iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Basile's 1634 tale ends with seven women throwing a girl into a cesspit and the story hurrying on to a wedding. It looks away at the exact moment it should stare. So I gave her the seating plan. First in a series on how I wrote every story in my collection, Unhappy Endings. sl1nk.com/e87mmag

ashley-mangtani.medium.com

Seven Chairs for Seven Sins: How I Wrote Dinner with the Myrtle

In 1634, Giambattista Basile published the Pentamerone, the book the Grimms would later strip-mine for parts. Inside it sits a tale called…

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Escaped from the clutches of X. Now I’m back 🥹

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

@stanchion.bsky.social I wrote an essay about the decline of the literary scene, the closure of magazines, and why independent journals matter more than ever. Thank you for everything you’ve built. medium.com/p/why-im-wri... #LiteraryMagazines #WritingCommunity

medium.com

Why I’m Writing a Book Called Unhappy Endings

On a good week, I read forty strangers’ stories before I write a sentence of my own. I read longform fiction for Ploughshares and slush for…

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Lots happening lately. I’m gearing up to finish my short story collection, Unhappy Endings, and I've got another 5 or so published pieces I can’t wait to share. Also just wrapped a proof of concept essay and sent it out to the big magazines. Will share more soon 📖 #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Sometimes I want to give up 🤦‍♀️

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Oh and starting reading longform fiction for Ploughshares 📖

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Haven’t posted in a minute. Update: more rejections rolling in, 157 active submissions on Submittable across 11 stories, a Bridport Prize entry, shortlisted for the Write Mentor Award and Fahmidan 26, 3 more stories published 🤞 Also working on my debut short story collection. #WritingCommunity

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

The 2026 scorecard so far: 17 short stories written. 9 published. 5 forthcoming. 3 currently in the submission trenches. Back to the keyboard. ☕️ #WritingCommunity #AmWritingFiction #ShortStoryWriter #Submittable #WritersOfBluesky

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Guys, I’ve made the shortlist for the @write-mentor.bsky.social First Novel Award 2026 out of 1300 entries and I can’t contain my excitement! Stand by for Redeployment was a love affair from the first word. Fingers crossed for the win. 🤞 SHORTLIST⬇️ tinyurl.com/mz65w9mu #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Thrilled for my upcoming stories in Flash Fiction Magazine, Empyrean, The McNeese Review, Boudin, Mobius, GossamerWight, The Thieving Magpie, NFNF, and Ultramarine Literary Review! Massive thank you to the editors, and for keeping me sane. Onto the next one! 🖋️ #WritingCommunity #LitMag #SpecFic

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Thanks. I hope that’s a compliment 🫶

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

"Six million pounds of fuel beneath this small arrangement of bones." My piece "T–00:00:43" is out in Quasar Review! Huge thanks to the editors. Read here: online.fliphtml5.com/vaxyt/dhoo/#... What are your favorite tense sci-fi reads? 👇 #SciFi #FlashFiction #SpecFic #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

online.fliphtml5.com

Tenth Edition - The Quasar Review's One-Year-Anniversary

The Quasar Review's One-Year-Anniversary Edition.

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Something special is brewing with @quasarreview, tracing the echoes of the 1993 Titan IV rocket disaster. 🚀🌌 It brings back memories of cold launch days and the silence that changed everything. The countdown is on. Stay posted! #SpaceExploration #History #SpaceDisaster #WritingCommunity #MustRead

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Reposted by Ashley Mangtani

Literary Garage @literarygarage.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Mr. White is running late. Late for his father's funeralhis family…his life until a shortcut through the backyard opens into something far stranger. A journey through memory, regret & the cost of always putting tomorrow ahead of today from @writerash.bsky.social literarygarage.com/down-the-rab...

literarygarage.com

Down The Rabbit Hole | Literary Garage

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Huge thank you to the team @literarygarage.bsky.social for publishing “Down the Rabbit Hole” out today! 🐰🕰️ “You whittled yourself down to a timetable and called it a life. And now you are exactly on time.” When do you finally stop running? #ShortStory #LiteraryHorror #MustRead

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Hi Stephen. I wrote a story called Paper Winter, set during a fictional remake of The Shining. It’s about the actress playing Wendy, and what happens when the role, the production, and the audience’s expectations begin consuming her.

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

"He sat in the doorway and watched the rain come down on the laterite step, and his hands stayed open in his lap." Finally nailed the ending. Knowing when to stop tinkering and call a piece "finished" is half the battle. How do you know when your draft is fully baked?

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Just finished the hardest story I’ve ever written. "The Eastern Feeder" captures one catastrophic day during the fall of the Khmer Empire. I stripped the prose down to the absolute bone for this one. Time to send it out and see what happens. 🌊✍️ #WritingCommunity #LitFic #AmWriting

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Building my debut short story collection titled “Unhappy Endings”, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written. Living in the utter tragedy of my characters lives is becoming overwhelmingly dark. But we need stories so I keep going. #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Booksky

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

If you could place work in one literary journal, which would it be. You can only pick one and if you’re willing to share, I’d like to know why and whether you’ve submitted to them before and if so how many times. I’m a nosy nosy Parker! #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #ShortStories

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Spent a long time writing stories nobody saw. Very strange feeling watching them finally start finding homes.

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Manifesting the “wait, why are they suddenly everywhere?” phase of a writing career.

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Trying to treat short fiction like a body of work instead of isolated publications now. Writing faster, submitting smarter, taking more risks. Feels like something is finally clicking.

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Two stories coming out next week. Trying to have an Anne Hathaway 2026: an absurd amount of work suddenly releasing all at once. Goal is 20+ published short stories by the end of the year. #WritingCommunity #ShortStories #AmWriting

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

“T–00:00:43” Forthcoming @HalfDayMoonJournal, Issue 4 (August) Based on the 2003 Columbia disaster, it moves through a launch sequence into the final moments of consciousness inside the capsule. What do you see in the final seconds? Link coming soon🫶 #flashfiction #amwriting #writingcommunity

josephsalvatoreaversano.com

Half Day Moon Journal | JS AVERSANO

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

update: the mirror has stopped responding but I’m continuing the affirmation process regardless

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

It’s hard to stomach but the truth is that nobody cares about your growth apart from you. Looks into the mirror saying his affirmations: “I will get 50 publications this year!” So here’s a pat on the back Ash 🤚You deserve it! #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #BookSky #ShortStory

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Looking back at my old life writing tech thought leadership. My work gets cited in academic journals, but none of it feels remotely as meaningful as publishing fiction. online-journals.org/index.php/i-... #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #LitFic

online-journals.org

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Do people still make About.me pages in 2026 or is this the online equivalent of buying a fax machine? Either way: about.me/ashley.mangtani #WritingCommunity #Networking #AmWriting

about.me

Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Check out my 75-word story published on @paragraphplanet.bsky.social. “The Myrtle” a continuation of Giambattista Basile’s fairy tale from the Pentamerone. Curious what people think about retellings that push beyond original endings #FlashFiction #FairyTales #WritingCommunity www.paragraphplanet.com

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Thank you @paragraphplanet.bsky.social for featuring my 75 word story going live (May 12). It’s tricky to land an emotional punch in so little space. Every word has to earn its place and my refusal to write happy endings only makes it harder. www.paragraphplanet.com #WritingCommunity #Microfiction

paragraphplanet.com

Creative writing website for authors and readers. 75 words, changing daily. Submit your paragraph today.

A flash fiction website for writers and readers. One 75 word tale published daily. Plus author interviews and writing group map

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Ashley Mangtani @writerash.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Things have moved very fast. 3 stories accepted for publication in 2 months. Honestly shocked and incredibly grateful. If you’re submitting, don’t give up. I'm building a WhatsApp community for writers to share tips, life, inspiration & publishing advice. Interested? DM Me #WritingCommunity #LitMags