iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I just spent 20 minutes googling phrases like "medieval woman falls in love with priest who teaches her to write with angel and she's a healer book," to remember an author's name... So let me just offer it: JUDITH MERKLE RILEY her books are amazing and fun and kind of fluffy but also good.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 10h

Me: slowly panicking because my cover artist's website is down. Hope all is okay, George )

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Gunnar De Winter @gunnardewinter.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

My essay in the anniversary(!) issue of Clarkesworld, among an all-star cast of writers, in emoji: 🐉👀🧠🪽🚀 #science #writing #biology 👉 clarkesworldmagazine.com/dewinter_10_...

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Erik Grove @erikgrove.com · 01/10/2026

My debut novel THE LONG RED TOMORROW is available for request on NetGalley *right now!* I would love it if you helped me build buzz before it launches. I put my whole heart into it and I am incredibly proud. This book won’t sell if people don’t hear about it. 🙏🤘 www.netgalley.com/catalog/book...

netgalley.com

The Long Red Tomorrow

NetGalley helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals. Publishers make digital review copies and audiobooks available for the NetGalley comm...

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ash vale @ashvalewrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

yay, my story is free to read in this awesome issue of Adventitious! a bird-woman and her witch take in frightened children, at a cost. it's a dark, short little piece that's probably as close as I get to uplifting 🍂🦉🪶

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

hmhmurray.substack.com/p/fanfiction... I'm procrastinating so much. Here's another not so great recording... Art by phoq )

hmhmurray.substack.com

Fanfiction Origins: Another look at OBLIVION

Chapter two: I fall to pieces, by kosiah (aka me)

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Dr Lori-Ann Foley @lafoley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I’ve just started Navvy Dreams by HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social. Started just before going to bed and was pulled straight in so had a very late night reading! Grateful for being work from home and flexitime 😆

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The moment when you find the throwaway line in Book One that completely contradicts the plotline you just wrote 20k words about is a special, special time. Cherish it.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This month I've given away nearly thirty copies of Navvy Dreams (upon request), but it's the first time in a long time I haven't sold a single copy, and I'm no longer on KU. So what I'm saying is, today would be a good time to buy yourself a copy and I can't actually afford ads. ) Link n profile

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Another thing about writing: the better you get the worse you are kinda, because you try and do stuff, and you now understand that it doesn't work.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Messing with recording my own voice... I always think I don't have a Philly accent, but it's there sometimes in words like "Go" and "Home." "Gyoh," Hoeme." It's not that strong, but it flashes through.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If you've ever wondered about NAVVY DREAMS, here's the perfect opportunity to try it out... dashboard.voraciousreadersonly.com/promo/cd4afc...

dashboard.voraciousreadersonly.com

VRO Dashboard

Manage your Voracious Readers Only preferences and books.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This is another thing that writing dialogue with other people has helped teach me: when you do it right, a close unreliable pov can still suggest the omniscient things going on around that the pov char may not know or notice. When we write back and forth, we drop clues to tell the whole story.

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Anna Orridge @anna-orridge.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Anyway, Happy Book Birthday to me 🎉🥳 In a future Britain, archaeologist and TV presenter Eva Sinclair investigates the mysterious fern-like patterns left by drought around the long-dry riverbed of an ancient massacre site. www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p...

Parch Marks
Anna Orridge
Gold SF
The image is of fern markings on parched earth.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#SFFChat Elements I twist... I add a lot of, um, vulgarity because I don't see a lot of it in contemporary space opera, and I think there's something very human in all that, how do we say, "earthiness." Also, I think sex is funny and tragic and I love the intersection where it can be both.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#SFFChat Foundational authors/books Joan D. Vinge James Tiptree Jr Ray Bradbury Robert Heinlein Vonda McIntyre Harlan Ellison Frank Herbert The Expanse Guys Octavia Butler Christopher Ruocchio Timothy Zahn Adrian Tchaikovsky Walter Jon Williams Mary Gentle There's a lot of others...

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#SFFChat Basic Space Opera 101. More than one world (existing even if not visited) FTL travel and communications More than one government/culture/species clashing and intersecting Pew Pew lasers A doomed relationship/person/and or star At least one alien artifact Threat or aftermath of war

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#SFFChat I'm HMH Murray. I write space opera. I try and bridge the gap between character and worlds, macro and micro. I'm interested in people in impossible situations, but I'm also interested in how things worked to get them there and what they can do next to get out. That and what is a person

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

One big problem I have, and maybe others have, is the tendency to think you know why you are writing a scene, only land on a different reason entirely. And then need to pivot. It's not great to pack too many things in a multi pov short scene, I think. That may be one of the tricks to writing multi

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Notes to myself. Types of suspense for a reader. Mix and match. 1.) the suspense of not knowing what is next. 2.) the suspense of not knowing when the character will figure something out. 3.) the suspense of not knowing why something happened. 4.) the suspense of not knowing what is important.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

And you may ask yourself, how did I get here?

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Wole Talabi | Preorder THE FIST OF MEMORY @wtalabi.com · 12/09/2026

Same goes for authors. You don't have to buy expensive hardcovers of our books. You can request them from your local library, tell your book clubs about them, read and review on netgalley, share and repost covers and quotes. These are things I'm encouraging people to do for THE FIST OF MEMORY.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Voracious Readers is up and running again! Whether you're a reader or an author, it's a great way to get either free books or get some eyes on yours. Since I'm offering it to them, I'll offer it here too. I am (briefly) offering an omnibus edition of ND/NF for the asking. DM me.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Am I the only person who reads bad reviews of books written by other people and wants those reviewers to read my book? Not because mine is a work of staggering genius... Just because I want their critical eye. Possibly.

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Andrew Halliwell @spike1967.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The #WIPSnips word for September 9th is "rig" #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts From book 5

They took the trap back up to Kidsgrove. The snow was coming down heavily again but it was still quicker than walking. Eric led him to his old Mentor’s house and knocked.
The door opened to the familiar welcoming smile. “Eric! Come in. And… Hello. So, this is the famous runaway, is it? I heard you were back.”
He ushered them in and they sat.
“So. What brings you here today, lad?”
“I’ve got a big project. I’d like you to build it for me.”
“Big? How big?”
“Eric said how much you lot loved building houses so this might be a little bit more of a challenge. I’d like you to build me a ship.”
“A ship? Good God. I’ve never even seen one. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“I didn’t think you would but I’ve got an idea about that, just hope I’m right or it’s down to the bookshop to see if they have anything” He looked around, his eyes locking onto a strange black diamond on the coffee table.
“What idea?”
“Is that…?” He pointed at the thing.
“Yep, that’s Qiyisan’s computer. What did you have in mind?”
“Can I?”
Lewis smiled. “Be my guest.”
Diah tapped it.
“Computer, search the public domain archive for anything relating to the construction, use of or life aboard the sailing ships of pre-steam days.”
A screen popped up showing a long list.
“That’s a bloody good idea, Diah.” Eric studied the list. “Got quite a lot on the subject, too.”
“Thought all that kinda stuff would’ve fallen into the public domain years ago. What with it being even more high tech than back there.”
Lewis was staring at the screen too, a look of hunger growing in his eyes. “Oh God, I love a good challenge. It’ll cost a small fortune, though, even for the raw materials. I doubt we’ve got enough wood stored to even think about something so big.”
“Well, I’ve got over two hundred quid to start you off and it doesn’t need a full hull. Just enough for the deck, masts, rigging and below deck quarters, maybe beds for twenty. I want to talk to the engineers, too. See if they can rig up some kind of rocking frame. Simu…

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Kim Findlay (she/her) @authorkimfindlay.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Assuming Marla returned for the rest of the summer as well, as he hoped she would, this could be a problem. If this group was planning to rig the auction, it would be embarrassing for Marla. And maybe for you too when she leaves anyway, said an inconvenient voice in his head. #wipsnips

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honeybea @writing-bea.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A snippet from a little one-shot about an android and her disorganized creator. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #Writing

They had given Millie’s creator all she could have longed for, an immaculate, circular housing rig that provided diagnostics and a complicated assortment of robotic tools for any and every use case.
The device looked severely out of place with the disarray of the lab, shelves flooding the remainder of the space to store anything you could ever desire. Written reports, replacement parts, prototypes, sensors, swappable joints, smaller projects- and not a label or hint of organization in sight.
Something emulating dread always prickled up when Millie considered what the mess could have meant for her own wires and programming. Even with the myriad of holographic awards and plaques. Her efforts to get the doctor organized went beyond self-interest, but it played a large part.

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Mark Johnston 🍁 @markjohnston905.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Another one from Solar Umbrella, my first novel. I'm almost done giving this one a solid edit, as it was riddled with rookie mistakes. Still really proud of the story though. It had me tearing up at a certain part last night. 🌍☂️☀️ #WIPsnips #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts

“Before we begin, I do ask that you take this GABA-enhancing pill. I sent you the details earlier. We use it occasionally here at NASA before entering the sims to calm the mind,” Williams told him. Parker had done all the reading about it earlier and talked to his doctor and was told it was industry standard and perfectly safe to take now and then.
“I do need to tell you that the simulation is for you to complete, and please don’t share your experiences. They are expensive to create and as an organization, we’re fighting for every dollar we can get. No matter the results of your application, we appreciate your discretion in this matter,” Frank told him. “Just between you and me, there are actually three of them, and your answers on the previous portion determine which one you participate in. Good luck, I’ll be waiting out here for you when you’re done.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep it between us. Promise.” Parker held out his pinky to Frank, who laughed, but completed the pinky swear. Parker took a breath and opened the door to the simulator. He’d been in a few simulators at gaming centres with his family as a kid, and there had been a portable one at Boulder Tech for a few weeks in his second year, and this one looked no different. The room was about three metres cubed, with lights covering almost every surface, including the door as it closed. The lights would create the scenes, the audio coming from speakers buried in the walls. In the middle was a rig you would stand or sit in to allow you to interface with the room. It looked like the floor would give way and hold you in space with cables and thin metal arms. Haptic feedback was given through a vest, gloves and boots to make you feel you were really moving through whatever space was projected and allowed you to interact with people and objects. From

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

There are a lot of things wrong with this opener, and the sentence that had "rig" in it is confusing, and I think I've decided that Wade *is* in fact on the level and not crossing the Guild, but here is the one instance of "RIG" in the upcoming KROV WAR. #WIPSNIPS #Writesky #WritingPrompts

Rathe Intro Rathe’s first clue that Wade wasn’t completely on the level about this being a Guild-sanctioned mission should have come escaping the Unity barge, when Wade told him to wait in the hall while he slipped into the employee breakroom—I’ll be out in a jiff, he’d said. Two minutes later he reemerged with a glint in his eye that Rathe knew like the back of his freehand. Killed that asshole guarding you. Wade had grinned, too proud not to brag. Deserved it for marking you up. Of course, it hadn’t been Ensign Kapine who’d put those bruises on Rathe’s body or blackened his eye… that work was all their other pals; veterans of the same war that had made Wade a monster and Rathe a war criminal slated for execution. Ensign Kapine was too young for all that. All Kapine had done was let their former friends into Rathe’s cell. The pilot who flew them off should’ve been the second clue, but Rathe was too distracted by the sight of those two navchairs in the cockpit, that twist in his guts looking at them, a half-turn between need and nausea. Don’t forget I never heard of yas! The copilot was already inside, but the man had steered them out on manual before he slotted into the other, leaving Rathe and Wade rattling around alone in what was, Rathe realized with a pang, a Fringer’s smuggling rig. A memory that wasn’t his gave him the layout, but he pretended surprise when Wade extracted a bottle of sulfur absinthe from a hidden compartment in the galley wall. He wasn’t sure why he bothered. He probably overdid it, because Wade

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Tempest Teapot ❌ 👑 🐸 @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

jury-rig an override #WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky 💙📚 🪐📚 Short story “A Brief Stop on the Way to Sheol.” Coric doesn’t like being legally dead. He buys an ID transponder from a dead woman, but stumbles into a mystery only the murdered ghost can solve. May her memory be a blessing, not a curse.

No, someone was trying to kill the Guardswoman. Her room, her transponder, and her booby-trap. To avoid blowing up the wrong person, make the trigger her transponder.
Coric coughed in the caustic fumes. Soon the jet fuel wouldn't need a spark. At 80% saturation, it would self-ignite, and everything within the sealed compartment would be reduced to ash. Nothing left to re-gen. No embarrassing testimony from the victim to jeopardize the colony's level 3 tech status. No withdrawal of the Colony Guard support technicians to run the Weather Towers until the terraforming stabilized. A lovely little plot with just one flaw.
I'm not her!
Coric covered his mouth with his jacket sleeve. Despite swollen eyes, he aimed his left elbow at the lock mechanism and smashed open the casing. Working on a security override, Coric clumsily pulled the wiring lefthanded.
I always knew Zack's little trick for getting contraband beer onto the ship would come in handy one of these days.
The wire arced as he completed the circuit. Flame filled the room. In-rushing wind howled through the opening door to fuel the combustion. Coric pulled himself through, rolling in the pellet-like Tuapsian snow.
Just as well I couldn't send that hypergram. I may end up dead, yet, Mom.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Arriving for an oral surgery appointment and seeing Fox on the tv... Ugh

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

So I've been on a Navvy break and an RP bender. I've written thousands of words of shorts that maybe two people will read. All very dialogue heavy and drama-y, angsty. It's been really good for my soul. It's put me in a few different character's heads. Most importantly...

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

That storm took out my car windshield. *Cries.* So, in the trifecta of unexpected expenses THIS week we have: Dental surgery MRI surprise deductible And... Car windshield!! Our AC compressor is also doing weird things I'm choosing to ignore, because that will definitely make them go away.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

So accurate. Right now I feel like I'm back to the scribbling madwoman with the crayons in the corner.

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Did you know you can buy epubs of MY ENTIRE LIBRARY directly from me? Cool, yeah? two *complete* epics sci-fantasy high fantasy fantasy lit and unlit: gaslamp and dark series and standalones payhip.com/AuthorMCBurn...

On a background of the sun setting behind mountains.
The Foreign Sorcerer: An antihero saves the day in spite of himself while preoccupied with adopting needy teenagers. The books pictured are The Three Faces of Dissatisfaction, The Shuttle that Weaves the Shroud, The Tale of a Vacant House, and The King of Halural.
We: Enemies are forced to band together to save their peoples from the crisis they unleased. The books are We Gather, We Battle, We Shatter, We Alter, We Rise.
The Tipping World: my new epic. The books are A Path of Endless Crossroads, The Bull at the Start, The King of Ill-Omens, A Mirror with an Edge, The Hour of the Day, Tally the Betrayers, Under a Sign of Butterflies, Bells Begin to Ring, Symbols' End.
The Spider's Friend: a palace intrigue with less palace and more battling a giant jellyfish. The books are The Spider's Friend, The Serpent's Son, The Scarab's Siblings.
Zimanges: a crew of roommates has to save their city from a demon while doing chores and looking for work.
Standalones! A creepy dark fantasy mystery and NA enemies-to-besties. The books are Vengeance Is Our Legacy and Into the Darkbower.

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Lizzie Blackwood @lizzieblackwood.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Y'all... Thanks to the boost from the #NarratessIndieSale this weekend, I have officially sold over 100 copies of The Stars Will Be Our Ocean. I thought that would take me a year. Thanks to you all, I did that in a month and a half. I cannot thank you all enough for supporting my debut novel! 🥹💜

static.klipy.com

Who's Awesome? Thank You Bow Down

Alt: Colin Mochrie on Whose Line Is It Anyway pointing emphatically at the camera with the caption "Who's Awesome?"

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Racthoh @racthoh.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

#WIPSnips Garden. The enemy speaks of our hero's creator, describing the simple life she once held. Text in the alt. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

“You seem surprised. Were you expecting her to be outfitted with linens fit for a queen, armed with scepters and wands forged by the craftsmen of great cities? Before her worship of Phandra, she was an arborist, her family a third generation of florists. Gardening was her trade, her hobby. Her father would read her stories under the trees her ancestors planted on the same plot of land her family continued to occupy decade after decade. They took pleasure in the simple things in life, a pastime she ensured the elves would hold true in their hearts.”

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Tru Skies @trudieskies.readindiefantasy.com · 01/09/2026

After a few years of hard work, The Chosen One Con is out now on ebook with paperbacks to follow soon! Available on Kindle, Kobo, Itch and more to come. books2read.com/thechosenone... But of course, I couldn't publish this book without help, and I have a lot of people to thank! 👇

A promo image for The Chosen One Con, out now on Kindle, Kobo, and Itch. It shows the book cover to the Chosen One Con (a young white man in a trench coat holding a glowing blue potion bottle as though trying to steal it) and the following text: Magic spoke to me, whispering promises of fortune and fame. It spoke when I switched on the old MV and the screen came alive with the blue glow of magic, the faint spark and pop of aether flowing through the cables.

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Nirvana Sonic Youth Hitting Birth Madonna Barbra Streisand Freakwater L7 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts The Beach Boys David Bowie

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

We never actually got to do this when we lived in NYC. The first year I lotteried for it, the kid got sick and the second year we moved to DC, but I still think it's an amazing program, and if you live in NYC with kids you should be doing this already )

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Pixies a/k/a Map Nerd @mcburnellauthor.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Locks&Keys is suuuuuch a fun read, some of these shorts really stuck with me. It cheap! Go look!

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HMH Murray @nillcord.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Write short story about mental illness. Submitted it. Just got back nice rejection letter, suggesting I read more books about depictions of mental illness, suggesting perhaps I need to be more realistic. The thing is, although I changed a few details, the story I wrote is entirely true.

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Nick Snape 💙🐉⚔️🪐📚 @nicksnapeauthor.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Lots of buy my books posts yesterday with the indie book sale. So many good books clamouring for attention. I’ll just leave these pics here and listen to some chilled folk music in Nottingham for the day books2read.com/warriorsofsp... #darkfantasybooks #fantasybooks

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Alan K. Dell @alankdell.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

It's Day 2 of the #NarratessIndieSale! Grab those deals and bundles while you can. It's a bank holiday in the UK tomorrow so today's the perfect time to load up your e-reader with indie books like mine. FROM THE GRAVE OF THE GODS is just 1.99 until 31/8. indiebook.sale 💙📚🪐 | 📢📚 | 📦📚 1/2

Book covers framing the Narratess Indie Sale banner.

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Angela Boord @angelaboord.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

No "adept" or "skilled" so I settled on "good at" 😆 From 🐺To Dream a Darker Realm🐺, my dark 80's portal fantasy with Stranger Things vibes, coming soon on Kickstarter! #BookSky #WriteSky 💙🪐📚 #kickstarter

“I’m just mentioning it as a possibility. I think you need to focus your anger. Instead of wearing incendiary clothing, why don’t you start asking your questions? Why don’t you start wondering why the snow looks different to you, and the rain, and the sky?” 

Her words rattle him. He’s repeated his dreams so many times he wants to throw up, but he hasn’t told anyone how he sees the rest of the world. Not since he was very small. He’d found out fast that secrets need to be kept because they might be held against you. 

“How do you know about that?” he asks shakily. 

She throws the pigeons more bread. “Oh, I know about a lot of things. Like these pigeons here. They all look like pigeons, don’t they? But if you look closer… really close… you might see something else inside some of them, something more.” 

“Why would there be something more about a pigeon? They’re just pigeons. They eat trash.” 

“You’ve become very good at not answering questions, haven’t you, Seryozha?”

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