iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

one year ago today my debut novel was published. i wrote SKSG during a very dark period of my life, and it couldn’t be more meaningful to have this book—with a queer, sober main character—be the one that created all the good shit in my life right now. it's EVERYTHING. happy birthday, SKSG!

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

EXCUSE ME!!!!! TRAD WIFE is an instant USA Today Bestseller! i am now a USA Today Bestselling author. my birthday is friday and this is literally the best birthday present i could have ever asked for. thank you SO MUCH to everyone who supported and loved on this book. i am so, so grateful.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY UNHINGED, GROSS, FERAL HORROR NOVEL: TRAD WIFE!!! i love you, sweetheart. have fun out there. 😈

flatlay of Saratoga Schaefer's TRAD WIFE

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

the Publishing for Minnesota auction is live now until tomorrow at 11:45pm! i've donated signed, hardcover copies of SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and TRAD WIFE that you can bid on here: www.32auctions.com/organization... i will also match the winning bid up to $100 with my own additional donation.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

after seeing a suggestion online to do so, i made a links landing page on my website and got rid of my ⛓🌳 and WHY WAS I NOT DOING THIS TO BEGIN WITH?? now all the clicks i get go to MY page to boost MY traffic. not a third party's. it also took like 20 min tops. highly recommend.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

take care of yourself. i've been incredibly ill all weekend and that's not unrelated to the stress caused by the state of the country. if your nervous system is a wreck and your immune system is broken down by severe anxiety, you're gonna get sick easily. hydrate. rest. take time offline.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

i can't believe TRAD WIFE comes out in a month!! i can't wait for people to read this body horror about a tradwife influencer who has a demonic baby. 😈

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

i swear nothing regulates me more than hearing the main theme from Spirited Away. my shoulders drop a whole two inches away from my ears when i hear those opening notes.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

in the past 5 months my books have been featured in People, Cosmo, and Glamour. it's times like these when i like to send a little "keep going" message to my past self. they would be so excited to see where we ended up. 🥹

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

seeing my debut on the "bookseller favorites" shelf of the B&N i spent countless hours in as a child (and next to some of the writers who inspired me) is a giant pinch-me moment wow. 🥹😭

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

whenever i draft, there's always ONE stupid filler word i get obsessed with and use 400x. "just," "little," "now," "of course," etc. i train myself out of using one and another pops back up!! drives me nuts.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

me revising a manuscript: "this is very bad" me 30 seconds after: "this is The Best Thing Ever Written." me two pages later: "WHY DID I USE THE WORD 'JUST' SIX TIMES IN ONE SENTENCE"

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

this year?!?!? i debuted in March, went on to sell an additional three novels, and wrote two more books + a short story. no wonder i am exhausted (but grateful).

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

THIS IS NOT A DRILL I GOT THE INDIE BROOKLYN BOOKSTORE CALENDAR FOR CHRISTMAS 😍🤩

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

i don't want insignificant end-of-the-year discounts and cutesy "happy holidays" graphics. if companies want my money they should stop jamming AI powered crap down my throat every second. 🤷

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

TRAD WIFE hit 10k adds on goodreads, so thank you to everyone who has already gotten excited about this femgore horror featuring a tradwife influencer who has a demon baby 🥹 🖤

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

🚨 CALLING ALL READERS 🚨 ...who are craving a meta, tongue-in-cheek locked room thriller about a bookstagrammer who gets up close and personal with the dark side of social media when she's trapped on a luxury yacht by a hurricane. coming june 2, 2026

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

the algorithm loves to suppress a GR giveaway, but I’m letting you know about it anyway! You can get a physical copy of my upcoming horror TRAD WIFE from now until Dec. 21 on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

goodreads.com

Trad Wife

A ‘traditional wife’ influencer allows a demonic creatu…

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

i fully believe that writing your dedication and acknowledgments are about a thousand times harder than actually writing the damn book.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

so excited to reveal the cover of my thriller THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED, coming this June!! TLTWD is perfect for those who are looking for: 👯toxic friendships 🌊 locked room (or rather, locked yacht) 🛥 luxury turned terrifying 👻 a haunting?? ✍️ book within a book 📱 cutthroat social media 🌈 queer MC

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Cosmopolitan has revealed the cover (and the first chapter!) of my upcoming psychological thriller THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED and trust me, you want to see this one 🌊 😍 www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainmen...

cover reveal graphic for THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

i went from drafting something new to jumping into dev edits to slipping into revisions for *something* to diving headfirst into pass pages. there have been absolutely no breathers this season & it's because exciting things are coming in 2026. 👀

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

if IG says that i joined "meta AI" NO I TF DIDN'T. also how is that allowed? just blatantly lying about user profiles to try to lure people into joining this stupid thing no one asked for?

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

i literally did not give 2 shits about awards, lists, or prizes until i saw how much weight everyone *else* places on awards, lists, and prizes. and that's a great example of how social media can do writers a disservice. my dream CAME TRUE! i will celebrate that, regardless of external validation

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

celebrate the holiday season with a book about lots of murder where the MC pretends to be a female serial killer nicknamed Mistletoe. it will get you RIGHT into that holiday spirit. 🔪 🚨 SKSG is a kindle daily deal today ONLY 🚨

text from SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP kindle page: "ing with one long, smooth breath, Cyra realized she was unconsciously using the breathing techniques she learned a few years back to help with her panic at-tacks. "Mistletoe. How Christmasy."
"They steal water and nutrients from trees. You ever seen it in real life? It clumps on to branches and takes what it needs," Lamprey said. "Pretty, too."
Whipworm looked a bit put out, like the other man had stolen his thunder.
He slumped a little lower in his chair.
Mistletoe. Cyra knew what this was. The others received monikers that brought to mind images of aggression or darkness. Yet for her, they chose something most often associated with a holiday..."

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

two things that have constantly happened to me since becoming a published author: - my name being misspelled - being misgendered please y'all, this info is readily available. i understand mistakes, but if you're a journalist or reviewer or industry professional just take the extra 2 sec to check

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

the UK cover of my fucked up body horror about a tradwife influencer who has a demonic, hungry baby is SO COOL. and relevant. if you read the book, you'll see i have some *thoughts* about social media's relationship with the rise of tradwife culture. 👀

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

look if you're picking up a book called SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP and then tagging me to complain it's "unrealistic," i kinda feel like that's on you. the title makes it very clear what you're getting into lol.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

happy birthday to the UK edition of my debut novel, which comes out today! (with a badass new cover 😍) bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/book/serial-...

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

i often wonder if there's another industry that's as much of a mindfuck as publishing is. probably acting/modeling, since there's an added layer there of what you physically look like, but there is something SO intense about publishing that's hard to explain to those not actively in it.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

category is: Indigenous horror short story collections you need to read ASAP

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I LOVE WRITING BOOKS. that's it. that's the post.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

i had so much fun at Horror Reader Weekend! it's true what they say: the horror community is very welcoming and fun. also my poor TBR stack is officially overloaded, but that's how we like it.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

i know people like getting their PM deals on mugs but i live with a ceramic artist and we have 8,000 mugs, so i do pillows. my newest pillows have joined the collection. (now there are 4!!!!)

nonbinary author smiling and holding 2 Publisher Marketplace deal pillows for THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED and A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

as someone who has run a virtual book for 5 years, i get a special bump of serotonin every time i hear a book club has chosen to read my debut. 🥹

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

i got my first royalty statement as a published author and it's official: SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP earned out! if you bought my debut or recommended it or asked your library to stock it, thank you so much. i worked really, really hard over many years to get here, and i could not be more grateful

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

the first major company to proudly declare and PROVE themselves as anti-AI/pro-artist instead of flooding their services with genAI or AI-powered shit no one asked for is gonna get my money so hard.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

happy halloween to my angry first child (out now) and my very hungry second child (coming your way 2.10.26) i hope they both freak you out in different but equally messed up ways 🥰

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

DONE. 😮‍💨 i wrote 90,000 words in 35 days and i am TIRED. there's nothing quite like excising a story that won't leave you alone from your brain. and now i have a first draft, so the hard part is over! (ish)

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Reposted by Saratoga (they/them) 🔪

Maria Tureaud 🕯✒️🕯✒️ @mariatureaud.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

One last round of fun before we get to the final entry. Since it's that time of year, what spooky BOOKS are you reading/waiting to be released? My most anticipated release is Trad Wife by @saratogaishere.bsky.social #RevPit #10Queries

Horror book cover: Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer, The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee, Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond, This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud, She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran, The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

i love (read: hate) how we keep begging for things to have LESS genAI and companies are like "but what if we made it widespread instead!! and impossible to turn off! and really ugly!!" get this shit out of my face i am so serious.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

books i have coming out in 2026: 🌾 TRAD WIFE (2.10.26) - horror about a tradwife who has a demon baby 🌊 THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED (6.2.26) - thriller about a bookstagrammer who gets trapped on yacht by a hurricane 🥀 A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS (fall 26) - sapphic gothic horror retelling of Bluebeard

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

THERE ARE TOO MANY GOOD BOOKS TO READ EVERYONE SLOW DOWN THEIR OUTPUT SO I CAN READ THEM ALL (i realize this is ironic to say since i have three books coming out next year but do as i say not as i do)

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

don't forget this is happening! you can get yourself a physical copy of TRAD WIFE, which is a great way to celebrate the halloween spirit IMO. demonic babies! cannibalism! unlikable characters! isolated settings! tradwife fuckery! i hope you're hungry... www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

i'm drafting 👀something👀 and i went into it being like "no romance! these characters are platonic friends!" and now they are disobeying me and trying to kiss each other.

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

my contemporary gothic horror A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS is going to be published next fall! ATMF was written in 2024, but the idea—a sapphic retelling of “Bluebeard” that doubles as an homage to Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”—has been in my head since college & i can't wait to share it 💙

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

in the new episode of bob's burgers, bob is talking to a performer about how if he reaches just one person with his art, it's worth it. and the performer is like "well, ideally it's more than one person, that's so few" and that's EXACTLY how i feel about being an author. 😂

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

i'm not an audiobook person, but the audiobook for SKSG is FANTASTIC. both the narrators are clearly having a lot of fun with the characters & it low-key made me fall in love with this book all over again after having to read it with my eyeballs 600x in 6 months. www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/s...

Chirp limited time audiobook deal for SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP for 2.99

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Saratoga (they/them) 🔪 @saratogaishere.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

when your books are accused of "furthering the liberal agenda" because they *checks notes* feature flawed, morally gray women who struggle living in the prescribed boxes society has forced upon them. yes, thanks for noticing! 🥰

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