iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

I am once again posting my prequel (which at this point is less a prequel than it is book one) onto royal road this time with edits! I have the first chapter up and will leave that up to the masses to check out (like a teaser 😉) and will eventually begin weekly uploads once i have enough rewritten!

010

Reposted by Steph “SM” Giova

ashe @asheyf.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

|| A Lion in a Flower Field || hi all! back again to post a recent commission i did for @smgiova.bsky.social of the cover for her prequel book!! very exciting things. check it out! royalroad.com/fiction/1493... #digitalart #commission #commissionsopen #digitalartist #artistsonbluesky

011

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

*taps microphone* is this thing on

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Not necessarily “broad” but “vague” (another favorite of mine) is one that i use far more often enjoy some more sibling banter bc i love them #WIPSnips #Writing #AmWriting #YA

WIP Snips: Broad (Vague)

“I meant…Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“This.” Magic gestured vaguely towards the hole in her face which pounded and throbbed like hell in her head. The wound that Mira knew her father would either question or silently bring her to the clinic to get it tended to.

Mira was about to force a response—that she did this all the time and that this was hardly any different from any other fight—when Magic blurted the words before she could. “Why are you so quick to defend me when you won’t even do that for yourself?”

0151

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

additionally i’ve also learned that ellipsus is a very cool program for writing and it’s what i use now more often than not

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

things i’ve learned since locking in to write 1. bookcon will be making an appearance at comic con this year 2. bookcon themselves are hosting an indie author alley 3. guess who will be going to find the booth to ask questions about said artist alley

010

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

i need to get back into posting on here

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

also hi everyone i saw the new httyd recently and loved every second of it and in doing so also realized that i found myself a reference for my wonderfully sad boy that i occasionally post about here but in case you don’t remember here he is sassing his sister

Text from WIP

“Heavens,” she muttered, “what crawled up your shirt and died this morning?”
“My patience,” he sighed.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not like I can hold my breath that long from your house to the building. I’d pass out if I did that.”
Magic only shrugged. He turned his attention to the dried out bread roll in his hands and dribbled it between his palms. “That sounds like a personal problem.”
“I’m not just going to stop breathing, Magic,” Mira huffed. “Unless you want me to put a buffer between my face and the microphone.”
“That’s what I do—at least, in the wintertime. I like using a scarf instead of pulling my jacket over my face.”
“It’s not cold enough for that, though. Don’t those things turn off?”
“They do. But contrary to popular belief, I do like speaking to you.”
Mira laughed, followed shortly by an eye roll. “It’d be nice if you acted like it every now and again. Sometimes I think you enjoy speaking to Mister Oreson’s bird more than me.”
A rare smile twitched on her brother’s lips. His hair wavered in the slight breeze as he shook his head with a low chuckle. “Treble doesn’t sass me everyday or insist that I climb old buildings in my spare time.”

120

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

i need barnes and noble to start shipping my copy of bury our bones in the midnight soil PRONTO so that i can HAVE IT NEXT TO THE ARC

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

i adore writing the dynamic between mira and her mother figure (amelia) it’s just something very wholesome which doesn’t happen a lot in my writing i feel lmao #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WriteSky #BookSky💙📚

WIPSnips: Warn(ing)

“Yeah.” She could hear the woman’s eye roll. “Your father has a bad habit of doing the opposite of what you ask of him. Almost reminds me of someone else I know.”
Mira grinned. “I couldn’t imagine who that could be.”
“Watch yourself, Mirabellis.” It was phrased like a warning but had all the seriousness of a well-timed joke. “Sometimes it’s good to listen before you act.”
“I know. Dad tells me the same thing sometimes.”

0131

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

new ninth house snippet the world is healing

100

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

I’ve always liked this interaction 🤭 Here’s some sass from my favorite western yeehaw man at a merchant transaction in the market #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WriteSky #Booksky

WIP Snip: Honey

“Have anything good for me today?” he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

The merchant looked him up and down before slinking forward to rest her elbows on the table, back arched as leaned into her arms. “That depends,” she said, tone smooth and honeyed. “What do you have to offer me?”

“Just the usual. Bolts, screws, and everything in between.”

“Ah, yes. Worthless garbage.”

Vallian rolled his eyes. “Don’t give me that, Evira. You know I always come bearing well thought out gifts for your specific talents.”

081

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

i see my murder horse has intrigued some people

000

Reposted by Steph “SM” Giova

Nat Lawless 🌈🦄 @nat-lawless.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Not sure where this will go in the end as I cut it from its original spot, but I do like it! 🌈📚💙 🪐📚 🌈🚀💫 🌈✒️ #booksky #fantasy #queeradultSFF #authorsky #wip #amwriting #queerwriters #WiPSnips

As Elyan unlatched a window and rested his forearms on the sill, the chaos in his head began to dissolve into soft sand slipping through fingers.

He hadn’t lied when he’d told Rathaliel it helped him sleep.

Cool night air lifted the hair from his face like the sand of his thoughts, only lighter of course, because sand was a lot heavier than water. Or air. It was air on his face, he was pretty sure, though it was cold like water.

0203

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

*maniacal laughter* here’s some dialogue from my, affectionately called, murder horse, the harbinger of ruin and chaos he’s a menace, and i love him #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WIP #WriteSky #BookSky

WIP Snip: Chaos

“And yet,” snarled the beast, “I have been shunned for centuries; them praised and glorified. What is prosperity without hardship? Chaos without order? It is in my nature—my existence—to do such things. Still, it is them who have been sided with.”

“There have been some who have tried to bring the dragons to ruin,” said the man. “Though some have had more success than others.”

“You speak foolishly. I am their ruin!”

“Ruin cannot exist without the power to enact it.”

0132

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

My two idiots…i love them so much if you can’t tell, writing siblings is probably one of my favorite dynamics #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WIP #Writesky

WIPSnips: Hello

Mira laughed before she could stop herself. “Most people answer the door with a ‘Hi, how are you?’ instead of being rude about it,” she said, rising on her toes with her hands clasped behind her back, “so I’m going to pretend you asked that instead.” Magic rolled his eyes. She ignored it and continued, straightening her posture. “I’m okay. Bored. A little antsy. Needed a walk.”

0112

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

what if i shared art of some of my myths 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

not my usual creative content but let it be know THIS is my favorite pokemon i have so many raichus watching my bookshelves and guarding them well

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

new month, a completely new tracker for my habits to tell on me by the end of it

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

here’s a more positive one though two siblings chatting on a rooftop bc neither of them can sleep at night chaos ensues and plot unravels as a result of this conversation #WIPSnips #AmWriting #BookSky #WriterSky

WIP Snips: Talk

“What if I told you that tonight’s different? That there is no other motive aside from just wanting to sit outside and look at the stars?”

“Then I would tell you that I’ll believe that when rocks turn to gold.”

A smirk twitched on Mira’s face. “Smart.” Footsteps slowly approached and she patted the spot beside her. Magic plopped down to her right, gently putting one leg out on the metal, the other tucked in towards his chest. “You’d be right, though. There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

0111

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

going backwards to catch up but here’s a bit of a small, sad one but if it’s any consolation, mira and her father not only have a much better relationship but have probate or of my favorite relationships in this particular world #WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writersky #booksky

WIP Snips: Decor

Mira lost track of how many times customers came in asking Benji about his progress towards sobriety as though it were ordinary small talk. Sometimes it was out of courtesy. Other times, genuine concern. She never understood how they were able to do it—not even she could breach that conversation on a normal day. The only time she ever found herself able to was if there was cause for concern.

But she never forgot how many people skirted around the topic while her father was actively drinking. How many people eyed the open bottle of daylane on the counter as though it were just another piece of decor for the bakery.

How many people neglected to ask her how she was doing when she spent most of her nights sitting in the doorway with a walkie clutched in her hands or asleep beside her father to keep an eye on his breathing and make sure he woke up alive the next day.

Herschel’s insult went two ways. It made a mockery of Benji’s history and reinforced the idea that, true or not, her father’s addiction had always felt like her fault.

061

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Coming back to this with a loophole answer #WIPSnips Because I have the pleasure of having one of my main characters named Magic, so this word pops up EVERYWHERE #writesky #booksky #amwriting

WIPSnips: Magic

“What do you know,” she said, “about the tales of divine legends? The ones of Ori and the like?”

Mira scoffed. “Don’t look at me. The person with that knowledge is sitting on the other side of this couch.”

Magic glared at her, but didn’t say a word.

092

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

In case anyone wanted to know or needed to know, I read Sunrise on the Reaping about a month ago and i need the masses to understand that i still haven’t recovered from any of it

100

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

this is how re announce my arrival after 2 months of not being here, hi writing friends how are you

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

i gotta come back here again and start shitposting my story

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

i love newsletter day because it’s such a validating thing even if i feel immensely called out by it

110

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I don’t have “appall” but I have the next best thing: disgust Here’s some small town drama because small towns be like that sometimes #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting

WIP Snip: Appall

It should not have bugged her that the town was more concerned about her family’s personal business than they were the wellbeing of two of their own. Mira expected it, even. As far as she was concerned, that was all this town knew how to do: gossip.

And yet, it disgusted her that strangers, who didn’t know the first thing about her family or the Coopers, were persistent in getting her widowed father to propose to Magic’s recently widowed mother.

First, it made no sense. Benji and Amelia were friends. Had always been since they were kids—along with her mother and Magic’s father.

Second, who in their right mind would pressure a widow into marriage?

082

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

the owl crate art for shades of magic…. if anyone needs me i’ll be sobbing

010

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

one of my friends invited me to a book club one of his friends was starting and i’m very excited about this

100

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

if anyone sees me on here typing yell at me to go write my book

111

Reposted by Steph “SM” Giova

emily4774.bsky.social @emily4774.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

No hate to those who read in digital format but now might be a good time to start buying physical books Here’s a list of banned books to start your library: -The Handmaids Tale -1984 -The Bluest Eye -Diary of a Young Girl -The Giver -Fahrenheit 451 -Maus -The Grapes of Wrath #booksky #tiktokban

1155

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

gonna need to compile a list of banned books to read bc i would like to put more of them in my TBR #BookSky 📚💙

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

maybe tonight i’ll get back into just no braining this book i need to make progress somehow

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

i’m about seven chapters into Somewhere Beyond the Sea… Arthur Parnassus they could never make me hate you

010

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

all roads lead back to the hunger games or warrior cats i don’t make the rules i just simply enforce them

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

if we want to talk about transformative texts on a personal level, this series has wormed its way into everything i’ve ever done it was the first major thing i attached myself to as a kid and it will continue as an adult

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

as a writer who was constantly influenced by the hunger games trilogy, I know that sunrise on the reaping is going to absolutely destroy me emotionally

111

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

yknow…i’m also considering i’ve been using the instagram also tied to my own writing stuff for almost exclusively writing stuff… you think it’s worth it to also post my reading endeavors on that account too 🤔 (currently taking other thoughts and opinions)

100

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

starting Somewhere Beyond the Sea during my lunch break today because i’m a little obsessed #BookSky📚💙

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

in the interest of some more val content because i adore him, here’s some more conlang for you all on this fine monday morning #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting

WIP Snips: Broke(n)

“Seeing as you’ve chosen to be here,” Val went on, “they clearly don’t mean that much to you if you’re begging at my feet to have the Vessel meet with you.”

The other man rolled his eyes. “As if we would ever beg someone like you, shaizata.”

Val felt his lips curl. Shaizata. A word in Celetaz that, in its purest form, just meant broken or shattered.

But the tone the man used made it derogatory, shifting its meaning anywhere from mistake to mutant.

051

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

did anyone want some kind of horror to start their afternoon? perfect, here you go #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WriteSky

WIP Snips: Game

We should play a game, you and I, purred the ghost. You would do well to join us against those you despise. They left you, after all, just as they left me.

Stay here, it went on, and we can rid this world of them together.

“No,” Mira whispered.

You would choose those who abandoned you over one who wishes to right their wrongs?

How petulant.

“No,” Mira said again, a little louder, and this time it wasn’t the voice that responded to her.

052

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

a small wholesome exchange between mother and son one of my favorite little exchanges with magic and his mother, amelia 🥲 #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

WIP Snip: “wish”

The only non-capital thing about the item was the gold flame marked by three, half-moons stacked atop each other, decreasing in size embroidered at the left breast. A job that had been done by his mother the night before he left.

A phoenix blessing, she’d said with a wistful smile that morning, right before she tipped up his chin with a touch so light it left his senses alone. For good luck, of course.

Of course, he’d replied, knowing that it was less a wish for safe travels and more a prayer for him to come home.

061

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

all roads inevitably lead back to warrior cats i’m sorry i don’t make the rules

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

oh do i have some for this but here’s some antagonist action for you guys introducing the murder kelpie that can possess people #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #AmWriting

#WIPSnip - “sky”

It was then that Magic saw it. A flicker of color in her pale eye, a sliver of motion, there and gone before he could process.

And while he couldn’t see the demon attaching itself to his sister, Magic was certain. This was the fabled Beast of the Maidenwoods.

What in Ori’s speckled sky, he thought as the creature made another noise akin to a wicked, monstrous purr. Mira’s chin tipped up and had it not been for that small movement, Magic would have missed it.

A purple tendril swimming through the pale sea of her iris.

092

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

finally got to the LORE EXPOSITION PORTION OF THIS FORSAKEN NOVEL MY GOODNESS

000

Steph “SM” Giova @smgiova.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

i need the friends over on #BookSky💙📚 to know that i’m a little over halfway done with The House on the Cereulean Sea and i’m literally so 🥺 it’s such a wholesome book i’m in love

100

Reposted by Steph “SM” Giova

Ash Shale ✨ @ashshale.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

just a quick little wip of the story i've been brewing just a book about witches, things in the woods, forbidden romance and all that jazz #writesky #writingcommunity #amwriting

063