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T. Rutherford

@trutherford.bsky.social
633 followers 872 following 333 posts

Academic by day, fiction writer by night (and on the weekends, and lunch, and in any spare moment). She/Her

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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Wrote and illustrated a picture book, Tales of Bunny and Bunsanne, around six or seven 🐰 Didn't write another book until 47! (then wrote five in 18 months)
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Potentially stupid question: Can an AMA include "what do you think of this page I wrote?" or is it only questions that don't involve personalized feedback? Thanks!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Finished novel number five! Like the others, I stuck to a consistent writing schedule of at least 800 words a day with no days off. I'm ready for the break that it is editing and spending more time on my beta partners' work too!
A graph of words per day, adding around 800 per day, every day, up to 84K or so
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Thanks! I celebrate by finishing a book 😉 On target for this one to be done before June.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I've very much enjoyed our #CRPSirens #CampRevPit experience, due in large part to the leadership from @nadineflintbooks.bsky.social! I kept up w/800 words/day goal in WIP and didn't let querying other books get me down. So glad to have made some new connections and learn about all your cool books!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Very good! doctor synchro changes goals and finds right target for future 😊
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
My emoji pitch for my #CampRevPit novel: 🤽‍♂️➡️(🏊‍♂️🧜‍♂️) + (🏊‍♀️🧜‍♀️🩺)=💞🏆- 🩺+🎯🔮 haha, make sense of that #CRPSirens 😉
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
love a crafty guy! ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Realizing I don't have a ton on my Id List. I love lots of tropes, depending on execution, but don't have consistent favorites. Two things I do especially like: Settings, jobs, and hobbies that read as *authentic* Genuinely nice people #CampRevPit #CRPSirens
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I'm going to guess 3 is the lie?
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Great #CampRevPit question. Things keeping my leads apart: 🩺MC1 doesn't want a relationship until she is through med school 🔮MC2 can't think into the future without having a panic attack ⚡They are both terrible at reading signals 🤽‍♂️vs 🏊‍♂️After they get together, MC2 might betray the team #CRPSirens
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
MC from my #CampRevPit novel would have a ponytail holder, a nose clip, and probably a hand-written reminder about an OChem test. The LI would likely have something silly his sister slipped in his pocket and a flyer for an interesting history or psychology documentary on campus. #CRPSirens
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Film you’ve watched more than 6 times with a gif “Hard mode:“ No Star Trek, Star Wars, LotR, Disney or Ghibli
media.tenor.com
two women are talking to each other and one of them says shock me shock me shock me with that deviant behavior .
Alt: two women are talking to each other and one of them says shock me shock me shock me with that deviant behavior. From Empire Records.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
I know exactly the kind of cough medicine taste she's referencing!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
such sweet nostalgia!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
This is adorable. Excellent romcom vibes.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
I already shared my first sight snippet from my #CampRevPit novel, but here's one from the LI's POV for their first actual meeting, when the water-polo player LI has to join the synchronized swimming team to keep his scholarship. #CRPSirens
There were a few sympathetic murmurs among the swimmers, but also a few scoffs. A woman next to the first removed her goggles and squinted up at him. “Isn’t that a little unfair? They won’t make us varsity, so we don’t get scholarships, but we have to have a new swimmer who gets a scholarship?”
Recognition hit him like a brick when he took in the glare of her denim blue eyes. This was the woman from Mr. Lehrer’s office. He stammered his answer. “Yeah, that does sound unfair, sorry.”
If she recognized him, it didn’t show. She pressed her lips together and took him in, clearly unimpressed. He’d have his work cut out for him to make this group accept him as any kind of teammate. He wasn’t even sure if he could do . . . whatever it was they did, but at this point, he had no choice but to try.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
"youth and immediacy"--love that phrase!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Thank you!!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Love this question! My #CampRevPit novel MC isn't reflective enough about her own needs and desires--instead, she's just following what she thinks her grandfather wanted her to do (be a doctor). But she hates blood, and instead, loves to build things and solve puzzles. #CRPSirens
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
My #CAMPRevPit #CRPSirens novel is GETTING IN SYNCH and it is made up of: ❤️‍🔥Slow burn 🤽‍♂️🏊‍♂️A fish out of water (in water) 🎓College campus setting ⛈️Tragic past 🎯Misplaced ambition 🙋‍♀️Meddling best friend 🤝Teamwork 🍨Healthy dose of ice cream for all important talks
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Love your descriptions here!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Love a reference to a trope while in a trope! Nicely done here ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I can already sense the hijinks that will ensue 😅 And you actually got Bingo! There should be a prize ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
There are at least two of us in #CRPSirens!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I adore the voice here! ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Here's my bingo card and snippet: The first MC/LI interaction (kind of setting up "forced proximity" and "troubled but cute") from my cozy college sports romance GETTING IN SYNCH Excited to read more from our #CRPSirens and #CRPBeemine #CampRevPit mixer
Bingo card with x's on: forced proximity, slow burn, title is a pun, troubled but cute, friends to lovers, partners in crimeLeaving the door open as he entered, Coach Ramos called back toward the waiting room, his voice the sweet, sad beckon for a lost puppy. “Young, get in here.”
Maggie paused near reception as a tall boy unfolded his legs from where he sat on the floor in what looked like a meditative yoga pose. Despite what she assumed was his name—Young—she really shouldn’t have called him a boy, even if only in her mind. He towered over her as he passed, his shoulders broad enough he’d have to angle his body to fit through Lehrer’s office door. 
She stopped herself from turning back to see, the sudden swoop in her stomach reminding her of the occasional teenage crushes she’d experienced back home. He looked so much like the surfers she used to watch while perched on the fence at La Jolla. All sandy hair flopping across his darker brows. Selectively painted by the sun in a way that seemed designed to make her insides tumble.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Only the main one. And I find I've used it less and less with each book. I mainly use it to trigger ideas of my own. My daughter just got me The Describer's Dictionary, but it's a physical book, so I haven't yet worked it into my normal process.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
The villain in my #CampRevPit book is probably the university athletic director. He'd say my story is about a bunch of whiny students who take, take, take without realizing how much all this costs. #CRPSirens
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
No matter what I'm writing, one of my main resources is discord writing sprints. I know it's not a book like others might be sharing, but this is my number one tool to get any #CRPSirens, #CampRevPit, or other writing done. Having the timer and support of fellow writers is critical.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I was going to recommend The Emotion Thesaurus too!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
For Monaghan, I really liked It's a Love Story and Nora Goes Off Script. For Jimenez, I liked Just for the Summer a lot. For Henry, I'm not sure I have a particular favorite. All are solid.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I love light and fluffy, so for my additions to the #CRPSirens TBR are contemporary romances: I'll happily read anything by Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, or Annabel Monaghan.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I realize the graph makes it look like there are days missing, but during the book chunks, there are no days missing
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Yes! congrats on the duo streak!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I never take a day off. I've gotten into my hotel room at midnight after a full conference day and got it done. I'm unhappy about it 5% of the time, but I'm always happy to have done it. Relatedly, I have a 1,246 day Duolingo streak with no stops and starts. Kinda all or nothing; for good or ill.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
For my #CampRevPit WIP, I'm at the stage in Jenga where the tower is almost built, but soon I'll have to be taking pieces from below to add to it. 😬
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I totally get the struggle of writing for work AND writing for fun. Like I only have so many writing coins to spend in a day. You've done it though!!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Yay for the intense personality club!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Wow! A handwritten first draft! My hand would perish. Love the specifics of the purple pen ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Hi #CRPSirens! I've only been writing 16 months and those that know me know I am pretty rigid in my writing habits (min 800 words/day if I'm not editing--see chart). I rely heavily on discord sprints, iced herbal tea, and dark chocolate almonds. No music (except when editing).
A chart of words per day for a little over a year, showing about 800 words per day for four books, with small breaks between.
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Yay! As an academic, I love PhD settings ❤️
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
It was a good cry!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
It made me cry!!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Love that! I'm also writing a stranger-to-friends-to-lovers in a sports setting with college aged MCs. Looking forward to hearing more about yours!
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Thanks! I swam synchro from ages 6-11 and 18-19 and then volunteer coached collegiate synchro when I was in law school. Saw someone looking for a take on The Cutting Edge and thought synchro/water polo would be perfect for that 🏊‍♀️🤽‍♂️💗
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Hi #CRPSirens! This is my 2nd CRP. I write about women with multiple (often conflicting) identities, speculative & non. My WIP is a college sports romance. It's a cozier version of The Cutting Edge, but in synchronized swimming. For CRP, I hope to read some cool work and give & get support. ❤️
A moodboard with pictures for WIP "Getting in Synch" (temp title). With images of water, synchronized swimming, water polo, kid swimming lessons, a bandaid knee, a couple kissing in the water, a college building, and a document that says "Plan"
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Checking in. 🚨
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
media.tenor.com
a penguin is looking through a telescope with the word pengu on the bottom right
Alt: a penguin is looking through a telescope with the word pengu on the bottom right
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T. Rutherford @trutherford.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I always like to hear from agents about the reasons they reject things that have nothing to do with the quality of the idea and/or the writing 😊
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