iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

So now that D2D is charging account maintenance fees, anyone know of other options for publishing ebooks widely? #writingcommunity #writesky

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Author C B Lansdell @cblansdell.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

For the rest of the month, you can find a selection of SPFBO XI entrants on itch. io. Buy the whole bundle or the individual ebooks...👇 itch.io/b/3592/spfbo... My own ebook (Far Removed) will also be discounted wide soon at $2.99 (give it a few hours). books2read.com/farremoved/

25 books for $25. SPFBO XI Itch Bundle Sale. March 14-31.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

#WIPSnips 6 - pursue Not as many choices for this as I would've expected. But here is the beginning of some plotting by Levitien's father. Not sharing more because of spoilers. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

Braux nodded and leaned forward on the edge of his chair. “It was as you expected. She left the castle not soon after you called for me. As I said, I pursued without incident. She went for the woods on the north side of the Daybreak. There she met with Rioja.”
Sifret chuckled. “I knew it. They work in tandem to further the Blades’ reach.”

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

#FantasyIndiesMarch 5. Risks in WIP It's still early in the book but the risks are mostly that the main characters are separated. They're not safe when alone and they know there are plenty who would want to eliminate them.

Fantasy Indies March hashtag prompt list. March 5. Risks in WIP

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

#FantasyIndiesMarch 4. Characters believe in luck or fate? Yup, some characters are very superstitious and believe in luck and curses and others believe their destiny is already set and still others believe it's all nonsense and are skeptical. Part of the story explores those beliefs.

Fantasy Indies March hashtag prompt list. March 4. Do your characters believe in luck or fate?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

#FantasyIndiesMarch 3. Lies or rumors in WIP There are a lot of liars in my WIP, telling too many lies to count. As for rumors, well it's been going around the village that one of the workers down by the port went missing, maybe killed. But no one there would be wicked enough to do that, right?

Fantasy Indies March hashtag prompt list. March 3. Lies or rumors in WIP

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

#FantasyIndiesMarch 2. Characters' guilty pleasures I don't know if it counts as a guilty pleasure, or just a regular pleasure, but Essa loves a cup of what they call radiant tea. It's a tea made with yellow petals that leaves a bright hue on mugs. Mildly sweet and highly caffeinated

Fantasy Indies March hashtag prompt list. March 2. Characters' guilty pleasures

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

#FantasyIndiesMarch 1 Introduce yourself & WIP with emojis Me: 🤡 My WIP: 🌀🏝️🌇😡🌲🌊⛵🗡️🩸

Fantasy Indies March hashtag prompt list. March 1. Introduce yourself & WIP with emojis

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 24. Secret identities in WIP. There aren't many secret identities in the WIP but there is one. I can't reveal it though because it's a huge spoiler.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 23. Secret identities in WIP

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 22. How does your MC handle romantic feelings? She'd probably just ignore them. She doesn't have time to deal with love and romance.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 22. How does your MC handle romantic feelings?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 20. Candies or chocolate? Chocolate, if I have to choose. But I'm happy with both.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 20. Free Friday or your preference: candies or chocolates?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 19. Is your MC self-aware? Yeah, for the most part she is self-aware. There are some blind spots especially with her impulsivity but I think she knows herself a lot better now than earlier on.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 19. Is your MC self-aware?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

#WIPSnips 19 - subtle A lot fewer choices for this than I expected. This is from the start of Affine's plan for destroying a particularly important building. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

A young woman—or at least a woman who looked young—ran up to one of the guards and said, “I saw who threw it!”
The guard looked her up and down. He lingered on her for a moment, a relaxed smile forming on his face, and said, “Threw what?”
“The brick.” She pointed towards a cloud of dust alongside the Beacon.
The guard shook his head confused.
“The brick that just hit the—Did you not hear the bang?”
“Oh that?” the guard said. “That was a brick? I thought…” He shook his head and looked up towards where she had pointed. There was a subtle mark in the once gleaming white paint.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 18. MC's favourite desserts They don't really have desserts in her world. They don't really have much food at all because of the drought. But she'd take some sweet fruits like figs or grapes if she could.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 18. MC's favourite dessert

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

#WIPSnips 18 - laser No laser in the story but I went with 'ray' for this one. Only one option, from a conversation between Levitien and his father about a new discovery. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

Sifret chuckled. “The Yellow Leaf holds innumerable records. I was lucky to find what I did. And that, was this.” Sifret reached through the papers on the table in front of him and, once he found what he was looking for, held it in front of Levitien’s face.
“What is this?” Levitien took the paper from his father’s hand and stared at it.
“It may as well be Sol’s ray,” Sifret said, leaning back in his chair.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 18. Book spice level preference I'd say pretty low. I will read a book with any amount of spice, but I don't really need any spicy parts. If it all happens off the page that is fine with me.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 17. Your preferred book spiciness level?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 16. Expectations There's not a lot, at least at the beginning of the story. They basically are just trying to survive and be around the people they love and that love them. It's what happens in the story that puts expectations of helping others and fighting evil on them.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 16. What expectations are put on your characters?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

#WIPSnips 16 - hurt From the end of Chapter 9 and the failure of Wissou's plans. It's tough out there during the drought. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

He crawled from the cottage and beside a nearby hut. He did not know if it was a safe place to rest, but he no longer cared. He was tired and ached. It had been a long day for a handful of kernels of barley. And that woman had thwarted him again.
He pounded the ground with his fist. It hurt. Everything hurt. He rested his head against the wall of the hut, closed his eyes, and let sleep slowly wash over him. Before it did, he swore he heard someone whisper, “Don’t worry, Wissou. You will have your chance. Just wait for the chaos to arrive.”

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 13. Free Friday or love song recs No good love song recommendations from me, but I'll use this free Friday to share that I have finally finished the second round of revisions on the sequel to Shadow of Elders. Hooray!

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 13. Free Friday or Love Song Recs

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

#WIPSnips 13 - serious Some more of our new characters. The backroom discussions our MC's advisors have as the city they rule slowly descends into chaos. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

“You can’t be serious.” Ouen pounded the table. “First the merchants and now you want to pull our defenses from the wall gates. Why not just invite the Noye back for a raid?” He pushed himself away from the table, stood up, and paced the short distance between his chair and the wall.
Kereldan sighed and shook his head. “It is what we must do. There are too many wasted watching a threat that has not appeared in years. They are gone, Ouen. If you wish to find them, ride Bas until you do. It will rid us of your disagreements.”
“Watch your tongue, old man.” Ouen swept his robe behind him to reveal the daggers hanging from his belt. “I stood beside Affine long before you did. You’re nothing but an opportunist.”
“Maybe I am. But I can still out draw you. If you wish to find out who has the faster blade, tempt me.”

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 12. Comfort reads I don't comfort reread books too often, I usually choose to read something new. But the Earthsea books and Douglas Adams' books are ones I'll go back to from time to time.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 12. What are your comfort reads?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

#WIPSnips 12 - defense Been a while, but I'm back with my draft of the sequel to Shadow of the Elders. This is a scene with one of the new characters in the book. Someone from Cavirac's past reappears. He's not quite sure if he's happy about that. #amwriting #fantasy #writesky #writingcommunity

While Vaten and the rest slumbered, a visitor entered the camp unseen by any of the guards tasked with watching for just such a person. Perhaps it was the olive-colored cloak she wore or the hood obscuring her face or maybe she knew the woods better than the Ac. Even with her limp the woman slipped past their defenses and crept into Cavirac’s hut.
When he did not awaken, she kicked his feet. He flinched and before his eyes opened, he reached for the blade next to him. Holding his knife, his eyes burst open, and he stared at the person in his hut. As he was about to call for help, the woman put one hand on his lips and with the other, removed her hood.
Cavirac’s face dropped. His mouth hung open. He didn’t move. “You,” he said the words into the woman’s hand. It was both a question and accusation.

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L. Cyrus Whelchel @lcyruswhelchel.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

It's here! For the next 4 days, ebooks of The Faumen War Chronicles Book 1 will be *FREE*! Don't miss this chance to snag the start of an epic romantasy adventure with: - Unique races - A MFF poly triad - Plenty of humor amid the action Link below👇 www.amazon.com/Oaths-Life-D...

Advert for ebook sale of Oaths of Life and Death by L. Cyrus Whelchel. Sale is from 2/11/2026 thru 2/14/2026 on Amazon.

Screenshot of Amazon page for Oaths of Life and Death, showing that the ebook price is $0.00 thru Valentine's Day.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 11. Heartbreak in WIP There's no romantic heartbreak in my WIP but there are some otherwise heartbreaking moments. Ajeau has to condemn one of her friends to a horrible fate. Affine loses her most trusted advisor in an awful way.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 11. Heartbreak in WIP

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Post a tree that you photographed 📸🌲

Green bush, tree with pink flowers growing in the middle of it. Tree in forest, growing at the top of the cliff. Forest in background

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 9. What would MC like to be known for? At the beginning of the story, she'd probably say she doesn't want to be known for anything. Now, she'd probably like to be known as the person who united her people and led them through the drought.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 9. What would your MC like to be known for?

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MrOmega @mr0mega.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

This week’s #MondayReads is Shadow of the Elders by @willelm.bsky.social . Read a bunch of snippets of it here on Bluesky, decided to buy it once I saw a physical version was out, and now I’m finally getting around to it. 💙📚 #BookSky #TBR #AmReading

The cover for Shadow of the Elders by Will Elm. It shows a massive black tree in the middle of a series of white diamonds with a Star in the center. It is casting out a light that shows 3 people in silhouette.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 5. Have you put any of your personality traits into your characters? Not entirely. Characters may have a piece of my personality or behave like I would, but they're not entirely like me. I'd find it really excruciating to write a character exactly like myself

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 5. Have you put any of your personality traits into your characters?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 3. Does your MC believe in soulmates? No, none of them do. The idea of soulmates isn't really a thing in their world. Their partnerships are more practical, though they do care very strongly for one another.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 3. Does your MC believe in soulmates?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 3. Romance in WIP. There's not much romance in my WIP. There was some between Vaten and Zejela from the first book but they are separated in my current WIP. Some things happen off the page as background for later.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 3. Romance in WIP

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

#FantasyIndiesFebruary 1 Introduce self and WIP Hi I'm Will and I'm writing an epic, dark fantasy series. This month I'm working on the sequel to Shadows of the Elders, hoping to have the second round of edits done early this month.

Fantasy Indies February hashtag prompt list. February 1. Introduce yourself and WIP

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Fantasy Indies @fantasyindies.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

💕 #FantasyIndiesFebruary 💕 All genres welcome! You can use the prompts for WIPs or published books. Feel free to ask the hosts questions! Love, Faeries at Fantasy Indies @lvrussell.bsky.social @chesneyinfalt.bsky.social

Fantasy Indies February prompts by @ChesneyInfalt & @LydiaVRussell

1. Introduce yourself & WIP
2. Romance in WIP
3. Does your MC believe in soulmates?
4. Flash Fiction featuring the word “bittersweet”
5. Have you put any of your personality traits into your characters?
6. Free Friday or Kiss, Marry, Unalive with your characters
7. Saturday Snippet
8. Favourite Tropes
9. What would your MC like to be known for?
10. WIP Love Interest
11. Heartbreak in WIP
12. What are your comfort reads?
13. Free Friday or Love Song Recs
14. Saturday Snippet
15. Romantic movie and book recs
16. What expectations are put on your characters?
17. Your preferred book spiciness level?
18. MC’s Favourite Dessert
19. Is your MC self-aware?
20. Free Friday or your preference: candies or chocolates?
21. Saturday Snippet
22. How does your MC handle romantic feelings?
23. Secret identities in WIP
24. WIP themes
25. Your preferred genres
26. Nosy character in WIP
27. Free Friday or WIP status (drafting, editing, etc.)
28. Monthly Wrap-up

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 30. WIP Subgenres It's mainly dark fantasy and epic fantasy, under the big genre of fantasy. There's a good amount of sword and sorcery and adventure and even a little bit of portal fantasy and horror in this one.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 30. Free Friday or WIP Subgenres

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 29. Favorite fictional characters. There's a lot. King Arthur, Aslan, Ged, Geralt of Rivia, Mary McFly, Tony Soprano, Zuko (and his Uncle Iroh), Sam Vimes, Jezal dan Luthar is a good start. Oh, and of course all the ones in my books.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 29. Favorite fictional characters

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 28 MC habits Levitien has a habit of doing exactly what his father tells him to do, no matter the consequences

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 28. MC Habits

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 27 WIP changes There is a change that's a big spoiler so I will leave that out. The other major change was to add an additional/new character to the book. I needed someone to have a perspective from inside the city, but none of my MCs were there. So I added one.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 27. How has your WIP changed since you first came up with it.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 26 Memories that your characters cherish Vaten cherishes the memory of the time he met his father. It's bittersweet but it's also the only one he's got. Ajeau cherishes the memories of the early days when she met Vaten and they worked on the estate together.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 26. Memories that your characters cherish

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 25 Animals in WIP There aren't many. There is a devastating drought that has been going on for many years and much of the wildlife has died off. There is a scene with a bear and some people have horses, but there isn't much beyond that.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 25. Animals in WIP

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Ellen Starsmore @ellenstarsmore.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

New beginnings ~ In Beyond the Humming Downs, a couple on the run find themselves starting again in a foreign city, where they make new alliances and find their worldviews challenged. The book has now been out for six months! 🥳 #FantasyIndiesJanuary — 23 #indiefantasy 📚🪐💙🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

six months in the wild ~ earth magic * forbidden * hopepunk
Main photo shows the paperback version of Beyond the Humming Downs by Ellen Starsmore propped against a mossy rock (taken near England's Buttermere). The inset shows the author holding her kindle with the cover of the book showing. She is wearing a lilac top and grinning.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 21 Inspiration Anywhere really. It can strike at any time, sometimes when I'm doing something, other times when I'm doing nothing. For the current story, I was inspired by the story of the Sea Peoples and the rise and fall of early civilizations. And the wood wide web.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 22. Where do you draw inspiration from?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 21 Vaten looks up to Aloc and Ajeau. Ajeau, who's his best friend, he admires for her bravery, even if he doesn't always agree with it. Aloc he looks up to for his poise, and his general good nature. Plus the guy is a giant, so he literally looks up to him 😆

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 21. Who does your MC look up to?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 20 Hobbies I play video games and read a lot. When the weather is nice enough, I go outside, walk, hike, ride my bike. I also play board games, though they're now more kid-friendly.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 20. Your hobbies

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 19. Characters' weaknesses Ajeau's weakness is her desire to belong somewhere even though she believes there is no place for her. Vaten's weakness is that he's gullible. Levitien's weakness is that he will do anything for his father's approval

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 19. Characters' weaknesses

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Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo 😈🧄👻 @sayaashrah.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Just in case you want to give publishers refusing queer stories the middle finger, here are two books led by lesbians in a queernormative world where a trans Aphrodite caused an apocalypse! Buy indie books! Support queer creators! 🔥 linktr.ee/NicoleHidalg... #WorldWithoutLove #Books #BookSky

Cover of This Is How Immortals Die by Nicole Hidalgo, made by David Leahey. It depicts the heavenly beautiful face of a woman (Aphrodite herself), a tear sliding down her only visible eyes, her hair flowing and blending in with the star-studded dark blue and purple cosmos behind her.

The author's name, Nicole Hidalgo, is on top, while the title, This Is How Immortals Die, sits at the bottom. Some letters are stylised as Greek letters.

Cover of Garden of Rotten Roses by Nicole Hidalgo, made by David Leahey. It depicts a woman (Aphrodite) dressed in broken Greek armour standing between a garden full of thorns and roses. The woman's hair is the colour of blood, and her face is half-turned towards the viewer, her one visible eye glowing red, her expression angry.

The title and author's name are at the bottom, with some letters stylised as Greek letters.

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 16 How do characters handle stress? Depends on the type of stress. In the best of times, they'd tell stories or play games to help them relax. Now, there's less camaraderie and less time to relax. Most of the time stress lingers until they lash out.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 16. Free Friday or How do your characters handle stress?

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 15. Last current and next reads Last: Enshittificaton by Cory Doctorow and Taliesin by Alexander Corby Current: Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie Next: Coward by @ayrtonmsilva.bsky.social

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 15. Last, current, and next reads

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V.C.Boldick 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 @boldickv.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

February! Arc sign-ups are coming in February. Will you be there? Will you join the Legion? For the next 48hrs, I will answer any questions made on this post in the comments. Bound releases April 27! #writingcommunity #BookSky📚💙 #arcreaderswanted

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Will Elm @willelm.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

#FantasyIndiesJanuary 14. What do you most wish to improve on this year? I'd love to improve my marketing. But let's be realistic. I'm going to be spending a chunk of this year revising, so I hope to get more efficient and effective at it. Last book took me years to revise.

Fantasy Indies January hashtag prompt list. January 14. What do you most wish to improve on this year?

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