iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Witcher 3 Remastered is out today. And for anyone who hasn’t played this absolute masterpiece before, I envy you getting to play the Bloody Baron quest for the first time.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I know I’m probably in a minority, but I’d like it if titles of books on Amazon didn’t include things like “with a jaw dropping twist” etc. I find them really cheesy and it makes me less likely to buy the book.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Reacher season 4 was great. Lovely ending too.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Going from editing brain to writing brain is weird. It’s like my brain needs a rolling start to get going.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Please don’t send me AI images of characters I’ve written. I’m literally a part of a legal challenge against AI companies who have been stealing my work (along with 1000s of other authors) to train their slop producing machines. There’s no part of Generative AI that I want to be involved with.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The anti-establishment party of Reform are fronted by a millionaire, staffed full of millionaire ex-Tories, and now bankrolled by billionaires. A lot of rich, powerful people breeding hate and division to make themselves richer and more powerful.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I try to remain mostly professional online, but the more billionaires try to mess around with our democracy, and the more people I see cheering it on, the more I feel the need to tell people that the world would be a better place if their dads had just pulled out.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Apparently men in the “manosphere” are going on a sex strike, which is both the funniest and saddest thing a bunch of virgins have ever done.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

T Kingfisher might be America’s best modern horror writer. Her work is constantly incredible.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I don’t need a Switch 2. I don’t need a Switch 2. I don’t need a Switch 2. I don’t need a Switch 2. Damn it, Nintendo.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Some weeks really make you earn a Friday night whisky. This week was one of them.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

My whole life I assumed that caffeine didn’t have a huge effect on me. Coffee never made me feel wired or alert, and I never had any issues sleeping after having caffeine. Turns out it’s another ADHD thing I wish I’d known about 30 years ago. Learning I have ADHD at 46 has been quite the weird year

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

It’s the local Pride today, and several local FB groups have covered it. Some of these groups have been inundated with hate-filled comments aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, proving why the world still needs Pride. On the plus side, I get to block a lot of local dickheads, so every cloud and all that.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

When I was writing Assembly book 5, I put in a chapter that was basically just chunks of exposition knowing I would have to change it all when it came to editing. Apparently now is that time, and it feels very unfair that I have to deal with the consequences of my own actions.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America? Seriously? He really is a petty little twat.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

New book launch day (sort of). Hellequin Chronicles Interludes collects 3 previously released novellas and 3 short stories into one book.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Coyote vs. Acme is magnificent. Go watch it immediately.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Nothing like having to get the fire brigade out because the mains electricity cable is smouldering. Caught just in time. Not the best morning ever.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

As an author who has been accused of using AI (apparently I write too fast to be done by a human), my response is to just ignore anyone suggesting it, as they’re clearly a moron. I’ve never used AI for any part of my writing and never will. Seems reasonable to me.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

A big thank you to all the kind words people said about my 1st book, Crimes Against Magic. While after 15 years, I can look at it and see things I would do differently, I’m still incredibly proud of that book and what I’ve accomplished since. Onwards to published book 36.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I occasionally see modern reviews of Crimes Against Magic (my 1st book), and they describe it as being male gaze. And yeah it is. I wrote it 17 years ago, and it was published 14 years ago. It was written to be a magical James Bond, and while I don’t think it’s my best work, I’m still proud of it.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was absolutely brilliant. I’ve enjoyed all of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, and BND is probably the best. I think Sadie Sink is going to be a huge star too.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

9000 words written today. Wrote a few chapters that went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, but I think it kind of worked out. We shall see.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The best thing about publicly stating my disdain for generative AI, is all of these tech bros come out of the woodwork to tell me how stupid I am. And I get to block them all. It’s fucking glorious.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

All 5 of the urban fantasy series, Riftborn. “A master story teller.”

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I think O Brother Where Art Thou is still the best retelling of The Odyssey I’ve ever seen.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Saw The Odyssey. A beautiful film, with incredible acting, and some genuine award nomination level performances. The film flew by, and I did enjoy it, but I’m not sure I ever want to watch it again.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Got to say, writing an epic fantasy book really is as much fun as I always assumed it would be.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

“Normal” starring Bob Odenkirk. 90 minutes of silly, over the top violence, which never outstays its welcome and is genuinely funny. Helps that Bob is an excellent actor who holds everything together, but it’s a really fun watch.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

As a writer there are some days when I spend hours working on prose or trying to convey the emotion of characters. And there are some days when I spend hours coming up with cat pun names. Today was the second of those options.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The new Masters of the Universe film is great. Just a really fun film that manages to capture the camp/silliness of the cartoon while still doing its own thing. Really good casting (Alison Brie in particular) and a lot of Fisto jokes, which I always appreciate.

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Reposted by Steve McHugh

Justin Lee Anderson @justinleeanderson.com · 14/07/2026

Orbital Drop by @stevemchugh.bsky.social is just one of the great indie books available to reviewers on bookmatch.co.uk. Want to check out out our full library? Sign up for free today.

The cover of Orbital Drop by Steve J. McHugh over the text: Check out this Indie Sci-Fi book available for review on BookMatch.co.uk.

Text reads: As a member of the Wardens, Celine Moro is tasked with protecting the Union Empire from those who seek to harm it.

The civil war that engulfed the empire has been over for decades, but when she’s asked to infiltrate and capture a criminal who was once an enemy to the Union, she soon finds herself dragging up old memories of those she’d lost during the war.

As the mission continues, Celine has to decide if she wants vengeance for those who have long since been dead, or justice for those still alive.

Text reads: Genre: Space Opera

Age: Adult

Length: 61,500 words (approx 205 pages)

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

The urge to say “He’s not going to sell much ice cream going at that speed, is he?” every time I hear a siren is very real.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

No comment about anyone in particular, but some people make the world a better place simply by no longer being a part of it.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

As Clacton is just Farage Vs Count Binface, I’m really looking forward to the BBC having to give equal time to the Count. I think this stunt might backfire spectacularly on Farage.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

England put in a great performance, especially after going down to 10. An excellent result against a tough Mexican side. On to Norway, which should be a good game.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Widow’s Bay is phenomenal and Patricia is just the absolute best.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I don’t care if someone is traditionally published or indie published, as to whether I’ll try a book. I care that it sounds interesting to me, and that no AI was used in its creation.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The Assembly Book 5: When the Devil comes Calling is now done. Or at least this draft, I await the red pen of my editor. But until then, I think it’s time for a weekend off.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I’m not saying this weather has made me cranky, but I did just write a scene where someone gets brutally murdered, and it made me feel a bit better.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

A question I get asked a lot is how do I come up with so many ideas for books. And the honest answer is, I don’t know. I can’t explain how I do it, I just do.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

South Korean cinema are the masters of the dark, violent thriller, and The Old Woman With The Knife definitely fits that description. I don’t want to spoil the twists in the story, but it’s well worth watching. Lee Hye-young and Kim Sung-cheol are brilliant.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

About to start writing a new book and my brain, being helpful, decides it needs a prologue. I do love a good prologue.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

If you ever need to write a big action scene and you want music to listen to that helps set the mood. DOOM and DOOM: the Dark Ages work perfectly.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

The story on the news of the Scottish in Boston practically drinking the city dry and leaving only bud light, is a story that has warmed my heart.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

There’s a trend of men posting “if your girlfriend has male friends she’s cheating on you”, or “if she goes out with her girlfriends, she’s cheating on you”. It’s insidious, grifting nonsense. If you don't trust your partner, be single. Don't do this weird, incel loser behaviour.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I think the UK government would be better served to force social media platforms to monitor and regulate their content, rather than banning under 16s from using it (which simply won’t work).

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

The Last Stand of Ellen Cole. A film about what happens when a land developer and his army of goons try to evict an 80 year old woman who has no issue with killing people. It’s very silly, but also a lot of fun. Lin Shaye is great.

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Steve McHugh @stevemchugh.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

We have a sofa with electric recliners and my wife hums the Robocop theme every time I use one. And it’s funny every. Single. Time.

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