible wall shoving her across the magical shifting world. Two disaster bisexuals, trapped in a sidescroller. Will they kiss??

Pitch: Remi's peaceful life as a nun is interrupted when an invisible wall appears, sweeping her across her magical, shifting world like a 3D sidescroller. To escape this curse, she’ll have to break her vow of silence, not fall in love with (or murder) the chatterbox traveling with her, and confront the Mapmaker Themself—the god who created her world.

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE x DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL
bi 4 bi
neurodivergent love
golden retriever boyfriend
simulation theory for the discerning romantasy girlies

FIRST LINE: The monastery's map had just gone out of date again when Remi found another crack in the world.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Eren with a cup of coffee, intensely focused on cramming advanced spaceflight theories into his head because he erroneously believes it common knowledge (it is not). Basically, a refresh/more refined version of the first sketch of him, though now he's hiding behind the mug.

Doodle/sketch of a very elfy man in a t-shirt and comfy pants drinking from a very large mug and reading a floating hologram screen of a textbook.

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Rhiannon J. Taylor/R. J. Howell @mytherea.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Doodle posts continue! Ulyn and Maaika, two secondary characters who are in the first...four chapters? Ulyn (on left) should honestly be covered in far more gore, given that he *did* just participate in a duel with sharps (to death or incapacitation). The duel is mostly just tragic and foolish.

Doodle/sketch of two people sitting side by side in clear exhaustion. The one on the right admonishes the other in a speech bubble, saying "Never do that again."

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